U.S. to train Palestinian presidential guard

[oberliner]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. diplomatic security officials will begin training the Palestinian presidential guard this year in an effort to support the government of President Mahmoud Abbas, the State Department said on Sunday.

Under an agreement signed this month by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, presidential guard officers would take course work and conduct VIP protection exercises under the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

Rice visited the West Bank in early August, six weeks after Hamas Islamists took over the Gaza strip, in order to bolster Abbas and his Fatah government and promote a U.S.-backed Middle East peace conference to be held later this year.

The guards' training will run from autumn into early 2008 and is part of U.S. and international efforts to bolster the Palestinian security sector and improve law and order, the State Department said in a statement.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070819/ts_nm/palestinians_usa_training_dc_1

[MadMaddie]

1. Sooooooooo.....I am a little confused...I thought the US

supported Israel....and if so why are they training the Palestinian Presidential guard. Umm are they training them from attacks from Israel?


I don't care either way but it seems that once again they are setting the US up for diplomatic failure.....

[Warren Stupidity]

3. No they are training them to protect Abbas

from attacks from Palestinians enraged by his abject subservience to Israel and the United States.

[Behind the Aegis]

6. Yes, because a venture toward peace is obviously...

"...subservience to Israel and the United States."

Seems there are more than quite a few here who revel in the "eternal" battle between Israel and the Palestinians. The very idea that peace may be achieved seems to upset some.

[earthside]

4. This is Why Hamas is Popular

Abbas, Olmert ... what's the difference?

The objective of both seems to be to divide the Palestinian people and make them sad, tragic, poor subjects of the israel-American hegemony in the Levant.

[Behind the Aegis]

7. you obviously know little of the situation.

Again, another who seems to care little for peace, but rather an on-going battle.

It is so sad the number of people here who pretend to be pro-Palestinian, but are simply anti-Israeli.

[Behind the Aegis]

8. Not confused, just not educated about the issues there.

[ohio2007]

2. Another program that will go over like a brick

train them to build and maintain greenhouses and maybe the opposition won't attack them for growing olives

[onewholaughsatfools]

5. this is all a joke

why aren't you all laughing