SYRIA PLAYS WITH THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 002032 SIPDIS SIPDIS PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2016 TAGS: PGOV KPAL SY SUBJECT: SYRIA PLAYS WITH THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE REF: A. DAM 1853 ¶B. 05 DAM 4804 Classified By: Classified by Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 b/d ¶1. (C) Summary: Since Palestinian Authority FM Zahar's April visit, the SARG has showcased its public support for the Palestinians, with a fund-raising campaign on behalf of the Palestinian people, public statements, and participation at a rally in a Palestinian refugee camp. According to an Egyptian diplomat, these steps are part of a policy shift that began last September when Syria's President Asad met with the leaders of the rejectionist groups based in Damascus. It seems clear that the regime is exploiting Zahar's visit to underscore Syrian attention to the Palestinian cause, burnishing its pan-Arab credentials and reminding Washington once again of Syria's influence on regional conflicts. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Since the visit in late April of Palestinian Authority FM Mahmoud Zahar (ref A),the SARG has highlighted its support for the Palestinians. On April 30, as announced during Zahar's visit, the SARG launched a countrywide public fund-raising campaign set to run until May 10 on behalf of the Palestinian people, according to official Syrian media. The head of the Syrian Popular Committee in Support of the Palestinians, Ahmad Abdul Karim, said that Syria has never been neutral toward any Arab cause, including the Palestinians, according to press reports. The committee has reportedly raised 18 million USD since it was founded five years ago, according to news reports, which did not include specific details about the funds' specific destination or how they would be transmitted. ¶3. (U) On April 30, the SARG denounced in official media the U.S. annual report on terrorism, asserting that terrorism has increased because of the U.S. refusal to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and because of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. As to the linkage between terrorism and Damascus-based rejectionist leaders, the SARG said that "the Palestinian people have proved through ballot-boxes that Syria has been and is still right in its firm distinction between terrorism and legitimate struggle against occupation," according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). ¶4. (C) At an April 28 "Martyrs' Day" celebration at the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, Ba'ath Party Regional Command member Bassam Janbayh gave a speech asserting that Syria sees the Palestinian question as the first Arab cause, according to media reports. Ahmad Jibril, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC),also spoke at the event, which was attended by thousands of people and some members of the diplomatic corps, about the treachery of countries aligned with Israel, including those who signed the Camp David Accords, an Egyptian diplomat said. (Note: According to this mid-level diplomat, the Egyptian DCM walked out of the event, prompting a subsequent apology from Jibril's No. 2, Talal Naji. The Egyptian Ambassador later denied to Charge that his DCM had walked out, stating that, while he remained at the ceremony, he subsequently called Naji to complain and obtained an apology for Jibril's rhetoric, which Naji dismissed, asserting that Jibril "is an old man.") Other speakers included Hasan Duhruj member of the political bureau of Lebanese Hizballah, and Maher al-Taher, Damascus-based representative of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the media reported. Speakers hailed Syria's national and pan-Arab positions and attributed international pressure on Syria to its support for the Palestinian cause and other "just causes," according to a report in the official Tishreen newspaper. ¶5. (C) When asked whether he thought that SARG public support for the Palestinians was part of a stepped-up campaign on their behalf, the Egyptian diplomat shook his head and said it was a continuation of the policy shift that occurred last September when President Bashar al-Asad held a highly publicized meeting with Damascus-based Palestinian leaders (ref B). The Syrians were flourishing the Palestinian card as part of their "hand," which also includes Hizballah and Iran, the diplomat said. Syria had played a role in the recent improvement of Iran-Hamas ties, with the Iranians providing financial support to Hamas despite ideological differences, the diplomat said. Iran also continues to finance Palestinian Islamic Jihad, coordinating this assistance through an Iranian accountant based in Damascus, said the diplomat. DAMASCUS 00002032 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) Other contacts discounted the seriousness of the impact of recent SARG moves. Economist gadfly Riyad Abrash described it as "auctioneering," making a big fuss with very little action to back it up. Abrash added that it made the Syrians look good in the Arab world, especially when others were too intimidated by U.S. pressure to offer the Palestinians and Hamas any support. Abrash also dismissed the amount of money likely to be raised, terming it insignificant. ¶7. (C) Comment: It is true that the SARG shifted course with the Palestinians when Asad met with the Palestinian groups last September. Since that time, the groups' leaders have been more active, speaking in mosques and refugee camps and issuing public statements from the Syrian capital, according to our contacts. While it is possible that current events are just reflections of this policy adjustment, it also seems clear that the regime is exploiting Zahar's visit to underscore Syrian attention to a key pan-Arab cause and to remind Washington once again of Syria's influence on regional conflicts. SECHE