Palestinians should get a chance to prove they can curb terrorism

JERUSALEM -- Here's a safe prediction in advance of the Annapolis peace conference scheduled to take place in a few weeks: The Palestinians won't be ready to fulfill their obligation to provide security in the West Bank under the so-called "road map to peace."

The Palestinian Authority simply doesn't have the people, the training or the equipment to maintain order in the territories.

Why is this so?

The answer, in part, is that the Palestinians haven't built up their security forces because the Israelis haven't permitted them to do so.

And they haven't trained or equipped these forces, as envisaged under the road map, because the United States has failed to provide the necessary funds.

If the Israelis really want the Palestinians to take more responsibility in curbing terror and maintaining order, they will have to allow them the resources and training to learn.

That's risky, but the alternative is permanent Israeli occupation, which nobody wants.

The new Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, understands that Israelis want evidence of security in exchange for creating a Palestinian state. So this month he deployed 300 members of his National Security Force to Nablus, the biggest and toughest city in the West Bank in order to impose order.

But so far, the Israelis have hindered parts of this effort. For example:

• Permission was denied for Palestinian security forces to use body armor donated by the British because that armor could stop Israeli bullets.

• Permission was denied for the Palestinians to operate round the clock in Nablus to pursue criminal gangs because the Israelis cited their own need to conduct nighttime anti-terror operations.

• Permission has generally been denied for Palestinian forces to enter so-called "Area B" villages under Israeli control to pursue criminal gangs that use these areas as safe havens. One exception was made several days ago.

• Permission is unclear for extension of an amnesty program for more than 100 members of the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades who agreed to give up their weapons and stay in compounds for 90 days. The 90 days have expired, but the Israelis haven't yet allowed the releases, saying they'll be considered on a case-by-case basis.

When President Bush announced the road map in 2003, it assumed a tripartite cooperation on security that has never materialized.

To carry out the road map, the Bush administration in 2005 created the office of U.S. Security Coordinator, reporting to the State Department. Since late 2005, that post has been filled by Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton.

But until recently, his office has had little money to meet its responsibilities. That's because Congress, mistrusting the Palestinians, wouldn't appropriate the funds.

The spigot was finally opened in August, when the Bush administration convinced Congress to appropriate $86 million for Palestinian security. But because so much time has been lost, the benefits are months away.

Fayyad wants to build a strong security force that can stop terror -- but one that Palestinians will see as their own, rather than as something imposed by America or Israel.

That's a goal everyone should share, but it won't be a reality when the Annapolis conference convenes. If people are serious about security in a future Palestinian state, they need to let Palestinians learn to do the job.

© 2007, Washington Post Writers Group