Madison-Rafah Journal

Reuters, 31 Jan 2007

The United States is considering expanding assistance beyond Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Presidential Guard to members of the largest
force under his command, Western and Palestinian officials said.

Providing U.S. funds to train elements of Abbas's National Security Forces (NSF), in addition to the Presidential Guard, could increase U.S. involvement in the violent power struggle between Abbas's Fatah faction and the governing Hamas movement.

Officials said members of the NSF would undergo a review process to ensure they are qualified and have no ties to militant groups before undergoing the training.

The nearly 4,000-man Presidential Guard is far better armed and trained but tiny in comparison to the NSF, the closest thing the Palestinians have to an army.

Palestinian officials estimate that the NSF have as many as 40,000 members. Western diplomats involved in the matter say the number of "active" members is closer to 20,000 and that a portion of those would be eligible to participate in the U.S.-funded training.

"They need a lot of work," said a Palestinian security source who has been involved in evaluating the forces.

U.S. President George W. Bush has committed $86 million to provide training and non-lethal equipment to forces loyal to Abbas. Guns and ammunition are being supplied by key U.S. allies Jordan and Egypt, with Israeli approval, Israeli officials say.

Diplomats say Abbas's military build-up is meant to counter strides by Hamas in smuggling in more powerful weapons into Gaza for its fast-growing "Executive Force" and armed wing.

Gunmen critically wound Fatah militant in Gaza despite truce
Gunmen shot and wounded a Fatah militant on Wednesday, the second day of a cease-fire that has largely halted gun battles between fighters from the once-dominant Palestinian faction and the governing Hamas group.

Hospital officials said Bashir Issa, a member of Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, was in critical condition after the drive-by shooting in Gaza City. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday after the deaths of at least 30
Palestinians in the fiercest internal Palestininan violence since Hamas, an Islamist group that rejects peace talks with Israel, won election a year ago.

Shops and schools had shut down during five days of bloodshed that preceded the agreement by the feuding factions to pull back from what many Gazans described as a rush towards civil war.

The violence had derailed unity government talks between Hamas and Fatah and prompted some families in the coastal strip to flee their homes.

The truce was initially threatened when Hamas blamed the Fatah-dominated Preventive Security Service for the killing on Tuesday of one of its commanders, Hussein Shabasi.

Hospital officials said Shabasi was shot in the head in the town of Khan Younis. The security service denied any connection with his death.