Strong reaction to President's remarks on

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001222

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2009
TAGS: PREL TC
SUBJECT: Strong reaction to President's remarks on
Gaza withdrawal, Rantissi assassination


Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba, reasons
1.5 (b) and (d).

Ref: State 84066


1. (C) Summary: The response in the UAE to President
Bush's April 14 remarks supporting Israel's Gaza
withdrawal plan has been stronger and more anti-
Administration than what we are used to hearing. The
April 17 assassination of HAMAS leader Rantissi
ratcheted up the tenor of the criticism, with some of
our contacts asserting that the U.S. has given Israel
the green light to do what it pleases. There has been
no public official UAE response to President Bush's
remarks or to the Rantissi assassination. End
Summary.


2. (C) President Bush's April 14 declaration in
support of Israel's Gaza withdrawal plan, together
with the assassinations of HAMAS leaders Shaykh Yassin
and Rantissi, have contributed to a build-up of
tension and anger among Emiratis and Arab expatriates
that our FSNs say they have not seen in many years.
Some of our contacts expressed anger and disbelief
over what they perceive to be a major departure from
past U.S. policy, particularly on the right of
Palestinian refugees to return to Israel. Others
faulted Arab leaders for their acquiescence to Israeli
actions and for their failure to send a strong message
to the US on its Israel policy. Some Arab expatriates
speculate that President Bush is trying to influence
the Jewish vote in next November's election.

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American green light
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3. (C) Two Emirati men attending the Abu Dhabi book
fair on April 16 told our FSN information specialist
that they refused go to the Embassy's book exhibit and
added "everything American" should be banned from the
book fair. An Emirati employee at Emirates Media told
our FSN information and cultural assistant that it
appears President Bush is giving Israeli Prime
Minister Sharon "a green light" for aggression in Gaza
and on denying the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Some of our contacts are afraid that this shift in
U.S. policy will cause the entire peace process to go
back to square one.

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Arab leaders criticized
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4. (C) Arab leaders must play a bigger role, but the
situation is complicated by the fact that Palestinians
are so divided on their tactics, said Awad bin
Mohammed Al-Otaiba, an Under Secretary at the Ministry
of Electricity and Water and a former Under Secretary
with the Ministry of Information. "I don't know if
the Palestinians know where they are going. They
should understand that Israel is a fact of life" and
learn to live in peace with Israelis just as
Jordanians and Egyptians do, he told Polchief.
"Violence does not get you anywhere," he added. "We
Arabs, we like to live in peace, raise our children,
and send them to school."

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No official response
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5. (C) There has been no official UAEG response to
President Bush's April 14 remarks backing Israel's
Gaza withdrawal plan. Polchief met with Ambassador
Ahmed Al-Muqarrab, director of the MFA Department of
European, American, and Oceanian Affairs on April 18
to deliver reftel talking points. Al Muqarrab
listened carefully then said he would brief Foreign
Minister Rashid Abdullah and Under Secretary Abdullah
Rashid.

Harsh criticism in the media
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6. (U) Reaction in the media to Bush's remarks has
been very sharp, including comparisons to the Balfour
Declaration. An editorial in "Al Shurooq" magazine
notes that President Bush's declaration, "in complete
support of Sharon's plan, has gone beyond the redlines
that previous administrations have established." The
changed policy direction reveals that the U.S. cannot
be an honest broker and that U.S. policy is biased
toward Israel, according to "Al Shurooq." The
publication also asks whether Arab leaders will take a
stand. "Gulf News" challenged Arab leaders "to listen
to their people now - and to their consciences - and
take a stand against Israel's constant insults and
abuses." The same April 19 editorial said it was
"time to send a strong message to the US, saying Arab
states will not accept humiliation and will not be
submissive."

Anti-normalization group statement
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7. (U) The UAE Anti-Normalization Committee, a
Sharjah-based Emirati organization comprised of
Islamic intellectuals, issued a statement April 18
calling on Arab and Islamic leaders to respond to
President Bush's declaration "confiscating" the right
of return. The statement said that the "Second
Balfour Declaration" comes amid "unprecedented Arab
and international silence," and warned that "History
will not be fair to those who remain silent."

Comment
--------------


8. (C) That the UAE leadership has not issued a public
statement reacting to President Bush's remarks on the
Gaza withdrawal is not unusual. The UAEG's position
on the Middle East peace process remains one of
encouraging all parties to find peaceful means of
achieving a two-state solution.
WAHBA