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Reform of Palestinian Security Forces Barely Off the Ground

[Economist-UK] Israel is negotiating a "framework agreement" with PA leader Mahmoud Abbas. But it has always insisted that Abbas first show that his security forces can take the place of the Israeli army in fighting Palestinian gunmen. That is asking a lot. The PA has never had full control of the West Bank, many security people are ex-militants, and the armed "resistance" to Israel is popular. Both Abbas and his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, have used the security forces as patronage, letting them swell to around 85,000-strong, far beyond the 30,000 limit envisaged in the Oslo peace accords of the 1990s. A detailed plan presented last autumn by General Dayton sets sensible long-term goals: to unify, shrink and spruce up the security forces. But it is impossibly ambitious.
2008-05-02 01:00:00
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