The Palestinian Security Sector 2024
While “security arrangements” were one of the issues deferred
to the so-called permanent status negotiations, the September
1993 Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government
Arrangements and the subsequent Oslo I and Oslo II Accords
provided for a police force to maintain public order and internal
security in the territories handed over to the Palestinian
Authority (PA). Since then, the Palestinian Authority Security
Forces (PASF) have undergone numerous reform processes in
line with political developments and changes in leadership and
security policies, but the focus remained on internal law and
order and the assurance of Israeli – rather than Palestinian –
security. This dilemma of symbolizing independence through
arms and uniforms on the one hand, but lacking the necessary
authority and jurisdiction on the other, has created a great
potential for conflict from the outset and led to a situation
in which “the civilian population of Palestine, whether living
directly or indirectly under Israel’s military occupation in the
West Bank and Gaza, is one of the least protected populations in the world.”