HANIYAH "APPOINTS" NEW PASF COMMANDERS, CO-OPTS

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001265 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWBG KPAL IS PTER PGOV SUBJECT: HANIYAH "APPOINTS" NEW PASF COMMANDERS, CO-OPTS EXISTING SECURITY ORGANIZATIONS ¶1. (SBU) According to PASF contacts and Arabic-language press, former Prime Minister Ismayil Haniyah (Hamas) has issued orders dismissing several Palestinian security forces (PASF) commanders (most of whom are no longer in Gaza), including Director-General for Internal Security Rashid Abu Shbak, police chief Kamal al-Shaykh, and Gaza,s National Security Forces (NSF) commanders. While these orders have no legal validity, Hamas has effectively duplicated PASF structures in Gaza, co-opting the names, organizations and many officers of the PASF for a security apparatus recast under Hamas control. Palestinian newspapers also report that Haniyah issued instructions to countermand police chief al-Shaykh,s June 15 orders that all police in Gaza stay home and refuse to obey Haniyah,s instructions. ¶2. (SBU) PASF contacts and Palestinian press report that from June 16-18, Haniyah appointed retired PASF generals Tawfiq Jabr, Khader Abbas, and Hasan al-Ajrami as members of a council of security officers to oversee and strengthen the police, Preventive Security (PSO) and civil defense forces. He also appointed Sa,id Fanunah to overhaul and rebuild the Gaza NSF. (Note: Fanunah, a retired NSF officer, had been appointed as head of the planned Hamas-Fatah &Joint Security Force8 by President Abbas in early June, but the force never materialized. End note). Security contacts say Hamas will not reconstitute the Presidential Guard (PG) in Gaza and has not announced any plans regarding the General Intelligence (Mukhabarat). WALLES