Jericho (West Bank), Sept 16: A group of foreign security experts, including US nationals, will begin training the Palestinian security forces today, a security official said.
West Bank head of preventative security, Zuheir Manasra, said the training programme would start in Jericho with the participation of security and civil defence groups from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
"The session will be part of a training programme that has the goal of developing the capabilities of security services within the body of reforms launched by the Palestinian authority," he said.

The sessions will be conducted by US, Jordanian and Egyptian security experts in the desert Oasis of Jericho, along with Bethlehem the only autonomous city in the West Bank not reoccupied by Israel, Manasra said.
Under a recent accord, US, Egyptian and Jordanian security experts will re-train Palestinian forces.

The head of Palestinian preventive security in the Gaza Strip said in remarks published earlier today that Israel was hindering efforts to retain Palestinian police.
"Training under US auspices is to start on September 11, but Israel is trying to hamper this," Rashid Abu Shpak told the daily al Ayyam, saying Israel was preventing 50 preventive security officers and 50 intelligence officers from travelling to Jericho to partake in the training.

Bureau Report