TFLE01: ANGER SIMMERS AS WAR CONTINUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 003195

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2016
TAGS: PREL KMDR LE AE
SUBJECT: TFLE01: ANGER SIMMERS AS WAR CONTINUES

ABU DHABI 3163 AND PREVIOUS (NOTAL)

Classified by CDA Martin Quinn, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary and comment: The misery and daily tally of
Lebanese casualties continue to dominate public discourse in
the UAE. U.S. policy is increasingly seen as complicit in
Israeli aggressions, and the draft UN resolution has thus far
not been welcomed as part of a balanced solution. Members of
the Crown Prince's staff note the "very difficult" balance
the UAEG must strike as public angst increases and the image
of a key partner, the U.S., continues to take a public
beating. UAE-sponsored humanitarian efforts in Lebanon can
defray public anger only so far as it seeks to avoid having
its relationship with the U.S. turn into a liability. End
summary and comment.


2. (SBU) As UAE newspapers tally the Lebanese death toll as
passing 1,000, public angst about the war continues to grow.
Openly critical of the draft UNSCR, which the media suggests
"rewards Israel" politically for what it has been unable to
achieve militarily, local editorials continue to reflect
public frustration with Israeli aggression and U.S. policies
seen to support that aggression (a step beyond previous
characterizations of the U.S. "condoning" Israeli actions).
The Secretary's references to a "new Middle East" are often
characterized as U.S. efforts to redefine the region through
the crucible of conflict -- as if Tel Aviv's tactics were
choreographed elements of Washington's strategy for the
entire region. In the background of news on Lebanon, Israel
is also seen to be getting away with increased suppression of
the Palestinians.


3. (SBU) The UAE leadership, often exhibiting the instincts
of politicians seeking public support, continue to reach out
to those suffering from the conflict. Dubai ruler Mohammed
bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (MbR) is credited, for example, with
responding to the plea of one national whose Egyptian mother
was trapped in the war zone. The family's reunion made local
headlines highlighting gratitude for the Ruler's benevolence.
MbR has also ordered a number of relief flights to ferry
humanitarian goods to Lebanon. Abu Dhabi's leadership also
continues to bolster its humanitarian image by receiving
victims in the UAE for medical care (reftel -- some Lebanese
patients are being transported here at UAEG expense and
treated at Sheikh Zayed Military Hospital near the Embassy).
The UAEG is also continuing the air bridge established at the
request of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MbZ).
Official UAE websites claim 500 tons of relief materials
transported on 19 flights as well as a ship soon to sail with
2,500 tons of relief and medical supplies coordinated by the
quasi-official Red Crescent Society.


4. (SBU) The media has not ignored Israeli casualties, which
are tallied alongside Lebanese fatalities. August 7 dailies
(English and Arabic-language press) front-paged an AFP photo
of dead IDF soldiers (covered in blankets). One headline
even noted that "Israelis are also dying."


5. (C) The Crown Prince's Head of Protocol, Mohammed
Al-Junaibi, told PolOff August 7 that the crisis in Lebanon
is "bothering everyone" and that a previous sense among UAE
nationals that the U.S. was somehow complicit in Israeli
actions has evolved into more direct condemnation of the U.S.
right along with Israel. He said no one expected a solution
emanating from the UN, which many consider a "corrupt"
organization without teeth, but that all looked to the U.S.
for solutions -- and by extension blamed the U.S. for
permitting the problem to continue.


6. (C) International Affairs Director for the Crown Prince
Yousef Al-Otaiba took a serious, even somber tone as he told
the Charge August 5 that Lebanon -- and particularly Arab
public perceptions of the American position on Lebanon -- was
"getting to be very difficult for us." He reiterated that
the UAE leadership disliked Hezbollah and its fanatic
counterparts and would prefer to see them gone. The current
conflict, however, with its destruction of Lebanese
infrastructure and killing of civilians, was turning
Hezbollah into popular heroes of the resistance.


7. (C) Comment: As the crisis moves into its 27th day, the
UAEG may feel backed into a corner. The UAE public condemns
Israeli actions and perceived U.S. approval and support.
With the U.S. thus directly implicated, a key friend and ally
in the Gulf feels squeezed by public emotions and potential
condemnation for its own partnership with us.
UAEG-coordinated humanitarian missions help defray some
public anger and offer a constructive outlet for local angst
about the crisis. Time, however, may work against the UAEG
goal of avoiding direct condemnation for its close ties with
the U.S. End comment.
QUINN