US embassy cable - 05AMMAN909

S E C R E T AMMAN 000909 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/03/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ASEC, KPAL, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN RESURRECTING BADR CORPS FOR POSSIBLE 
DISPATCH TO PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY 
 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (S/NF)  Security and military sources confirm that Jordan 
has decided to reconstitute the dormant Badr Corps, a 
Palestinian security force initially trained in Jordan in the 
1990s, and currently resident in a training camp in the Zarqa 
area northeast of Amman.  Palestinian Charge in Amman Atallah 
Khayri told local press on February 1 that King Abdullah had 
instructed authorities to provide necessary training for the 
force so that it can be deployed to the West Bank and Gaza 
Strip to supplement existing Palestinian security forces. 
Local Arabic daily al-Ghad reported on January 30 that the 
GOJ will provide three months of security training to 
volunteer recruits under the age of 25.  Khayri mentioned 
that Jordan will also train Palestinian judicial officials. 
 
2.  (S/NF)  The Badr Corps, affiliated with the Palestinian 
Liberation Army, received military training in Jordan in the 
1990s.  After Jordan and Israel signed their peace treaty in 
1994, a number of the Corps' trained officers went to the 
West Bank to form the nucleus of the Palestinian Authority's 
security apparatus, according to military contacts.  As the 
security situation worsened, the remainder of the unit was 
unable to follow these officers to the West Bank and Gaza. 
Since that time, members of the Corps -- which some estimates 
put as high as 1,000 -- have undergone occasional training at 
their camp in Zarqa, but have largely remained inactive, 
according to a General Intelligence Directorate (GID) 
official. 
 
3.  (S/NF)  Under the new plan, the Jordanians will seek to 
increase the force to 2,000, according to the GID official. 
However, many details remain unclear, including what type of 
training will be offered, and which elements of the Jordanian 
security establishment will provide it.  The GID official 
said he believed that the new program will focus on police 
training, most likely conducted by Jordan's Public Security 
Directorate (PSD).  However, post PSD contacts -- currently 
playing a large role in the training of Iraqi police cadets 
-- tell us that they have not yet been directed to train the 
Badr Corps.  The mechanism for recruitment in order to double 
the force, and what pool of candidates recruiters will draw 
from, also is not known. 
 
4.  (S/NF)  The GOJ offer to enlarge and train this unit 
comes within the context of the Jordanian government's pledge 
to the Palestinian Authority -- most recently affirmed during 
the King's meeting with Abu Mazen in Amman on January 27 -- 
to support the new Palestinian leadership, including 
providing security training for Palestinian security 
personnel if requested.  Jordanian Foreign Minister al-Mulki 
publicly raised the possibility of resurrecting the Badr 
Corps during an interview on January 31, but he ruled out the 
suggestion that Jordanian forces would conduct security 
training on Palestinian territory.  Our GID contact says the 
decision to revitalize the Badr Corps has been closely 
coordinated with GID's Palestinian and Israeli counterparts, 
noting that intelligence director Sa'ad Kheir has been 
involved in the discussions. 
HALE