About 1,000 Palestinian security officials will be forced into retirement by the end of the week as part of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ security reforms, a senior Palestinian official said Tuesday.
In preparation to the summit meeting with U.S. president George Bush, Abbas is stepping up efforts to reform his security forces and disarm militants, which is a major road map obligation that the U.S. is pressing the PA to fulfill.
The move was also triggered by the last week militants’ rampage in the West bank city of Rammalah in which they also fired at the Presidential compound.
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The same source also said that Abbas would gradually replace other security leaders tainted by corruption charges.
Abbas would make use of a law passed by Palestinian legislators last month, which allows the PA to force the retirement of security personnel who passed the age of 60.
The forced retirements would pave the way for a new generation of security officers to share in developing the PA security establishment after ten years of “old guards’†full control.ÂÂ
