U.S. TO ARM ABBAS V. HAMAS

U.S. Urging Bigger Force for Abbas - Steven Erlanger
The U.S. is proposing to expand the presidential guard of PA Chairman Abbas to 6,000 men from the current 3,500, as part of a $26 million plan to shore up Abbas' position, according to donors who have been briefed by Lt. Gen. Keith W. Dayton, Washington's security coordinator for the Palestinians. (New York Times)

See also Abbas Builds Up Forces - Adam Entous
A 16-acre plot in the West Bank city of Jericho is being transformed into new training grounds for troops loyal to PA Chairman Abbas. With support from the U.S., Abbas' presidential guard has been expanding as a possible counterweight to the Hamas Islamists who lead the government and have been busy building up their own "Executive Force." (Reuters)

Abbas Asks Rice for Weapons, Previous American Arms Shared with Terrorists - Aaron Klein (WorldNetDaily)
In his meeting Wednesday with Secretary of State Rice, PA Chairman Abbas requested a large shipment of weapons from the U.S. purportedly to arm his group against Hamas. "She said an answer to our requests would likely be affirmative," said a PA official. The U.S. government previously sent weapons to Abbas in May to bolster Fatah against Hamas. In June, it was reported that assault rifles that were part of a cache of weapons transferred by the U.S. made their way to members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, and some may have been used in a string of shootings, including an ambush against a busload of Israeli school girls.