U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Terrorism 2005 - West Bank/Gaza

The Palestinian Authority's (PA) counterterrorism efforts fell far short of U.S. expectations for the 2005 reporting period. Though the PA Security Forces (PASF) made some improvements in their command and control mechanisms, and contributed to the security of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank in August, the PA failed to take resolute action against terrorist groups based in the West Bank and Gaza.

President Abbas' public condemnation of terrorist acts was not matched by decisive security operations following attacks against Israelis. The U.S. Security Coordinator worked with the PASF to encourage comprehensive security sector reform and to enable the PASF to confront militant groups. The PASF, however, did not take serious action against known terrorist groups such as HAMAS, PIJ, PFLP, or AAMB.

On two occasions immediately following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, PASF units were involved in military confrontations with HAMAS militants, resulting in clashes that exposed the PASF's lack of sufficient military equipment and organization to confront militant groups operating in areas under PA control. In September, the U.S. Consulate General signed a Letter of Agreement with the PA to provide a limited amount of non-lethal assistance to the PASF.

The PA took some actions to curtail terrorist violence through its political activities. In February, the PA – supported by the Government of Egypt – brokered a deal between HAMAS, PIJ, and AAMB for a period of "calm" to allow Israel to withdraw from Gaza and four settlements in the northern West Bank. Although terrorist activity against Israel was reduced during this period, attacks continued. PIJ and PRC were particularly active.

Palestinian terrorist groups continued to operate from Palestinian areas controlled by the PA and the Israeli military. The PASF did not take decisive actions to end the use of Palestinian territory for attacks on Israeli civilians. Terrorist groups, such as PIJ and HAMAS, received support from foreign terrorist organizations and foreign governments, including Syria and Iran, and operated extensively in areas of the West Bank and Gaza under both PA and Israeli military control. The PA did not make any sustained effort to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in territory under its control.

There was periodic low-level cooperation between the PA and Government of Israel security services. The PA worked with the Israeli Government in preparation for the Israeli disengagement from Gaza and areas of the northern West Bank. PASF occasionally provided information to the Israeli Government regarding planned terrorist operations and handed over explosives and other materials located by PA forces. The PA failed to take action, however, in several instances when the Government of Israel provided intelligence on the location and activities of wanted terrorists. In many cases, the individuals were briefly arrested and subsequently released. The PA's lack of action in this area was an obstacle to broader security cooperation.

In the West Bank, the PASF was hindered by restrictions on movement imposed by the IDF. PASF officials frequently raised concerns about operational difficulties imposed by the Government of Israel. While operational issues may have limited the effectiveness of the PASF, a lack of political will from the senior Palestinian leadership was the primary cause of the PA's failure to arrest and prosecute terrorists. In an effort to crack down on terrorists, following the December 5 bombing of a shopping center in Netanya, the PASF arrested nearly 70 militants and activists, most of them affiliated with PIJ.

Efforts to arrest and prosecute terrorists were impeded by a disorganized legal system, the Palestinian public's opposition to action, lack of political will, a weak security apparatus, and inadequate prison infrastructure. Deficiencies in training, equipment, and leadership of the PASF in Gaza were a significant obstacle to PASF actions there. PA courts were inefficient and failed to ensure fair and expeditious trials.

The PA made no progress in apprehending, prosecuting, or bringing to justice the perpetrators of the October 2003 attack on a U.S. Embassy convoy in Gaza that killed three USG contractors.

The PA took steps to end incitement in the Palestinian media. The Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation toned down inflammatory material, including incitement to violence. PA Minister of Information Nabil Shaa'th issued instructions to bar images of dead bodies, graphic footage, and inflammatory videos. Nationalistic songs that typically called on fighting the "Zionist enemy" were taken off the air.

Although progress was slow in creating a Financial Follow-Up Unit (FFU) under the Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA), the PMA expressed its commitment to build capacity to track and deter financial transactions used to fund terrorist activity. Despite the lack of coordination between the PMA and other ministries, a new Prosecutor General was named. The FFU also continued to lack the legal framework in which to act. The PA does not have an Anti-Money Laundering/Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) law.