HAMAS EXILED LEADER HOLDS DAMASCUS PRESS CONFERENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 003365

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR WALLER, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/10/2016
TAGS: KPAL PREL PGOV SY IS
SUBJECT: HAMAS EXILED LEADER HOLDS DAMASCUS PRESS CONFERENCE


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (U) Summary: The leader of Hamas' external political
wing, Khalid Mish'al, held a lengthy press conference July 10
at a Damascus hotel, covering the rejection of U.S. and
Israeli demands to release a kidnapped Israel soldier,
ongoing international dialogue with Hamas, and Syrian support
for Palestinians. He asserted that Gilad Shalit would only
be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli
jails. Mish'al spoke clearly and confidently for more than
50 minutes, glancing only occasionally at notes, and then
took questions from the local and regional media
representatives. The press conference occurred just hours
after a short-lived, SARG-orchestrated protest on behalf of
the Palestinians in the Syrian capital. It also coincided
with the July 9 arrival of two envoys from Palestinian
Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and the
separate arrival of Arab League SYG Amr Moussa. End Summary.


2. (U) The Damascus-based Hamas leader, Khalid Mish'al, held
an 80-minute press conference July 10 at the Four Seasons
Hotel, speaking combatively for more than 50 minutes followed
by a question-and-answer session with local and regional
media representatives. His comments covered the rejection of
U.S. and Israeli demands to release a kidnapped Israel
soldier, Syrian support for Palestinians, and ongoing
international dialogue with Hamas. Sitting to Mish'al's
right during the conference was aide Mohammed Nazal, who
later apologized to journalists for tight security and a
requirement that they be bused from a meeting place to the
hotel.


3. (U) ON THE KIDNAPPED SOLDIER: Mish'al called Gilad
Shalit "a prisoner of war," adding that "international
conventions and laws should be applied to his case."
Decision-making authority for the soldier's fate rested with
the Hamas leadership inside the Territories, said Mish'al,
adding, however, that Shalit would only be released in
exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Eighty
percent of Palestinians polled on the matter reject Gilad
Shalit's unconditional release, said Mish'al, asserting that
the U.S. and Israel have put the fate of the soldier at the
top of their agenda, despite having ignored for decades the
mistreatment of Palestinian families. The Hamas leader said
he had met and discussed the soldier's fate with (unnamed)
European envoys, as well as the Turkish PM's envoy, Ahmet
Davutoglu, who visited Damascus on July 6. In response to a
question, Mish'al said he would meet with Arab League SYG Amr
Moussa, who arrived July 9 in Damascus and was also expected
to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Asad. Israel supports
ongoing diplomatic efforts with Hamas "to buy time" while it
gathers information on Shalit's location, Mish'al insisted.


4. (U) ON SYRIA'S ROLE: Mish'al expressed gratitude for
SARG unconditional support to the Palestinian cause and
claimed, in response to a reporter's question, that Damascus
sought nothing in exchange. The U.S. and Israel were
accusing the SARG of involvement in the soldier's capture out
of frustration over Syria's steadfast support for the
Palestinians and other just causes, Mish'al asserted. "Any
problem in the world will be blamed on Syria," claimed the
Palestinian leader, noting that in the past when Hamas was
based in Jordan and mounted attacks against Israel, the U.S.
had singled out the Palestinian group directly and spared its
diplomatic ally. (Note: Mish'al's press conference came
just hours after a 20-minute SARG-orchestrated protest in
Damascus on behalf of the Palestinian cause. Up to 4,000
protesters attended the event, carrying signs in English and
Arabic, as well as pictures of Syrian President Asad.)
Mish'al said that while the U.S. claims it is fighting
terrorism, "it is pouring oil" on regional conflicts.


5. (U) Mish'al expressed pride in the determination of
Palestinians inside and outside the Occupied Territories,
saying that they were like people after a natural disaster
who either "submitted" or survived. He talked about past
Palestinian leaders, including former Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO) Chairman Yasser Arafat, and said that even
if Israel carried out its threats to kill him, it wouldn't
matter because he was just one of many in the service of the
Palestinian people. Mish'al directed some of his comments to
Israelis noting that "your leaders are lying to you" and
"leading you to destruction." He also advised officials in
the USG, as well as U.S. citizens, to stop their
"Administration's adventures."


6. (U) In response to questions from the press corps,

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Mish'al said he had no information about the July 9 arrival
of PA envoys, Taysir Khaled, who is a member of the
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the
PLO's Executive Committee, and Abdullah Hourani, a
widely-respected former PLO official. When asked if there
had been recent communication between Hamas and Hizballah,
Mish'al responded that there was "continuous communication"
between all of the "Palestinian resistance" in and out of the
Territories. When asked whether Palestinian operations would
refrain from targeting Israeli citizens, Mish'al said that
those choices rested with the people responsible for military
decision-making.


7. (U) Mish'al's last public appearance occurred in early
June after an announced meeting with Syrian FM Walid
Mu'allim. He and other exiled Hamas leaders went underground
following the Shalit capture after Israel announced that they
could be targeted even in Damascus. Press reports recently
speculated that Mish'al had left Syria for Algeria, but Hamas
officials, on the eve of the Mish'al press conference,
publicly denied those claims.


8. (C) Comment: Today,s press conference seemed designed
to showcase for an attentive international audience the
unwavering support of the Syrian regime for Hamas in general
and Mish,al in particular, even in the face of substantial
international pressure on the SARG to distance itself from
both. Even the venue for the event--the tony Four Seasons
Hotel--seemed to have been chosen to convey disdain for
Israeli threats to assassinate Hamas leadership in Damascus,
and to reinforce the message that all Syrian resources remain
at Hamas, disposal. It seems likely that the SARG will use
the coincidence of Amr Moussa,s arrival in Damascus, and
that of the PA delegation, to remind interested parties of
its indispensable role in resolving both the current crisis
in Gaza, and the larger questions of regional stability.
SECHE