U.S. general says building up Abbas's guard
Source: Reuters
By Ari Rabinovitch JERUSALEM, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The United States is building up Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's forces but is not preparing them to confront Hamas, the U.S. security coordinator between Israel and the Palestinians said. In his first interview since taking up the post in March, Lieutenant-General Keith Dayton told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth that Iran is helping arm and fund Hamas, and the United States wants to prevent "moderate forces" in the Palestinian territories from being eliminated. "We are involved in building up the presidential guard, instructing it, assisting it to build itself up and giving them ideas. We are not training the forces to confront Hamas," Dayton said in the interview published on Friday. The United States has sought to bolster Abbas since Hamas, which is considered a "terrorist" organisation by the United States, Israel and the European Union, defeated the president's once dominant Fatah in January elections. "Hamas is receiving money and arms from Iran and possibly Syria, and we must make sure that the moderate forces will not be erased," Dayton said. Hamas is building up its own forces and seeking control of the security establishment, raising prospects of an eventual showdown between the rival forces. Abbas met Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas on Thursday to discuss the possibility of forming a unity government, although talks bogged down earlier this week. BORDER CROSSINGS Dayton said most of his efforts are focused on border crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel and Egypt. "We have money to train the presidential guard to work the Karni crossing (between Gaza and Israel), and the aim is to open the crossings like last year with 400 trucks going into Israel every day," Dayton said. Israel left Gaza last year after 38 years of occupation, but has frequently closed the border crossings after the abduction of a soldier on June 25 by militants including Hamas members. Washington envisions the guard eventually taking control of all border crossings, including those in the West Bank. That could boost Abbas politically as trade revenues filter through. The United States would also support letting about 1,000 members of the Badr Brigade, a Fatah-dominated force based in Jordan, into Palestinian territories to reinforce Abbas's guard. "The decision would have to be made by the governments of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinians. But the idea is a logical one both militarily and politically," Dayton said. U.S. plans call for expanding the force initially to around 4,700 members, up from 3,500 today. But Palestinian officials estimated the force could eventually grow to 10,000 members. The U.S. programme includes funds for training the force. Hamas has expanded its "Executive Force" to 6,000 members, which it said is only for improving security in Gaza. In a sign of Washington's commitment, the White House has asked Dayton to stay in the region for another year.
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