MOI AL-YAHYA FORMALLY TO REQUEST HEBRON DEPLOYMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001791 SIPDIS NSC FOR ABRAMS/RAMCHAND/PASCUAL E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2032 TAGS: IS KWBG PGOV PREL MASS SUBJECT: MOI AL-YAHYA FORMALLY TO REQUEST HEBRON DEPLOYMENT Classified By: A/PO Gregory Marchese for reasons 1.4 b and d ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Minister of Interior Al-Yahya told USSC LTG Dayton September 16 that the PA has verbal GOI approval to deploy 150 National Security Force (NSF) troops to Hebron and now seeks the approval in writing. Al-Yahya requested USG assistance to obtain Israeli permission to garrison the 3rd NSF battalion at Qadim in the Jenin governate. Al-Yahya also reported progress on registering and fueling vehicles the USG recently purchased for the PA. He provided LTG Dayton a copy of the PA's security sector reform document that the MOI drafted for PM Fayyad and President Abbas. END SUMMARY HEBRON DEPLOYMENT -------------- ¶2. (C) Al-Yahya said that, in a September 14 meeting with NSF West Bank Commander MG Thiab Ali (Abu Fatah) in Ramallah, IDF Central Commander MG Gadi Shamni verbally approved deployment of a 150-man NSF company (from the 2nd special battalion trained by the USG-funded program in Jordan),with 150 AK-47s and over two dozen USG-purchased F-150 trucks to Hebron. Al-Yahya said he will now seek GOI approval in writing. AREA C NSF GARRISON -------------- ¶3. (C) Al-Yahya told LTG Dayton that Qadim is Jenin's most suitable place to garrison the 3rd NSF special battalion, once it completes basic training later this year. Doing so, he said, will require USG intercession with the GOI. Comment: This battalion begins its U.S.-funded training in Jordan the week of 9/16. Qadim is the site of a former settlement located in Israeli-controlled Area C, and PA interloctors report that the GoI has so far rejected this proposal. End Comment. PROGRESS ON U.S.-PURCHASED VEHICLE SUPPORT -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Al-Yahya said the PA is making progress on funding the registration and fueling of the NSF's 145 USG-purchased F-150 trucks. Thirty have been registered, and the PA is revising its budgets to pay for fuel. SECURITY REFORM -------------- ¶5. (C) Al-Yahya provided LTG Dayton with a 15-page English language copy of the "Plan for the Reorganization, Restructuring and Development of the Security Establishment," dated September 14. The cover sheet addressed the document to PM Salam Fayyad and President Mahmoud Abbas. Al-Yahya cautioned that there would be amendments pending the PM and President's review, and noted that reform of the Preventive Security Organization (PSO) and General Intelligence (GI) will not occur until certain conditions are met. MARCHESE