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Israel PalestineMissions OperationsReport

EUPOL Copps. A simple mission in a complicated context

Wall9400(BRUSSELS2 to Ramallah) For seven years, Europe has deployed a police support mission to the Palestinian Authority. In theory, the work carried out by European police officers is simple: to train their Palestinian counterparts, both in the "everyday police" aspect (roads, security, etc.) and in more specialized capacities (judicial police, scientific, maintenance de l'ordre, etc.), to ensure the link between the police and justice and to help them to equip themselves with police structures that comply with international standards.

Security an ingredient of the peace process

But that is without taking into account the political complexity of the situation. As EU Civilian Operations Commander (CPCC) Hansjörg Haber summed up at a press conference held in Ramallah in the presence of EUPOL Head of Mission Copps and the Head of the Palestinian Police: “Security is a necessary ingredient of a negotiated peace process (...) The security issues here are not the ones we know in Afghanistan, Iraq or Libya. But nowhere is the task as politically difficult as here.The police are experiencing operational difficulties. “The three-zone division of the West Bank is a real challenge for the Palestinian police. »

Major Attalah (Palestinian Authority) and Ken Deane (EUPOL Copps) (© NGV /Bruxelles2)
Major Attalah (Palestinian Authority) and Ken Deane (EUPOL Copps) (© NGV /Bruxelles2)

A work complicated by the zones

This is confirmed by Major Hazam Atelar, chief of the Palestinian police. " The main concern is the occupation, with the zones, we need better coordination, the criminals know and use these divisions to escape prosecution, this is the most dangerous obstacle and which destroys all our efforts to the Palestinian police. “But if the Palestinian police are dealing with the B areas, it can cause real questions if the Palestinians protest against the settlements”

If the police don't do the job, who will?

Without the Palestinian Authority – and the work of the police – “ it would be even more difficult to convince Israel (and the United States) to commit to the peace process added a European expert. " If the Palestinian police don't do the job of maintaining order, it's the Israeli forces — the army — that will find themselves on the front line. underlines a European policeman. "And we risk ending up with a vicious circle of violence-repression as the region has already experienced.

Some progress

In the streets in Ramallah or elsewhere, the police are present. And the insecurity present a few years ago has disappeared. " The civil police and the judicial police have made great progress explains Kenneth Keane, EUPOL Copps Head of Mission. Whether on general plans - organization, training - as specialized aspects - work on a crime scene, the repression of organized crime, cyber-crime. It's far from perfect, no doubt. Corn " we have satisfaction rates in the population at such a high level that we are not used to it in our countries. 75% of the population find that the police do their job. (...) The PCP has realized the importance of service to the public. They want to help them, serve them. This is a key question in the process: who is the police, who is the security »

Police trained to the highest standards

« it is a police force trained according to the best possible standards, at European level" confirms Hansjörg Haber, EU Civilian Operations Commander (CPCC). In the region, the Palestinian police are certainly one of the best trained, mission to prevent or put an end to violent confrontations. » When you compare it with other fonts from Arab countries, there is a " certain level of maturity ". An observation shared by all the interlocutors.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

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Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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