PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS SITREP

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000257

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MUSTAFA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2016
TAGS: PREL KWBG PGOV PINS PTER KPAL IS PBTS KDEM
SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS SITREP
#9: JANUARY 20, 2006: JERUSALEM VOTING PROCEDURES
FINALIZED; GUNMEN DISRUPT CAMPAIGN IN NABLUS

REF: JERUSALEM 00238

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Central Elections Committee (CEC)
published the finalized procedures for East Jerusalem voting
on January 19. President Abbas signed a decree advancing the
voting period for members of the PASF by one day to begin on
January 21. Dozens of East Jerusalem residents clashed with
Israeli security forces attempting to arrest two unidentified
individuals who were posting election materials in Sur Baher.
In Khuzaa' village near Khan Younis, a standoff between
hundreds of Hamas and Fatah activists nearly erupted into
serious clashes. In other election related violence, Fatah
gunmen attacked the magistrate court and attempted to force a
print shop to close in Nablus. END SUMMARY.

CEC Publishes Finalized Voting
Procedures for Jerusalem
--------------


2. (SBU) The Central Elections Committee (CEC) published the
procedures for East Jerusalem voting. A total of 6,300
Jerusalem ID holders will be allowed to vote at six East
Jerusalem post offices in the following numbers: Salahedin
Street (3,550 voters),Beit Hanina (550 voters),al-Tur (550
voters),Sur Baher (550 voters),Jaffa Gate (550 voters),
Shufat (550 voters). Special voting tickets will be handed
out to the public on a first-come, first-served basis between
January 21 and 23. The tickets will be handed out at three
East Jerusalem private schools. A total of 16 polling
outside municipality will also receive Jerusalem ID holders
on Election Day in the villages of Bit Nabala, Anata, al-Ram,
al-Ziayem, Ezariya, Abu Dis and Sheikh Saad.

PASF Voting Advanced One Day
--------------


3. (C) President Abbas signed a decree advancing the voting
period for members of the PASF by one day, from January
21-23. The vote counting of the roughly 60,000 security
personnel will be conducted along with the general public
vote on January 25. MOI officials expressed optimism to
Poloff during a January 19 telcon that the adjustment in
dates would help relieve the logistical difficulties of
security personnel having to return home to cast ballots.

Sur Baher Clashes with
Israeli Police
--------------


4. (C) Dozens of East Jerusalem residents clashed with
Israeli security forces as they attempted to arrest two
unidentified individuals posting election materials in Sur
Baher. Israeli police officers fired stun grenades to
disperse the crowd. The Israeli police also closed an office
in Sur Baher on suspicion that it was being used to conduct
Hamas campaign activities and arrested two campaign
activists.

Anti-American Hamas
Election Proganda
--------------


5. (SBU) Hamas activists placed a large poster at the
entrance to Ramallah saying, &Israel and US said No to
Hamas! What do you say? Vote for Hamas slate number 6." The
board also carries the picture of Sheikh Yassin -- Hamas,s
spiritual leader who was killed by Israeli rockets two years
ago.

Armed Factions Pledge to
Protect Elections
--------------


6. (SBU) The military wings of several factions including the
al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (AMB),Qassam, Ahmad Abu al-Rish
armed factions published a statement vowing to protect the
Palestinian elections. In Jenin, AMB held a demonstration on
January 19 and urged people to vote in the elections and
declared that AMB would cooperate with the PASF.

Fatah Candidate Arrested
--------------


7. (SBU) Israeli police detained Ahmad 'Abd al-Rahman, a
Fatah candidate, for holding an elections rally in Shufat.


Hamas-Fatah Tensions in Gaza
--------------


8. (C) In Khuzaa' village near Khan Younis, a standoff
between hundreds of Hamas and Fatah activists nearly erupted
into serious clashes. Local sources said that during a Hamas
election rally, individuals affiliated with Fatah cut the
power supply. Dozens of Fatah activists started chanting
anti-Hamas slogans and blocked the road preventing Hamas
leader Mahmud al-Zahar from leaving the area. The situation
was eventually resolved without clashes. This comes as the
first incident between the two movements signed an agreement
on January 18 agreeing to abide by the democratic process.
Subsequently, senior officials of the two movements met to
defuse further tensions.

Gunmen Disrupt
Campaigning in Nablus
--------------


9. (C) Fatah national list candidate and AMB chief for Balata
Camp, Jamal al-Tirawi, sent gunmen to disrupt the Main Court
(Magistrate) in Nablus on January 19 and ordered the court to
close until further notice, according to Fatah contacts in
the Nablus governor's office. An armed faction reportedly
affiliated with al-Tirawi attacked the court on January 19,
placing graffiti on the walls declaring that elections have
been canceled. Al-Tirawi is disgruntled with his inability
to gain a higher place on the Fatah national list and the
court's refusal to intervene in an internal Fatah matter. In
a separate incident, gunmen in Nablus attempted to shutdown a
print shop to prevent the production of posters for Fatah
district candidate Ghassan al-Shakaa.

Main Press Stories
--------------


10. (SBU) Al-Ayyam and Al-Quds led with coverage of the
legislative elections and reported that Palestinian security
forces will start voting tomorrow. Reports added that the PA
will deploy approximately 13,000 police to patrol and provide
security in the Palestinian Territories in the three days
leading up to elections.

-- Al-Quds highlighted a January 19 meeting in Ramallah, in
which PA President Abbas provided an update on preparations
for the elections to the head of the EU Observation Mission
for the Palestinian elections.

-- Al-Quds also carried front-page coverage of a press
briefing with U.S. NEA/PPD Director Alberto Fernandez, who
told Palestinian journalists that it is necessary for
Palestinians to choose able leadership to move the peace
process forward. The article also quoted Fernandez, who
described a &smart8 Palestinian as one who can envision
appropriate means to achieve Palestinian strategic
aspirations.

-- Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reported that Israeli forces arrested
Jerusalem Fatah candidates Ahmad Abdul Rahman and Khalil Abu
Zayyad yesterday while they were campaigning, and closed down
a Hamas office in Jerusalem.

Op-eds
--------------

-- Samih Shubaib commented in Al-Ayyam that since the next
legislative council will include different factions -- Fatah,
Hamas, left wing and other parties, a new political system
will arise that dissolves political unilateralism and
replaces it with pluralism.

-- Referring to the January 19 Palestinian Islamic Jihad
suicide bombing in Tel Aviv and how it and other similar
operations reflect negatively on the elections process,
Ashraf Ajrami opined in Al-Ayyam that Palestinians must not
fail to remember that in addition to being very badly timed,
this bombing occurred at a time when the Palestinian people
&are in desperate need of real calm to complete the
democratic process successfully.8

WALLES