HAMAS CALL FOR "NEW PLO" ANGERS PLO, FATAH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000215 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA. NSC FOR SHAPIRO/PASCUAL E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2024 TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS SUBJECT: HAMAS CALL FOR "NEW PLO" ANGERS PLO, FATAH OFFICIALS Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Fatah and PLO contacts responded angrily to Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khaled Mesha'al's January 28 call for the formation of a new Palestinian organization to replace the PLO. Mesha'al said in a televised speech that the PLO does not represent "resistance" factions and has lost its legitimacy. According to Fatah and PLO contacts, Hamas has been courting Palestinian factions for several months about forming a new organization. Fatah Central Committee (FCC) member Faruq Qaddumi has been discussing this idea with Hamas, but has failed to bring on board other FCC members. PLO and Fatah officials said Hamas is undermining efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation and wants to wrest control of the Palestinian agenda from Fatah. End Summary. HAMAS CALLS FOR A NEW PALESTINIAN REPRESENTATIVE BODY -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) In a January 28 speech delivered in Qatar, Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khaled Mesha'al called for the creation of a new organization to replace the PLO and represent all Palestinians. Mesha'al said the PLO has played a divisive role and does not represent all Palestinians, particularly factions such as Hamas that reject negotiations with Israel. He said the new organization would be open to all Palestinian factions and would adopt a charter based on Palestinian goals, not foreign agendas. Internal Palestinian reconciliation, Mesha'al said, was undermined by the PA's "politically motivated" arrests in the West Bank, suppression of Hamas institutions, and coordination with the GoI. Beirut-based Hamas Political Bureau member Usama Hamdan said publicly that Mesha'al's announcement addresses the urgent need for new Palestinian leadership. HAMAS SEEKING SUPPORT OF REJECTIONIST FACTIONS AND QADDUMI FOR "NEW PLO" -------------- ¶3. (C) Yusuf Nasri, assistant to FCC member Hani al-Hasan, and Fatah representative to the Palestinian National Council (PNC) Nasser Nawfal separately told PolSpec January 29 that Hamas has been discussing a new Palestinian representative body for several months with various factions, including PIJ, the National Struggle Front, al-Saeqa, PFLP-GC, and Fatah al-Intifada. Nasri and Nawfal said Faruq Qaddumi (both Head of the PLO Political Department and FCC Secretary General) became involved as his relationship with President Abbas worsened. They said Qaddumi offered financial and political support to other FCC members outside the West Bank/Gaza if they would support the new organization, but none accepted. They added that Qaddumi wants Fatah to take the lead in any effort to develop new leadership bodies. ¶4. (C) Nasri and Nawfal said Abbas' failure to reform and unite Fatah, combined with the failure of permanent status negotiations, has eroded Abbas' political capital and left Fatah vulnerable to the rise of a new organization. They said no date has been set for the creation of the new body, but Hamas is setting the agenda and other factions will fall in line. FATAH AND PLO LEADERS CRITICIZE EFFORT TO UNDERMINE PLO -------------- ¶5. (C) PLO Executive Committee (PLO-EC) Secretary General Yaser Abed Rabbo responded publicly to Mesha'al's speech. He said that Hamas is part of a regional conspiracy involving Iran, Syria, and Qatar to overthrow the PLO as the sole, legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and that Hamas's plan for a new organization is consistent with its 2007 coup in Gaza. Privately, he told the Consul General January 29 that Hamas' efforts are not receiving popular support, and he believes the PLO retains legitimacy. The PLO-EC called on factions within the territories to demonstrate against Hamas's plan. ¶6. (C) Head of the Fatah PLC bloc Azzam al-Ahmad said that Mesha'al's speech revealed Hamas's intentions to take control of the Palestinian cause, but that Hamas and its supporters are not strong enough to replace the PLO. He said the new plan is an obstacle to Palestinian reconciliation. Fatah is working to include factions like Hamas and PIJ in the PLO, he said, while Hamas and PIJ are working to undermine it. ¶7. (C) People's Party representative Bassam al-Salhi described Mesha'al's speech as "an escalation" and "rash." JERUSALEM 00000215 002 OF 002 He said Mesha'al should have used his speech to move toward reconciliation, but instead only exposed Hamas's long-standing goal of replacing the PLO regardless of Palestinian people's needs. He criticized Mesha'al for taking action that could divide Palestinians. ¶8. (C) Comment: Mesha'al's announcement of a new Palestinian representative body may be tactical move to improve Hamas' position in a national dialogue, especially on PLO reform. However, if that fails or national dialogue does not progress, Hamas may move forward to establish a new body. WALLES