OLD GUARD TAKES CONTROL OF FATAH "REFORM"

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001590 SIPDIS SIPDIS OPS PASS TO SECRETARY'S PARTY, NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR WATERS/ABRAMS/SINGH E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2017 TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS SUBJECT: OLD GUARD TAKES CONTROL OF FATAH "REFORM" Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. On July 25, Fatah Central Committee member Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala'a) convened Fatah's Office for Mobilization to begin the process of forming a new Fatah High Council to replace the West Bank and Gaza Field Committees. The formation of the High Council was approved by the Fatah Revolutionary Council in early June, and PA President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) subsequently tasked Abu Ala'a to lead efforts to create the new structure. Grassroots Fatah leaders Qadura Fares and Hussayn al-Shaykh are skeptical that Abu Ala'a is serious about reform or will produce any positive changes within the movement. End Summary. Fatah High Council -------------- ¶2. (C) According to Fatah officials, on June 9 the Fatah Revolutionary Council (FRC) approved the formation of a Fatah High Council to replace the West Bank and Gaza Field Committees. The FRC created a follow-up committee composed of FRC members Othman Abu Garbiya, Hamdan Ashour, and Adnan Samara and Fatah Central Committee (FCC) members Abu Ala'a, Hani al-Hasan, Hakam Balawi, and Tayeb Abd al-Rahim. The follow-up committee met several days after the FRC meeting and approved the new High Council structure. A week later, Abu Mazen approved the Fatah High Council and appointed Abu Ala'a to lead its formation. ¶3. (C) On July 25 in Ramallah, Abu Ala'a convened Fatah's Office for Mobilization to begin the process of forming the new Fatah High Council, according to Fatah officials present at that meeting. The Fatah High Council will replace the West Bank and Gaza Field Committees. It will include a Steering Committee of 21 people and approximately 150 members serving on 24 committees that focus on security, elections, unions, youth and other issues. The Fatah High Council will be substantially larger than the Field Committees which included 21 members in the West Bank and 17 in Gaza. ¶4. (C) Fatah officials told ConGen political specialist that during the meeting, Abu Ala'a cited Dennis Ross' July 16 article "Can Fatah Compete with Hamas?" as evidence of USG support for "new faces" within Fatah. They said that Abu Ala'a handed out hard copies of the article to the 30 �0A;officials. Using Ross' argument, he urged that the old Fatah leadership be replaced and that grassroots leaders step forward. Trouble Filling Committee Head Positions -------------- ¶5. (C) Abu Ala'a reportedly asked 24 Fatah members to serve as the High Council committee heads. On July 26, eighteen members accepted and six declined, four of whom are Fatah Secretaries General. Ramallah District Committee member SIPDIS Mustafa Abd al-Hadi, who accepted a committee head position, told ConGen political specialist that the four Secretaries General were asked by Abu Ala'a to leave their current positions within Fatah to serve as committee chairs, but they refused. He said the four Secretaries General, who do not trust that the High Council will remain a permanent Fatah structure, are now negotiating with Abu Ala'a to retain their positions as Secretaries General while serving as committee chairs. Abd al-Hadi also said the Fatah members who declined do not want to offend or alienate those Field Committee members who are losing their positions. ¶6. (C) The six who declined positions include Secretary General of Nablus Issam Abu Bakr, who was asked to serve as General Elections Committee head; Secretary General of Jenin Atallah Abu Ramayleh who was asked to serve as Social Affairs Committee head; Secretary General of Central Hebron Udeh al-Rajabi who was asked to serve as head of the Committee for the Wounded; Secretary General of Southern Nablus Bilal Israel who was asked to serve as head of the Settlements and Security Barrier Committee; Fatah member Tamim Rimawi who was asked to serve as Welfare Committee head; and Fatah member Mustafa Abd al-Hadi who was asked to serve as Fieldwork Committee head. Grassroots Leaders Criticize New High Council -------------- ¶7. (C) On July 30, grassroots Fatah leader Qadura Fares told ConGen political specialist that Fatah has avoided dealing with its serious internal problems for the last ten years by creating structures, like the new High Council, that "do nothing except create further divisions within the JERUSALEM 00001590 002 OF 002 movement." Fares said at least ten different structures have been established since 1996 "to fix" Fatah, but none have succeeded. He added that forming new committees and councils changes only Fatah's exterior and does not solve its internal problems. Describing Abu Ala'a as a "lab rat," Fares said that the former Prime Minister has often been part of experiments that generally end badly. He said Fatah must first tackle divisions within the movement, the conflict between competing power centers, and the lack of political vision before it creates new structures such as the High Council. Fares said he doubts the High Council will trigger significant reform, but he is certain Abu Ala'a will continue his efforts to realize the Fatah High Council, as tasked by Abu Mazen. ¶8. (C) Grassroots Fatah leader and Director of Civil Affairs Hussayn al-Shaykh told ConGen political specialist in a separate July 30 meeting that the new Fatah High Council is "nonsense." Al-Shaykh said the 18 committee chairs, who accepted their positions, have very little grassroots support and are being set up for failure. He said Abu Ala'a is bargaining with the six Fatah members who declined to be committee chairs in order to fill all 24 committee slots. Al-Shaykh added that even if Abu Ala'a convinces the six to accept positions or finds alternatives to fill the spots, the High Committee is headed for failure. He said Abu Ala'a and the FCC are not serious about reforming Fatah. Al-Shaykh believes the High Council and the 24 committees will likely be created, but he see no hope for real reform given a lack of agenda and seriousness on the part of Fatah senior leaders, including Abu Ala'a. Comment -------------- ¶9. (S) In taking steps to form the new Fatah High Council, Abu Ala'a is using the need for Fatah reform to solidify his own and FCC interests, rather than moving towards real reform. Tasked by Abu Mazen to lead the formation of the High Council, Abu Ala'a is presenting himself as a "reformer," but that is hardly credible after his years in Fatah's leadership and his resistance to grassroots reform efforts. Fatah's grassroots leaders rightfully dismiss Abu Ala'a's current effort, but they are unlikely to muster the support to block him in establishing the new Fatah structure. The danger of this effort is not that it will be simply one more failed Fatah reform effort, but rather that it will "succeed" and take the wind out of the sails of serious reformers. WALLES