The newspaper explained that the United States is funding a center for training security forces in Jericho, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority.
These exercises are considered central to the United States’ plans for the post-war period in Gaza, but according to the newspaper, the Palestinian security forces suffer from funding problems and are not accepted among the Palestinians, and do not have the sufficient equipment and weapons they need to carry out the mission planned by their Western supporters.
US President Joe Biden said last November that the West Bank and Gaza Strip should be united under one government, and American officials subsequently visited Ramallah, Tel Aviv, and Arab capitals with the aim of realizing Biden's vision.
The crisis of the Palestinian security forces
According to the Washington Post, the Palestinian security forces that work to control systems in the West Bank suffer from the same restrictions that Israel imposes on all Palestinians, which makes the members of those forces viewed by the Palestinians as contractors under contract with Israel, as they are unable to prevent settler violence. Or raids by Israeli forces, and they became unwelcome in Palestinian cities and towns where the armed factions became the de facto authority.
The members of these forces are also suffering from a salary crisis, as the Palestinian Authority has paid them only less than half of their salaries since last October 7 due to Israel’s refusal to pay tax clearance fees. The center also does not have ammunition for training, which prompted it to send a selected group for training in Jordan on Real weapons.
Western officials, according to the newspaper, believe that there is a need to expand the capabilities of Palestinian security in order to deal with the mission in Gaza, as well as the need for the approval of Israel, which opposes this plan.
The newspaper quoted a Western diplomat as saying that the Palestinian Authority is not ready to go to Gaza and that will not happen anytime soon, in light of the Authority’s weak preparations and lack of knowledge of Gaza’s affairs.
The Palestinian leadership rejects any role in Gaza that is not directly linked to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
A crisis of confidence
According to the newspaper, after the expulsion of the National Authority from Gaza in 2007, the West invested in supporting the Palestinian security forces and transforming them into forces capable of coordinating with Israel. Over the years, these forces became viewed by the Palestinians as a tool in the hands of the occupation or as special forces that received their orders from the leadership in Ramallah.
The Palestinian security forces number 35,000 members. The first training center was opened in 1994, along with another branch in Gaza, in addition to other centers established with American support.
In 2005, the United States established an office for the American Security Coordinator in Jerusalem. The office financed training programs for Palestinian security forces at the Jordanian military academies before transferring many training programs to the West Bank.
The newspaper quoted Talal Dweikat, spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, as saying that people do not trust these forces, especially when Israeli forces enter cities, as this leads to widening the gap with the people.
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