TFLE01: BAHRAINIS RALLY, RAISE MONEY IN SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 001473

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC EAID BA LE REGION POL
SUBJECT: TFLE01: BAHRAINIS RALLY, RAISE MONEY IN SUPPORT
OF LEBANON

REF: A. MANAMA 1458

B. MANAMA 1414

C. MANAMA 1391

D. MANAMA 1339 (NOTAL)

Classified By: CDA Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) The conflict in Lebanon continues to move Bahraini
citizens and political, religious, and civil society
organizations into action in support of the people of Lebanon
and Hizballah. With the notable exception of some hard-line
Salafis, most segments of Bahraini society are united in
their support for Hizballah's "resistance" to Israel. The
August 7 Arab League Foreign Ministers meeting in Beirut
prompted King Hamad to issue a statement reaffirming that
Bahrain would stand by Lebanon, and the Bahraini
representative at the meeting backed Saudi Arabia's call for
an emergency Arab League summit. A multi-day festival in
support of the "resistance" was well-attended and orderly,
but failed to attract the top tier of Bahraini Shia leaders.
Two large events took place on August 7, a march of several
thousand mostly Shia citizens and a telethon run by the
Chamber of Commerce that raised over $1 million for the
Lebanese people. The streets continue to be mostly quiet
despite rhetoric highly critical of the United States at the
rallies and emotional tirades by columnists. End Summary.

--------------
Statements in Support of Lebanon
--------------


2. (C) As clashes continue in Lebanon, Bahrainis remain
active in support of the people of Lebanon. With the
exception of hard-line Salafis, most sectors of Bahraini
society also voice support for Hizballah's "resistance" to
Israel. Senior GOB leaders have spoken publicly in support
of Lebanon and several large-scale events and many smaller
rallies focusing on Lebanon have taken place over the past
few days, all orderly and peaceful.


3. (U) On the occasion of the Arab League (AL) Foreign
Ministers meeting in Beirut August 7, King Hamad issued a
statement saying that Bahrain will stand by Lebanon until it
gets past this difficult stage "caused by Israel's brutal
aggression." Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed
Abdul Ghaffar, who attended the AL meeting in Beirut,
announced that Bahrain supports the idea of holding an
emergency Arab League summit, as called for by Saudi King
Abdullah. The press also published a statement from Deputy
Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak saying that, in
his August 7 meeting with the Charge, he "demanded the U.S.
exert efforts to stop Israel's aggression on Lebanon" (Ref A).

--------------
Festivals and Rallies Orderly
--------------


4. (C) The long-anticipated "festival" in support of
Lebanon entitled "I'm At Your Service, Oh Resistance" took
place at the Bahrain International Convention Center August
2-4. It featured speeches and poems by activists and youth
pledging support for Lebanon and Hizballah, and several
speakers called for a boycott of American and Israeli
products. Although the organizer was Mohammed Al Ghuraifi, a
Shia cleric and member of leading Shia political society Al
Wifaq, none of the most prominent members of the Shia
community - political or religious - were present. The
festival was well-attended but never spilled out into
neighboring streets or empty lots, as some had feared.


5. (SBU) Bahrainis participated in two large-scale events on
August 7 - a march adjacent to a major highway organized by
two Shia organizations, and a high-tech telethon in a luxury
hotel hosted by the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(BCCI). The march, organized by Al Wifaq and the (Shia)
Islamic Enlightenment Society, drew thousands of men, women
and children (estimates range from 2-10,000 people). There
were many Hizballah or plain yellow flags and a few Bahraini
and Lebanese flags. Some participants carried mock rifles
and banners that denounced Israel, the United States, and
"the silence of Arab regimes." The primary speaker, Mohammed
Sanqoor of the (Shia) Islamic Clerics Council, pledged
support for Hizballah and criticized the U.S./French draft UN
Security Council resolution. Again, the top tier of Shia
leaders, religious and political, were not present.

--------------
Business People Raise Over $1 Million
--------------


6. (U) The BCCI telethon raised $1.1 million, with the
largest single donation of $150,000 coming from the Gulf
Finance House. The five-hour event was broadcast on Bahrain
Television and featured testimonials by many Bahrainis, from
the well-known to the anonymous, as well as by the Lebanese
Ambassador to Bahrain. Lead organizer BCCI Board Member
Jawad Al Hawaj said that the event was held under the
auspices of the National Committee in Aid of the Lebanese
People and the proceeds would be passed to the Bahrain Red
Crescent Society for delivery to the UN.


7. (U) The National Committee sent some 16 tons of goods,
including food, medical supplies, mattresses, and electrical
generators valued at $900,000, to Lebanon, transported free
of charge on a Gulf Air flight to Damascus. The UN took
responsibility for delivering the goods to needy Lebanese. A
second shipment of 15 tons of goods will leave Bahrain within
days.


8. (C) In a separate effort, a participant in a delegation
composed of representatives of six political societies told
the press that the group will depart August 8 for Syria and,
conditions permitting, Lebanon. They will deliver financial
assistance and medicines to Lebanese and Palestinian
organizations. They also seek to establish closer relations
with NGOs in the area. Perhaps recognizing the possible
legal complications related to delivering assistance without
obtaining permission from the government, a spokesman for Al
Wifaq, one of the six societies participating in this effort,
said August 8 that the delegation will not deliver any
financial or material aid. "The main purpose of the visit is
to offer our political support and solidarity with the
Lebanese people," he said.

--------------
Mostly Quiet Streets, But Rhetoric Continues
--------------


9. (C) Despite the uptick in marches, the situation on the
street continues to be fairly quiet. There have been no
reports of clashes or violence with the exception of some
small-scale altercations between protesters and police in the
aftermath of a July 21 march in the vicinity of the U.S.
Embassy (Ref D). FD FSN noticed a sign hung on a school wall
in a Shia village reading, "The American Ambassador is an
undesirable person. He should leave the country." A Salafi
group distributed a statement following a march held in a
largely Sunni area on August 4 that urged citizens not to
support Lebanon because "the war is not Lebanese, Arab, or
Muslim. It is between the Jews of Khaybar (a reference to a
battle between a Jewish tribe and Mohammed and his followers)
and the Majoos (unbelievers also from the time of Mohammed)."
The statement uses a play on words to accuse Hizballah's
(Shia) followers of being idol worshippers.


10. (SBU) In their Friday prayer sermons on August 4, both
Sunni and Shia clerics stuck with their theme of supporting
Lebanon and the resistance and rejecting attempts to divide
people along sectarian lines. Sunni Shaikh Salah Al Jowder
criticized fatwas issued against Hizballah, saying they aim
to incite sectarianism. He urged people to remain united "in
the face of the Zionist enemy." Another Sunni cleric said,
"this war has revealed that Israel is a paper tiger and that
the myth of the unbeatable and undefeatable Israeli Army was
created by the Arab media." Columnists praise Hizballah
Secretary General Nasrallah and blame the United States for

SIPDIS
allowing Israel to wage its war on Lebanon while criticizing
Arab leaders for their "silence." Abdullah Al Abbasi, with
the Arabic daily Al Watan, wrote August 9, "The embassies of
these two countries (U.S. and UK) must realize that anger in
the Arab street has reached a stage where they will have to
pay a very high price for their support for Israel,
especially in major Arab countries that will eventually have
their regimes changed. Only then will America and Britain
realize their historic mistake, which harmed their interests
in the region."

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


11. (C) Now almost one month into the Lebanon conflict,
Bahrainis are channeling their anger and concern into mostly
benign or positive activities - marches, rallies, speeches,
and fundraising. Even the Qana bombing did not result in
clashes or strife. In a country where the demographics make

it ripe for sectarian friction, there has been by and large
remarkable support of (the Shia) Hizballah and Nasrallah for
their "stand" against Israel. Unfortunately, what now seems
lost in the outpouring of support for Lebanon is the fact
that Hizballah started the fight with its attack on the
Israeli patrol and kidnapping of two IDF soldiers, that there
are innocent civilians killed, injured, and uprooted on both
sides of the conflict, and that Hizballah's actions have
precipitated an untenable situation over which to date the
Lebanese government and people have had little say.


********************************************* ********
Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/
********************************************* ********
ZIADEH