Palestinian support wanes for US trained force
The West Bank has seen a 'boom' in every aspect of life. There is peace, prosperity, etc. While there still remains a Hamas terrorist element, it has been pushed underground, but also largely destroyed.
At the very center of the success in the West Bank, are the US trained security forces (PASF), overseen by Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton. The PASF, commanded by Col. Said Najjar, stands out from the West Bank's often poorly equipped and trained security services. They sport crisp olive uniforms and carry well-maintained AK-47s supplied by other countries, including Jordan and Egypt. It is a force that is professional, competent, well armed, and most importantly, a force that has a cooperative working relationship with the IDF. The success has been so staggering, that Isreal has turned over control of almost every aspect of security. People are allowed to move around freely.
But therein lies the problem. While many Palestinians applaud the PASF's success in boosting security in the once-lawless West Bank, which is dominated by Mr. Abbas's Fatah party, support for a force that is seen as being cooperative with the IDF, is fast drying up. Support for the armed struggle, even outweighs peace and prosperity.
So where do we go from here? Nablus and the West Bank are the benchmark, yet it is not enough?
In an incident last fall, Palestinian forces swept into a West Bank town on the heels of the Israeli army -- only to be chased out by angry residents. An internal memo distributed among the Gen. Dayton's training team after the incident warned: "There are growing signs that the local population are increasingly losing respect for the PASF."In Qalqilyah, on May 31, the PASF engaged in an all-night shootout with Hamas, leaving two Hamas militants, three PASF members and a bystander dead. After the shootout, hundreds of angry Palestinians took to the streets. "Dayton's Army serves the Jews," Subea Abu Yussuf, a 24-year-old law student, shouted at a PASF officer.One of Col. Najjar's soldiers, Sgt. Jihad Qabaha, went to Israeli prison in 1999 for throwing a Molotov cocktail at an Israeli jeep. He says he gave up fighting Israel after he was released from prison in 2002, and joined the PASF.
In January, Sgt. Qabaha, who is now 31 years old, graduated from Gen. Dayton's training camp beaming with pride. His trainers told trainees they were at the vanguard of efforts to build a Palestinian state. Since then, family members and friends have asked dispiriting questions about his loyalties. While he was on leave recently, his 21-year-old sister criticized the PASF for arresting Palestinians. "People say the security forces are working for the Israelis," she said disapprovingly.
"I know that Palestinian statehood will only come by serving this way, not with force, but it's hard when the people you love question what you're doing," says Sgt. Qabaha.
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Originally Posted by motiv-8
(hint: its not the jews)
