The Palestinian Presidential Guard (PPG) ( ar, الحرس الرئاسي الفلسطيني) is a branch of the
Palestinian Security Services
The Palestinian Security Services (PSS) are the armed forces and intelligence agencies of the State of Palestine. They comprise several institutions, notably the Security Forces and the Police. The President of the Palestinian National Authori ...
under the direct control of the
President of the State of Palestine
The president of the State of Palestine is the head of state of Palestine. Yasser Arafat became the first titular president of the State of Palestine in 1989, one year after proclamation of independence. The title was originally titular, in para ...
. Its primary role is protection of the President and other
VIP
A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots.
Examples inc ...
s, as well as execute ceremonial functions. The force may also execute special combat functions.
Establishment
The predecessor of the Presidential Guard was the "Presidential Security", established in 1994 by then
President of the Palestinian Authority
The president of the Palestinian National Authority ( ar, رئيس السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية) is the highest-ranking political position (equivalent to head of state) in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The presiden ...
(PA),
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...
and largely composed of members from
Force 17
Force 17 ( ar, القوة 17) was a commando and special operations unit of the Palestinian territories, Palestinian Fatah movement and later of the Office of the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Chairman of the Palestinian Authorit ...
.
[''The Palestinian Security Services: Past and Present'']
MIFTAH, 30 May 2006.
"Presidential Security: What was Yasser Arafat’s former personal-security force a highly trained group of some 3,000 officers, now guards Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Natio ...
. Most of these men were members of Force 17, an armed unit whose duties included guarding VIPs and securing important locations such the presidential compound in Ramallah."
In 2006, the Presidential Security was established as a separate force and renamed "Presidential Guard".
[''Entry-points to Palestinian Security Sector Reform'']
Appendix A, p. 161. Roland Friedrich and Arnold Luethold, DCAF, 2007 The Presidential Guard was made up entirely of
Fatah
Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...
activists loyal to Abbas.
[''U.S. training Fatah in anti-terror tactics'']
Matthew Kalman, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 December 2006 The US was highly involved with the training of officers, coordinated by
Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton
Keith W. Dayton (born March 7, 1949) is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army who currently serves as the director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Dayton served a ...
. The training was part of a systematic effort to bolster Abbas and his Fatah loyalists to counter the political success of
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
, who had won the
2006 legislative election and formed the new PA government. Hamas had formed its own security service within the Palestinian Authority, the Executive Force.
[''U.S. Plan Would Expand Palestinian Leader’s Security Force'']
Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 4 October 2006
As of 2006, the estimated strength of the PPG was some 3,500 men, while a considerable increase was planned.[
]
Gallery
File:President Donald Trump participates in arrival ceremonies with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority at the Presidential Palace, Tuesday, May 23, 2017, in Bethlehem. (03).jpg,
File:Vladimir Putin in Palestine June 26, 2012- 02.jpg,
File:Dmitry Medvedev in Palestine 18 January 2011-1.jpeg,
File:Bush abbas presidential guard.jpg,
See also
*Palestinian Civil Defence
The Palestinian Civil Defence (PCD) (Arabic: الدفاع المدني الفلسطيني) is one of the main branches of the Palestinian Security Services under direct responsibility of the Minister of the Interior. The organization is respons ...
*Palestinian Civil Police Force
The Palestinian Civil Police Force ( ar, الشرطة المدنية الفلسطينية, ''al-Shurtah al-Madaniyah al-Filistiniyah'') is the Civil Police organization tasked with traditional law enforcement duties in the autonomous territory g ...
* Palestinian National Security Force
*Palestinian Preventive Security
The Palestinian Preventive Security (PPS) (Arabic: الأمن الوقائي; Al-'amn al-wiqa'i), also known as Preventive Security Force (PSF), Preventive Security Service (PSS) is one of the security apparatus of the State of Palestine. It wa ...
References
{{reflist, 30em
Palestinian Security Services
Guards of honour