CONTACTS SAY WEST BANK SYMPATHY FOR GAZA, HAMAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000114

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE. NSC FOR ABRAMS/RAMCHAND/PASCUAL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2024
TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS
SUBJECT: CONTACTS SAY WEST BANK SYMPATHY FOR GAZA, HAMAS
GROWING AT PA'S, FATAH'S EXPENSE

REF: JERUSALEM 91

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. In separate January 9 conversations, three
prominent Palestinian contacts voiced concerns that the
conflict in Gaza is increasing the popularity of Hamas and
reducing support for President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen),
Fatah, and the PA. Fatah Revolutionary Council member Jibril
Rijoub said West Bankers see the PA as collaborating with
Israel. Military Intelligence Chief Majid al-Faraj said
Fatah will face a significant challenge in any future
Palestinian elections. A former head of the PA Bar
Association said Hamas's resistance is earning it the respect
of many West Bankers. End summary.


2. (C) Fatah Revolutionary Council (FRC) member Jibril
Rijoub said Hamas has effectively portrayed itself to West
Bankers as the faction that will fight for Palestinians'
rights and is successfully casting Fatah and the PA as
"collaborators." This approach, he said, will have
"strategic consequences" for the future. He said Abu Mazen
must improve his response to events and attract Palestinian
support, or he will be forever weakened by the crisis.
Following this conflict, Abu Mazen will have to address
national reconciliation seriously, Rijoub said.


3. (C) Military Intelligence BG Majid al-Faraj said Israeli
operations in Gaza have increased Hamas's public support
across the Muslim world, particularly among West Bankers. He
said Abu Mazen has been unable to effect meaningful change
for Palestinians, which could lead many to conclude that
"resistance" accomplishes more than negotiations. If the PA
does not achieve tangible changes on the ground -- such as
the end of Israeli incursions into West Bank towns, the
removal of significant checkpoints, or longer-term, strategic
concessions -- Abu Mazen and Fatah will lose legitimacy. If
Abu Mazen cannot deliver tangible changes, he said, Fatah
will face an overwhelming challenge in the next PA elections,
regardless of when elections are held.

4. (C) Former Head of the PA Bar Association Ahmad Sayyad
told PolSpec January 9 that Hamas's popularity in the West
Bank has increased as a result of Israeli operations in Gaza
and at the expense of Abu Mazen and Fatah. Sayyad said West
Bankers are frustrated by the PA's perceived support for
Israel, citing the ban against demonstrations in the West
Bank. He said West Bankers sympathize with the plight of
Gazans, even if not all support Hamas. Factional loyalty is
less important, Sayyad said, than a desire to see someone
stand up to Israel and defend Palestinian rights. West
Bankers see the PA and Egypt failing to do this, and, as a
result, Hamas is earning their respect, he said.
WALLES