QADURA FARIS AND U/S BURNS: FATAH REFORM

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000155

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2017
TAGS: PREL KWBG PBTS KHUM KPAL IS
SUBJECT: QADURA FARIS AND U/S BURNS: FATAH REFORM

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Former PLC member Qadura Faris told U/S Burns
in a January 20 meeting in Jerusalem that Fatah needs serious
reform and reform-minded leaders must work to restore public
confidence in the party and Fatah's ability to administer the
PA. He said efforts to establish a National Unity Government
(NUG) should continue, and he does not believe Palestinians
will support early elections unless they are certain all
efforts to form a NUG are exhausted. He said if early
elections are held, he believes Fatah can regain the
majority, having learned from its mistakes in the January
2006 PLC elections. End Summary.

Elections: Fatah
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2. (C) During his January 20 Jerusalem meeting with U/S
Burns, former Fatah PLC member Qadura Faris said PA President
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) should exhaust all efforts to
establish a NUG before he decides to call early elections.
Faris said the majority of Palestinians will not support
early elections if they believe there is a chance for a NUG.
He said Palestinians have lost confidence in the political
system, but this confidence would be regained if Abu Mazen
can establish a NUG that ends the international restrictions
on the PA and ends the inter-factional violence. Faris added
that productive negotiations with Israel will further
buttress confidence in Abu Mazen's government.


3. (C) Faris attributed Hamas' victory in the January 2006
elections primarily to mistakes made by Fatah and said Fatah
needs serious reform. He said only reform-minded leaders,
such as jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, can restore
public confidence in the ability of the party to lead and to
provide public services. However, if elections are held soon,
he believes Fatah can regain 20-30 PLC seats by avoiding the
mistakes of the last election. He pointed to the fact that
Fatah split the party vote by running more candidates in
district races than the number of individual seats as a
crucial mistake that was emblematic of Fatah infighting. He
said Fatah must be unified as a party, if Palestinians are to
believe that it can represent all Palestinians. Faris
suggested that correcting this mistake and insisting upon
party discipline could be close the gap between Fatah and
Hamas in early elections.

GOI Impact
--------------


4. (C) Faris said the GOI had helped Hamas to achieve
electoral victory, particularly by "freezing" the progress
following Abu Mazen's election as President. He said Hamas
leaders point to the fact that Abu Mazen has met repeatedly
with the GOI leadership, but his meetings have brought few
tangible improvements to Palestinians. He said Hamas also
persuasively argues that during periods of negotiation, the
number of settlers and checkpoints in the West Bank has
increased. He said that Hamas is able to argue that
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are, therefore, only a fig
leaf or distraction that allows the GOI to change "facts on
the ground" in the West Bank. He said Hamas successfully
argues that Fatah's policy of negotiation has failed to end
the occupation or change GOI behavior and only its own policy
of resistance will succeed. Faris said that the GOI can and
should help Abu Mazen to regain public support by
demonstrating that his policy of engagement and negotiation
with the Israelis will bear fruit. He said he believes that
if the GOI helps improve daily lives of Palestinian removing
checkpoints, facilitating the movement of goods, and working
with the PA on security issues, there is the potential for
progress toward Israeli-Palestinian peace. Faris urged that
the GoI not ask Abu Mazen to do more than is politically
possible, such as rapidly disbanding certain Hamas-run
security forces, and make those requirements a condition of
continued talks.

WALLES