ABSTRACT
The development of the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) in the West Bank, especially between 2007 and 2013, is often lauded as a success for internationally assisted security sector reform (SSR) and the development of security sector governance. The US government in particular championed its efforts to turn the militia system of the old Palestine into a capable set of security forces that could form the basis for building a new Palestinian state. A review of the evidence nonetheless shows that the PASF, despite generous international assistance and markedly improved technical capabilities, remained beset by violent, personality-based patronage politics.
