PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES QATAR'S SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000654

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2019
TAGS: PREL KPAL WBG IS EG SA QA
SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES QATAR'S SUPPORT
OF HAMAS, UNITY GOVERNMENT, AND FATE OF GILAD SHALIT

REF: DOHA 147

Classified By: Ambassador Joseph E. LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b and d).

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(C) KEY POINTS
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-- Ambassador met October 20 with Palestinian Ambassador
Mounir Abdullah Ghanim. Prominent in their discussion were
the prospects for a unity government between Hamas and
Fatah and the fate of captured Israeli soldier Gilad
Shalit.

-- Ghanim urged the U.S. to restore the credibility of
Mahmoud Abbas, saying that his position on the Goldstone
Report, along with the trilateral meeting with President
Obama and Israeli PM Netanyahu, had damaged him.

-- The Palestinian Ambassador noted that the Palestinian
Authority had accepted the Egyptian proposal for a unity
government, but that deep divisions developing within Hamas
were preventing a final agreement.

-- On Gilad Shalit, he predicted that Hamas would not reach
a final deal with Israel on his release until the right
opportunity arrives to maximize its credibility among the
Palestinian people, probably after Palestinian elections.

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(C) COMMENTS
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-- Ghanim sees a serious divide among the leaders of Hamas
over the issue of reconciliation with Fatah, though he is
not yet willing to call it a split. His request to the
U.S. to bolster the credibility of Mahmoud Abbas is
designed to take advantage of perceived Hamas weakness and
disarray.

-- The Palestinian Ambassador's insights into the future of
Gilad Shalit are not based on inside information, but on a
shrewd understanding of his Hamas rivals. That Hamas will
time any release to take maximum advantage of it probably
goes without saying.

End Key Points and Comments.


1. (C) Ambassador met October 20 with Palestinian
Ambassador Mounir Abdullah Ghanim. The meeting was held at
the request of Ambassador Ghanim. The two Ambassadors
discussed a wide range of issues that included the
prospects for the formation of a unity government between
Hamas and Fatah and the divisions within Hamas that the
Ambassador Ghanim blamed for the reluctance of its leaders
to reach an agreement. Ambassador also raised the issue of
captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and the prospects
for his release by his Hamas captors.


2. (C) The Palestinian Ambassador asked the Ambassador to
relay the following message to Washington: "Please help
restore the credibility of Mahmoud Abbas." He offered his
opinion that in accepting President Obama's invitation to
meet with him and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Abbas had
weakened himself. He said that the position Abbas took on
the Goldstone report had weakened him even further. He
observed that this is a very precarious time in the peace
process, with divisions manifesting themselves in the Hamas
leadership between various actors in Gaza, Damascus, and
within the military.


3. (C) Ambassador Ghanim noted that the PA had agreed to
the Egyptian proposal for a unity government, but that the
divisions within Hamas had prevented it from agreeing.
Particularly worrisome is the position of the Hamas
militias, which worry that any agreement might result in
their absorption by the military. Ghanim quote the leader
of the Qassam Brigades, who warned that his force would
"eliminate the government" before permitting his militia to
be absorbed. Ghanim took that as a threat aimed against
the Hamas leadership, should it be inclined to make a
deal. The position of the Qassam leadership and their
militant allies is "no reconciliation", he said.


4. (C) Ambassador raised the issue of Israeli soldier Gilad
Shalit, and whether the Palestinian Ambassador believed a
deal on his release was imminent. Ghanim said that
negotiations were underway, but he predicted no final deal
until after Palestinian elections. "Hamas has him as a
guarantee. They will use him at the right moment, to
enhance their own credibility among the people, which is
dropping even in Gaza. They will wait for a final bargain,

DOHA 00000654 002 OF 002


even if the elections are delayed," Ghanim said.
LeBaron