Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06JERUSALEM256
2006-01-20 14:53:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Jerusalem
Cable title:  

HAMAS MUNICIPAL COUNCILS HIGHLIGHT POTENTIAL

Tags:  PREL KWBG PGOV PINS PTER KPAL IS 
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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJM #0256/01 0201453
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 201453Z JAN 06
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9812
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000256 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR WELCH/DIBBLE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MUSTAFA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2016
TAGS: PREL KWBG PGOV PINS PTER KPAL IS
SUBJECT: HAMAS MUNICIPAL COUNCILS HIGHLIGHT POTENTIAL
CHALLENGES FOR MOVEMENT IN PLC

REF: A. 2005 JERUSALEM 05865

B. JERUSALEM 00113

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000256

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR WELCH/DIBBLE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MUSTAFA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2016
TAGS: PREL KWBG PGOV PINS PTER KPAL IS
SUBJECT: HAMAS MUNICIPAL COUNCILS HIGHLIGHT POTENTIAL
CHALLENGES FOR MOVEMENT IN PLC

REF: A. 2005 JERUSALEM 05865

B. JERUSALEM 00113

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: In the course of the 2005 local elections,
Hamas assumed leadership for several municipal councils in
the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas's political priorities and
strategies at the municipal level are a strong indicator of
the movement's likely priorities after the Palestinian
Legislative Council (PLC) elections because many of the
municipal leaders hail from the same social organizations
that top the Hamas district and national lists. Hamas
municipal leaders have focused on financial transparency and
efficient delivery of services, while emphasizing )- at
least publicly -- a separation with the military wing of the
movement. Hamas has been highly effective at using the
Palestinian municipal system, in which mayors are chosen by
the majority vote of municipal councils, to magnify its
political influence by allying with other political factions.
At the municipal level, Hamas has been weakened by reduced
PA funding of municipalities and has sometimes been forced to
make unpopular choices such as raising utility bills and
local taxes. Attempts to implement a cultural or religious
agenda have been limited. Tensions with Fatah have detracted
from Hamas's ability to govern effectively in some
municipalities. END SUMMARY

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Working with Other Factions
--------------


2. (C) Hamas has proven remarkably adept at building
political alliances at the municipal level. While Hamas
gained a majority on four municipal councils in the West Bank
in the 2005 series of municipal elections -- Qalqilya, Jenin,
Nablus and al-Bireh, the movement has also succeeded in
establishing effective political alliances in Ramallah and
Bethlehem. In Bethlehem and Ramallah, Hamas municipal
council members allied with PFLP and independents to gain a

majority on the city councils, joining blocs led by Christian
politicians. In the more radicalized enclave of Jenin, Hamas
wrested control of the municipal council from Fatah by
convincing local Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leaders to
back Hamas instead of putting forward their own list of
candidates.

--------------
Focus on Fiscal
Transparency
--------------


3. (C) Initially, local observers and some European diplomats
informally lauded Hamas's focus on fiscal responsibility at
the municipal level, but the reduction in municipality
funding from the central PA budget has forced the movement to
implement creative and sometimes unpopular means to generate
municipal revenues. In Qalqiliya, the initially popular
Deputy Mayor Hashim al-Masri (NOTE: Mayor Wajih Qawais was
elected from prison and remains under Israeli administrative
detention. END NOTE) faced a public backlash after he doubled
utility fees and took steps to enforce revenue collection in
an unsuccessful attempt to settle outstanding balances with
Israeli owned public utilities. Al-Masri also instructed
municipal employees to vacate a building in the center of
town so that it could be leased. In an attempt to limit the
use of municipal vehicles for personal use, al-Masri placed
placards on all of the municipal vehicles so that locals
could observe if employees were using the vehicles outside of
working hours. The move reportedly reduced the
municipality's gasoline bill substantially. (NOTE: The
Qalqilya governor told Econoffs in July that the PA was
funneling assistance through the governor's office and not
through the municipality because of Hamas's majority there.
END NOTE)


4. (C) In Deir al-Balah, Mayor Ahmad al-Kurd faced similar
criticism for his attempts to improve utility fee
collections, but combined the effort with a partial amnesty
for overdue balances mitigating some of the opposition. In
all of the municipalities, attempts to raise local taxes or
improve collection have been largely met with opposition and
the lack of revenue has prevented the Hamas leadership from
implementing major municipal projects.

--------------
Limited Focus on
Religious Agenda
--------------



5. (C) Notably, attempts by Hamas municipal leaders to
implement a cultural agenda have been limited and met with
criticism. The Qalqiliya municipal council's August 2005
decision to cancel a planned cultural festival and concert by
Middle East "Superstar" runner-up Ammar Hassan by banning
"outdoor music" and other events that encourage "mingling of
the sexes" was met with widespread criticism in the West
Bank. While the Qalqiliya municipal council did close a park
area near the city zoo that had become a "lover's lane" and
center of drug use, the municipal council has not moved to
close any of establishments in the city that discreetly sell
alcohol in violation of municipal law. (COMMENT: Qalqiliya
is a conservative area even by Palestinian standards and most
of these steps are probably in line with mainstream community
values. END COMMENT). In Bethlehem, municipal council member
Hassam al-Masalmeh's election pledge to push for the
implementation of Shari'a, or Islamic law, has been largely
muted by his alliance Christian and secular politicians.

--------------
Social Activists and
Technocrats in the Lead
--------------


6. (C) Nearly, all of the Hamas municipal leaders are
associated with the social, rather than the military wing of
the movement, and have emphasized this separation in their
dealings with reporters, NGO workers and UN observers. In
Nablus the municipal council members are closely linked to
the Scholars of Palestine, a Hamas affiliated think tank and
charitable organization. In Deir al-Balah, Ahmad al-Kurd
campaigned on his track record as head of the Salah Welfare
Organization, a large charitable organization with a
multi-million dollar budget. (NOTE: The Hamas district and
national list includes many individuals from these two
organizations (ref A) END NOTE. ) As mayor, al-Kurd has
implemented a campaign to beautify the city, improve roads,
plant trees and improve trash pick-up. Most local observers
point to Deir al-Balah as the most successful experiment in
Hamas-led municipal government.

--------------
Troubles with Fatah
--------------


7. (C) Hamas's inability to coordinate with armed Fatah
factions or the Fatah dominated PASF have been a persistent
problem in some municipal districts. In Qalqiliya, PASF
leaders have complained of tensions with the Hamas-led
municipal council, especially in the lead up to the PLC
elections, and the lack of coordination between the two
governmental bodies has contributed to a general sense of
lawlessness in the municipality. In Beit Hanoun,
Fatah-affiliated al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (AMB) gunmen
attacked the municipal building on January 7, invading the
municipal compound and starting fires on the grounds(ref B).

--------------
Comment
--------------


8. (C) Hamas's strength in the run up to the PLC elections
masks a short track record in governance and mixed success at
delivering on election pledges to improve the lives of
citizens. At the municipal level, Hamas has shown itself a
savvy political party capable of working with a variety of
factions to maximize its influence and willing to mute its
religious agenda for political reasons. Hamas efforts to
tackle crippling fiscal problems while confronting the
reduction of funding from the PA budget, due to the PA's dire
financial situation and specific decisions to funnel more
local funding through governorate offices. Tensions between
Hamas and the PASF could play out on a grander scale once the
movement gains a voice in deciding national issues that
directly affect powerful security chiefs and confronts
possible demands from the PA to dismantle or silence its
armed wing.

WALLES