PLC Head Overhauls Yemeni Security, Intelligence Apparatus

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba News Agency)
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba News Agency)
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PLC Head Overhauls Yemeni Security, Intelligence Apparatus

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba News Agency)
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba News Agency)

The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Rashad Al-Alimi issued republican decisions on Friday to establish a State Security Council and reorganize the security and intelligence apparatus.

The new State Security Council’s headquarters will be located in the interim capital, Aden, with the possibility of establishing branches across Yemen’s provinces.

The decrees, issued following a meeting in Riyadh with PLC members, entail the merging of the National Security and Political Security agencies into a single entity.

Additionally, the decrees involve the establishment of an independent counter-terrorism agency, with the appointment of its leader.

Reporting directly to the head of the PLC, the State Security Council is tasked with executing all duties and responsibilities outlined in the republican decision.

The organizational regulations specify the competencies of the Council’s leadership, sectors, divisions, and branches, as well as the general administrations overseen by each sector.

The presidential decision mandates that the heads of “Political Security” and “National Security,” along with the integration team formed by the PLC, develop a comprehensive implementation plan to conclude and finalize the integration process within a maximum period of six months from the issuance date of the decision.

Alimi’s decision obliges the novel Council to exercise its jurisdiction and carry out its tasks in a manner that upholds the principles of political pluralism, public freedoms, and human rights, and does not contradict the provisions of the constitution and applicable laws.

Furthermore, the organizational regulations for the Council will be issued based on recommendations and proposals from the integration committee formed by the PLC.

The head of the Council will issue organizational regulations for the administrative units and security force units, as well as permanent orders regarding duties, prohibitions for Council members, and the security of its elements and premises.

In addition, Alimi issued another decree outlining the establishment of a specialized counter-terrorism agency, headquartered in the interim capital of Aden and linked to the head of the Supreme Security Committee.

The decision defines the tasks, responsibilities, and organizational structure of the agency, specifying that its organizational regulations will be issued by a decision from the head of the PLC.

The agency will have an independent budget and financial system, supervised by the Supreme Security Committee.

The presidential decision obligates the agency to promptly refer cases involving suspects, seized items, and all related priorities to the State Security Council or relevant judicial authoritie



Israel Continues Deductions from PA Funds Despite Abbas’ Decree

Israeli forces during a military operation in Nablus, West Bank, on Tuesday. (AP)
Israeli forces during a military operation in Nablus, West Bank, on Tuesday. (AP)
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Israel Continues Deductions from PA Funds Despite Abbas’ Decree

Israeli forces during a military operation in Nablus, West Bank, on Tuesday. (AP)
Israeli forces during a military operation in Nablus, West Bank, on Tuesday. (AP)

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz took another step against the Palestinian Authority (PA), ordering the seizure of funds it pays to Palestinian prisoners held in Israel or those holding Israeli citizenship.

Israel’s Defense Ministry said the sanctions, imposed by Katz, are part of an economic crackdown by the security establishment against what it called “terrorist organizations.”

“The terror funds ordered to be seized by the defense minister were paid by the PA to terrorists serving prison sentences in Israel and to released prisoners,” according to a statement by the ministry.

Israel’s Maariv daily reported that the funds seized by Katz were paid by the PA to prisoners serving sentences in Israeli jails, released detainees, and their families.

The decision applies to “all residents of Jerusalem and Israeli citizens (Arab Israelis),” according to the Israeli Defense Ministry.

Katz’s move comes despite a decree last month by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas canceling legal provisions related to financial stipends for prisoners, martyrs, and the wounded.

The decree also transferred the digital database and financial allocations for the payments from the PA to a non-governmental organization.

Abbas issued the order after years of resisting US and Israeli pressure to halt PA payments to militants and detainees.

Israel began deducting funds from the PA’s tax revenues in 2018 to offset these payments, which Israeli officials call “pay-for-slay,” referring to stipends given to the families of prisoners and those killed in conflict.

The issue remains a source of ongoing tension.

In a bid to ease tensions, the PA years ago integrated released prisoners into government ministries, agencies, and security forces, placing many on early retirement. However, the move failed to satisfy Israel.

When US President Donald Trump took office in 2017, Abbas sought to resolve the crisis his own way, issuing a decree that sparked widespread controversy and domestic backlash.

The PA provides monthly stipends starting at 2,000 Israeli shekels ($550) for released prisoners, with payments increasing based on the length of their incarceration.

Current detainees receive at least 4,000 shekels ($1,100), with payments reaching 8,000 or 12,000 shekels for those who have served more than 20 or 30 years—though such cases are rare.

Last week, Israel seized $90 million from the PA’s tax revenues, known as “clearance funds,” redirecting the money to Israeli families of individuals killed in Palestinian attacks.

The latest Israeli measures follow Abbas’ decree and are part of Israel’s ongoing policy of deducting PA funds over the prisoner payment issue.