TFLE01: TUNISIAN REACTION TO LEBANON/ISRAEL/GAZA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TUNIS 002084

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA/MAG FOR HARRIS; NEA/PPD FOR FERNANDEZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KMPI KPAO ASEC TS
SUBJECT: TFLE01: TUNISIAN REACTION TO LEBANON/ISRAEL/GAZA

REF: A. TUNIS 2026

B. TUNIS 1988

C. TUNIS 387

Classified By: CDA David Ballard for Reasons 1.4 b & d


1. (C) Summary: The general Tunisian public perception of
current events in Lebanon and Gaza, fueled by local and
pan-Arab media, is that the U.S. is offering unlimited
support to Israeli "aggression." A broad range of Tunisian
contacts, who share this perception, tell us that this is
consequently seriously damaging the USG image and credibility
in the region. The GOT continues to make public calls for an
immediate cease-fire, has asked fellow Arab governments to
pledge support for "the reconstruction of Lebanon" and
spearheaded an initiative at the UN Human Rights Council to
call for an extraordinary session on the events in Lebanon.
The President of the Tunisian American Friendship
Association, who also serves as the President of the Tunisian
American Chamber of Commerce sent a letter addressed to the
Ambassador, strongly critical of the U.S. response to the
current crisis. Tunisian press continues its sensationalist
coverage of the conflict, lambasting Israel and the U.S. and
glorifying the "Lebanese Resistance." Tunisian lawyers
marched in solidarity with the Lebanese and the Palestinians,
and according to an AP press report a group of Tunisian
artists and intellectuals called for a boycott on U.S. goods.
A broad range of Tunisian contacts have sent us a uniform
message: the USG's current perceived actions in the Lebanon
crisis are seriously damaging the U.S. image and credibility
in the region. End Summary.


2. (C) The following are this week's reactions from the GOT,
the press, and civil society groups on the situation in
Lebanon.


GOT REACTION
--------------

-- On August 10, President Ben Ali devoted a large section of
his speech to the annual Tunisian diplomatic chiefs of
mission conference to the crisis in the Levant. Ben Ali
reiterated the GOT's official position of calling for an
immediate cease-fire, the preservation of innocent lives and
expediated diplomatic negotiations and solutions. Ben Ali
said Tunisia stands with the Lebanese people, and called on
the UN to reach an acceptable resolution as soon as possible.
The President asked wealthy Arab countries to assist
financially to rebuild Lebanon. He further emphasized that
the solution to the Lebanese crisis could not be
disassociated from the need for international protection of
the Palestinian people.

-- On August 8, President Ben Ali met with Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, on a two-day visit to
Tunisia. The two discussed the situation in Gaza and
Lebanon, a possible UNSC resolution on Lebanon, and the next
Arab summit, among other topics. (See Ref A)

-- Tunisia, on behalf of the Arab Group and the OIC,
requested an extraordinary session of the UN Human Rights
Council to examine "the flagrant violations of human rights
by Israel in Lebanon, notably the Qana massacre, as well as
attacks against civilians and the destruction of essential
infrastructure throughout the territory of the country." The
session was supported by 16 other Council members and was
scheduled to begin on 11 August.

-- Foreign Minister Abdelwahab Abdallah led a Tunisian
delegation to Arab Foreign Ministers meeting held August 7 in
Beirut.

-- On August 5, Tunisian First Lady Leila Ben Ali publicly
called for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon and the
Palestinian territories in the name of the Arab Women's
Organization. She called for UN intervention to preserve
humanitarian rights and denounced "acts of collective
extermination of which civilians in Palestine and Lebanon are
victims and their disastrous consequences for property and
infrastructure."

-- On August 10, Fouad Mbazaa, President of the Tunisian
Parliament, signed a joint statement on the situation in
Lebanon along with the Presidents of the European, Greek, and
Egyptian Parliaments. These signatories constitute the
Bureau of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly. In
the statement, the Parliamentary leaders "condemn the
military attacks, and call for the UNSC to adopt a resolution
for an immediate cease-fire, and on the EU to take a "strong,

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clear and determined role...in order to re-establish the
dialogue between all parties concerned."

MEDIA REACTION
--------------

-- The stridently anti-American newspaper Ash-Sharouq,
Tunisia's largest daily with a circulation of 85,000,
continued its anti-Israel rants in both straight news
reporting and analysis on developments in Lebanon. The paper
reported recent Katusha rocket attacks on northern Israel as
aimed at "settlements" in "northern Palestine." Hizballah is
portrayed as a tenacious and heroic resistance movement;
whereas Israel is portrayed as the aggressor and the occupier
that commits "massacres" and "crimes" against Lebanese
civilians. Several articles characterize the Israeli
government and public as confused and dispirited by the hard
fighting in south Lebanon and the Katyusha shellings. What
ash-Sharouq does not report is as biased as its coverage: no
mention is made of Hizballah's use of human shields, its
positioning of rocket launchers in civilian areas, or its
deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians. There has been
virtually no objective treatment of current U.S. peace
efforts. To the contrary, ash-Sharouq portrays a U.S. that
fully approves of Israeli military operations. "Israel Awaits
a Green Light from America to Strike Syria," is one recent
example, as is a recent political cartoon depicting Secretary
Rice as a ventriloquist for a figure drawn as an IDF general.
Ash-Sharouq's sister French paper Le Quotidien largely
mirrored Sharouq, if less viciously, portraying Hizballah as
a strong resistance movement, describing it even as
"threatening Israel's existence."

-- Other traditionally more moderate papers, such as the
independent French-language Le Temps and the GOT-controlled
La Presse, also continued to carry virulent anti-Israel
articles, editorials and cartoons.

-- In a Jeune Afrique l'Intelligent article criticizing the
organization of a recent Mariah Carey concert in Tunisia that
failed to meet economic expectations, the author writes that
the current political context was not appropriate to hold
such an event, since Mariah Carey is American and the U.S. is
supporting the "murderous" Israeli offensive in Palestine and
Lebanon. When asked his opinion of the concert, a recent
Tunisian graduate from a U.S. university was reported in the
article to have said that he did not attend because of
"current events."


CIVIL SOCIETY
--------------

-- Post received August 8 a strongly-worded letter from Board
Members of the Tunisian American Friendship Association
(TAFA),chaired by lawyer and President of the Tunisian
American Chamber of Commerce (TACC) Mohamed Moncef Barouni,
regretting the events in the Levant, criticizing the U.S.
response and suggesting that the credibility of the U.S. was
suffering. In the letter Barouni writes: "TAFA has been and
will continue to work to promote friendship between the
American people and their friends in Tunisia. Unfortunately
our mission has become extremely difficult if not
impossible." And: "The U.S. unconditional support (of Israel)
is regretful and condemnable. All efforts to promote
friendship and understanding are meaningless if not laughable
if looked at in the perspective of the careless U.S. position
we are witnessing today."

-- August 8, AP reported a petition, allegedly signed by
"tens" of Tunisian artists and intellectuals (NFI) calling
for "all Arab intellectuals" to boycott U.S. and Israeli
goods, information, cultural institutions and diplomatic
missions. The signatories, reportedly including actors,
musicians, poets, writers, and reporters, also asked artists
to dedicate their performances and works to "the denunciation
of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon and behind it the
arrogance of the U.S., that wants all free people of the
world to bow to its despotic system." (Note: As the report
carried no signatures or names, post could not verify any of
the alleged signatories of the petition. Post has not
noticed any impact of this call to boycott U.S. goods.)

-- Between several dozen and two hundred lawyers, according
to differing press reports and Embassy contacts, demonstrated
August 9 to denounce Israeli military operations against
Lebanon. Surrounding by police, the demonstrators marched
from the Palace of Justice to the local offices of the U.N.,
located on the same street in downtown Tunis, where the
participants presented a letter addressed to SG Annan. The

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letter reportedly underlined the legitimacy of the
"Palestinian and Lebanese resistance", called for an
international inquiry into the "Israeli massacres in Lebanon"
and accused the UN of failing to protect civilians.
According to a professor/activist, the demonstration was
sanctioned by the GOT, and the lawyers participating were
largely loyal to the ruling RCD-party. This contact
complained that all attempts to demonstrate by unrecognized
civil society groups continued to be refused by the GOT.

-- A prominent civil society activist and the Movement of 18
October (Ref C) told Poloff that Hizballah's rise to
prominence in the current crisis was "like vitamins for the
Islamists" in Tunisia. He said that even secular Tunisians
had to support Hizballah's resistance to Israel's "unfair
aggression." He noted that previously state-sponsored
Tunisian television only referred to Hizballah indirectly, as
"the Lebanese resistance," but that it recent days due to the
organizations growing popularity, TV announcers spoke
directly of "Hizballah."

COMMENT
--------------


3. (C) The general Tunisian public perception of current
events in Lebanon and Gaza, fueled by local and pan-Arab
media, is that the U.S. is offering unlimited support to
Israeli "aggression." A broad range of Tunisian contacts,
who share this perception, tell us that this is seriously
damaging the USG image and credibility in the region.
Although we currently note no increase in the level of the
security threat to U.S. interests as a result of the current
crisis, nor any effects from the alleged call for a boycott
of U.S. goods, we anticipate that the prevalent anti-U.S.
mood will affect our relationship with some Tunisian
contacts, especially independent civil society groups and
individuals, with whom we had begun to build closer
relationships following boycotts of the U.S. Embassy in the
aftermath of war in Iraq in 2003. A cooling off in these
relationships may negatively affect our Freedom Agenda and
MEPI goals, as these contacts are integral players in both
initiatives.

BALLARD