The next battalion of 400 US-trained Palestinian Authority soldiers is being prepared for deployment in the PA-controlled Judean city of Bethlehem next week. The new military graduates will be used to secure the city while the PA hosts an international investor conference there, according to IDF sources.
Following the conference, the PA battalion will be moved to the Jenin area, where 3,600 PA soldiers, who completed the US training program in Jordan, have already been deployed. The IDF has been working closely with the new PA soldiers, according to Israeli defense officials. The PA forces have reportedly been effective in upholding law and order in the PA areas but the IDF is still needed to control terrorism. The PA force does not operate at night.
On June 1 another PA battalion is expected to travel to Jordan for training under US military contractors supervised by Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton, the American security coordinator to the PA and Israel.