Re: [A-List] U.S. Backing for Fatah Stirs New Conflict

[Leigh Meyers <the.buffalo.in.the.midst@xxxxxxxxx>]

Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
> <http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36416>
> U.S. Backing for Fatah Stirs New Conflict
> Jon Elmer and Nora Barrows-Friedman
.
> For its part, Washington has acknowledged that it is training Abbas's 
> Presidential Guard in urban warfare tactics in the West Bank city 
> Jericho under the guidance of Lt. General Keith Dayton, the U.S. 
> security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
.

There's nothing the US military could teach fatah OR hamas about 
door-to-door street combat in their own countries (cf. our performance 
in Baghdad et al), but we CAN supply them with the latest in 
electronic-info warfare equipment.

Laser measurement equipment for the snipers.

Electronic battle/security zones using the same technology and infrared 
observation linked to targetting databases (hamas in Lebanon already has 
this equipment courtesy of the UN).

IED and explosive detection equipment
(to bolster America's post-911 industries associated with homeland 
insecurity)

There must be more.
.
> "This is not a direct instigation by the Americans, because they are
> not yet convinced that Fatah are ready to take on Hamas," Rabbani
> said. "But they are beginning to pump significant amounts of weapons,
> training and funds in the hope that Fatah will prevail in the eventual
> conflict." 
.

Everyone will talk about weapons, RPGs, that stuff.
Pretty macho... big guns.

But honestly, those items are easy to acquire in any war-torn nation in 
the world, assuming you have cold hard cash.

It's the snoop & sneak gear that's tougher, export-controlled, and much 
more expensive to come by.



Leigh
âThe border of Southern Lebanon and Israel is a seamless web of 
intervisible Israeli outposts with night vision devices, tied together 
with ground surveillance radar,"
--Stan Goff, Insurgent American