Shocking security agency statistics and the dissolution of the PA
4/3/2015
Palestinian writer Saed Abu Farha has published a report on the Palestinian security services in Ramallah. This report includes figures that simply cannot be believed due to their disastrous implications and miserable details. For example, the ratio of Palestinian citizens to security officers is 52:1; the equivalent ratio of citizens to teachers is 72:1. As soon as the Palestinian Authority was established, it established 10 security agencies: civil police, civil defence, preventive security, national security forces, naval police, air police, the Palestine Maritime League, military intelligence, presidential guard (Force 17) and general intelligence services.
The late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat then established two additional agencies: internal security and Special Forces, bringing the total number of security personnel to around 70,000 individuals; together they consume 37 per cent of the PA's general budget. Palestinian human rights organisations have received 3,409 complaints regarding torture and threats during arrest operations, with 82 in December 2014 alone. The agencies' main role appears to be security coordination with Israel, which consists of joint patrols on the streets (which stopped after the second Intifada broke out), joint security committees and civil security cooperation.
What I am saying (and the statistics back this up) is that the duties of the security agencies are limited to monitoring, spying on, arresting and torturing Palestinians living in the territories occupied in 1967; since the 2007 political split these have been concentrated mainly in the occupied West Bank. The PA (which is also occupied by Israel) is supposed to provide assistance to the Palestinians suffering under the Israeli occupation of their land, the restriction of their freedom and the oppression of their will. What is actually happening is the exact opposite, and this drives me to say that the PA has become a burden on the Palestinian people. Is this what America and Israel want? It is unbelievable that there is one security officer for every 50 Palestinians. The ominous Oslo agreement has a clause which stipulates PA security coordination with Israel and this is used by the authority as justification for not stopping this shameful security coordination which only benefits one party; in effect, the PA acts as a loyal foot-soldier against anything that interferes with Israel's security. There is no way that Israel will allow any interference in the activities of its own security agencies, which spy on its main ally, the United States and have done for decades, as the life sentence being served by Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard illustrates. Hence, Israel's need of the PA.
Another issue I would like to bring attention to is that nearly half of the PA's budget is spent on these security agencies, which are like a parasite on the national Palestinian body; is this logical? Where are the village and city development projects; the health and educational services; and the advanced allowances, such as elderly allowances and those given to the families of the deceased, in addition to the other services provided to citizens, especially those under occupation? According to the report, employment in security agencies is used to get ahead and buy people's loyalty, and only members of Fatah are employed. The monopoly of positions for members of the pro-government party occurs in every ministry and department. There are rarely any individuals in such posts from other parties. The PA took over the role of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and it has made every effort to make sure that the PLO has had no role since the authority's formation.
remainder: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/articles/middle-east/17866-shocking-security-agency-statistics-and-the-dissolution-of-the-pa
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