JINSA Report #616 The Military Mission in "Palestine"

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November 3, 2006

JINSA Report #616

The Military Mission in "Palestine"

In February 2005, the Administration named Lt. Gen. William Ward, USA,
"American security coordinator" in the Palestinian Authority territories
and tasked him with consolidating and improving Palestinian "security
forces." The mission, in our view, was flawed (JINSA Reports 467, 468
and 521) and the result of American intervention was simply better
trained terrorists.

Lt. Gen. Ward's successor is Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, USA. His job is
complicated by the fact that the U.S. no longer recognizes the Hamas-led
PA government. But according to Ha'aretz, Lt. Gen. Dayton is arming and
training "the Presidential Guard of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to prepare
it for a potential violent confrontation with Hamas forces in Gaza.
Palestinian sources say the training of 400 Force 17 troops...started a
month ago in Jericho under the guidance of an American military
instructor." Force 17 was Arafat's praetorian guard, attacking
recalcitrant Palestinians as well as Israelis. Abu Mazen inherited it.

Messing with Force 17 suggests that the U.S. is entering the nascent
Palestinian civil war on the side of Abu Mazen - the less offensive
terrorist - hoping he will use our help to put down Hamas rather than
using it to kill ever more Israelis. We're not sure.

The Administration, staunchly pro-Israel and anti-terrorist, still
believes "Palestine" is a social problem, not an existential threat to
Israel. The President said he "weeps" for the Palestinian people.
Secretary Rice said, "The great majority of the people just want a
better life. I just don't believe mothers want their children to grow up
to be suicide bombers... (They) want their children to grow up to go to
university." We find serious evidence that the Palestinians have other
priorities.

Note: Palestinian polling data in September shows 67 percent of
Palestinians do not believe Hamas should recognize Israel; 75 percent
believe Gaza withdrawal was a victory for "armed struggle"; 57 percent
support armed attacks against Israeli civilians inside Israel; and 63
percent agree that Palestinians should use the same methods as Hezbollah
such as launching rockets at Israeli cities.

Note: WorldNetDaily reports, "Palestinian preachers in several major
mosques in the West Bank and Gaza are celebrating the anti-American
violence (in Iraq) as a gift from Allah bestowed upon Muslims through
prayer during the holy month of Ramadan, according to congregants."

Note: MENL reports, "Israel has determined that the Hamas-led PA has
received advanced, Russian-made, AT-14 Kornet anti-tank missiles with a
range of 5.5 km. and a high level of accuracy... capable of changing the
strategic balance in the region... threaten Israeli military
operations... (and) target civilian and military sites inside Israel."

Dr. Rice did say of the Palestinians, "If human beings don't want a
better future, don't want their children to grow up in peace and have
opportunities, then none of this is going to work anyway." That dark
possibility should be kept front and center as Lt. Gen. Dayton carries
out his rather dubious mission.

To view this JINSA Report online click on the link below.

http://www.jinsa.org/JINSAReports/3578

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