Britain ready to fund Palestinian security force

[Herschel]

The British government is ready to fund the unification of Palestinian security forces if the Palestinian Authority fulfils a pledge to bring them under a central command, diplomats said on Wednesday.


The British initiative would help the Palestinian Authority fulfil one of its key commitments under the international "road map". Previous attempts to bring the disparate forces under central command have foundered because of disputes within the leadership.

Concern has mounted in recent weeks, however, that the internal divisions that have led to violence in the Palestinian territories could lead to a collapse of the PA.

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http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1077690871618&p=1012571727172

Given the history of Palestinian "security forces", we must be concerned if these will uphold or break the law. If they do not mind themselves, how will the IDF respond? I think you know the answer.

[JohnLocke]

1. I don't see a problem with it...

Having one unified police force under international law is a whole lot better than having disparate warlord-like armed forces roaming Gaza and the West Bank. Saying they will do something wrong is kind of bigoted, don't you think? Anyway, as long as this police force does its job and breaks up these terrorist groups, I'm fine with it.*

* However, I have many reservations.

[Darranar]

2. Indeed...

As long as the PA, or any insitution replacing it, is incapable of going after terrorists, little will be accomplished.

[drdon326]

3. No...not incapable...

pathetically UNWILLING.

[Violet_Crumble]

5. Yes.,,,incapable...

It has a lot to do with the IDF destroying their infrastructure and being pathetically UNWILLING to assist the PA in going after terrorists. So whether or not the PA has ever been willing is irrelevant as Israel has ensured that even if they were, they'd be pathetically incapable of doing so...

Violet...

[JohnLocke]

6. Got any links to support that?

[Violet_Crumble]

7. Huh?

Unless yr denying that Israel has been destroying the Palestinian infrastructure, and that Arafat's compound in Ramallah being pounded to bits is just a figment of everyone's imagination, why would you need a link to prove something that's a well-known fact?

Violet...

[JohnLocke]

8. Well if it's so well known, provide me with a link.

I doubt reporters have ever heard a Palestinian policeman say "Gee, I would hunt these terrorists down if Israel didn't destroy our infrastructure."

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JohnLocke]

12. A long way of saying "I'm wrong and I can't prove anything."

[Violet_Crumble]

14. No, I asked you what you were actually disputing...

The post was very clear about that. Now, if you want to address what I actually said rather than trying to read something into what I said that wasn't there, I'm happy to oblige you...


Violet...

[Violet_Crumble]

13. Huh?

Yr not aware that Israel has demolished most of the compound in Ramallah and Arafat is trapped in there? If not, I'm happy to provide a link to it, though I'm a bit surprised anyone professing an interest in the I/P conflict would not be aware of that. Yr not aware that Israel has destroyed Palestinian police stations and killed Palestinian police? And yr not aware that in the early days of the Roadmap Israel wasn't working with the PA on security, but working in a way that undermined it? Okay, a quick squizz at the archives will educate you on that. Again, I'm more than happy to provide a link, but again that's common knowledge that up till now no-one has disputed. Once those blatantly obvious facts are known to people, it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to work out that even if the willingness was there, the PA was made incapable of reining in groups like Hamas, etc....

Violet...

[JohnLocke]

4. The only danger of having this is the possiblity...

...of the army itself controlled by the terror-supporting Yasser Arafat or someone that is like-minded. However, I don't really think terrorism is totally ingrained in the mainstream Fatah movement (excluding Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades). Any terror-supporting, militant segments can be changed internally once Arafat dies. Kind of similar to Cuba in that respect.

Related articles here, here.

[Darranar]

9. The question...

is to what degree the PA will go after the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. I think they make something of an effort against Hamas and Islamic Jihad - assuming that Israel makes a few concessions, perhaps halting settlement growth - because they threaten the PA's power and are quite hostile towards it. Al Aqsa's Martyrs' Brigades, however, is more secular and far more connected to the PA and Fatah.

With a Palestinian people hopeful for peace, the moderates within the PA - the ones that negotiated the Geneva Accords, for instance - will likely gain power and may manage to reduce militant influences on the PA. There are plenty of policies the Israeli Government could carry out to help reach such a point.

[JohnLocke]

10. Good point.

Al Aqsa's Martyrs' Brigades, however, is more secular and far more connected to the PA and Fatah.
Bingo. Asking the PA to dismantle the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades is like asking me to cut off my own arm.

With a Palestinian people hopeful for peace, the moderates within the PA - the ones that negotiated the Geneva Accords, for instance - will likely gain power and may manage to reduce militant influences on the PA. There are plenty of policies the Israeli Government could carry out to help reach such a point.
Couldn't have said it better myself.