In the wake of the resuscitation of peace talks on the Middle East achieved at the Annapolis meeting, security issues will be among the most crucial to building on this momentum. The development and expansion of Palestinian government security forces is a vital national interest for Palestinians, Israelis and Americans alike. …
The successful experiment in Nablus should be consolidated and expanded to other towns and villages throughout the West Bank and, ultimately, to Gaza as well. A good starting place for expanding the Palestinian government’s authority in Gaza would be to transition control of key crossing points, now in the hands of Hamas, to Palestinian Authority security services. This would reduce the opportunities for smuggling, both for criminal and political extremist purposes. It would also be the first step to break the impasse created by the split between Gaza and the West Bank.
The United States has a crucial role to play in this process. Maj. Gen. Keith Dayton, appointed to help develop disciplined Palestinian security forces, should be provided all the resources this mission requires. Gen. Jim Jones, appointed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the new special envoy for Middle East security, is in charge of Palestinian and Israeli compliance with all their obligations under the roadmap. This is a major concrete step that came out of Annapolis. …
Nothing is more essential to creating the conditions for Palestinian statehood and building its most central institutions. This is clearly in the national interest of Palestine, Israel and the United States. All parties must act decisively to ensure that an effective government security force is developed, expanded and supported — at the same time the Palestinian people are given economic hope and an assurance of eventual independence and the creation of a viable Palestinian state to live alongside Israel in peace. Access the full article>>