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