PALESTINIAN PRESS AND PUBLIC REACTION TO SEPTEMBER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001716

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR; JOINT
STAFF FOR LTGEN SELVA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2019
TAGS: PGOV KWBG KPAO KPAL IS
SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN PRESS AND PUBLIC REACTION TO SEPTEMBER
22 TRILATERAL MEETING

Classified By: Acting Principal Officer Greg Marchese
for reasons 1.4 (b,d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) Local press reaction to the September 22
U.S.-Israeli-Palestinian trilateral meeting in New York was
largely divided along partisan lines, with pro-Hamas
commentators criticizing PA negotiators for participating in
the absence of a full settlement freeze, and analysts aligned
with Fatah or centrist factions defending Abu Mazen for what
most termed an understandable decision to bow to "U.S.
pressure." Post contacts described the mood in PA political
circles as disappointed, and general public reaction as
ambivalent, with politicians and the general public alike
skeptical about the prospect of near-term progress.

PRESS REACTION PARTISAN, FOCUSED ON PA DECISION TO ATTEND
-------------- --------------


2. (U) Palestinian and Arab press reaction to September 22
trilateral discussions in New York led by President Obama,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and PA President
Abu Mazen fell out largely on partisan lines. Hamas
spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri commented on Al Jazeera that the
meeting, and the remarks made by President Obama following
its conclusion, represented "a tremendous failure for the
peace process" and "a retreat from promises to the
Palestinians." Pro-Hamas political analyst Dr. Abdel Sattar
Wasem said publicly that the trilateral represented "a form
of normalization of the occupation," and criticized Abu Mazen
for bowing to US pressure to attend. "The United States is
the party that decides," Abu Zuhri said, adding that "if the
PA leadership in Ramallah decides to have an independent
position, they risk losing financial support and a luxurious
lifestyle."


3. (U) In contrast, in an editorial titled "The President
is Right," centrist Ma'an News Agency Editor in Chief Nasir
al-Lahham noted "the outrage from Palestinian factions on
all sides opposing the prospect of our President meeting with
Netanyahu without a settlement freeze. This is a natural
reaction," al-Lahham commented, "and indeed a natural
position to take. But since we are already in a tight spot,
Abbas handled Obama's invitation as well as he could. If
Palestinians refused to meet with the President of the United
States, Israel would be the primary beneficiary of this
rejection." Al-Lahham also expressed optimism about the U.S.
role in the peace process, arguing that "Obama's
administration last night launched a diplomatic assault aimed
at coming up with something substantive, either a meaningful
declaration or an announcement of future but unscheduled
negotiations, before everyone goes home."

PUBLIC REACTION SKEPTICAL, AMBIVALENT
--------------


4. (C) A September 22 sampling of opinion among Post
contacts indicanted a described skeptical and ambivalent
mood. Zakaria al-Qaq, al-Quds University Vice President for
external affairs, criticized what he called a "game of
terminology" played by PA negotiators. "The PA said no
negotiations without a settlement freeze, and now (PA
negotiator Saeb) Erekat is describing the trilateral as a
'meeting,' not 'negotiations,' al-Qaq said. "This change in
wording does not dupe the Palestinians," he added. Pollster
and political analyst Nader Said was equally critical of
terminology used by the USG in its public statements, arguing
that, to Palestinian ears, President Obama's call for
"restraint" in, rather than a full stop to, settlement
construction was evocative of "the international community
urging 'restraint' when the IDF carries out atrocities and
human rights violations, as in Gaza."


5. (C) Both al-Qaq and Said argued that many Palestinians
believed the PA had "caved" (in al-Qaq's terms) to U.S.
pressure to attend the September 22 trilateral. "People feel
the PA was pressured into satisfying President Obama," said
Said. "And this puts the PA in a bind." Said continued, "it
seems to people that the U.S. doesn't want to pick a fight
(with the Israelis). And so Fatah people are on the
defensive -- all of the language they are using is defensive.
Hamas is the one on the attack." With regard to public
expectations of progress in the negotiations, Said was
dismissive. "So much of this is formality," he said, "so
much of it is ritual. People have seen all of this before,

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and frankly, they're not really interested."


6. (C) Walid Abu Zalaf, publisher of the al-Quds newspaper,
described a "sense of disappointment" among the political
class. "The Palestinian side feels let down by President
Obama, who is not willing to present his own plan or road map
to break the current impasse," he said. "(The USG) prefers
to encourage the Mitchell track, which is clearly going
nowhere because both parties cannot meet each others'
conditions or expectations." Assessing the general mood, PLC
member Bernard Sabella said, "Palestinians have very low
expectations from this meeting. We hope this isn't the first
of several ineffective summits, like we saw over the past
eight years. Friends of mine say that Abbas' attendance was
the right thing to do, as a gesture to Obama. But no one
believes this is the beginning of a new era. I hope that
this indicates the peace process is moving forward again, but
I doubt the Israeli government can deliver."
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