WEST BANK: Palestinian national security forces help rebuild local community on the outskirts of Hebron

Record ID: 565437

  • Title: WEST BANK: Palestinian national security forces help rebuild local community on the outskirts of Hebron
  • Date: 12th May 2014
  • Summary: HEBRON, WEST BANK (RECENT - MAY 2, 2014) (REUTERS) VEHICLES CARRYING PALESTINIAN NATIONAL SECURITY GUARDS DRIVING DOWN TRACK VEHICLES STOPPING AND DOORS OPENING VARIOUS OF GUARDS WALKING TOWARDS BUILDING GUARD TAKING BUCKET FROM ANOTHER GUARD OUTSIDE BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION VARIOUS OF GUARDS MIXING PLASTER GUARDS PUTTING PLASTER IN WHEELBARROW VARIOUS OF GUARDS PLASTERING WALL COMMANDER, KHALIL IBRAHIM MOHAMMED, WATCHING GUARDS WORKING GUARD REFILLING WHEELBARROW WITH PLASTER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) COMMANDER, KHALIL IBRAHIM MOHAMMED SAYING: "We've been working in this field for over two years. This project helps people and helps families in need, it relieves the suffering and the conditions that they live in." VARIOUS OF GUARD PLASTERING WALL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) COMMANDER, KHALIL IBRAHIM MOHAMMED SAYING: "Most of the soldiers are tradesmen. They have professions, there is a construction worker, a tiler, there are carpenters of course, and there are plumbers, electricians and welders, so that we can give these houses a complete infrastructure." OFFICERS WATCHING GUARDS WORKING VARIOUS OF GUARDS SITTING ON GROUND DRINKING COFFEE OFFICER SPEAKING INTO HANDHELD RADIO UNIT INSIGNIA ON OFFICER'S SHOULDER HOMEOWNER WHOSE HOUSE IS BEING FIXED, MOHAMMED JAMIL HAMAD SA'ED, GREETING GUARDS AT HIS HOME SA'ED TALKING TO GUARDS ABOUT WORK NEEDED (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HOMEOWNER WHOSE HOUSE IS BEING FIXED, MOHAMMED JAMIL HAMAD SA'ED, SAYING: "We thank the National Security Guard for their caring, thank God we received this help from them. We thank them very much." GUARD MEASURING WALL WITH TAPE MEASURE VARIOUS OF GUARD FIXING TILE TO WALL GUARDS AND SA'ED WALKING DOWN STAIRS
  • Embargoed: 27th May 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA605MF0BNFHI9DSOLPTPE26MJQ
  • Story Text: A unit of the Palestinian National Security Guard have volunteered their time to repair homes and help communities living in occupied West Bank areas.
    The unit includes around 300 professional tradesmen and, according to the National Security Guard, they have completed 213 projects, including work on schools, mosques, churches and homes.
    In the West Bank city of Hebron, a twenty-strong group of uniformed guards started work on repairing a building, mixing cement and plastering a cinder-block wall under the watchful eyes of their supervising officer.
    "We've been working in this field for over two years. This project helps people and helps families in need, it relieves the suffering and the conditions that they live in," said Commander Khalil Ibrahim Mohammed.
    "Most of the soldiers are tradesmen," Mohammed explained. "They have professions, there is a construction worker, a tiler, there are carpenters of course, and there are plumbers, electricians and welders so that we can give these houses a complete infrastructure."
    The unit received referrals for prospective tasks, Mohammed added, and then travelled to the location to check and evaluate the labour needed before starting work.
    Homeowner Mohammed Jamil Hamad Sa'ed, who lives in Hebron, almost wept with joy when unit members arrived at his house to help him finish building his home.
    "We thank the National Security Guard for their caring, thank God we received this help from them. We thank them very much," he said.
    The Palestinian National Security Guard is one of a number of quasi-military forces that make up the security organisations of the fledgling Palestinian Authority. Their work includes local policing and law enforcement along with internal security.
    Hebron, divided by a 1997 interim peace deal, is home to 200,000 Palestinians and 800 Jewish settlers, who live in a closely-guarded enclave and are among the most ideologically driven of the 500,000 settlers on land Palestinians want for a state.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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