LIBYAN REACTION TO ONGOING VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000363 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/MAG LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/24/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV LY SUBJECT: LIBYAN REACTION TO ONGOING VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST CAREFULLY MANAGED CLASSIFIED BY: Elizabeth Fritschle, Pol/Econ Chief, United States Embassy Tripoli, DOS. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary and Comment: Libyans with whom we are in contact have no sympathy for Hizballah, but are angry about the ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Gaza. After initially discouraging public demonstrations, the government has allowed a few carefully orchestrated and tightly controlled events to take place. Libyan public statements have been muted and aimed more at criticizing fellow Arab states than anyone else. Comment: In this opaque society, the wishes and anxieties of the majority of Libyans are often difficult to gauge. However, Libyans seldom miss an opportunity under any circumstances to express their opposition to U.S. policy on Israel and the Palestinians. Under the present dramatic circumstances in the region -- to judge from what we are told by Libyan officials, businesspeople, students and others -- that opposition is fueling intense popular anger and frustration, which does not have much meaningful political outlet. Libyan officials tell us they are paying a price in domestic and international public opinion for the relatively low profile they are maintaining during the Israeli operation. They hope we have taken note that they are avoiding undue criticism of the U.S. during the crisis. End Summary and Comment. ¶2. (C) Libyans we've encountered have little sympathy for Hizballah, whom they blame for creating a problem that has distracted world attention from Gaza, but they are angry at the cost in lives and property of the Israeli operation in Lebanon. Satellite dishes are ubiquitous in Libya and the images of dead and wounded tend to be far more vivid than what appears on western television. The Libyan government is carefully managing local reaction. The Government prevented demonstrations July 14, instead channeling people's energy into mosque prayers and sermons. A small demonstration was held at the Palestinian Embassy July 16. On Friday July 21 the conflict was again discussed in the Friday sermons and the government carefully orchestrated protests in Tripoli, Sebha and Garian as a controlled outlet. ¶3. (C) Embassy locally-employed staff in the vicinity of Tripoli's Green Square reported that Friday, July 21st, 2006, by 1425 hours, shortly after lunch time Friday prayer, the Qadhafi Foundation for Development's "Oppressed on Earth Society" organized a demonstration zone supplied with one fire brigade truck, four ambulance vehicles, six towing vehicles and numerous other ISO vehicles and personnel. In addition, a helicopter hovered over the area for the duration of the demonstration, along with heavy presence of Public Security troops outside UN facilities, the Embassies of Palestine and Lebanon and near the Peoples Congress Building at Liberty Square. ¶4. (C) Initially about 450 demonstrators gathered from the nearby Mosques in Green Square, known before the Qadhafi-led revolution as "Martys Square." After 1430 hours, more demonstrators arrived by bus from cities and villages ithi a 120mile r ius of Tripoli. Each busload of demonstrators had preprinted signs designating what Peoples Committee they represented. The demonstrators were also supplied with Libyan, Lebanese and Palestinian flags. There were also preprinted signs, "please give blood," and "stop war in Lebanon and Palestine." By 1445 approximately 1500 to 2000 demonstrators were in Green Square, half estimated to be young, between 15 to 24 years old and the other half in their 30s and 40s. About 10 percent of the demonstrators were young girls, from 16 to 20 years old. At 1505 the demonstrators start moving to local UN offices, at 1520 they arrived at UN facility where they stayed until 1605 and then departed by bus. ¶5. (C) The official Jamahiriya News Agency reported that demonstrations were also organized in Gharian and Sebha. According to the government-run news website, "the demonstrators expressed in their slogans their condemnation and denunciation of the international community ignorance with its international institutions of the crimes perpetrated daily against children, women, and elderly in Palestine and Lebanon. They called on the lively force, people's activists, civil society and student and youth organizations to move using all means in defense of the Lebanese and Palestinian people and use pressure to stop the Israeli aggression." (Embassy Comment: Given the government-organized demonstrations in Benghazi that got out of control with tragic results in February, it does not appear that any protests were allowed in Benghazi last week. End Comment.) ¶6. (U) In addition, the Social People's Leadership in Great Jamahiriya issued a statement that "the worsening conditions of the current Arab state created by the Official Arab Regimes make the Arab Rulers bury their faces in dust in order not to see the anniversary of this revolution that passes at this bad times in the history of the Arabs." It continued, "what is going on in Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine is clear proof that the Arabs are under slow death while Arab Rulers sit on Ruins." (Embassy Comment: This is yet another jibe at the Saudis and other Gulf Arab rulers. End Comment.) ¶7. (U) The Libyan local press also highlighted that Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas phoned "the leader of the revolution" Friday night July 20 to "express gratitude to the leader for supporting the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights and for the support of the Libyan people to their Palestinian brothers." ¶8. (C) Libyan officials tell us they are paying a price in domestic and international public opinion for the relatively low profile they are maintaining during the Israeli operation. They hope we have taken note that they are avoiding undue criticism of the U.S. during the crisis. ¶9. (U) Qadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam, head of the Qadhafi International Charitable Foundation, also issued a public statement, "It is with great agony and concern that I followed the dramatic sad events going on in Lebanon and the cruelty of the Israeli aggression on both the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples amid international and Arab disgraceful abandonment." The additional text of the statement follows: TEXT OF SAIF AL-ISLAM STATEMENT On the occasion of the rumors relating to the calls to convene an Arab summit on the issue, we would like to tell the Arab leaders to dismiss the idea of convening such a summit and to save face, since their summit in case it convened will not be of any good, and will not be able to stop the tears, the blood, or the destruction going on in Lebanon and Palestine, and we think that the alternative to verbal support is to call for the following: 1- To convene an Arab summit, one whose results should be agreed upon in advance, and where the outcome would be to transfer the oil windfall resulting from rise of oil prices stemming from the shedding of Lebanese and Palestinian blood, or at least a part of it, to support both peoples materially. 2- To grant Lebanon the material and moral support it needs to strengthen its defensive capabilities so as to enable it to defend its land and people. 3- The Arabs have to legitimate the resistance in Lebanon and acknowledge it in view to back it politically and morally both internally and externally. Only in such a case will the meeting be meaningful, and the summit fruitful, but any other buffoonery speeches should be avoided, and it would be better for everyone to stay home and watch the sad news on TV. In light of these dramatic situations, Gaddafi Development Foundation, and the Libyan Red Crescent will fly air caravans to deliver food and health relief, and to install field hospitals in defiance to the Israeli barbaric air force. The GDF will also provide help to those who are willing to volunteer to help their brothers the Lebanese, and to transfer any humanitarian aids. END TEXT OF SAIF AL-ISLAM STATEMENT ¶10. (C) Comment: End Comment. BERRY