RAMALLAH (PIC)– PA chief Mahmoud Abbas has issued a presidential edict on Sunday approving the formation of the PA National Security Council (NSC) under his leadership with PA premier Ismail Haneyya as deputy-head of the council.
The edict delineated functions of the council including putting strategic policies for the Palestinian national security drawing security plans to be acquainted with security negotiations and supervising the PA economic security among other missions Palestinian sources revealed.
The sources also explained that the NSC isn’t an executive security apparatus in the PA institutional setup.
In addition the sources confirmed that the edict authorizes the NSC to unite action plans of the various PA security apparatuses under the government’s authority and those attached to the PA chief.
The edict was one of the fruits of the Makkah agreement that Hamas and Fatah factions inked two months ago urging the creation of the NSC in the PA to crack down on rampant security mess in the Palestinian arena.
Beside Abbas and Haneyya foreign affairs minister Dr. Ziad Abu Amre interior minister Hani Kawasmi finance minister Salam Fayyadh justice minister Ali Sartawi PLO’s chief negotiator Saeb Erikat Fatah MP Mohammed Dahalan head of the Palestinian intelligence apparatus and the PA national security commander were also appointed to the council.
On Saturday the PA government ratified the interior ministry’s security plan paving the way for the deployment of thousands of PA security elements and policemen throughout the PA-administered lands and around premises of the PA public institutions among other sites.
Hamas Movement blessed the edict and considered it as a step in the right direction to restructure the PA security apparatuses on national basis away from factionalism and partisan.
“We had agreed during the Cairo dialogue and in the Makkah agreement on the necessity to form the Palestinian NSC in a bid to restore peace and order in the Palestinian arena” said Hamas’ spokesman in Gaza Strip Fawzi Barhoum.
Barhoum also expressed his Movement’s unquestionable support to the security plan of the PA interior ministry acknowledging that the plan isn’t a “magic wand” and that it indeed needs the help and cooperation of all Palestinian factions.
In the same context Barhoum condemned the US policy in dealing with the PA unity government that gained the blessing of several influential countries and superpowers including Russia China Japan Italy and Norway among other countries.
“We urge Washington to rethink its stands towards the PA unity government and to respect the democratic will of the peoples” the spokesman asserted.
