Palestinian National Security Forces
PNA paramilitary security forces
The Palestinian National Security Forces (NSF; Arabic: قوات الأمن الوطني الفلسطيني, romanized: Quwwat al-Amn al-Watani al-Filastini) are the paramilitary security forces of the State of Palestine. The name may either refer to all National Security Forces, including some special services but not including the Interior Security Forces, the Presidential Guard and General Intelligence, or refer to the main force within the National Security Forces. Since the signing of the Oslo Accords, these forces operate in areas controlled by the Palestinian National Authority. In 2003, the organizations were merged into the Palestinian Security Services.
The Palestinian National Security Forces engage in various activities, including general law enforcement. A rough estimate of the total strength as of 2007 is 42,000 troops. As the Israeli–Palestinian conflict goes on, the security forces notably co-operate with other law enforcement agencies, such as arresting militant sub-groups and assisting the Israeli government with prosecuting those picked up. According to The Jerusalem Post, "In the past, Palestinian security forces have released arrested terrorists and then quietly tipped off Israel to mitigate internal public criticism against handing over Palestinians to Israel."
Background
As part of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was authorized to recruit and train a police force with paramilitary capabilities, but was not permitted to have a military force. Several bilateral agreements between the PNA and Israel regulate the size of the force, its structure, armament, and composition. The agreements provide Israel with the right to review potential recruits and withhold approval of those with a terrorist background.
The public source identifies “Palestinian National Security Forces” as pNA paramilitary security forces. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Palestinian, National and Security.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Palestinian National Security Forces”, the useful work is to connect “pNA paramilitary security forces” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2903292. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2003 and 2007.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Palestinian National Security Forces”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Palestinian National Security Forces primary sources, Palestinian National Security Forces archive and Palestinian research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Palestinian National Security Forces”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Palestinian National Security Forces” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.