Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06RABAT1358
2006-07-17 17:07:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Rabat
Cable title:
PJD AND HAMAS: MOROCCAN POLITICAL PARTY SUPPORTS
how-toVZCZCXYZ0004 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHRB #1358/01 1981707 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 171707Z JUL 06 FM AMEMBASSY RABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4262 INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 4080 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3018 RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 3235 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4289 RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 3461 RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 8969 RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 1899 RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1875
UNCLAS RABAT 001358
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/PI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PTER PINR MO
SUBJECT: PJD AND HAMAS: MOROCCAN POLITICAL PARTY SUPPORTS
TERRORIST ENTITY?
REF: A. RABAT 565
B. RABAT 308
C. RABAT 617
D. RABAT 48
E. CASABLANCA 737
F. RABAT 1272
UNCLAS RABAT 001358
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/PI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PTER PINR MO
SUBJECT: PJD AND HAMAS: MOROCCAN POLITICAL PARTY SUPPORTS
TERRORIST ENTITY?
REF: A. RABAT 565
B. RABAT 308
C. RABAT 617
D. RABAT 48
E. CASABLANCA 737
F. RABAT 1272
1. (U) Summary: Morocco's largest Islamist political party,
the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) (Ref A),could win
up to 46 percent of the votes in the 2007 legislative
elections, according to results from a hypothetical vote
question in a poll conducted by the International Republican
Institute (IRI) (Ref B),funded by MEPI. The PJD is
considered by many press outlets as the new face of moderate
political Islam because of its commitment to transparency
(Ref C),but the same press outlets also regard that the PJD
openly supports and has frequent contact with the radical
Palestinian movement Hamas. PJD-affiliated Arabic daily
Attajdid was the first Moroccan newspaper to congratulate
Hamas for its victory in the Palestinian elections and is
consistently supportive of the group. PJD members met with
Hamas leaders in Syria and Lebanon and received a Hamas
delegation in Morocco in May. Many PJD members have links to
the Union of Good or other Hamas-funding organizations,
categorized as terrorist entities by the U.S. Government. The
following information originates from public sources. End
Summary.
--------------
The Media's Role
--------------
2. (U) PJD-affiliated Arabic daily Attajdid was the first
Moroccan newspaper to congratulate Hamas for its victory in
the January Palestinian legislative elections. On January 26,
the newspaper declared the victory to be the "result of God's
will" and an editorial published January 27 pronounced
Hamas's victory the "beginning of the Palestinian people's
salvation." The French language daily, Aujourd'hui le Maroc
(June 26),called Attajdid irresponsible for failing to
acknowledge the real political and economic risk that the
election of Hamas presented to the Palestinian people's place
in the international community.
3. (U) According to the Center for the Study of Popular
Culture's online publication, Front Page Magazine (April 20),
a November 2004 Attajdid editorial written by PJD member and
editor-in-chief of Attajdid, Mustafa Khalfi (Ref D),called
for common action and reconciliation between the regimes and
people of the Arab and Islamic worlds in order to prepare for
what he considered a "very difficult stage" after President
Bush's reelection. The PJD has also been critical of
America's policy on Iraq (Ref E).
--------------
PJD and Hamas Contacts
--------------
4. (U) The French language weekly, Telquel (June 10),
reported that the PJD does not accept Israel's legitimacy and
calls it the "Zionist entity." It also reported that after
the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Attajdid's editorial
congratulated Palestine for recovering "all stolen
Palestinian territories." The PJD considers Hamas the
"democratically elected government of Palestine" and the
Movement for Reform and Unification (MUR),a branch of the
PJD, refers to "glorious Hamas" on its website.
5. (U) On May 6, PJD parliamentarians received a Hamas
delegation attending the 17th Pan-Arab nationalist congress
in Casablanca. Abou Marzouk and Oussama Hamadane, two
influential Hamas members, were present and met with PJD
leaders. (Note: PJD Parliamentarians Mustapha Ramid and
Mouqrie Abou Zeid regularly participate in Pan-Arab
conferences in Syria and Lebanon where they meet with members
of Hamas, according to Aljazeera and other press sources. End
Note.) According to the French language weekly, Le Journal
Hebdomaire (July 7),many contacts were established between
the heads of the PJD and Hamas during the congress. The PJD
tried to organize official meetings between the Government of
Morocco (GOM) and Hamas but was not successful, according to
press sources. Le Journal Hebdomaire also reported that
during the visit a group of PJD parliamentarians decided to
cede one month's salary to Hamas to provide humanitarian
support to the Palestinian people.
--------------
PJD's Public Support of Hamas
--------------
6. (U) Aujourd'hui le Maroc (June 26) reported that during an
open session at Parliament, a group of PJD deputies,
represented by Abouzid El Moqri'e El Idrissi, reminded the
GOM that it was one of the few Arab states to continue
contact with Israel and demanded the immediate
discontinuation of any formal relationship. The group also
called for the GOM to open itself to the Palestinian national
government formed by Hamas. During the session, the PJD
deputies called for an extraordinary session for the two
houses of Parliament to further discuss the Palestinian
cause. Although the PJD has called on the GOM to support
Hamas, Aujourd'hui le Maroc (June 26) noted that the King
consistently pledges concern and support for the Palestinian
people, but not for Hamas.
7. (U) The PJD denounces Israeli aggression in Palestine (Ref
F) and helped organize a demonstration held July 8 in Rabat
to show support for Hamas and Palestinians in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
8. (U) According to Front Page Magazine (December 21),French
newsmagazine, L'Express, stated that the PJD is close to the
Muslim Brotherhood and that it follows a typical Islamist
line. Front Page Magazine (April 20) also reported that
noted Moroccan political analyst, Said Elakhal, wrote in
Aujourd'hui le Maroc that the PJD and Hamas have "the exact
same ideology" based on their communiques and are both
branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, although there is nothing
to prove that an official network exists.
--------------
"Links" to Terrorist Entities
--------------
9. (U) The Attajdid web site has a link to the web site of
the "Union of Good," an alleged umbrella organization of
Hamas-funding charities established in October 2000 by Sheikh
Yusuf Qaradawi, the group's president and "spiritual leader"
of the Muslim Brotherhood. MUR is a member organization of
the Union of Good and Dr. Abd Ziyad Al-Mughrabi al-Idrisi, a
member of the PJD and the consultative council of the MUR, is
a trustee of the Union of Good, according to Front Page
Magazine (April 20). The Union of Good is constituted of at
east five Specially Designated Terrorist entities SDGT)
including Interpal, The Al-Awsa Foundation Belgium),le
Comite de Bienfaisance et de Secour aux Palestiniens (CBSP),
Sanabil al-Aqsa, and te Palestinian Relief Society
(Switzerland). In adition, the Union of Good web site leads
to the eb site of Interpal, a SDGT since August 22, 2003,
pursuant to executive order 13224.
*****************************************
Visit Embassy Rabt's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.go/p/nea/rabat
*****************************************
BUSH
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/PI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PTER PINR MO
SUBJECT: PJD AND HAMAS: MOROCCAN POLITICAL PARTY SUPPORTS
TERRORIST ENTITY?
REF: A. RABAT 565
B. RABAT 308
C. RABAT 617
D. RABAT 48
E. CASABLANCA 737
F. RABAT 1272
1. (U) Summary: Morocco's largest Islamist political party,
the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) (Ref A),could win
up to 46 percent of the votes in the 2007 legislative
elections, according to results from a hypothetical vote
question in a poll conducted by the International Republican
Institute (IRI) (Ref B),funded by MEPI. The PJD is
considered by many press outlets as the new face of moderate
political Islam because of its commitment to transparency
(Ref C),but the same press outlets also regard that the PJD
openly supports and has frequent contact with the radical
Palestinian movement Hamas. PJD-affiliated Arabic daily
Attajdid was the first Moroccan newspaper to congratulate
Hamas for its victory in the Palestinian elections and is
consistently supportive of the group. PJD members met with
Hamas leaders in Syria and Lebanon and received a Hamas
delegation in Morocco in May. Many PJD members have links to
the Union of Good or other Hamas-funding organizations,
categorized as terrorist entities by the U.S. Government. The
following information originates from public sources. End
Summary.
--------------
The Media's Role
--------------
2. (U) PJD-affiliated Arabic daily Attajdid was the first
Moroccan newspaper to congratulate Hamas for its victory in
the January Palestinian legislative elections. On January 26,
the newspaper declared the victory to be the "result of God's
will" and an editorial published January 27 pronounced
Hamas's victory the "beginning of the Palestinian people's
salvation." The French language daily, Aujourd'hui le Maroc
(June 26),called Attajdid irresponsible for failing to
acknowledge the real political and economic risk that the
election of Hamas presented to the Palestinian people's place
in the international community.
3. (U) According to the Center for the Study of Popular
Culture's online publication, Front Page Magazine (April 20),
a November 2004 Attajdid editorial written by PJD member and
editor-in-chief of Attajdid, Mustafa Khalfi (Ref D),called
for common action and reconciliation between the regimes and
people of the Arab and Islamic worlds in order to prepare for
what he considered a "very difficult stage" after President
Bush's reelection. The PJD has also been critical of
America's policy on Iraq (Ref E).
--------------
PJD and Hamas Contacts
--------------
4. (U) The French language weekly, Telquel (June 10),
reported that the PJD does not accept Israel's legitimacy and
calls it the "Zionist entity." It also reported that after
the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Attajdid's editorial
congratulated Palestine for recovering "all stolen
Palestinian territories." The PJD considers Hamas the
"democratically elected government of Palestine" and the
Movement for Reform and Unification (MUR),a branch of the
PJD, refers to "glorious Hamas" on its website.
5. (U) On May 6, PJD parliamentarians received a Hamas
delegation attending the 17th Pan-Arab nationalist congress
in Casablanca. Abou Marzouk and Oussama Hamadane, two
influential Hamas members, were present and met with PJD
leaders. (Note: PJD Parliamentarians Mustapha Ramid and
Mouqrie Abou Zeid regularly participate in Pan-Arab
conferences in Syria and Lebanon where they meet with members
of Hamas, according to Aljazeera and other press sources. End
Note.) According to the French language weekly, Le Journal
Hebdomaire (July 7),many contacts were established between
the heads of the PJD and Hamas during the congress. The PJD
tried to organize official meetings between the Government of
Morocco (GOM) and Hamas but was not successful, according to
press sources. Le Journal Hebdomaire also reported that
during the visit a group of PJD parliamentarians decided to
cede one month's salary to Hamas to provide humanitarian
support to the Palestinian people.
--------------
PJD's Public Support of Hamas
--------------
6. (U) Aujourd'hui le Maroc (June 26) reported that during an
open session at Parliament, a group of PJD deputies,
represented by Abouzid El Moqri'e El Idrissi, reminded the
GOM that it was one of the few Arab states to continue
contact with Israel and demanded the immediate
discontinuation of any formal relationship. The group also
called for the GOM to open itself to the Palestinian national
government formed by Hamas. During the session, the PJD
deputies called for an extraordinary session for the two
houses of Parliament to further discuss the Palestinian
cause. Although the PJD has called on the GOM to support
Hamas, Aujourd'hui le Maroc (June 26) noted that the King
consistently pledges concern and support for the Palestinian
people, but not for Hamas.
7. (U) The PJD denounces Israeli aggression in Palestine (Ref
F) and helped organize a demonstration held July 8 in Rabat
to show support for Hamas and Palestinians in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
8. (U) According to Front Page Magazine (December 21),French
newsmagazine, L'Express, stated that the PJD is close to the
Muslim Brotherhood and that it follows a typical Islamist
line. Front Page Magazine (April 20) also reported that
noted Moroccan political analyst, Said Elakhal, wrote in
Aujourd'hui le Maroc that the PJD and Hamas have "the exact
same ideology" based on their communiques and are both
branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, although there is nothing
to prove that an official network exists.
--------------
"Links" to Terrorist Entities
--------------
9. (U) The Attajdid web site has a link to the web site of
the "Union of Good," an alleged umbrella organization of
Hamas-funding charities established in October 2000 by Sheikh
Yusuf Qaradawi, the group's president and "spiritual leader"
of the Muslim Brotherhood. MUR is a member organization of
the Union of Good and Dr. Abd Ziyad Al-Mughrabi al-Idrisi, a
member of the PJD and the consultative council of the MUR, is
a trustee of the Union of Good, according to Front Page
Magazine (April 20). The Union of Good is constituted of at
east five Specially Designated Terrorist entities SDGT)
including Interpal, The Al-Awsa Foundation Belgium),le
Comite de Bienfaisance et de Secour aux Palestiniens (CBSP),
Sanabil al-Aqsa, and te Palestinian Relief Society
(Switzerland). In adition, the Union of Good web site leads
to the eb site of Interpal, a SDGT since August 22, 2003,
pursuant to executive order 13224.
*****************************************
Visit Embassy Rabt's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.go/p/nea/rabat
*****************************************
BUSH