HAMAS REPRESENTATIVE REAFFIRMS CONDITIONS FOR

S E C R E T DAMASCUS 000130 NOFORN DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO EMBASSY CAIRO, TEL AVIV, PARIS AND CONGEN JERUSALEM E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2019 TAGS: PREL KWBG KPAL PTER SY SUBJECT: HAMAS REPRESENTATIVE REAFFIRMS CONDITIONS FOR CEASE-FIRE, PRISONER EXCHANGE, RECONSTRUCTION, AND RECONCILIATION Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Maura Connelly for reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (S/NF) Summary: Almost a week after the February 5 deadline for responding to Egypt's Gaza cease-fire proposal, Hamas appears ready to stand pat on its demands for Israel to agree to re-open border crossings and lift the siege as part of any deal. In contrast to Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mesha'al's February 6 "Gaza Victory" speech, a mid-level Hamas official told the Norwegian Embassy on February 8 that a prisoner exchange with Israel was still a possibility, although Hamas reportedly prefers Turkish over French mediation on this issue. Hamas, the official said, also was calling for a speedy and de-politicized response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On Palestinian reconciliation, Hamas continued to criticize Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and suggested a coup may be in the works. After a February 11 meeting in Damascus with Hamas FM Mahmoud al-Zahar, VP Shara underscored the importance of ending Israel's siege and opening all border crossings, suggesting Syria is firmly backing Hamas and has not yielded to French appeals to urge Hamas to be more flexible. End Summary -------------- -------------- Mesha'al Declares Victory, Reaffirms Conditions for Cease-Fire -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Under the slogan, "Gaza Has Triumphed: Syria is Partner in Victory," several thousand Syrians and Palestinians gathered together in Damascus February 6 in what contacts and the press described as a "festival" to hear senior Syrian Ba'ath Party and Palestinian "resistance" leaders. Delivering the final address, Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mesha'al repeated claims that the Palestinians had won the war in Gaza. Mesha'al said he considered it "unparalleled insolence" for the side that triumphed to be considered defeated and have conditions for surrender imposed on it. During the speech he rejected a truce with Israel unless blockages were lifted and borders opened, saying, "We will not accept calm unless in exchange for ending the siege, opening the crossing, and genuinely and permanently expediting the reconstruction of Gaza." ¶3. (SBU) Throughout the speech Mesha'al took several thinly veiled swipes at the PA and President Mahmoud Abbas, saying, "Our enemy is endeavoring to politicize the reconstruction process and to impede it and link it with an authority that it describes as legitimate. It is legitimate only in the enemy's eyes." And near the conclusion of his remarks he said, "I declare that there is no legitimacy for any establishments or formations whose stands conflict with the Palestinian people's real option, which is the resistance. Those who want to represent the Palestinian people must uphold this option, specially after the Gaza battle." ¶4. (SBU) Mesha'al thanked Syria, Iran, Qatar, Sudan, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, declaring, "We thank, and no one can prevent us from doing so, all those who helped us, and we say to those who didn't help us, God will settle accounts with them." -------------- Israel Ready to Bargain? -------------- ¶5. (S/NF) Deviating little from Mesha'al's statement, a Norwegian diplomat was a able to glean additional details from a "mid-level" Hamas official on February 8. Asked about Hamas' current position on cease-fire talks with Israel, the Hamas representative reportedly joked that it was difficult to discern distinctions between Israeli demands and Egypt's position. He added Egypt was pursuing its own interests and not acting as a neutral mediator. Hamas was "shocked" that Egypt would not allow entry into Gaza of international war crime inspectors, for example. The representative noted that Hamas had not been weakened by the war; therefore his organization believed Israel was willing to compromise on these issues and may be looking to put the Gaza event behind them to avoid the kind of public embarrassment the Israeli Government faced after the 2006 war with Hizballah. Israel's recent capitulation on its demand for a 300-meter buffer-zone between Gaza and Israel was received well by Hamas, according to the representative, and was viewed as a sign that Israel was moving away from its "extreme rhetoric." -------------- -------------- Hamas Rejects Permanent Cease-Fire, Demands Presence at Check Points -------------- -------------- ¶6. (S/NF) The Hamas official reported Hamas negotiators had rejected an extension of June 2008 cease-fire because Israel refused to end the siege of Gaza and open the border crossings. The current situation, he added, was the same now as it was before hostilities began on December 27. Hamas would only accept a cease-fire if these two issues were addressed. The Hamas representative reported to the Norwegians that the length of any agreed upon cease-fire was of little import but added that it could not be permanent; such an agreement would mean a permanent Israeli presence in the occupied territories. The representative conceded that Hamas would be willing to accept a year-long cease-fire if Hamas believed there was hope that Israel would live up to its commitments. ¶7. (S/NF) The representative criticized Egypt's involvement in the negotiations, claiming Egypt had failed to include the use of the Rafah border crossing in the agreement and insisted that Hamas sign an anti-smuggling pact. According to the representative, Hamas continued to insist on Hamas representation at border check-points. On concerns over smuggling, the representative suggested that Egypt was more focused on this issue than Israel because Egypt wanted to prove it could stop smuggling. The Hamas official insisted many of the goods being smuggled were not weapons-related; nearly 95 percent of the weapons in Gaza were made locally in Gaza, he claimed. The advisor noted that if the smuggling ceased, "their work" would be hampered, but not stopped. -------------- -------------- Prisoner Exchange - Separate Track from Cease-fire Talks -------------- -------------- ¶8. (S/NF) Stepping back from previous Hamas statements which asserted that now was not the time for prisoner exchange discussions, the Hamas representative reported that his organization was not opposed to having such talks so long as they were kept separate from the cease-fire negotiations. A parallel discussion would be acceptable to Hamas, he added. The official reiterated Hamas demands that Israel release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit. Finally, the representative reported Hamas was not interested in French mediation on the prisoner exchange issue, but it had been working in close consultation with Turkey "and others" to push the matter forward. -------------- Rebuilding Gaza -------------- ¶9. (S/NF) The Hamas official told the Norwegian that Egypt had demanded all reconstruction money channel go through Ramallah; this was unacceptable to Hamas. The only way Fatah would get back into Gaza was through the formation of a national unity government. He accused the international community of politicizing aid work and said that it was "silly" to wait for a cease-fire or reconciliation before distributing much-needed aid. ¶10. (S/NF) The lack of international support had not stopped Hamas from beginning its aid work, the representative reported. Hamas was reportedly tackling the problem in two phases. The first-phase focus remained on immediate humanitarian assistance, including the rebuilding of health services and establishment of temporary housing. The second phase was described as a long-term plan to rebuild Gaza. According to the representative, consultants hired by Hamas had submitted a report which detailed the need for nearly two billion dollars. Financial support, the representative added, was reaching Gaza through several channels: direct assistance to the government in Gaza; Hamas leadership in Damascus; or through U.N. or existing NGOs in Gaza. -------------- Palestinian Authority - Possible Coup -------------- ¶11. (S/NF) The Hamas representative reported that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas had been seriously weakened in the wake of the violence in Gaza, and suggested that a coup might occur in the near term. Further, Hamas rejected Egypt's demand that Hamas accept Abbas, based on the Quartet agreement. The representative said Abbas' tour of Europe was meaningless and scoffed at European leaders for talking to someone "who was no longer the president of the PA," in a reference to Hamas' position that Abbas' term ended on January 9. -------------- World Needs to Deal With Hamas -------------- ¶12. (S/NF) In a final statement to the Norwegians, the Hamas representative acknowledged that Gazans had paid a high price, but argued much has been accomplished. He insisted Israel had not achieved its military objectives but conceded Hamas did not win the war. By managing to make Israel fail in it stated objective, he continued, Hamas had exposed the "barbaric traits" of Israel. He declared that "time is on the side of the Palestinian people" and the world needs to start dealing with Hamas as it is the only true representative of the Palestinians. ¶13. (S/NF) Comment: Damascus-based Hamas officials appear emboldened by Mesha'al's victory tour of the region and seem intent on continuing to insist that Hamas negotiators cling to hard-line conditions for a cease-fire. Hamas FM Mahmoud al-Zahar returned to Damascus February 11 after a two-day fund-raising trip to the UAE for an impromptu meeting with VP Farouq Shara'a and Vice FM Faisal Mekdad, suggesting that Syrian hard-liners were signaling their rejection of French appeals to the SARG to urge a more flexible Hamas position. CONNELLY