Palestinian Preventive Security
Security apparatus of Palestine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Security apparatus of Palestine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Palestinian Preventive Security (PPS; Arabic: الأمن الوقائي, romanized: Al-’amn al-wiqā’ī), also known as Preventive Security Force (PSF), Preventive Security Service (PSS), is one of the security organs of the State of Palestine. It was established in 1994 by president Yasser Arafat in accordance with the Oslo Accords.
| Al-'amn al-wiqa'i الأمن الوقائي | |
| |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1994 |
| Jurisdiction | State of Palestine, Gaza Strip (until 2007) |
| Headquarters | Ramallah, West Bank |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent agency | Palestinian Security Services |
The PPS is an internal intelligence organization, part of the Palestinian Security Services, and led by the Minister of the Interior. Its main tasks are protecting the internal security of Palestine and the Palestinian Authority, and preventing crimes which target governmental departments and public bodies and institutions. It was the keeper of the Oslo peace process.
The PPS is one of several intelligence services of Palestine. According to some sources, 5,000 plain-clothed members served in separate units in the West Bank and Gaza in 2006.[1][2] In Gaza Strip, PPS security forces were led by Mohammed Dahlan until he and his soldiers were forced to leave by Hamas in 2007 after their defeat in Battle of Gaza.[3]
The PPS has long been one of the most powerful intelligence organizations, mainly to protect the Oslo peace process. In the late 1990s, the "Security and Protection Department" or so-called "Death Squad" was established, aimed at activists of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In 2007, the estimated strength was 3,500 in the West Bank and 4,500 in Gaza.[4] SPD worked closely with Israel’s Internal Security Agencies in arresting, interrogating, and sometimes torturing Palestinians who were then arrested by Israel. In 2005, following Yasser Arafat's death, the PPS's Security and Protection Department was disbanded as part of the security sector reform process.[3]
Many Palestinians think that Israel's military occupation, alleged repression, and displacement are facilitated by the Palestinian Authority and its forces. The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, Palestinian think tank located in Ramallah, found that in March 2023, for the first time since the authority's establishment, the majority of Palestinians believed that its dissolution or collapse was in their best interests. 66% of Palestinians living in West Bank, according to a June PCPSR survey, were in favor of the creation of armed groups that are not under the control of the government security forces.[5]
In November 2007, President Mahmoud Abba issued "Decree Law No. ( ) of 2007 Concerning the Preventive Security", which re-defined the Preventive Security. The Law is not approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council.
The Preventive Security is led by the Minister of the Interior and headed by the Director-General of the Directorate-General of the Preventive Security. According to the 2007 Law, the duties of the Preventive Security are:[6]
The PPS was accused by Israel of playing a covert role in the Second Intifada that erupted in September 2000 after Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount. In 2001, it shelled the house of General Jibril Rajoub, then colonel, who at the time was the PPS director. A number of PPS officers were also assassinated, injured and arrested. In April 2002, Sharon ordered the Operation Defensive Shield, the largest Israeli military campaign in the West Bank since its occupation in 1967. The headquarters of PPS in Beitunia was placed under a military siege, with intensive shelling by tanks and Apaches, reducing the headquarters to rubble, and injuring dozens of officers.[citation needed]
On 14 June 2007, Hamas militants took over the Preventive Security building in Gaza City and the intelligence service headquarters in Gaza.[11]
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