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