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