Palestinian Security Forces | The American Task Force on Palestine

Israel to continue freeze on Palestinian tax money, says senior official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - November 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his forum of eight senior ministers decided Sunday to continue Israel's freeze on the transfer of the Palestinian Authority's tax money, a senior Israeli official said, due to the latest moves by Fatah and Hamas aimed at establishing a unity government. Israel has been withholding $100 million of the PA's money, which Israel collects for it under the Oslo Accords.

Abbas-Dahlan spat undermining Fatah, bolstering Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - August 14, 2011 - 11:00pm

As he prepares to submit a request to the UN in September for recognition of a Palestinian state, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has also found time to wage a relentless war against his former ally and friend, Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan. The rivalry between the two men, which reached its peak last month when Abbas ordered his security forces to raid Dahlan’s villa on the outskirts of Ramallah, has caused severe damage to Fatah and will only serve Hamas’s interests, Fatah officials warned.

Abbas tells US lawmakers: NATO role in Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 11, 2011 - 11:00pm

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told visiting US Congressmen on Thursday that the security of the future Palestinian state will be handed to NATO under US command, his adviser said Friday. The Palestinian state must also be "empty of [Israeli] settlements," the President said, according to official Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA.

Hoyer: Abbas, Fayyad sent mixed messages on UN bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - August 10, 2011 - 11:00pm

PA prime minister tells visiting US lawmakers no final decision yet made on statehood bid, while Abbas talks as if deal is done. The Palestinian leadership sent mixed messages to a Democratic Congressional delegation visiting Ramallah, with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad saying that no decision on the UN bid in September has been finalized, while PA President Mahmoud Abbas gave the impression that going to the UN was a done deal.

Hamas leader: We will maintain security in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
May 1, 2011 - 11:00pm

A Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip says the Islamic militant group has no plans to dismantle its security forces or end its struggle against Israel after a new Palestinian unity government is formed this week. Hamas and the rival Fatah movement are set to sign a unity deal in Cairo on Wednesday. The plan seeks to end a 4-year-old rift that has left the Palestinians divided between a Western-leaning government in the West Bank and the Hamas regime in Gaza. The plan calls for elections next year but is vague about the future of rival security forces or using violence against Israel.

Palestinian Security Forces Abused Journalists, Report Says
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - April 5, 2011 - 11:00pm

Palestinian journalists have been subjected to detention and abuse at the hands of Palestinian security agencies, a pattern that has led many to self-censor and produced a chilling effect on the free exchange of information and ideas, a human rights group said in a new report.

'PA police arrest 2 Islamic Jihad members for J'lem attack'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 23, 2011 - 11:00pm

Two members of Islamic Jihad were arrested by Palestinian police in Jenin on Thursday in connection to Wednesday's bombing in Jerusalem. According to a statement released by Islamic Jihad, "Palestinian security forces broke into the home of Jihad official Khaled Jaradat and arrested him. Other forces arrested organization official Tarek Kaadan near his home." On Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority condemned the Jerusalem explosion that killed a woman and wounded dozens of people, while Hamas and Islamic Jihad welcomed it as a “natural response to Israeli crimes.”

Gaza security forces violently disperse rally
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 15, 2011 - 11:00pm

Security forces forcefully dispersed protesters from a square in central Gaza City late Tuesday, witnesses said. Protesters in Gaza said security forces set up hundreds of barriers around the main square of demonstrations and were patrolling the area. They beat people with batons and set fire to tents that were set up by the demonstrators, according to activists in Gaza City. The March 15 Coalition said hundreds of Hamas security forces stormed the protests and tried to evacuate it by force.

Shin Bet warns of increased PA security involvement in East Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - February 22, 2011 - 12:00am

Intelligence figures in the Jerusalem District Police and the Shin Bet security service are increasingly concerned about the growing involvement of Palestinian security authorities in East Jerusalem. Recent intelligence reports suggested that militant Palestinians may be trying to prevent the operation of community centers so that young Palestinians will roam the streets and disturb the peace. In another incident, the Palestinian security forces reportedly arrested a man in connection to a dispute between neighbors.

Tear gas launcher hits Silwan home
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yair Altman - February 21, 2011 - 12:00am

The occasional riots in Silwan have become a common phenomenon in east Jerusalem, but for 33-year-old resident Issam Qawasmeh, Friday's rally turned into a nightmare. When the riots began he and his wife and three small children decided to stay in the house so as not to get hurt, but at the end of the day Qawasmeh and his two-month baby found themselves in the hospital. On Friday evening young men began to stone houses in Silwan. Border Guard soldiers were called to the scene and tried to disperse the crowd using tear gas grenade launchers.