PALESTINIAN PLANS FOR EARLY MAY SECURITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000744 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2018 TAGS: KWBG PINS IS PGOV PTER SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN PLANS FOR EARLY MAY SECURITY DEPLOYMENT/OPERATIONS IN JENIN REF: JERUSALEM 733 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. According to PA National Security Forces (NSF) commander MG Thiab Mustafa Ali (Abu al-Fatah) and Joint Security Committee (JSC) chief BG Samir Makhzumi Qaysi, the PA has completed logistical preparations for a 400-man deployment to Jenin and plans to start security operations in Jenin shortly if the IDF consents. MG Ali said the operation intends to clear armed men off the streets, crack down on criminal gangs, implement arrest warrants and generally improve law and order. BG Makhzumi said the IDF has supported PA plans in recent meetings, but the two sides have not agreed on a deployment date (the PA wants May 2 and the IDF May 3) and have not discussed operational restrictions. He said the PA wants minimal GOI interference and no IDF incursions where the PASF operate. West Bank PIJ spokesmen told the press that PIJ will not oppose the PA security campaign if the PA refrains from arresting or disarming its militants, while Gaza-based PIJ leaders attacked PM Fayyad's statement that the PA will enforce "one authority, one gun." End summary. NSF Commander Details Deployment Prep, Key Goals of Jenin Operation -------------- ¶2. (C) In multiple phonecalls April 28-May 1 with POL FSN and PolOff, NSF Commander MG Thiab Ali said the PA has completed logistical preparations for a 400-man deployment to Jenin (3 companies of roughly 100 men each from the NSF and one from the PG, all armed with Kaleshnikov rifles). MG Ali said the IDF approved the deployment roster. He wants to bring them from Jericho to Jenin May 2, while the IDF prefers May 3 (Shabbat) to minimize settler presence on the roads that the PA will use to transport them. Security operations, he said, must begin by May 7 (before Israel's Independence Day). Ali said he expects additional 100-plus police reinforcements from Jenin's present force to augment NSF patrols and checkpoints, which he will discuss with Police Chief MG Hazim Attallah. He said another 100 NSF and 200 PG will be in reserve outside Jenin. ¶3. (C) MG Ali said the Jenin operation's timing and objectives are unrelated to future deployment of the NSF battalion training in Jordan. PM Fayyad confirmed the general outlines of the Jenin security plan in a conversation with the Consul General on April 29 and said a decision on deployment of the NSF battalion in Jordan would be deferred. ¶4. (S) MG Ali said the Jenin NSF commander, Sulayman Imran, will have tactical control over all PASF who are taking part in the operation in the Jenin Governorate. Preventive Security (PSO) and General Intelligence (GI) officers will accompany NSF units on all arrest missions and reconnaissance patrols. He said the operation's goals are similar to those of the Nablus campaign: a) clear armed men off the streets and arrest those who publicly carry or fire weapons; b) crack down on criminal gangs, protection rackets and vehicle theft rings; c) carry out arrest warrants for wanted militants and violent criminals; and d) generally improve law and order and respect for the PA and PASF. PM Salam Fayyad told the Consul General April 29 that the PA will focus security efforts on Jenin Refugee Camp and Qabatiya, strongholds of the al-Aqsa Brigades and PIJ respectively. Fayyad also said prominent al-Aqsa militant Zakariya Zubaydah had told him during a recent visit to Jenin that he is no longer involved in militant activity. NSF: PM Fayyad Provides Support, Logistics Prep Completed -------------- ¶5. (C) MG Ali said PM Fayyad instructed the Finance Ministry to provide an open fund cite for all reasonable deployment expenses, which has paid for modular housing to billet the NSF and food service and vehicle fuel contracts. MG Ali said logistical preparations are complete and have not delayed deployment plans, in contrast to preparations for the Nablus operation. He said the NSF will bring in 20 Mitsubishi pickups and jeeps, with the police and PG expected to deploy with 10 new vehicles each. The NSF does not plan to bring body armor or ballistic helmets, Ali said, given anticipated GOI objections. PA: IDF Conceptually Supports Deployment; We Want Full Operational Freedom in Jenin -------------- JERUSALEM 00000744 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) BG Makhzumi Qaysi said the IDF has supported PA deployment plans in recent meetings (reftel),but the two sides have not agreed on a specific deployment date and have not discussed restrictions on PA operations in Jenin. He said the PA understands Israeli security needs but wants minimal GOI interference with PA plans and no IDF incursions where the PASF are operating. He said IDF and PASF commanders and Civil Administration will meet shortly to complete deployment discussions. PIJ Will Not Oppose Operation -------------- ¶7. (SBU) West Bank PIJ Spokesmen announced April 29 that PIJ will not oppose the PA security campaign in Jenin. He told local press that this assurance is "conditioned on the PA refraining from pursuit, arrest or disarming of activists from PIJ or any of the resistance factions." Jenin PIJ leader Abd al-Fattah Khzaymah told local press that PIJ will cooperate and support PA security efforts but rejects any attempt to disarm PIJ militants. Gaza-based PIJ outlets, however, issued statements condemning PM Fayyad for saying that "the PA will continue with its security efforts allowing only one legal gun (the PASF)." Gaza-based PIJ leader Nafiz Azzam told Gaza press that "the resistance weapon in legitimate because it defends the Palestinian people against ongoing Israeli aggression." Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Although the PA has debated internally whether to conduct its next major security operation in Jenin, PASF commanders are better prepared for an operation now than they were prior to the November Nablus campaign, which involved ad hoc, late and uncoordinated preparations for everything from troop living space to detention plans. Jenin NSF commander Sulayman Imran has a reputation as a fighter unafraid to carry out arrest orders (and is more respected than Nablus' weak NSF chief Khayri Hassan). He also works well with his boss MG Thiab Ali. We will continue to urge the PA to avoid any special arrangements with PIJ, the al-Aqsa Brigades and other militant groups, and to strictly enforce the "one gun" policy. We will also encourage stronger police integration in NSF-led operations. WALLES