The Palestinian Naval Police, also known as the (), is a branch of the

Palestinian National Security Forces The Palestinian National Security Forces (NSF; ) are the paramilitary security forces of the Palestinian National Authority. The name may either refer to all National Security Forces, including some special services but not including the Inter ...

whose task includes securing the coastline of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

. The Naval Police was established in the

Gaza–Jericho Agreement The Gaza–Jericho Agreement, officially called Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, was a follow-up treaty to the Oslo I Accord in which details of Palestinian autonomy were concluded. The agreement is commonly known as the 1994 C ...

signed on 4 May 1994. Under the

Oslo II Accord The Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, commonly known as Oslo II or Oslo 2, was a key and complex agreement in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. Because it was signed in Taba, Egypt, it is sometimes called the Taba Agre ...

, its activities are restricted to 6 nautical miles from the coast. Analysis on independent Palestinian sea operations are usually discussed within the context of final status agreements during peace negotiations with Israel. Since the declaration of the

State of Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, most sources that mention the term refer to only the coastal regions along the Gaza Strip.

History

The Gaza–Jericho Agreement stipulated a partial withdrawal of the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

from the Gaza Strip and

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

, providing the two areas with limited Palestinian self-rule for five years under the newly established

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...

. The Palestinian Authority was invested with legislative, executive, judicial and policing powers to maintain order and security. Details of the security arrangements along the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

coast of the Gaza Strip are set out in Article XI of Annex I of the agreement. It was also agreed to establish a center for coordination and maritime cooperation between the two sides. The headquarters of the Naval Police is located in the

Port of Gaza The Port of Gaza is a small port near the Rimal district of Gaza City, Gaza. It is the home port of Palestinian fishing-boats and the base of the Palestinian Naval Police, a branch of the Palestinian National Security Forces. Under the Oslo ...

. In January 2002, the Israeli commando unit

Shayetet 13 Shayetet 13 () is a naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret, reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence ...

raided the port, sank two patrol boats and destroyed the headquarters and its warehouses after Naval Police commanders were implicated in the Karine A affair, an attempt to secretly bring in 50 tons of weapons by boat into Gaza.Israeli navy attacks Gaza port
12 January 2002,

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

References

{{Asia topic, Navy of, title=Navies of Asia Military of Palestine Palestinian National Security Forces 1994 establishments in Palestine

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

History

See also

References