Israel Matzav

It's come to this: US 'east' Jerusalem consulate hiring 'Palestinian' militia to replace Israeli security guards

Yet another agreement with the United States is proving not to be worth the paper on which it is written according to a report in the Hebrew edition of Yediot Acharonot (not out yet in English). In 2011, the United States consulate in 'east' Jerusalem (the one to which we all must go to register our children's births and to obtain passports unless you want to travel to Tel Aviv) signed an agreement with the Israeli government that said that it would only hire security guards who had served in IDF combat units. But there's a new security coordinator at the consulate, and according to former guards at the consulate (some of whom were fired and some of whom resigned), the new coordinator regards Israeli law as 'solely a recommendation.' The coordinator is training 35 'east' Jerusalem 'Palestinians' - some of whom have criminal records to act as guards for the consulate. This is being done so that the next time the consulate decides to go 'investigate' alleged vandalism by 'settlers,' they will have guards along who will be willing to open fire. This is from the first link.

Three Israeli security guards who worked at the US consulate resigned in the wake of a plan to hire 35 Palestinians from East Jerusalem as armed security guards who are currently undergoing training in Yericho (Jericho). One of them has gone so far as to accuse the consulate of creating "an armed Palestinian militia."

According to the report in Yediot Aharonot, the plan is to employ the Palestinians mainly to escort convoys of American diplomats in Judea-Samaria.

...

The report said that the change in the consulate Israelis began months ago, with the appointment of consulate security officer Dan Cronin. Employees say that since they started working there seven Israeli security guards were fired, compared with one Palestinian guard.

The three Israeli guards who recently resigned in protest at his behavior, say he is training the Palestinian security guards at the American facility in Jericho, where Palestinian security forces are training. Some of the guards were even flown to the US for training.

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"The law in Israel is only a recommendation for him," one employee fired. "Cronin does whatever he wants."

According to them, some of the Palestinian security guards employed at the consulate were arrested in the past for throwing rocks or have relatives who were convicted of hostile terrorist activities.

"The Consulate head's behavior tends toward the Palestinians, and Cronin actually established a Palestinian armed militia for the Consulate," an employee said. "He is training them with weapons, combat and tactical exercises. There is a lack of responsibility here - who ensures that such weapons, once given over to Palestinian guards, won't make their way to terror groups?"

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The anti-Israeli character of the consulate today is clear, according to the report: the most senior adviser is a Palestinian Arab, Ibrahim Delalsh, who sat in Israeli prison for belonging to Fatah-linked terror groups. Another advisor is a relative of one of the leaders of Hamas in Jerusalem, Muhammad Hassan Abu Tir, who has been in and out of Israeli prisons many times.

While diplomats at the Consulate live in Jewish areas of western Jerusalem, they consider themselves "American Ambassadors in Palestine," according to the report. Its armored vehicles often move to and from Judea and Samaria, its people have contacts with the Palestinian Authority and it takes part in surveillance over construction of Jewish communities in the region.

There is nothing new in the 'east' Jerusalem consulate diplomats regarding  themselves as 'ambassadors to 'Palestine.''

By the way, among other things, the report indicates that the consulate has an illegal weapons stash on the premises that includes machine guns, rifles and shotguns. Funny they didn't have any of that in Benghazi....

What could go wrong?

Labels: East Jerusalem US Consulate, Palestinians, US-Israel relationship

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:00 AM