U.S.-trained forces failing basic tests 'They can't even protect a music
festival'
By Aaron Klein WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU Posted: July 31, 2009 12:50 am
Eastern
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TEL AVIV – They are billed as the most professional Palestinian police force
ever assembled.

They received advanced U.S. training and were deployed last year amid much
fanfare and claims they would fight crime and terrorism.

They are upheld as the force capable of assuming law and order in the place
of the Israeli army during the creation of any Palestinian state.

And this week they couldn't even secure a few stages at a music festival –
marking the latest in a series of largely unreported, massive failures of
the new elite police unit of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas'
Fatah organization.

As part of a trial for the U.S.-trained forces, about 500 elite police
officers deployed last February in the West Bank city of Nablus. The
officers have repeatedly been praised by Gen. Keith Dayton, the U.S.
security coordinator to the Palestinian territories, as capable of assuming
full security control of the strategic West Bank. Dayton personally oversaw
the Nablus units' training at U.S.-operated bases in Jordan and in the West
Bank city of Jericho.

Earlier this week, the Palestinians attempted to hold a music festival in
the center of Nablus set to include rap, rock and pop shows. The festival,
however, was strongly criticized by a group of Fatah militants who openly
oppose calls by the PA to engage in a period of calm with Israel.

One Fatah militant was quoted stating, "Instead of a legacy of the struggle
against occupation, we get young men with 65 foot-long sagging pants,
yelling and screaming. I don't know what they want from us, and I don't
understand what they're singing."

The militants threatened to stop the festival, which was being protected by
Dayton's forces.

Halfway into the festival, the militants burned down the stages, bringing
the event to a screeching halt.

An Israeli security source who monitored the forces' performance told WND
"if the PA is not able to secure a stage at the center of town, and, in
spite of all the measures, Fatah militants can still do whatever they want,
this shows the PA doesn't have that big of an impact over elements that want
to express independence and a lack of respect to the PA and its agreements
with Israel."

The festival marks the latest in a series of failures for Dayton's forces in
Nablus and other cities.

As part of another trial, a unit of 480 members of the elite force deployed
last May in the northern West Bank city of Jenin. The Jenin force's
commander, Suleiman Amran, told media the deployment was an important day
for the town and that there's "no chance for troublemakers to return to
Jenin."
Failing basic tests, running scared

The Jenin unit recently embarked on a major mission – clearing out a section
of Cabatiya, a Palestinian camp just south of Jenin considered the main base
of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.

About 200 policemen attempted to engage in fire clashes in Cabatiya with
members of Islamic Jihad, Hamas and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror
groups. The Brigades is the declared military wing of Abbas' Fatah party.

But witnesses, including members of Abbas' Fatah organization, and Israeli
security sources monitoring the fight told WND that within less than 30
minutes of the start of the clashes, the elite Palestinian police force
retreated from the scene.

"The security men ran away scared. They didn't arrest anyone," said one
witness.

An Israeli security official closely monitoring the progress of the Nablus
and Jenin forces previously told WND the units are largely failing.

"They cannot fight terrorism. The Israel Defense Forces must do most of the
work for them in that regard. When it comes to public security, they can
block off streets and create a perimeter and carry out other basic duties,
but beyond that, fighting crime isn't going well," said the security
official.
Israeli doing all the work

Another major episode demonstrating the police unit's failure to fight
terrorism began playing out in Nablus last April when 13 senior leaders of
the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades publicly took up arms and vowed terror attacks
against Israel in defiance of an amnesty agreement with Israel.

According to informed security sources, among the Brigades leaders who
rejected the agreement were Hanni Caabe, Mahdi Abu Jazaleh, and brothers
Omar and Amer Haqube – all of whom are high-ranking Brigades terrorists.

The U.S.-backed Nablus police unit, under Dayton's watch, was called upon to
eject the Al Aqsa terrorist rebels from Nablus' Old City. The operation was
to be seen as a major test of the force's capabilities.

A large force attempted to raid the terrorists' stronghold several times,
but according to security officials, the forces repeatedly failed.

"We are talking about six attempts so far, five of the attempts utilized
more than 300 policemen against the 13 terrorists and all attempts failed
miserably," said a security official.

"They couldn't even get near the stronghold without being heavily fired upon
and then retreating," the security official said.

Finally, the IDF raided the Brigades stronghold, killing Brigades terrorist
leader Caabe during a shootout and sending at least five other rebel
Brigades terrorists into hiding.

"Israel had to come in and do the work for the Palestinian force," said a
security official. "I don't know how they can handle security without Israel
backing them up."

U.S. training continues

Meanwhile, U.S. training of elite PA security forces continues. A new,
three-month course began last March at U.S.-controlled bases in the
Jordanian village of Giftlik, according to Israeli security officials. More
than 600 elite PA soldiers are enrolled in the current course, which
includes training in the use of weapons, conducting ambushes, fighting
street crime, fighting terrorism and dealing with hostage situations.

After the unit is finished training in Jordan, they will continue with more
advanced training courses at a U.S.-run base in the West Bank city of
Jericho.
Security officials said Dayton rented an apartment in Jericho and is
overseeing "every aspect of the new unit's training."