BAHRAIN: ARAB ASSISTANCE TO THE PALESTINIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 001167 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2015 TAGS: EAID EFIN PREL KPAL BA SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: ARAB ASSISTANCE TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY REF: A. STATE 146261 ¶B. MANAMA 855 Classified by Charge d'Affaires Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) The Charge August 10 delivered Ref A points concerning Bahraini assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa in a meeting covering several subjects (septels). Shaikh Mohammed said that King Hamad had extended Bahrain's full support for the PA during President Mahmoud Abbas' June 14 visit to Bahrain (Ref B). Abbas needs to establish his authority as president in order to make progress on relations with Israel, and Bahrain wants to do what it can to assist in this process, the ForMin said. Bahrain intends to make a "symbolic" pledge of financial support for the PA budget at the next Arab League meeting on this subject. "It's only a little," Shaikh Mohammed said, "but we must do what we can within our means to contribute." ¶2. (C) The ForMin said that some Arabs were concerned about making new investments in West Bank/Gaza infrastructure because despite previous contributions, the Israelis had destroyed so much over the past five years. Nonetheless, Bahrain would make a small contribution and he called for a "new momentum" in Israeli-Palestinian relations to break with the past and focus on future development. ZIADEH