ABBAS, FATAH OLD GUARD CLASH ON GAZA FIELD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 005050

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2016
TAGS: PREL KWBG PGOV IS KPAL
SUBJECT: ABBAS, FATAH OLD GUARD CLASH ON GAZA FIELD
COMMITTEE

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, for reasons 1.4 (a) and (c)


1. (C) Summary. President Abbas created a 17-member Fatah
field committee for Gaza December 23 to lead reform and
mobilization efforts, and plans to establish a similar
committee for the West Bank shortly. Fatah Central Committee
(FCC) powerbrokers are resisting efforts to bypass them,
however. The Gaza committee is a conscious balance between
allies of Fatah Secretary-General for Gaza Ahmad Hillis and
PLC member Muhammad Dahlan. Grassroots Fatah leader Qadura
Faris described the committees as potentially important
components of serious internal reform, but said they will
require a clear mandate, adequate resources, and operation
independent from the FCC to be effective. Reform is
critical, Faris said, as Hamas is presently much better
organized and funded than Fatah, and more effectively meets
Palestinians' needs. End Summary.

Abbas Creates Fatah Field
Committee for Gaza
--------------


2. (C) President Abbas issued a decree December 23 creating
a 17-member Fatah field committee for Gaza. On December 24
in Ramallah, he told the Consul General that Fatah is
creating two field committees to lead reform and mobilization
efforts: one in the West Bank, with composition to be
determined soon, and the other in Gaza, led by Fatah PLC
member Majd Abu Shamala. The overall coordinator for both
field committees will be Rawhi Fattuh, he said.

Mandate/Reporting Unclear
--------------


3. (C) The field committees have the general mission of
organizing and mobilizing support for Fatah. The exact
mandate and chain-of-command remain unclear, however,
according to Fatah officials involved in creating the
committees. While Fatah committees have historically
answered to the Fatah Central Committee (FCC),West Bank
Fatah officials said that Abbas has indicated that the new
committees answer to him, and operate independently of the
FCC. Abbas's appointment of the Gaza field committee and
order that it report to him has angered Gaza's FCC
Organization/Mobilization Committee (OMC) chief Abdallah
Efranji, according to these officials. (Comment: West Bank
FCC OMC chief Hani al-Hasan and other FCC members will likely
view Abbas' bypass of the FCC similarly. End comment).
While Ahmad Hillis consulted with Efranji on some of the
field committee members, according to Fatah officials, others
were appointed by Abbas without Efranji's imprimatur.

Gaza Committee: Mix of
Dahlan/Hillis Allies
--------------


4. (C) The Gaza field committee's key figures, in addition
to chairman Abu Shamala (a close ally of PLC member Muhammad
Dahlan),include: Abd al-Hakim Awad (head of Fatah's Youth
Organization and a Dahlan ally),Jamal Abu al-Jidyan (Fatah
Secretary for North Gaza, and a close associate of Ahmad

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Hillis),and Rassam al-Bayari (head of Fatah's Labor Office,
Secretary for Central Gaza, and another Hillis ally). Fatah

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officials describe the committee's composition as a conscious
balance between allies of Hillis and Dahlan, who they say
have developed a more cooperative relationship in recent
weeks compared to past infighting.

Committees Potentially Avenues
for "Serious Internal Reform"
--------------


5. (C) Grassroots Fatah leader Qadura Faris told the Consul
General December 27 that the field committees are an
important component of serious internal reform efforts,
especially if they operate independently from the FCC, but
will need a clear mandate and adequate resources to be
effective. Whether or not the PA conducts early elections,
he said, Fatah needs true reform, to include decreasing FCC
influence while reconnecting with the movement's popular
roots.


6. (C) Muhammad Dahlan also spoke positively to the Consul
General about the Gaza field committee's potential to enable
reform. He said that he will provide suggestions on how the
U.S. can empower and assist Fatah grassroots committees.
(Comment: The FCC and Dahlan have never been close; FCC
members view Dahlan as a competitor for control of Fatah bent
on reducing their authority. End Comment).

JERUSALEM 00005050 002 OF 002



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


7. (C) The role and mandate of the Fatah field committees is
very much a work in progress: depending on whether these
committees are empowered and resourced, they could either
give a voice to grassroots activists previously locked out of
decision-making, or could turn out to be irrelevant if the
"Old Guard" asserts control ovber them. Key indicators of
the seriousness of these committees will be whether they
report through the FCC and whether the composition of the
West Bank committee includes representative of mid-level
street/grassroots activists.
WALLES