*Who armed and trained the Palestinian Authority?*
George W. Bush (with the most significant and formalized U.S. "train and equip" program for the Palestinian Authority's security forces).
Key Details:
Clinton Administration (1990s–early 2000s): After the Oslo Accords, the U.S. provided some initial non-lethal aid and covert support (tens of millions of dollars) starting around 1996. This included CIA-linked programs to professionalize PA security services and combat terrorism (e.g., Hamas). It was more limited and ad hoc, not a large-scale public military training/arming effort.
George W. Bush Administration (2005 onward): This is when the major formalized program began. After Arafat's death and Abbas's rise, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice established the U.S. Security Coordinator (USSC) office in 2005. Under Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, the U.S. ran a large-scale "train and equip" program:
Training (often in Jordan) for PA National Security Forces (NSF) and Presidential Guard battalions — focusing on counterterrorism, riot control, etc.
Non-lethal equipment (vehicles, uniforms, body armor, riot gear, etc.).
*Hundreds of millions of dollars allocated, with the goal of building professional PA forces coordinated with Israel (as part of the Roadmap for Peace).*
This program continued under later administrations (Obama, etc.), but Bush initiated the structured, large-scale effort. Note that U.S. assistance has generally been non-lethal and aimed at building PA capacity against Hamas and for internal security/law and order, though critics on various sides debate its effectiveness and outcomes.
*Guardians of the Mountains-Shomrei HeHarim*
No comments:
Post a Comment