Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

The PA continued to increase its capacity to combat illicit finance. Terrorist financing is not
specifically addressed in current law, but the PA is drafting appropriate legislation and can
prosecute terrorism-related offenses, such as financing, under current laws. The Palestinian
Financial Intelligence Unit, known as the Financial Follow-up Unit, added additional staff and
continued building its technical capacity while conducting outreach to other parts of the PA on
anti-money laundering/countering terrorist finance. The PA, an observer to the Middle East and
North Africa Financial Action Task Force, submitted its application for membership and was
given an action plan for attaining membership. The banking sector in Gaza continued to repel
Hamas attempts to influence and tax the sector. The PA Interior and Awqaf and Religious
Affairs Ministries monitored the charitable sector for signs of abuse by terrorist organizations.
According to the PA’s Palestinian Broadcasting Company’s code of conduct, no programming is
allowed that encourages “violence against any person or institution on the basis of race, religion,
political beliefs, or sex.” The PA continued its efforts to monitor and control the content of
Friday sermons delivered in over 1,800 West Bank mosques to ensure that they do not endorse or
incite violence. The PA’s ability to enforce these guidelines varies depending upon its location,
and it has limited authority to control the context of sermons in Israeli-controlled Area C.
JORDAN
Overview: In 2012, Jordan remained a steadfast partner in counterterrorism. In addition to its
diplomatic and political assistance to the Israel-Palestinian peace process, Jordan assisted
the Palestinian Authority’s continued development of state institutions through law enforcement
training programs at the Jordan International Police Training Center (JIPTC). JIPTC-trained
forces continued to earn the respect of regional actors for their success in maintaining security in
the West Bank.
The Jordanian government further developed its counterterrorism capabilities and improved its
capacity. At the same time, the political reform process in Jordan initiated an open discussion of
the country’s security institutions, and Jordan wrestled with the challenge of making its security
organizations more transparent while maintaining their effectiveness. Security institutions have
stepped up vigilance as Jordan faced the threat of spillover violence from the conflict in Syria.
Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Jordan remained committed to securing
its borders and denying safe haven to terrorists within the country for attacks against its
neighbors. Jordan completed the first phase of the Jordan Border Security Program (JBSP) – a
sophisticated package of sensors and barriers to help improve situational awareness and prevent
illicit infiltration into Jordan or unauthorized transit out of the country. The JBSP is located
along the country’s northern border with Syria, an area that has historically been vulnerable to
unmitigated cross-border transit.
Jordan remained an important partner nation in the Department of State’s Antiterrorism
Assistance program, which also supported an expansion of the capacity of the JIPTC to provide
tactical skills training courses for up to 40 ATA partner nations.
Although they faced steady domestic demonstrations throughout the country, Jordanian security
services remained alert and acted quickly to counter potential terrorist threats.
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