PALESTINIAN REACTIONS TO ISRAELI ELECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001287 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MUSTAFA E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2016 TAGS: PREL KPAL KWBG KDEM IS SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN REACTIONS TO ISRAELI ELECTIONS Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) welcomed acting PM Olmert's comments after the election supporting negotiations, and a number of Fatah interlocutors stressed Abu Mazen's genuine willingness to negotiate. Fatah members all stressed that any progress in negotiations depended upon Israel's willingness to compromise. Hamas spokesmen were dismissive of the results, and rejected a unilateral approach by Israel. Incoming Hamas PM Ismael Hanniyyah took issue with unilateral separation, restated Hamas political goals, and warned that an Israeli refusal to meet these goals would result in "the continuation of the whirlpool of confusion and failures within this region." -------------- Abu Mazen and the PLO -------------- ¶2. (C) President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen),returning from the Arab Summit in Khartoum to Gaza to swear in the new cabinet late on March 29, told reporters that the PA is ready to enter into immediate negotiations with the Israeli government to implement the Roadmap. PLO negotiations chief Sa'eb Erekat separately told reporters that the PA respects the democratic choice of the Israeli people and expressed his hope that the new Israeli government would refrain from imposing unilateral measures. -------------- PLC and Fatah Members -------------- ¶3. (C) Fatah PLC member Issa Qaraqi argued to pol specialist that it was in Israel's best interest to resume negotiations with the PLO as soon as possible, and that Abu Mazen is ready to start those discussions. Qaraqi expressed concern that Kadima would find it easier to take unilateral measures than to engage in bilateral discussions, but warned that such a move would mean that there would be no peace process. Qaraqi disputed the ability of Hamas to make decisions regarding the peace process, arguing instead that - legally and politically - it was the PLO, and not the Hamas-controlled PA that engages in negotiations with Israel. ¶4. (C) Former PLC member and Fatah High Committee member Hatem Abdel Qader told pol specialist that the implications of Kadima's victory are promising only if Kadima changes its �0A;policies. He expressed skepticism that Kadima would be able to engage in serious negotiations with Abu Mazen. He thought that the key to peace making lay in Israel's hands, and that Hamas would play a relatively small role in the process. He said that Abu Mazen is serious in offering to negotiate with Israel and that, despite Israeli settlement activities and the complications ensuing from the Hamas victory, a peaceful resolution to the conflict was still possible. He echoed Qaraqi's points that it is the PLO - and not the PA - that runs negotiations with the Israelis. Abdel Qader advocated that the U.S. play a constructive role by pushing both the GOI and the PLO into an agreement to end the occupation, but said everything depended on Kadima's seriousness about ending the conflict. ¶5. (C) Fatah West Bank Reference Committee member Hussein al-Sheikh told pol specialist that he did not expect Kadima's policies to differ significantly from the previous government. He expected the GOI to focus on annexing settlements and building more around Jerusalem and that, under these circumstances, it would not be possible to reach a peace agreement. Al-Sheikh said that Israel had to decide whether it wanted real peace with the Palestinians or simply "more shaky cease-fires," and advocated that the U.S. put "tremendous pressure" on the GOI to return to the peace process. He agreed with Qaraqi and Abdel Qader's position regarding the lead PLO role in dealing with the Israelis and said there was no practical need for Hamas to be involved in the negotiations. -------------- Assistant Foreign Minister -------------- ¶6. (C) Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organizational Affairs Marwan al-Jilani told PolChief that Olmert's comments about reaching out to Abu Mazen were a "positive statement" and would place pressure on Hamas to act responsibly. He expected Abu Mazen to continue to seek negotiations and engagement with the new Israeli government and also stressed the PLO's role in any sort of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. Jilani repeated concerns he had expressed previously about the acceptance by Hamas of prior obligations such as the Roadmap, and that he would evaluate changes in the MFA by incoming FM Mahmoud Zahar before making a decision about continuing as Assistant Foreign Minister. -------------- Hamas -------------- ¶7. (C) Hamas West Bank spokesman Adnan Asfour dismissed the election results in comments to the press, saying that Israeli elections are of no concern to the Palestinian people, especially when all competing parties are unanimous in their hostility against Palestinians. Hamas Gaza spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told the media that the election results were a vote on unilateral disengagement from the West Bank, and went on to say that Hamas rejected this prospect as one of the "most serious Zionist schemes" because it abrogated Palestinian statehood and the right of return and imposed solutions. He said that Hamas would continue to resist those in Kadima calling for a partial withdrawal or continued settlement building. ¶8. (C) Incoming PM Ismael Hanniyyah, asked on "al-Jazeera" for his election reaction, did not answer directly but rather focused on the prospect of unilateral disengagement, completion of the separation barrier, annexation of settlements and Jerusalem, and control of the Jordan Valley, and said that such an approach would "certainly not be acceptable to the Palestinian people or the Palestinian government." He pushed for a solution that established a sovereign and independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, released prisoners in "occupation prisons," and acknowledged the right of return; otherwise he predicted "the continuation of the whirlpool of confusion and failures within this region." WALLES