| Country: | Israel |
| Details of Formation: | The PGM was created in 1978 by the Civil Administration in the West Bank, which used the militia to distribute patronage among the Palestinian population to alienate them from the rival Palestine Liberation Organization. (Wikipedia. "Israeli Civil Administration") |
| Details of Termination: | The Israeli government did not support the model of village Leagues in West Bank anymore and dissolved the Hebron League as the last Village League in February 1988. (Wikipedia. “State of Palestine”) |
| Purpose: | Palestinian Arabs were co-opted into the militia by Israel to prepare for an autonomous Arab administration in the West Bank under Israeli sovereignty. The Israeli government viewed the Village Leagues as an alternative to the Palestine Liberation Organization. |
| Organisation: | The Village Leagues were founded by Mustafa Dudeen, former Jordanian minister of social welfare. They were a loose association of local leagues from the West Bank financed by Israel. |
| Weapons and Training: | The Israeli government supplied the Village Leagues with arms. |
| Size: | The number of village leaguers allowed to carry arms was reduced to 260 from 400 in 1983. |
| Reason for Membership: | It was mostly moderate and rural Palestinians who joined the militia. |
| Treatment of Civilians: | Village leaguers beat Arab civilians and used their weapons against unarmed villagers. Due to these attacks the Israeli administration increasingly distanced themselves from the Village Leagues. A former Village League leader was convicted at courts for his violent behavior towards political rivals. |
| Other Information: | Plan was to cultivate moderate Palestinians and in that way contributes to protecting Israels state institutions. |
| References: |
Wikipedia. "Israeli Civil Administration". https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Israeli_Civil_Administration&oldid=961406799 Wikipedia. "State of Palestine". https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=State_of_Palestine&oldid=963598953 Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD. |