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U.S.-Trained Palestinian Forces a Cause for Hope in Hebron

[New York Times] Ethan Bronner - The West Bank city of Hebron is undergoing a shake-up as hundreds of Palestinian security officers have begun to stop car thefts, foil drug deals and arrest scores of Hamas gunmen, even seizing explosives and suicide belts. They have also focused on quality-of-life issues like fighting clans and the sales of outdated food and medicine by criminal gangs. "Some of the communities and neighborhoods in Hebron haven't seen a policeman since 1967," noted Dov Schwartz, aide to Gen. Keith Dayton, the U.S. security coordinator in the West Bank. "People have turned over criminals, drug dealers and militants." The Palestinian commander, Brig. Gen. Sameh al-Sifi, 62, said in an interview. "My ambition is the same as that of my Israeli counterpart - to see our grandchildren enjoying their lives like the rest of the world." He said he had been among the most fervent backers of armed struggle for most of his life. But in the past decade, that changed. "I started to realize that Israel cannot be abolished," he said.
2008-11-26 01:00:00
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