PALESTINIAN INTERLOCUTORS SEE DISCONNECT BETWEEN

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 002377 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE. NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2017 TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN INTERLOCUTORS SEE DISCONNECT BETWEEN ANNAPOLIS MEETING AND DAILY LIFE REF: A. JERUSALEM 02374 ¶B. JERUSALEM 02367 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Palestinian interlocutors told ConGen officers that success at the Annapolis meeting depends on tangible improvements to Palestinian life. Advisor to President Abbas Adnan Husseini said GoI home demolitions and land confiscations undermine the prospects for progress at Annapolis, and Fatah PLC bloc head Azzam al-Ahmad said the meeting must address core issues. Grassroots Fatah leader Hussayn al-Shaykh and local council representatives Mofina Hamdan and Basseia Abd al-Latif said that as long as obstacles to Palestinian access and movement remain, the Annapolis meeting will be disconnected from reality. End Summary. Palestinian Politicians: Annapolis Must Deal With Serious Issues -------------- ¶2. (C) President Abbas' Advisor for Jerusalem Affairs Adnan Husseini told PolOff on November 13 that the Annapolis meeting could be a "good opportunity" to make progress, but that if negotiations do not start promptly afterwards, the meeting could stoke Palestinian distrust of Israel and the US. He said the GoI undermines prospects for serious developments by confiscating land, demolishing homes, and maintaining its rhetoric on Jerusalem. He said the current Israeli government is weak and will try to strengthen itself by rejecting any concessions at Annapolis. Nevertheless, he said, Palestinians remain hopeful and are working to make the meeting productive. ¶3. (C) Head of the Fatah PLC bloc Azzam al-Ahmad on November 7 told PolChief that preparations for the Annapolis meeting thus far are insufficient. For President Abbas to claim the meeting as a success, he said, it must deal with "core issues". Al-Ahmad added that the meeting must produce a joint Israeli-Palestinian document, and that as host the U.S. is responsible for ensuring this outcome. If the results are ambiguous and Palestinians do not see improvement in their living situation or political position, it will be difficult for Abbas to justify his participation in the meeting. Grassroots Leaders: Tangible Improvements in Daily Life Required to Make Annapolis Successful -------------- --- ¶4. (C) Grassroots Fatah leader and Director of Civil Affairs Hussayn al-Shaykh on November 7 told PolChief that Israel must take concrete steps to improve Palestinians' lives before the Annapolis meeting. Specifically, he said the removal of obstacles to movement in the West Bank would improve Palestinians' outlook leading up to the meeting. ¶5. (C) Mofina Hamdan, a member of the Bedu village council northwest of Jerusalem, on October 30 told PolOffs that the Annapolis meeting is disconnected from the difficulties imposed on her village by the separation barrier. High-level political discussions are meaningless when she and her neighbors cannot enter Jerusalem, she said. "Will Annapolis take down the wall?" she wondered. Basseia Abd al-Latif, a member of the Jaba'a village council north of Jerusalem, also criticized the route of the barrier and called the Annapolis meeting "an imposed reality". WALLES