U.S.’s Role in Creating a Palestinian Army Against Israel

Funding of Palestinian Military Forces and Its Impact on Israeli Security

Feb 17, 2025

As part of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) were established to maintain order in Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Originally tasked with peacekeeping and crowd control, the PASF, composed largely of former terrorists with ties to past attacks against Israel. With substantial support, specially from the U.S., UK, and Europe, the PASF has received funding, training, and resources, lately expanding their capabilities into “counterterrorism”—something they had never done. Instead of being used to combat terrorism within Palestinian territories, this new training has been directed toward operations against Israel.

Both Palestinian Media Watch and Regavim have released reports highlighting the Palestinian Authority Security Forces' (PASF) involvement in terrorism. According to their findings, the PASF is implicated in an average of 2-3 terrorist attacks per month, with many of their personnel directly participating in violent activities against Israel. In addition, approximately 12% of the prisoners in Palestinian jails are members of the PASF, convicted for acts of terrorism. All receiving monthly salaries through the pay-to-slay policy of the PA.

Furthered confirmed by Palestinian leaders who brag about how most terrorists killed in the West Bank are either PASF or members of the Fatah (PLO/PA) party.

Fatah-run Awdah TV host: “More than two thirds of the Martyrs in the West Bank over [the last] year-and-a-half belong to the Fatah Movement and the PA...More than 355 of our Palestinian people’s prisoners inside the prisons are from the Palestinian [PA] Security Forces–in other words, the PA’s soldiers.” - [Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, May 27, 2023]

According to findings from Palestinian Media Watch, More than 1,500 terror attacks against the Israeli were led by the Fatah Movement members and the PA Security Forces members, in 2023 alone. More than roughly 63-65% of the number of killed terrorists in the West Bank, in the daily confrontations, are members of the Fatah (PLO/PA). And most of them are members of the PA’s Security Forces or their sons.

Over the past few decades, the United States has been a key financier of the Palestinian Authority's (PA) security forces in the West Bank. Through USAID, the U.S. Security Coordinator (USSC), and other government channels, the U.S. has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into training, equipment, and infrastructure, with a clear focus on building up the PA’s military and police capabilities. But what does this support truly entail? And how does it fit into the broader geopolitical landscape, especially regarding Israel?

Since 2007, U.S. funding for Palestinian security forces has been extensive. From 2007 to 2010, the State Department allocated approximately $392 million to train, equip, and build the capacity of the PA’s security forces. These efforts were not just about supporting basic law enforcement but were aimed at creating a force capable of challenging Israel’s security apparatus.

Key Support for Palestinian Security Forces:

Financial Support: Over the years, USAID has significantly supported the Palestinian Authority's security sector, totaling over $392 million by 2010. These funds covered a wide range of programs, including training, equipment, infrastructure, and the construction of security installations.
Training: USAID has played a direct role in training Palestinian forces, notably the National Security Forces (NSF). By 2010, over $160 million had been allocated for training, with special focus on equipping elite battalions and specialized units, like the Presidential Guard and NSF special battalions. Training courses have been held in places like Jordan, and numerous specialized courses have been conducted in the West Bank since 2008.
Equipment: To ensure the PA’s security forces are properly equipped, USAID allocated nearly $89 million for non-lethal equipment, including vehicles, protective gear, riot shields, batons, and computers. This funding helped to build a military infrastructure capable of enforcing control within Palestinian territories.
Infrastructure: As part of the U.S. strategy to professionalize the PA’s security services, the U.S. has invested in the construction and renovation of key PASF (Palestinian Authority Security Forces) installations. Around $99 million was allocated for the construction of training centers, operations camps, and barracks. These camps house battalions that receive U.S.-sponsored training and serve as essential facilities for building the PA’s military strength.
Capacity Building: Aiming at long-term sustainability, around $22 million was devoted to building the strategic capacity of the Ministry of the Interior. This included efforts to establish a Strategic Planning Directorate, which would help shape the direction and operational capacity of the PA’s security forces.

In a 2002 interview discussing her book A Problem from Hell, Samantha Power not only alluded that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians, it also advocated for the U.S. to cut military assistance to Israel and instead support the creation of a "mammoth protection force" to counter Israel, a strategy that was later followed by both the Obama and Biden administrations through their efforts to bolster Palestinian military capabilities against Israel.

This move only strengthened the military capabilities of a faction that had shown little interest in taking action against groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Biden administration’s plan thus contributed to the creation of a powerful military force within the West Bank, undermining Israel’s security and further supporting terrorism. Since 2021, the efforts to create a force capable enough to fight against the IDF ramped up and with that increased capability, also the terror attacks against Israelis perpetrated by PASF.

In 2023, the Biden administration's proposed to create a massive “counter-terrorism” force in the West Bank, marking a significant shift in U.S. policy and following the blueprint of Samantha Power’s “mammoth protective force” against Israel.

Creation of a 5,000-strong Palestinian Force:
- Objective: The force would be trained in commando tactics and counterterrorism operations.
Reduction of IDF Counterterrorism Operations:
- Requirement for Israel: Israel would be pressured to sharply reduce its counterterrorism activities in the West Bank.
- U.S. Demand: The U.S. would demand that Israel stop "unilateral actions" which could “exacerbate tensions or increase violence”, which essentially meant demanding Israel not to defense itself.
Involvement of Foreign Forces (Including U.S. Military):
- Plan: U.S. and other foreign military forces would be deployed to the region as part of the new security framework.
- Role: These foreign forces would assist in the establishment and enforcement of this new Palestinian military structure. The presence of U.S. forces in the region would prevent Israel from responding to threats.
Arming and Equipping the Palestinian Force:
- Support: The U.S. would provide military training, advanced weaponry, and resources to the new Palestinian force.
- Aim: The objective is to create a militarized Palestinian force with capabilities far beyond anything the Palestinians currently have, rivaling Israel’s military in certain areas of combat.
Security Plan Presentation and Pressure:
- Presentation to the Palestinian Authority: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented the plan to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a visit to Ramallah, Abbas welcomed the plan with open arms.
- Pressure on Israel: Blinken also applied pressure on Israel, suggesting that the Israeli government should accept this new framework and its limits on IDF operations.

Gifts and Resources to the Palestinian Authority:

Increased Financial Aid:
- Financial Support: The U.S. committed additional financial resources to the Palestinian Authority (PA), despite ongoing issues with PA’s "pay for slay" policy, which incentivizes terrorism against Israelis.
4G Communications Infrastructure:
- Technology Gift: The U.S. arranged to provide 4G communications infrastructure in the West Bank, which could complicate Israeli security efforts to monitor Palestinian terrorists communications.
Reopening of the U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem:
- Diplomatic Gesture: The U.S. committed to reopening the U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem, further legitimizing Palestinian claims to the area and signaling a shift in U.S. policy away from Israel's interests.

All of this, following the deadly attack in Neve Yaakov, where a Palestinian terrorists from the PA’s Security Forces murdered seven people, including a 14-year-old child, and the U.S. administrations “Feared a third Intifada”. Blinken' visited the region, providing more assistance to the PA, which would include military and financial support. During his visit, Blinken even blamed Palestinian terrorism on Israel, painting the Palestinians as the injured party in the wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

These actions clearly reflect a dangerous U.S. policy, one designed to actively strengthens Palestinian terrorism by fostering the creation of an army capable of directly challenging Israel at its core, all while systematically preventing Israel from defending itself. This reckless strategy was meant to undermine Israel’s security and sovereignty, deliberately destabilizing the region and putting the nation's very existence at risk.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is no different from Hamas in its core ideology and objectives—it simply enjoys more international legitimacy. Before 1988, the PLO was widely categorized as a terrorist organization, and despite any shifts in political recognition, its tactics and goals remain unchanged. Now, as Hamas signals a willingness to allow the PA to administer Gaza, it is crucial to understand that this move will not stop the terror attacks. With more time, resources, and control over the region, Hamas will have the opportunity to plan and execute even more deadly attacks, while the PA focuses on diplomatic terrorism, further threatening Israel’s sovereignty security.