QATARI RESIDENTS PEACEFULLY DEMONSTRATE THEIR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000072 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAL EFIN EAID PTER GZ IS QA SUBJECT: QATARI RESIDENTS PEACEFULLY DEMONSTRATE THEIR SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF GAZA REF: DOHA 50 ¶1. (U) Summary: Thousands of Qatari residents marched in a peaceful rally in support of the people of Gaza January 25. The rally was organized by the Qatar Central Municipal Council (CMC) and the office of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the Muslim scholar and preacher. This was the first public appearance by Al-Qaradawi since he fell ill last June. In addition to the QAR 20 million (USD 5.5 million) of material aid pledged by the Amir January 20 (reftel),all charitable organizations in Qatar have begun a two-month fund drive to provide assistance to the residents of Gaza. End summary. ¶2. (U) Qatari citizens and expatriates estimated to number more than 5,000 took part in a peaceful march January 25 expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza. The march began after the Friday sermon at the Omar Bin Al-Khattab Mosque and moved through the surrounding streets and along the Corniche. Marchers raised banners with slogans protesting the ongoing Israeli "siege" of the Gaza Strip, pledging support to the Palestinians as a national duty, and urging the international community and international organizations to "end the silence toward Israeli policies" said to "starve the Palestinians in Gaza in order to force them to kneel down before Israel." The rally was organized by the CMC and the office of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the Egyptian-born (naturalized Qatari of Egyptian origin) Muslim scholar and preacher, who is typically the initiator and leader of such gatherings. The Chair, Vice Chair, and members of the CMC, and a number of intellectuals, opinion leaders, and religious figures took part in the march. Many women and children participated as well. ¶3. (U) Participants waved Palestinian flags and shouted slogans expressing their solidarity and support for the Palestinians in Gaza, such as: "The Qatari people stand unified behind the Palestinian people in their misfortune;" "Our blood is fuel for Gaza lamps;" "Our willpower is stronger than the siege;" and "From Qatar, we raise a slogan of no to starvation and no for siege." Marchers also raised a sign carrying the names of Hamas leaders Ismail Haniya, Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, Abdelaziz Al-Rantisi, and Ahmed Yassin noting that "these are our leaders." ¶4. (U) The Chair of the CMC, Nassir Al-Kaabi, described the rally as "an expression of the Qatari people's solidarity with their Palestinian brothers who are facing all kinds of violence." Also, Mohamed Nazal, a "spokesman" from Hamas addressed the crowed via telephone, and expressed his thanks to the leadership, government, and people of Qatar for their continuous support for the Palestinians. ¶5. (U) The first sermon given by Al-Qaradawi since he fall sick in June 2007 preceded the march. Thousands stood inside and outside of the mosque. During the sermon, Al-Qaradawi addressed the harsh situation that the Palestinians in Gaza must endure; expressed that all Qataris, Arabs and Muslims are standing behind the Palestinians; and urged Arab, regional, and international organizations to move to end the Palestinians' tragedy. Al-Qaradawi also expressed his thanks to the Qatari leadership for its continued support of the Palestinians. ¶6. (U) Dr. Hamad Al-Kuwari, a former minister, ambassador to the United States and United Nations, and an active intellectual, was the first to address the crowd inside the mosque after the sermon. In his speech, Dr. Al-Kuwari sent four messages as follows: - A message to the Palestinians that the Government and people of Qatar are with them as always on Arab and Muslim issues. - A message to the Palestinian leaders that they must be unified; shame on them for their division. - A message to the Arab governments that the Israeli siege of Gaza is a siege against all Arabs. - A message to the international community criticizing it for not taking action against such severe human rights violations. ¶7. (SBU) Al-Kuwari told us he was very disappointed that the UN Security Council was attempting to draft a statement condemning the Israeli practices in Gaza rather than reaching for a resolution to the crisis. Al-Kuwari's speech was followed by a speech in which Al-Qaradawi thanked Al-Kuwari for his valuable remarks and stated his agreement with them. Representatives of two local charity organizations also addressed the crowd. DOHA 00000072 002 OF 002 ¶8. (U) In addition to the recently announced donation by the Government of Qatar of USD 5.5, the Qatar General Authority for Charitable Activities launched a campaign in support of Palestinians in Gaza that would last for two months. All local charity organizations joined the campaign. The Al-Balagh cultural organization (which is affiliated with Al-Qaradawi's Islam Online) also organized an oratorical festival in support of Gaza. ¶9. (SBU) Comments: Though this rally was not the first of its kind to express support and solidarity for the Palestinians, it was significant in its size, perhaps in response to the first public appearance of Al-Qaradawi since his illness. While there was no official coordination with the Palestinian Embassy in Doha, the Palestinian ambassador and Cultural Attache participated in the march after learning about it in the local press. RATNEY