Palestinian youth less interested in security forces after shootouts with Hamas
RAMALLAH Ñ The Palestinian Authority has been hampered by
difficulties in recruitment for the security forces.
PA officials said the security forces have encountered difficulties in
expansion plans for 2009. They said the difficulties stem from a dwindling
pool of eligible and willing Palestinian youngsters, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Last year, the idea of joining the PA police and security forces seemed
to be a great option for young Palestinians," an official said. "Now, that
the PA has been fighting Hamas, being seen in a PA uniform is not so
attractive."
Officials said recruitment dropped significantly in wake of the bloody
PA shootouts with Hamas in the West Bank city of Kalkilya in late May and
early June. They said Palestinian families have been discouraging relatives
from joining any security unit assigned to fight Hamas.
Also In This Edition
The poor PA recruitment effort has hampered the formation of additional
battalions of the National Security Force in an effort financed by the
United States. U.S. security envoy Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton has sought to make
NSF the largest security force, with 40,000 members.
So far, NSF has been expanded by three battalions trained in Jordan.
Dayton plans to send another three NSF battalions for training in Jordan
over the next year.
Officials said the financial crisis in the PA has also affected
recruitment. They said the PA has not received most of the international aid
promised for 2009, which has delayed salaries.
Another factor, officials said, was strict PA security checks for NSF
applicants. They said Hamas supporters or close relatives of Hamas
operatives have been rejected for the security forces.
Israel has approved the expansion of the PA security forces. Israeli
Defense Minister Ehud Barak has approved the transfer of 1,000 automatic
weapons to the PA as well as the transfer of 50 Russian-origin BTR-70
armored vehicles. The vehicle fleet has been undergoing inspection in
Jordan.
