Palestine Think Tank

Palestinian forces deployed in Jenin

By Guest Post • May 4th, 2008 at 16:32 • Category: Israel, Newswire, Palestine

By Ernesto Paramo

A 500-strong force made up of Palestinian national security forces and Presidential Guards has begun deploying in the West Bank city of Jenin for a “law-and-order campaign”. This force will join the 150 men already there preparing the ground. The operation has been ordered by Mahmoud Abbas trying to demonstrate to Israel and his US handlers that he can deliver his people and his country before the end of the year, as demanded by Bush.

Jeeps and buses carrying the men left several West Bank cities on Saturday for Jenin, in co-ordination and with the assistance of Israel, as part of a campaign dubbed “Operation Smile and Hope”. The deployment is meant to show, according to PA sources, that the government is laying the ground for statehood by “enforcing the law and securing the safety of the Palestinian people”, ending all signs of disorder and chaos in the city. It has been noted by observers, however, that there has been no mention, anywhere, of Israeli incursions or targeted assassinations in the area.

According to General Thiyab al-Ali, the Commander of the Palestinian Security Forces in the West Bank, he will carry out a “campaign to impose law and order” in the Jenin governorate, and adds "These forces will implement the orders of President Mahmoud Abbas to serve the citizens, protect them and end the security breakdown in the governorate."

It is a matter of record that Abbas, Ariel Sharon’s hand picked “Palestinian President”, has committed Fatah and the PA collaborators, to destroy any opposition to the increasingly brutal and murderous Israeli occupation of the West Bank and their genocidal treatment of the Gaza Strip. They have also been instructed to destroy any existing Hamas infrastructure and organizations still remaining outside Gaza.

The Jenin campaign will cover 50 villages and is supposed to last three months. It is intended to be accompanied by a series of economic development projects, however, there are no indications as to who is going to pay for them, or indeed, what form they will take.

Abbas' forces will be authorised to enter Jenin's refugee camp and other areas that have been off-limits to Palestinian security forces in the past.

Resistance and attacks against Israeli occupying forces have taken a deep in Jenin over the last six months as fighters from Abbas' Fatah faction turned in weapons as part of an amnesty programme co-ordinated and promoted by Israel.

Washington wants to see progress on security and economic development in the occupied West Bank before George Bush, the US president, visits Israel later this month. The Jenin deployment also coincides with the arrival of Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, in the region on Saturday.

Israel has always emphasised that the "ultimate security responsibility will remain in Israel's hands" although Western officials note that the Jenin area has few Jewish settlements and checkpoints, thus reducing the rationale for a strong Israeli military presence. It makes perfect sense to them to get the PA security forces to do the Israeli occupying forces job until the final betrayal has been consummated.

Tagged as: Abbas, Israel, Jenin, Palestine, Palestinian National Security Forces, Presidential Guards, West Bank

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