AL QUDS UNIVERSITY RENEWS CALL FOR U.S. SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 001838

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MUSTAFA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2016
TAGS: PREL EFIN EAID KPAL KWBG IS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS HUMANITARIAN AID
SUBJECT: AL QUDS UNIVERSITY RENEWS CALL FOR U.S. SUPPORT

REF: JERUSALEM 01378

Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

This message has been cleared by Consulate General Jerusalem.


1. (C) In a meeting with Presidential Science Advisor John
Marburger at Hebrew University April 23, Ziad Abdeen, Senior
Researcher at Al Quds University, reiterated reftel request
for U.S. support for Al Quds regional fundraising efforts.
Abdeen was attending the meeting at Hebrew U. representing Al
Quds President Sari Nusseibeh who was out of the country.
Abdeen said that Nusseibeh and professors like Abdeen who
support him consider Israel "a neighbor and not the enemy."
He noted that most Al Quds staff had studied at Israeli
universities. Under Nusseibeh's leadership, Al Quds was "not
isolated, but networking in the region, with the Arab World
and internationally." Abdeen proudly stated that there had
been a dramatic increase in publications by Al Quds
researchers, and that Al Quds had the largest share of grant
partnerships with Israeli institutions under the Middle East
Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program. He said that Al Quds
was maintaining its academic independence, but Nusseibeh's
leadership was being challenged by staff sympathetic to Hamas.


2. (C) Noting that Al Quds' cooperation with Israeli
institutions was "overt", Abdeen asked that the U.S. support
the university's fundraising efforts with Gulf countries. He
said Nusseibeh was prepared to visit officials of Gulf states
together with American ambassadors in the region, if the U.S.
would be willing to lend that kind of support to avoid Al
Quds being taken over by Hamas. Abdeen said that Secretary
Powell had provided a letter to the leadership in Qatar to
support earlier fundraising efforts. Due to U.S.
restrictions on assistance to the Palestinian Authority,
Adbeen stressed that the success of Nusseibeh's fundraising
activities required such demonstrations of U.S. support for
the university's independence.


3. (U) Dr. Marburger's office cleared this message.

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