MOROCCO AND THE PALESTINIAN UNITY GOVERNMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000335 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2017 TAGS: PREL MO SUBJECT: MOROCCO AND THE PALESTINIAN UNITY GOVERNMENT REF: STATE 17726 Classified by Political Counselor Craig Karp for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Drawing on points conveyed reftel, Poloff met with Hassan Hami, Office Director of Arab Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 15, to urge that Morocco avoid premature statements of support or engagement with the new Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) before its new political platform, and commitment to Quartet principles is clarified. Hami said Morocco was hopeful that the formation of the NUG would finally break the internal Palestinian stalemate, assessing that the Mecca Agreement would result in more latitude for President Abbas on Foreign Affairs and Security issues, while Hamas would take the lead on internal social and economic issues. ¶2. (C) Hami reiterated the GOM position that Morocco has never received a Hamas-led Palestinian delegation and has no plans to do so. Unlike other interlocutors, however, he suggested that this approach could not be maintained indefinitely. He perceived pressure on the GOM from the Moroccan public, which is more sympathetic to the Palestinians' Islamist leadership than is the MFA. ¶3. (C) Comment: Energetic agitation by a small but vocal group of activists, well-covered in the national media, has been steadily crystalizing Moroccan public opinion on the Palestinian issue. End comment. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** Riley