CONTINUING FATAH-HAMAS FRICTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001644

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/LOGERFO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2016
TAGS: PREL KPAL KWBG PTER


SUBJECT: CONTINUING FATAH-HAMAS FRICTION

REF: A. OSC GMP20060421537004


B. JERUSALEM 1622

C. JERUSALEM 1590

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).


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Summary
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1. (C) Supporters of Fatah and Hamas continue to clash in
the wake of Khalid Meshaal's statements in Damascus on April
21, the appointment of Jamal Abu Samhadanah to the Interior
Ministry, and Abu Mazen's subsequent cancellation of that
appointment. Damascus-based Hamas leader Meshaal, speaking
in Syria on the anniversary of the killing of former Hamas
leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, indirectly accused Fatah and Abu
Mazen of betraying the Palestinian cause. Meshaal took
specific exception with Abu Mazen's use of the word "hakira"
(despicable, mean, base) to characterize the April 17 Tel
Aviv suicide bombing, as well as his opposition to the
appointment of Abu Samhadanah and the formation of a new
security force. Meshaal's statements sparked angry rhetoric
and demonstrations, with Fatah stalwarts accusing Meshaal of
attempting to start a civil war. Some Hamas government
officials have disassociated themselves from Meshaal's
statements, but have not taken issue with Meshaal. Hamas and
Fatah representatives are meeting in Gaza to tamp down the
situation; the larger issues that are feeding the
confrontation will apparently wait until Abu Mazen's return
to the region at the end of the month and his next
opportunity to meet directly with Prime Minister Hanniyyah.

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Khalid Meshaal Statement
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2. (C) Statements made late on April 21 by Damascus-based
Hamas political bureau chief Khalid Meshaal, speaking at a
Palestinian refugee camp outside Damascus on the anniversary
of the death of former Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, led
to verbal and violent clashes in the following days between
Hamas and Fatah supporters, particularly in Gaza. In his
speech (ref (a)),Meshaal took broad aim at Fatah and
President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen),blaming the outgoing PA
government for theft of funds and even office supplies, and
further charging that they are now conspiring to bring down
an elected government. He supported the recent appointment of
Jamal Abu Samhadanah to the Ministry of the Interior and the
creation of an additional security force (ref (b)). Meshaal
took specific issue with Abu Mazen's denunciation of the
April 17 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv (ref (c)),an act Abu
Mazen described in very strong terms as "hakira:" base,
despicable, mean. Meshaal asserted instead that attacks like
the one that occurred in Tel Aviv are not despicable; what is
really "hakira" is to go to Tel Aviv to "get drunk."

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Fatah Reactions
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3. (C) Fatah supporters reacted immediately and violently to
Meshaal's accusations. Presidential Advisor Ahmad Abd
al-Rahman promptly took to the airwaves, focusing on the Abu
Samhadanah appointment and creation of an additional security
force, and calling these steps "a poisonous recipe for civil
war." Demonstrations started in Gaza on April 21, with Fatah
supporters calling for Meshaal to apologize for attacking the
Fatah movement and for accusing it of betrayal. Former
National Security Advisor Jibril Rajoub in a media interview
accused Meshaal of crossing rhetorical redlines and noted
that the 55 minutes speech was "not a slip of the tongue."
Rajoub characterized the speech as an act better befitting a
student council president, and accused Meshaal of insulting
Fatah, its history, and the Presidency.


3. (C) Hundreds of Fatah activists, including gunmen, took Q
the streets of Gaza and some West Bank cities on April 21 and
April 22 in protests. Some 1,000 protesters entered the
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) building in Gaza and
damaged the building. On April 22, students from the Islamic
University in Gaza clashed with students from al-Azhar
University, leaving 34 injured. On April 23, 3,000 security
force personnel marched in Jenin, calling on Meshaal to back
down from his statements and apologize. Fatah Youth
Organization and al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades organizations
released statements on April 23 accusing Meshaal of being a
patron of civil war and saying the speech demonstrated that
Fatah, rather than Hamas, was the backbone of the Palestinian
national struggle.

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Hamas Statements
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4. (C) Meshaal has since accused commentators of taking his
remarks out of context. He added that his speech had not
targeted any particular faction. Several Hamas government
officials distanced Meshaal's statements from the Hamas-led
cabinet, but all Hamas statements unsurprisingly fell short
of criticizing him.

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Conciliation Efforts
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5. (C) Representatives of the President and Prime Minister
met in Gaza City on April 22 and 23, under Egyptian auspices,
to discuss ways to tamp down the crisis. Presidential Chief
of Staff Rafiq Husseini headed the delegation from the
President's Office, while cabinet secretary Mohammed Awad
chaired the government grouping. Both sides reportedly
agreed to stop attacking each other in the media and to
establish a dialogue committee to regularly meet and discuss
controversial issues. They did not reach consensus on the
issues that precipitated Meshaal's statement: the promotion
of Abu Samhadanah and the creation of an additional security
force. Both sides agreed that the issues should be addressed
in a meeting between Abu Mazen and Prime Minister Hanniyyah
when the President returns to the region at the end of the
month. (Septel reviews the background behind the proposed
Hamas security force and the April 23 attack on the Health
Ministry in Gaza apparently defused by Hamas gunmen.)


WALLES