C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000153

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR
ABRAMS/PASCUAL/RAMCHAND

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM KWBG KPAL IS GZ
SUBJECT: FATAH GRASSROOTS LEADERS WANT TO "STAND UP" TO THE
GOI

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. Fatah grassroots activists say Hamas will
benefit politically from the Israeli operation in Gaza,
diminishing Fatah's standing and forcing national
reconciliation on Hamas' terms. They say the Palestinian
public sees Fatah's choice of negotiations over armed
struggle as having failed. They argue Fatah must "stand up"
to Israel, stepping away from the PA and the efforts of PA
security forces (PASF) to keep demonstrations from clashing
with the IDF. End summary.


2. (C) Former PLC member and Nablus Fatah leader Husam
Khader told PolSpec January 15 that Hamas will "certainly"
benefit politically from its conflict with Israel and that PA
President Mahmoud Abbas' (Abu Mazen's) only recourse after
the IDF operation is reconciliation with Hamas. He said
Fatah's popularity has declined because it failed to "stand
up" to Israel, and that Fatah achieved nothing for
Palestinians by replacing armed struggle with negotiations.


3. (C) Khader said that Fatah is associated in the public's
mind with PASF efforts to control demonstrators in order to
"protect" the IDF. This makes Fatah and the PA look like GOI
"accomplices," he said. Khader said Fatah activists are
starting to discuss how to differentiate their movement from
the PA, believing that "if we don't do that, we stand to lose
a great deal of public support the day after this aggression
is over."


4. (C) Ahmad Ebwaini, a Fatah youth (al-Shabiba) activist in
Ramallah, said the PA's image as a "collaborator" would
remain in people's minds for years to come. He said the mood
on the street in Ramallah now is very sympathetic to Hamas,
while the PA is seen as "irrelevant" and incapable of
bridging the gaps between the Egyptians and Hamas. He said
the political damage done by the Israeli operation in Gaza is
not limited to Abu Mazen, but extends to Fatah generally.


5. (C) The outcome of fighting in Gaza will create
"tremendous political support" for Hamas in the West Bank,
Ebwaini said. He said several Fatah grassroots leaders are
planning a campaign against the PA for suppressing "freedom
of speech" and banning demonstrations.

WALLES