 Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has told the heads of the Palestinian security services that they are subordinate to the Presidential Office and not the Hamas-led government that will be established in the next few weeks. In a meeting at the Muqata on the weekend, Abbas explicitly instructed the security chiefs to report to him personally, as the "supreme commander of the security forces," an official from the Palestinian security services in Ramallah told Haaretz.
| Wonder if he ordered any gold braid for his suit? That would help. |
Abbas made it clear that, in the event of a constitutional crisis in the PA between the Presidential Office, and the parliament and government, the security forces must be loyal to the PA chairman. Abbas also emphasized that the jobs of the security heads are secure and that the government will not take steps to fire them.
| This will last until the Hamas gunnies light up the Presidential Office. |
Fatah activists and PA police officers pledged their loyalty to Abbas on Sunday, briefly taking over the parliament buildings in Ramallah and Gaza City. After the Abbas meeting in Ramallah, participants met with policemen and officers under their command to tell them what was discussed.
According to the PA constitution, the cabinet and the Interior Ministry are in charge of the security forces, but the chairman is their supreme and direct boss. The temporary constitution states that the chairman is also responsible for the PA's foreign relations and other critical issues, such as the negotiations with Israel.
According to the official who spoke with Haaretz, Abbas' directive was aimed at preventing the security forces from disintegrating during the interregnum and to prevent a situation in which all centers of power within the PA are transfered to Hamas after it forms the government.
| "Please don't let them kill me!" |
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