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The Palestinian Authority has been using U.S.-trained and equipped security forces to disperse protests in the West Bank.
Arab Human rights activists said PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has been using elite forces trained by Washington to block peaceful protests and threaten monitors.
They said Abbas’ Presidential Guard was ordered to break up sit-ins and other protests near his office in Ramallah.
“PCHR condemns the obstruction of the work of its field worker in Ramallah by the Presidential Guard, and calls upon security services to respect the provisions of the UN Declaration on the Human Rights Defenders and relevant international standards, particularly the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the right to have access to information, which are constitutionally ensured,” the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said.
On Nov. 1, PG, a force of about 3,000, harassed and then broke up a sit-in by university graduates near Abbas’ compound. The protest by holders of doctorate degrees demanded that Abbas honor his promise to employ the Palestinians.
At one point, PCHR sent a field worker to monitor complaints of PG harassment. PG officers were said to have threatened the worker with arrest.
“They threatened to arrest him and forced him to leave the area even though he had informed them about the nature of his work and the reason for his presence in the area,” the group said on Nov. 4.
The protest by university graduates came amid the worst fiscal crisis since the PA was established in 1994. Over the last two months, Palestinian students, contractors, women and others have demonstrated against PA economic policy.
The U.S. training for PG has been directed by the State Department. The department program, questioned by some in Congress, was said to have provided equipment and training for counter-insurgency operations.
