"Although U.S. and international officials said that U.S. security
assistance programs for the PA have helped to improve security conditions in
some West Bank areas, State and USSC have not established clear and
measurable outcome-based performance indicators to assess progress," the
Government Accountability Office said. "Thus, it is difficult to determine
how the programs support the achievement of security-related Roadmap
obligations."
In 2002, then-President George W. Bush introduced the so-called Roadmap,
which stipulated requirements for both Israel and the PA to facilitate the
establishment of a Palestinian state. Most of the U.S. requirements set for
the PA included the restructuring and modernization of Palestinian security
services as well as cooperation with Israel.
[On July 7, three U.S. senators who toured Israel and the PA praised the
performance of Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, Middle East Newsline reported. But the
senators acknowledged concern over the lack of a judicial system in the PA.]
GAO, the fiscal watchdog of Congress, released the report ahead of a
plan by U.S. security coordinator Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton to continue
development of the PA security forces. Officials have pledged that the plan,
expected to be released imminently, would for the first time include
performance indicators.
Titled "U.S. Assistance Is Training and Equipping Security Forces, But
the Program Needs to Measure Progress and Faces Logistical Constraints," GAO
said Congress, even after three years of the U.S. program, still cannot
determine the success of PA security forces. The report said the State
Department has focused on expanding Palestinian security forces while
virtually ignoring PA requirements to maintain law and order in the West
Bank.
"State documents and annual mission strategic plans for the U.S.
Consulate General in Jerusalem identify performance indicators for U.S.
security assistance programs," GAO said "However, the targets they set to
measure progress toward these indicators focus on specific program outputs,
such as the number of battalions or personnel trained and equipped, rather
than on broader program outcomes such as helping the PA meet its Roadmap
obligations to achieve the transformation of its security sector and create
a professional, right-sized PASF."
The State Department has approved plans to form 10 special operational
battalions in the National Security Forces, the only agency that receives
significant and direct help from Dayton's office. So far, four NSF
battalions have returned from a four-month course in Jordan, and a fifth
battalion began training in July 2010.
The report said the PA has organized a 23,000-member security force in
the West Bank, a significant drop from 86,000 officers — who also included
those in the Gaza Strip — in 2007. The NSF has been designed to serve as a
European-style Gendarmerie, capable of anti-riot, counter-insurgency and
special weapons and tactics [SWAT] missions.
"A senior USSC official said they had little incentive to emphasize or
develop performance targets because State had shown little interest in
tracking performance in the past," the report said. "In fact, regular
monthly reports from USSC to State on its activities resumed only in
November 2009 after a hiatus of more than a year."
Officials have acknowledged the concerns by Congress. They said many
questions concerning PA security remain unanswered, particularly the
capacity by the Palestinians to reform, rebuild and sustain their forces.
"Some State officials and documents also noted that the PASF [PA
security forces] has not clarified the role of the Presidential Guard and
that some of its units had assumed Gendarmerie tasks beyond its original
mandate, which may overlap with NSF responsibilities," the report said.
GAO said NSF has refused to coordinate with the Palestinian civil
police. The report, quoting State Department officials, said the failure to
coordinate has continued despite U.S. programs that encourage NSF units to
work with the police and other security forces.
"According to State and international officials, the NSF and the PCP do
not coordinate programs to a large extent," the report said. "Although the
NSF receives training on operating with the PCP [Palestinian civil police]
at JIPTC [Jordanian International Police Training Center] and PCP are
trained on operating with NSF at many different levels, including at
USSC-sponsored courses, the NSF and PCP coordination needs to be
strengthened, according to U.S. and other officials."
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