EGYPT: GAZA ROUND-UP: JANUARY 18

S E C R E T CAIRO 000088

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ELA AND NEA/IPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/15/2019
TAGS: KPAL PGOV PREL PHUM CASC EAID MOPS EG IS
SUBJECT: EGYPT: GAZA ROUND-UP: JANUARY 18

REF: A. CAIRO 0081

B. CAIRO 0068

C. CAIRO 0063

D. CAIRO 0026

E. CAIRO 0017

F. CAIRO 0007

G. CAIRO 0003

H. CAIRO 0002

Classified By: Minister Counselor William R. Stewart
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) Humanitarian Assistance: On January 18, 140 tons of
medical aid from the Red Crescent, Qatar, Bahrain, and
Morocco were delivered through Rafah, along with 42
casualties. The Red Crescent delivered 90 tons of flour and
rice through Kerem Shalom and 400 tons of food aid entered
through Aouja from Jordan, Morocco, Oman, and Libya.


2. (S) Rafah: Border is quiet, according to DAO currently at
Rafah Terminal. As of 1:30 pm local, the first Amcit
evacuees from Gaza had just come through.


3. (U) Demonstrations: According to independent press
reports, on January 18 MB-supporters staged demonstrations of
approximately 1,500 protesters in the towns of Kafr Al-Zayyat
and Qaranshu calling for opening the Rafah border crossing,
stopping gas exports to Israel and expelling the Israeli
ambassador. On January 18 in Suez, 4,000 MB supporters
reportedly demonstrated against Israel's killing of women and
children in Gaza.


4. (U) Contacts told us January 18 that the Facebook group
that had called for a general strike January 18 changed the
date for the strike to January 28, without providing a
rationale.


5. (C) On January 19, two young liberal political activists
expressed outrage to us about the Israeli operations in Gaza,
calling Israel's actions "war crimes." The activists
characterized the conflict as an Israeli "war against the
Palestinian people, not Hamas," and asserted that Palestinian
resistance is "legitimate, not terrorism."


6. (SBU) On January 17, between 300-600 Muslim Brotherhood
(MB) supporters were arrested in connection with a pro-Gaza
demonstration in downtown Cairo. The security forces
reportedly beat several protestors, amidst a formidable array
of riot police and security trucks concentrated around the
central Ramses Square. Despite the cease-fire, further
protests are reportedly planned for this week.


7. (SBU) On January 18, the MB issued a statement criticizing
the January 18 meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, hosted by
President Mubarak. The MB statement criticized the
"American-Zionist-European war machines and schemes.8 The MB
is also leading an Egyptian opposition initiative, "parallel
to Qatar,s effort,8 to raise USD 50 million for "the
impeached Palestinian government in Gaza8 (aka Hamas) to
re-build.


8. (SBU) Speaker of the People,s Assembly, Fathi Surour, in
a letter to EU Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering,
called for a fact-finding committee to be organized to
investigate Israeli "atrocities8 in Gaza.


9. (SBU) Gaza Donors' Conference: According to the Norwegian
DCM, the Egyptians are planning to host a Gaza donors'
conference in Egypt in the "very near future," headed by Mrs.
Suzanne Mubarak. According to the Norwegian DCM, within two
weeks after this conference, the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee
(AHLC) will host a similar donors' conference likely either
in Oslo, Paris, or Prague. He said the difference between
the two conferences will be that the Egypt conference will
discuss "little of substance," but will be mainly for public
consumption and discussing "big picture generalities," while
the AHLC conference will deal with details on how, where and
where to spend the pledged funds.
SCOBEY