User:Kharbaan Ghaltaan/Palestinian Security Services

Palestinian Security Services is a group of official armed forces and intelligence agencies of the State of Palestine. They comprise several institutions, notably the Security Forces and the Police. The president of the Palestinian Authority is Commander-in-Chief of the Palestinian Forces

Second Intifada
Prior to the outbreak of the Second Intifada, the Palestinian security services existed as separate entities under the control of the Palestinian Authority. These services included the Preventive Security Service, General Intelligence Service, and the Palestinian National Security Force. They were responsible for maintaining law and order and were engaged in coordination efforts with Israeli security forces as part of the Oslo Accords. The Second Intifada was triggered by a visit of then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, which sparked widespread protests and violence. As the violence escalated, the Palestinian security services became more directly involved, with some members actively participating in armed confrontations with Israeli forces.

The Palestinian security services, particularly the Preventive Security Service and the General Intelligence Service, launched efforts to crack down on armed groups and militants involved in attacks against Israelis. They conducted arrests, raids, and investigations to maintain control and restore order within Palestinian territories. In response to the escalating violence, Israel launched a series of military operations, including targeted assassinations and incursions into Palestinian-controlled areas. These operations significantly impacted the infrastructure and capabilities of the Palestinian security services, leading to a deterioration of their ability to maintain security.

In the aftermath of the Second Intifada, there were efforts to reform and reorganize the Palestinian security services. International actors, including the United States and European countries, provided assistance and training to enhance the professionalism and effectiveness of these forces. The goal was to establish a unified security apparatus under the control of the Palestinian Authority. Eventually, a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Palestinian factions, leading to a significant reduction in violence. The security services played a role in maintaining the ceasefire and preventing further confrontations.

Palestinian Civil War
On January 25, 2006, Hamas emerged victorious in the parliamentary elections, leading to a power shift within the Palestinian Authority. Following the election, the Palestinian Security Services (PSS) faced internal divisions as Fatah-affiliated members clashed with those sympathetic to Hamas. Tensions further escalated on June 25, 2006, when Hamas militants, along with other Palestinian factions, captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid, triggering a series of escalations between Hamas and Israel. Following their electoral success, on March 29, 2006, Hamas formed a government led by Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, which was not internationally recognized due to Hamas's refusal to renounce violence and recognize Israel.

In December 2006, factional clashes between Fatah and Hamas escalated, with the PSS being directly involved in the fighting. The clashes primarily occurred in the Gaza Strip but also had sporadic incidents in the West Bank. The PSS under Fatah's control included the Preventive Security Service (PSS), General Intelligence, and the National Security Force (NSF). They were tasked with maintaining security, combating Hamas, and protecting Fatah-affiliated institutions and leaders. Concurrently, Hamas formed its own security forces, including the Executive Force, which later became known as the Hamas Security Apparatus. These forces were loyal to the Hamas-led government and aimed to maintain security and counter Fatah's influence.

As tensions continued to rise, clashes between Fatah and Hamas security forces erupted on December 12, 2006. These clashes mainly took place in the Gaza Strip, although sporadic incidents also occurred in the West Bank. Efforts to resolve the conflict led to the signing of the Mecca Agreement on February 8, 2007. The agreement, mediated by Saudi Arabia, aimed to establish a Palestinian unity government and end the factional strife. However, despite the Mecca Agreement, hostilities resumed in May 2007, intensifying the conflict between Fatah and Hamas.

In May 2007, violent confrontations resumed between Fatah and Hamas, resulting in an escalation of the conflict. The PSS, along with other Fatah-affiliated security forces, engaged in clashes against Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip. On June 14, 2007, Hamas launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip, leading to their eventual control over the territory. This resulted in a political and geographical division, with Fatah maintaining control in the West Bank and Hamas governing the Gaza Strip.

Crackdown on Palestinian
A February 2016 report of the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor) documented 1,274 arbitrary detentions in the West Bank in 2015 and 1,089 summonses by the Palestinian Security Services. The human rights violations targeted mostly individuals affiliated with Hamas or who opposed PA policies, including about 35 journalists and human rights activists, 476 university students, and 67 teachers/professors. Twenty-seven percent of the arrests lasted for a month or more. As the most serious violations were mentioned the refusal to implement court rulings ordering the release or acquittal of detainees. Medical reports confirmed the systematic practice of torture in Palestinian Authority jails in the West Bank. The number of human rights violations committed by PA authorities in the West Bank was significantly greater than the similar violations for which Hamas was responsible in Gaza. In both, West Bank and Gaza people were arrested or summoned for posting or liking messages on social media, primarily on Facebook, critical of respectively the PA or Hamas.

In March 2016, the London-based Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR-UK) reported that in 2015, PA security forces in the West Bank arbitrarily arrested or summoned 1,715 civilians. They included students, journalists, women and children. Nearly 1,000 detainees were Palestinians who were previously released from Israeli jails. The report stated that 37 detainees were tortured, some held in solitary confinement for several months. Eleven Palestinians were even held in administrative detention (without charge). The bulk of the arrests and summons, while violating Human Rights, were carried out by the Preventive Security Force and the General Intelligence. Sometimes, the forces used live bullets to intimidate Palestinians. The forces often did not comply with court orders for the release of detainees. Security forces were also accused of seizing personal belongings and property of arrested persons. Four Palestinians were taken hostage to force members of their families to hand themselves in. Security forces even charged Palestinians held in Israeli prisons; judges considered them fugitives for failing to appear in court, while being held in Israeli jails. The AOHR-UK report stressed that only a fraction of the total cases of human rights abuses in Palestine was represented in the report.

In 2015, at least 33 peaceful protests were allegedly crushed in the West Bank. In September 2015, security forces dispersed a march of protesters who demonstrated against excessive use of force by PA security forces against demonstrators.

Suppression of resistance forces
Security cooperation between Israel and Palestine involves the sharing of intelligence between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli army.

The cooperation originates from the Oslo Accords. A Palestinian Civil Police Force was established pursuant to Oslo II, Article XII, a "Joint Coordination and Cooperation Committee for Mutual Security Purposes", "to guarantee public order and internal security for the Palestinians of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip".

While Israeli security officials regularly praised the cooperation, critics say that the agreement was very much focused on creating a structure which would primarily ensure the security of Israel. Leaked documents in the Palestine Papers revealed that the PA was willing to go as far as to kill its own people in order to prove that it was establishing law and order in territories under its control. Mazin Qumsiyeh, a civil society leader in Bethlehem, said the Oslo Accords had effectively turned the PA into a ″security sub-contractor″, and ″the job of the Palestinian security forces is to enforce the occupation on Israel’s behalf″.

On numerous occasions, President Abbas has threatened to end the security cooperation to show firmness to end the Israeli occupation, however without ever taking concrete steps. In October 2014, Israeli journalist Khaled Abu Toameh calculated that Abbas had used the threat 58 times. In May 2014, Abbas declared that the security cooperation with Israel is sacred. In March 2015, the PLO Central Council formally decided to end the security coordination, but eventually, the decision was not implemented.

2015–2016 operations
Since the new uprising that begun in October 2015 the Palestinian police seemed to show less willingness to suppress protests against the occupation. In December 2015, the Palestinian police even for the first time evicted Israeli Border Police who had raided Beitunia, a suburb of Ramallah in Area A, which formally is under exclusive security control by the Palestinians.

Nevertheless, commander of the Palestinian Intelligence in the West Bank Majid Faraj [ar; he] revealed in January 2016, that the Security Forces since October 2015 had prevented some 200 "terrorist attacks" against Israel and arrested about 100 Palestinians on suspicion of planning attacks against Israelis. It triggered a wave of denunciations from Palestinian factions that are strongly opposed to security coordination with Israel. A spokesman of Hamas said that the PA security forces played a role in serving the security of the occupation and combating the Palestinian intifada, and that “Protecting the security of the occupation has become part of the ideology of the Palestinian security forces”. Fatah's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, on the contrary, defended the Intelligence chief.

Criticism on security cooperation
Palestinian security forces have often been criticized for suppressing their own people and crushing the resistance to the Israeli occupation. They targeted the armed resistance as well as political opposition and protesters. Hamas supporters were targeted, as well as Fatah members. In 2008, the head of the Palestinian Civil Police presented the Israelis with a laundry list of actions taken by the PA against Hamas. In the West Bank, Hamas members are frequently arrested, as were students supporting Hamas.

Organization
PSS


 * National Security Force (NSF): The largest security service with over 14,000 officers, responsible for missions in "Area A" and within cities. This includes joint patrols with Israeli forces, guarding checkpoints, and general security-related tasks.
 * Civil Police (Blue Police): The main law enforcement tool in the Palestinian Authority (PA), responsible for directing traffic, arresting criminals, and maintaining public order. It employs over 10,000 police officers in the West Bank and Gaza.
 * Preventive Security Force (PSF): A plainclothes security force with around 5,000 agents, operating in the West Bank and Gaza. Involved in preventive actions against terrorist and opposition groups, as well as gathering information in Israel. The PSF has been associated with human rights violations.
 * General Intelligence (Mukhabbarat al-Amma): The official intelligence agency of the PA, involved in intelligence gathering, counterespionage, and developing relations with foreign intelligence bodies.
 * Military Intelligence (Istkhabbarat al-Askariyya): A smaller intelligence body dealing with arrests and interrogations of opposition activists and investigating the actions of other intelligence and security bodies within the PA.
 * Military Police: A subordinate body to Military Intelligence, specializing in riot control, arrests, protection of important individuals and installations, prison maintenance, and enforcing order and discipline among security bodies.
 * Coast Guard: An elite unit primarily deployed in Gaza, responsible for protecting the PA's territorial waters against arms and drug smugglers. Comprised of officers with naval training from the Palestinian diaspora.
 * Aerial Police: A rudimentary aerial unit responsible for operating and maintaining the PA's five helicopters, mainly used for transportation of Palestinian leaders.
 * Civil Defense: Administers fire department and rescue services, coordinating emergency responses and providing first aid and rescue training to the civilian population.
 * County Guard: Provides security services to county governors and their offices, including questioning individuals and resolving local disputes.