PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS: ELECTION DAY

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000348

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2016
TAGS: PREL ASEC IS KDEM KPAL KWBG PBTS PGOV
SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS: ELECTION DAY
SITREP #5 AS OF 9:00 PM, JANUARY 25 2006

REF: A. JERUSALEM 338

B. JERUSALEM 324

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

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Summary
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1. (C) As of 9:00 pm local time, Palestinian Legislative
Council (PLC) elections continued to go smoothly in most
areas, with nearly 81 percent voter turnout in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip after over 12 hours of voting. The CEC
determined that there would not be an overall extension of
the voting hours, although some polling places remained open
after 7:00 p.m. to accomodate those already in line. The GOI
agreed to allow polling hours to be extended for two hours at
the Salah ad Din Post Office in Jerusalem. Reports of
violence remained sporadic, with two reports gunmen at
polling stations in Gaza and another of a PASF shooting of a
Hamas activist near Hebron. End Summary.

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Sporadic Violence Continues
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2. (C) Samir Efrangi, official with the Gaza Interior
Ministry, confirmed that two armed gunmen entered the Al
Aubeh School polling station in Jabalahya Refugee Camp in
Gaza and attempted to seize the ballot boxes. Police and
voters blocked the men and the ballot boxes were never at
risk. In Gaza City, at the Asad Alsasatawy polling station,
gunmen from Hamas were reported to have surrounded the
polling station and were threatening to break in. Police are
enroute. In Halhul, Hamas activist Mahmound Emmamyer was shot
in the leg by PASF personnel after he stormed into a vote
counting center near Hebron wielding a knife and attempting
to disrupt the post election process.


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General Election Points
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3. (C) According to POL FSN, by 8:30 pm, more than 81 percent
of all eligible voters had voted. All USG election monitors
have reported that polling station staff were well trained,
professional, and polite toward voters and visitors. Polling
stations were identically laid out in diverse areas, and
polling workers spontaneously reached out to voters who
showed any difficulties. Polling stations were marked with
"no weapons" and "no cell phone" posters; the latter could
help in keeping rumors and leaks suppressed during the vote
counting process.


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Voting Irregularity Reports
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4. (C) There are press reports of Hamas claiming campaign
violations, including accusations that PASF forces have voted
again in today's elections, after having previously voted
last weekend. Hamas claims to have evidence of PASF double
voting in Nablus, Bethlehem, and Ramallah. Hamas activists
released a statement accusing Fatah of election
irregularities after CEC officials announced that Jerusalem
polling centers would be kept open an extra two hours. Hamas
officials said the accommodation was part of an attempt to
facilitate the alleged double voting by PASF personnel.


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Jerusalem Voting
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5. (C) PolOff reported that voting went calmly in Jerusalem
as well, with good turnout at most polling stations. In
Shu'fat, more than 275 of 550 eligible voters cast ballots,
and by 6:15 pm, only one or two people were still waiting to
vote. The turnout was higher in Beit Hanina, a Fatah
stronghold, with more than 400 of 550 eligible voters voting.
By 6:30 pm, lines were still seven or eight people deep
waiting to vote. More than 1500 of 3550 eligible voters had
voted at the Salah ad Din Post Office polling station by the
time the polls there closed at 9 pm. Throughout the Jerusalem
polling stations, those people in line at 7 pm were being
permitted to vote while poll workers. By the time all polls
had closed, 3025 of 6300 eligible voters in Jerusalem had

voted, with another 150 voters having been turned away from
Salah ad Din because they did not have the proper card to
vote there. NDI observers plan to escort the voting boxes to
the CEC office in A'Ram.


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Media Reports
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6. (SBU) All of the major pan-Arab satellite stations, the
Palestinian TV and local Ma'an TV Network (which consists of
11 independent TV stations) continued to carry live election
coverage. Al-Jazeera, Al- Arabiya and Ma'an are running
coverage from special Ramallah-based studios set up uniquely
for election day.


7. (SBU) Starting shortly after 4 p.m. and under the banner
"Ma'an (Arabic for together) We Vote," the Ma'an Network
aired a live interview with Hussein el-Sheikh, a senior Fatah
official, in which he stated that the legislative elections
reflect the beginning of a "real democracy" in Palestine,
especially since almost all of the political parties have
taken part in the election process. He said that the
Palestinian people are expecting a serious and effective
parliament and Fatah considers 2006 as the year of democracy,
in which its Sixth Conference will take place.

8. (SBU) Al-Jazeera, which ran its coverage under the banner
of "Palestinian Elections" has provided the most in-depth
reports, which included prepared extensive reports and
background on the political scene in the Palestinian areas
and the region. At 4:30 pm, it conducted an interview with
Chief Justice Taysir Tamimi and Archimandrite Attalah Hanna.



9. (SBU) Al-Hurra's coverage included a good number of
interviews with people on the street, who expressed their
views about the elections and their expectations of the new
PLC. The TV station conducted an in-studio interview with a
private American analyst on the American view of the
elections.


10. (SBU) Palestinian TV continued to carry its lengthy
in-studio interviews as well as updates from its
correspondents on the ground. It continues to carry sporadic
national songs and folklore dances between its programs.


11. (SBU) Voice of Palestine (VOP) radio continued its
mostly upbeat coverage with live messages and reports filed
by its correspondents throughout the West Bank, Jerusalem and
Gaza.

WALLES