TFLE01: RESPONSE IN UAE TO ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 003102 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP, D, P, M, DS, S/CT, CA, INR E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER PINR KPAL LEIS AE SUBJECT: TFLE01: RESPONSE IN UAE TO ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON QANA, LEBANON REFs: A) ABU DHABI 3095, B) State 124285 Classified by Charge d'Affaires Martin Quinn, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: The UAE public is outraged by innocent deaths in Qana, as reflected in a statement by the UAE Foreign Minister, in press reporting, and in conversations with Embassy contacts. In some conversations, the U.S. is as much a target of this anger as is Israel; widely reported U.S. provision of high-tech weapons to Israel is cited as a direct link between IDF activities and U.S. policy. Post hears warnings of an increase in future terrorist activity, the emboldening of Iran to pursue nuclear weapons, and deterioration of any U.S. ability to reach out to the Arab world. One MFA official was hopeful that the current crisis could be a catalyst for a lasting peace, but only if the outcome "took away Hezbollah's excuses" for future incursions. Even the UAE's carefully-scripted Friday mosque sermons are stepping into the political realm by condemning war as contrary to God's will. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan,s condemnation of the Qana "massacre," published on UAE's official WAM website July 30, was front paged by today's UAE Arabic press: "This horrible crime is a severe shock to humanity's conscience and is a further proof to the ongoing and unchanged Israeli policy of using destructive weaponry for the indiscriminate killing of human beings and taking for granted all international laws and pacts which prohibit the killing of civilians (even) in times of war and armed conflicts." Local media headlines (largest circulation daily Al Khaleej: "The New Middle East Holocaust: This is Your Blood, O Arabs!") and editorial tone reflect the deepening angst and anger of the UAE population over ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Scenes of children's bodies pulled from the rubble in Qana accentuate and focus that anger, local manifestations of which included small demonstrations in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai (see Ref A and septel EAC reporting). ¶3. (C) Aside from the Foreign Minister's statement, post is also hearing strong statements of official concern. On July 31, Assistant MFA Under Secretary Mohammed Abdul Rahim Abduljalil told visiting NESA Center Director LTG (retired) David Barno that Arabs increasingly question the U.S. commitment to the Arab region when, 58 years after the Palestinian plight began, the U.S. is still perceived as unbalanced in its approach to Israel. He said U.S. public diplomacy efforts could not overcome the images that people see emanating from bombings in Lebanon. Some blame Israel, he said, but most point to America. Many Arabs believe that the U.S. supports Israel "to the extent that they become an enemy to the (Arab) people." Abduljalil argued that the U.S. needs to show more fairness to Arab issues in order to prove its interest in the Arab people. ¶4. (C) Abduljalil, who is not personally antagonistic towards the U.S., continued that "current events will lead to more terror." Anyone losing a relative in Israeli bombings would be prone to support the cause against Tel Aviv. He also said current hostilities would encourage Iran to go nuclear. Citing his own posting to Tehran during the transition from Rafsanjani to Khatemi, Abduljalil said that both internal (regime stability) and external (regional influence) reasons could compel Iran to seek strategic weapons to "immunize" it from attack. The unbalance of power displayed in the current conflict would add fuel to the fire, both for the regime and for the public, to seek greater military firepower as a deterrent. After Lebanon, he said, fewer people (implying Arabs as well) would look to the Iranian nuclear program as a problem. ¶5. (C) On July 29, MFA Assistant Under Secretary for Political Affairs Tareq Ahmad Al-Haidan had told visiting SCA A/S Boucher that he was hopeful that the current conflict might compel an Israeli withdrawal from Sheba Farms and create a post-conflict buffer zone between the Israeli border and Hezbollah. Such a conclusion would remove any Hezbollah excuse for further mischief in southern Lebanon, he suggested, adding that the current conflict was "serving Hezbollah well." This should be "the last war in Lebanon," said Al-Haidan, as Israel could now have the opportunity to take away Hezbollah's excuses for future attacks. (Al-Haidan's optimistic scenario also assumed an exchange of prisoners to weaken Hezbollah's cause.) ¶6. (C) Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan continues to express his disgust with Hezbollah (including, according to one of his staff, having said he "hates" them during a July 30 meeting). The UAEG has nonetheless felt pressured to respond strongly to the Qana attacks, with the official UAE news agency WAM citing harsh editorial comment in the press -- amplifying the message without taking credit for having been the author of it. A July 31 WAM statement noted that local papers were "demanding that both Israeli leaders and their allies be brought to justice." According to the Crown Prince's protocol/public affairs chief, Hezbollah has been successfully engaging "the Arab heart" on the issue of Qana and through its resistance to Israeli bombing of Lebanon. ¶7. (SBU) Local papers also report that Friday sermons at UAE mosques condemned Israeli attacks on Lebanon as contrary to God's teachings. Official rules prohibit preachers from deviating from the UAE-approved text provided for weekly mosque sermons. That guidance, for sermons on July 28, was entitled "Islam's invitation for peace" and included the following statement: "What is happening in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq is an example and an evidence that war does not help societies. It is a way to spread chaos and destruction. Allah has warned us not to transgress." (English translation from web site of Government of Dubai Department of Islamic Affairs.) ¶8. (SBU) UAE Arabic press July 31 also picked up Israeli press reports (Yediot Aharonot, Jerusalem Post) of a Jewish "fatwa," reportedly issued by the Yesha Rabbinical Council, stating that "according to Jewish law, during a time of battle and war, there is no such term as 'innocents' of the enemy." Local media highlight this statement as justifying the killing of children in Qana. QUINN