Israel Matzav

The United States' 'Palestinian' Frankenstein monster

Some 'Palestinians' are complaining that the US-trained Dayton Forces, who are supposed to maintain law and order within the 'Palestinian Authority,' are quickly becoming a Frankenstein monster.

“I feel real concern that we are reaching the level of a police state,” according to Ramallah-based human rights group director Shawan Jabarin, quoted by the Financial Times.

The United States has taken pride in its training PA ”policemen,” avoiding use of the words "armed forces" in order not to violate Oslo agreements. General Keith Dayton, who recently stepped down as director of the training program in the PA, has said the forces have been instrumental in eliminating Arab terror.

However, most of the terrorists and their supporters who have been arrested belong to Hamas, which threw its bitter rival Fatah out of Gaza in a bloody military war more than three years ago.

The Financial Times noted that PA politician Badr Abu Ayyash was arrested in September by the “Preventive Security Unit,” which allegedly tortured him to the point that he can hardly walk today. Other prisoners were quoted as saying that Hamas members are routinely beaten and tortured.

Human Rights Watch last month stated that “reports of torture by Palestinian security forces keep rolling in.” Randa Siniora, the director of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights, told the Times, “We are looking at a very gloomy situation. I am afraid that this will become systematic.”

The anti-Hamas actions may prevent inroads by fundamentalist Muslim members of Hamas, but European countries, which generously fund the Palestinian Authority, have openly questioned whether their contribution justifies the PA becoming a police state.

...

Ahmed Salhab, who said he was tortured in a PA prison, told the Times, “I had to eat lying on my back. I had to pray on my back and other inmates had to carry me to the toilet. I never broke the law. In the past, nobody would have believed that the PA would torture its own people. But now everybody knows that they do not respect human rights.”

Hamas charged on Monday that continuing arrests of its members in Judea and Samaria “are poisoning the atmosphere. A statement from its Damascus headquarters stated, “More than 50 armed men of the security services of the Palestinian Authority on Sunday night raided the home of MP Fathi al-Qarawi, arrested one of his sons and confiscated computers." It also charged that a preacher was “kidnapped” from her home in Shechem.

I have two problems with this. First, these kinds of tactics can be, and probably are and will be used on opponents of the 'Palestinian Authority' who are not Hamas. (I am amazed every time I hear that Khaled Abu Toameh, the JPost reporter who is a 'Palestinian' but is highly critical of the 'Palestinian Authority,' goes to Ramallah. Then again, he may be too prominent to be touched at this point).

Second, if this is what they do to other 'Palestinians,' imagine what they would do to the Jews if God forbid they got the chance.

Labels: Dayton forces, Frankenstein monster, torture

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:23 AM