Dayton... Leader of Palestine

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

It seems the Arabs have not learned much since the days of Lawrence of Arabia, who played a part before them, won their trust, and drove them, like cattle, toward activities that served Britain and its colonial policy in the region — nor have they learned from their experience with Glubb Pasha, the Englishman who commanded the Jordanian Arab Army.

Lawrence and Glubb are with us now under the name of Palestine’s Dayton, a man who understands perfectly the naivety of the Arab mind, and knows exactly how to play his theatrical role in order to win the trust of his targeted audience.

Dayton is now playing the role of the hero who will establish a state for the Palestinians, just as Lawrence once played the role of the hero who was going to establish a united Arab kingdom under Sharif Hussein’s leadership; he is now winning his way into the hearts of many Palestinian military men, convincing them that his method of training, performance, and targeting is the one that will inevitably lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Who Is Dayton

Keith Dayton was born in 1949, an American officer serving as the security coordinator between Palestinians and Israelis, appointed to this position in 2005 by the American administration. Dayton is an educated officer, holding a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in international relations; he has practical military experience, particularly in artillery, and diplomatic experience, having served as a military attaché in Moscow, previously worked in a training branch focused on Soviet policy, and in the field of searching for Iraqi weapons, and he is fluent in Russian.

He was appointed security coordinator because of his security and military expertise and his ability to prepare soldiers in a manner that guarantees their loyalty and reinforces their conviction in the goal he impresses upon their ears. It appears the American administration trusted his ability to build successful public relations that would earn him the trust of the Palestinians under his oversight, and it is clear his mission was never, at its core, mere coordination with Israel, but rather leading the Palestinians — the security services especially — in a manner that pushes them toward implementing programs that guarantee Israel’s security, and thereby lead to a stabilization of the situation in the West Bank and Gaza.

His mission was not limited to conveying complaints or demands between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, but extended to include training programs Palestinians undergo according to American training, ethical, and political standards.

This is the man now steering political affairs in the West Bank, the one who intervenes directly in security activities, the one who determines how the Palestinian security services should be supported and how they should be directed toward actions that satisfy Israel and America on security matters.

He sits in his office planning, and makes field visits to observe firsthand the performance of the Palestinian security services. He is the one whose word carries weight in Washington regarding the weapons that should be given to the Palestinian Authority, their type, and the money required to support Palestinian security activities, and he also weighs in on recommendations for appointing Palestinian security officials.

Together with Jacob Walles, the American consul in Jerusalem, he forms the strongest focal point of influence now in the West Bank, across social, political, security, economic, and financial matters. The two of them bear enormous responsibility in managing Palestinian affairs, assisted in their tasks by a number of experts and specialists in security fields, in exchange for very tempting wages and salaries. The Palestinians, meanwhile, are mere executors.

Dayton’s Team

Dayton is not the first American officer to carry out security coordination between Palestinians and Israelis — he was preceded by a man named Ward, whose term ended in Dayton’s favor. Dayton says, in an interview with Abdel Raouf al-Arnaout published in the Palestinian paper Al-Ayyam on October 26, 2008, that he is working for the Palestinians, so that they become capable of shouldering responsibility for their own country’s security, and thereby become capable of establishing a Palestinian state.

Dayton did not speak, in this interview, about the security services he provides to the Israelis, as though he were not a security coordinator between Palestinians and Israelis at all, but merely a servant of the Palestinian people. It is clear from the interview that Dayton’s security philosophy holds that Palestinian security runs through Israeli security, and that danger remains looming over Palestinians unless Israel can sleep soundly.

Dayton says, in one of his lectures, that he receives assistance from a number of British and Canadian officers, putting the number of British officers at eight, and Canadians at 18. He is also assisted by a private security company called Libra, made up of mercenaries on the model of the security companies operating in Iraq.

These officers roam the West Bank continuously, meeting with Palestinian officers and coordinating with them, constantly assessing the security situation and offering advice to his leadership. He says the Canadians and British serve as the eyes and ears of the Americans, and he takes them with him in his comings and goings. He adds that he is in constant contact with the European Police group working with the Palestinian police. He boasts that he can meet in the morning with the Palestinian interior minister, and in the evening with an Israeli security official, and asks his listeners to believe that this development now exists in the region.

Dayton also points to the cooperation of certain Arab countries with him, such as Jordan, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, and to the cooperation of many security services — including Arab ones — in achieving what he calls peace. From this we see that Dayton is leading a broad international effort marked by security sensitivity.

The Goal

Dayton wants to affirm Israel’s security so that any progress can be achieved in the negotiating process. Israel’s security first, and Israel’s security last — without it, Israel cannot authorize any negotiating progress, and cannot seriously discuss national rights. He insists on the security provisions contained in the Oslo Accord and the agreements built upon it, such as the Taba Agreement, and on what is contained in the Roadmap.

The Roadmap requires the Palestinian Authority to carry out security tasks such as disarming Palestinian resistance and pursuing those engaged in resistance, and dismantling “terrorist” infrastructure. Accordingly, the Palestinian Authority must be supported financially, with weapons and equipment, so that it can carry out the tasks required of it.

This is nothing strange to Palestinians, since the Palestinian Authority has, for several years now, arrested Palestinians and thrown them into prison, foiled military operations by Palestinian factions, and seized sites it claimed were used for manufacturing explosives or as logistical bases by Palestinian resistance fighters.

The Authority is required to continually renew its activity and prove its capacity to strike those opposed to the negotiating process, particularly armed fighters. For this reason, international efforts have focused, ever since the Oslo Accord was signed, on pursuing Palestinian resistance until it is entirely finished off, and on tracking traditional Palestinian culture, which believes in resistance, and replacing it with a culture of defeat, submission, and acceptance of Israel as the rightful, uncontested party.

Dayton laments the situation in Gaza and says Hamas managed to seize control of Gaza because of Syrian and Iranian financial and military support, noting that its weapons are advanced. Of course, Dayton never compared the weapons in Hamas’s hands before it took control of the Strip with those in the Authority’s hands, nor did he mention how the advanced weapons made their way in. Dayton was extremely bashful on this point, because the forces he oversaw preparing and equipping lost before the battle even began.

The security issue is raised in every conference, dialogue, and discussion taking place on the international stage regarding the ongoing conflict, and there is always a consensus, affirmed by various Arab and non-Arab states alike, on the necessity of providing security for Israel by empowering the Palestinian Authority and striking Palestinian resistance without mercy.

Dayton affirmed, in a lecture delivered at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on May 7, 2009, that he gives the Palestinians nothing without first coordinating with the Israelis and obtaining their approval. He noted that the Israelis had led a group of Palestinian young men to carry out a military operation in Hebron (the operation in which Abd al-Majid Dudin, commander of the Qassam Brigades, was martyred).

An Israeli officer commented on the matter, saying he trusts these Palestinians he led, and that they are honest with him. That is, the matter goes beyond internalizing defeat to actually favoring military action alongside the Israelis against Palestinians.

America and its partners are also working to sow division, corruption, and animosity within the ranks of the Palestinian people, given the positive payoff this has for Israel and its security. It serves their interest for Palestinians to fight and tear each other apart, while Israel remains a spectator, untouched by any harm — which is why we constantly hear statements from Western officials regarding Palestinian reconciliation, warning that an agreement between Fatah and Hamas would lead to a halt in the flow of money to the Palestinian people.

Methods of Operation

There are a number of methods employed to achieve this goal. I note the following:

First: winning the Palestinians’ trust. Dayton and his team members receive lessons on Arab culture in general and Palestinian culture in particular, in order to adapt their behavior in a way that inspires trust in Palestinians’ hearts. They learn Palestinian customs and traditions, work to taste and praise Palestinian dishes, and in many cases behave in a manner that puts the Palestinian at ease. They learn the gestures that make Palestinians happy, and avoid actions and words that might wound people’s dignity or make them feel insulted. Every one of Dayton’s programs requires the Palestinians’ reassurance and needs their trust — otherwise the result is failure.

Dayton and his team emphasize the necessity of achieving the Palestinian national interest, and speak at length about the importance of establishing the Palestinian state. In many cases, Dayton and his team appear more Palestinian than the Palestinians themselves — an important part of the approach to winning affection and trust.

Second: equipment and training. One American writer, Ethan Bronner, describes the equipment in an article published in the New York Times on December 7, 2008, saying that the Palestinian Presidential Guard training center in Jericho contains obstacle and jumping equipment, and various training tools.

He says America has spent $10 million of American taxpayer money on this center — spanning 72 dunums — equipped with modern facilities and comfortable sleeping arrangements, after Palestinians had been sleeping on flea-infested bedding. Not far from it stands a field camp spanning 140 dunums that cost America $11 million. Dayton told his visitor that these young men — Palestine’s young men undergoing training — feel like a winning team, building a state. He added that he would not have continued had he not known these young men would follow through on the work. “I trust the Palestinian leadership,” he said.

Bronner says that 1,600 special forces personnel were trained in Jordan, and that they are now coordinating with the Israeli command in patrol operations in a number of major West Bank cities. He said that an intifada did not occur in the West Bank during Israel’s war on Gaza because of Palestinian security measures.

The commander of the Palestinian forces on the ground said Palestinians receive their training from Dayton, funded with American money, and that their job is to maintain law and order and combat terrorism. When this commander was asked about the use of the word “terrorism,” he said that they — meaning himself and the trainees — used to accuse anyone who used the word “terrorism” regarding Palestinians of collaborating with Israel, but that this has now changed, because some people carry out terrorism under the banner of resistance.

According to the available statistics, America has spent approximately $161 million on equipment for the security services, whether in Gaza or the West Bank, and is requesting Congress allocate an additional $60 million or so.

Third: selecting personnel. Dayton says his command does not accept everyone who wants training. Every recruit undergoes screening (he used the term “veterinary screening”) by American and Israeli security services before approval to join is granted. If the training is to take place in Jordan, the recruit is screened by Jordanian intelligence. This means that only those approved by the American, Jordanian, and Israeli security services are accepted into training and subsequently into the Palestinian security services.

Fourth: the type of weapon. Dayton affirmed before a Congressional committee that the weapons given to the Palestinians are non-lethal, in response to questions from committee members about the danger the weapons given to Palestinians might pose to Israel. Naturally, the Americans harbor the concern that a Palestinian from the Palestinian Authority might express his anger and displeasure by opening fire on Israelis, and accordingly they consider that the Authority’s weapons could pose a risk to Israel. Dayton’s answer was clear: the weapons given to Palestinians are processed so as not to be lethal to Israelis.

My own assessment is that these weapons are subjected to a high degree of heat treatment that makes their range extremely limited, such that they can reach Palestinians but not reach Israelis, who typically take precautions and fortify themselves. This explains Dayton’s statement before the committee that Israeli officers inspect the weapons before they are given to Palestinians.

Fifth: keeping Palestinians exposed before the Israelis. Because the Israelis trust no one, they want Palestinian security posts left exposed and easy to strike with tanks should Israel feel any threat. It is clear that these security posts are fortified against individuals attempting to infiltrate, but are entirely unfit to withstand the Israeli army, even for a short while.

As for individual personnel, Israel refuses to arm them with bulletproof vests, so that the Palestinian officer remains exposed to Israeli fire. The Israelis view protective vests as an element that encourages shooting, thereby endangering the lives of their own soldiers. Even the movement of these officers, while on official duty, is restricted by the Israelis, requiring permission to enter Areas B and C. And whenever the Israelis decide to enter a location where security personnel are present, they order an evacuation, and the Palestinians disappear along with their weapons.

The Result

Security coordination with Israel, and the training of Palestinian security men, has produced a number of results, of which I note the following:

1. A number of Palestinians have become admirers of their trainers, defending them as supporters of the Palestinian state, and some of them have even come to mock Palestinian struggle, considering it a phase of wasted sacrifice.

2. Many Palestinians no longer feel any shame in cooperating with the Israelis on security matters, believing this cooperation serves what they call the Palestinian national interest.

3. Dayton says Palestinians have achieved internal security, explaining that the young women of Jenin no longer fear walking the streets at night because the gangs have disappeared — but he did not say that most of those who used to harass young women were themselves absorbed into the security services, and that a number of them still practice the very same harmful conduct against the Palestinian people, in a new guise.

4. The Israelis express their delight and praise Dayton and his colleagues, saying that whenever the Palestinians do the job, the rate of Israeli operations in the West Bank drops.

5. It does not appear that the Arab mind learns from its own experiences, and it does not appear that officials study history. And since Dayton has promised a state, all that remains for them to do is wait.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “دايتون.. زعيم فلسطين” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.