SAUDI SHI'A REACT TO CRISIS IN LEBANON

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 005709 SIPDIS SIPDIS DHAHRAN SENDS PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL SA SUBJECT: SAUDI SHI'A REACT TO CRISIS IN LEBANON REF: A. RIYADH 5601 ¶B. RIYADH 5083 Classified by Acting Consul General Dave Speidel for reason 1.4 (d). ¶1. (SBU) Based on Internet postings and conversations with contacts since the confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel erupted last Wednesday, Saudi Shi'a are unanimous in condemning Israel's response to Hezbollah's kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers, and most Saudi Shi'a seem supportive of Hezbollah and critical of SAG statements blaming Hezbollah (without naming it) for starting the crisis (ref A). A Qatifi family was sitting entranced in front of their plasma TV when PolOff and PAO arrived as dinner guests on Wednesday, and one family member said that the Saudi Shi'a would be "happy" at Hezbollah's action. On July 16 another Shi'a contact said that Shi'a reactions fell into two categories, namely those fully supportive of Hezbollah and those who "thought that Hezbollah had made a big mistake but that the Israeli response was excessive." He suggested that the former view was dominant and that those with the latter view kept it private. Another contact questioned whether the main purpose behind the SAG's response was to please the USG. ¶2. (SBU) Two articles on Rasid News Network (www.rasid.com, a Saudi Shi'a Internet forum) expand on the views our contacts expressed. In one, Hussein Al-Alak, who roughly one month ago published a commentary titled "Screw Hamas" in protest of Hamas' apparent mourning of Zarqawi's death (ref B),cheered Hassan Nasrallah on, arguing that he, in contrast to other Arab leaders, was actively confronting Israel. Al-Alak suggested that anti-Shi'a bias of President Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah led them to take a position against Hezbollah. In the second article, Rasid's editors directly criticized the SAG's response, saying it was supportive of "the interest of the Israeli enemy" and against feelings on the Arab street. ¶3. (C) Comment: The Shi'a reaction is not surprising. It reflects general Arab street support for anything perceived as resistance against Israel, as well as a feeling of solidarity with their co-religionists in Lebanon and a tendency to interpret regional politics through a sectarian lens. End comment. (APPROVED: SPEIDEL) OBERWETTER