PA SECURITY FORCES COMBAT HAMAS IN QALQILYA FOR

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000893 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR; JOINT STAFF FOR LTGEN SELVA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2019 TAGS: PGOV PINS PTER MOPS KWBG KPAL IS SUBJECT: PA SECURITY FORCES COMBAT HAMAS IN QALQILYA FOR SECOND TIME IN ONE WEEK REF: A. JERUSALEM 885 ¶B. JERUSALEM 872 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) Summary. PA Security Forces (PASF) killed two Hamas militants and arrested another June 4 in the second violent confrontation with Hamas in Qalqilya this week. A continuing Preventive Security Organization (PSO) investigation of the Hamas cell uncovered a sophisticated and well-armed hiding place in a Qalqilya building. One PSO officer was killed in the early stages of the arrest operation (bringing the total number of PASF casualties in Qalqilya this week to four). PM Fayyad and PASF contacts noted improved coordination across security services, with the commanders of the National Security Forces (NSF),Military Intelligence (MI),and civil police all on site during the standoff. A joint committee will interrogate Ala'a Diab, the lone Hamas militant to have survived the gunbattle. PM Fayyad told the Consul General on June 4 that the week's events in Qalqilya marked a significant milestone in the PASF's development. In his words, "There is no going back." End summary. Second Qalqilya Incident in Under a Week -------------- ¶2. (C) PA security forces (PASF) killed two Hamas militants and arrested another June 4 in the second standoff in Qalqilya in recent days. Hamas militants Mohammed Atiyeh and Iyad Abattly were killed and Ala'a Diab was arrested following a day-long siege by PASF of a building in Qalqilya. Efforts to have community leaders and family negotiate a peaceful surrender broke down when one of the gunmen opened fire in the direction of his own mother, who was calling for him to surrender. PSO officer Riad Zain al-Din was killed early in the operation when he discovered the entrance to the militants' hiding place. Two MI officers were also injured during the operation. ¶3. (C) The militants had fabricated a sophisticated and well-armed hiding place. PASF used a bulldozer to overwhelm the militants, and found explosives, including at least two explosive belts, stored in an underground basement/tunnel. PASF flooded the tunnel with water, fearing explosive booby traps, and "flushed out" Diab - wounded, but alive. He was transferred to the custody of a PSO facility near Ramallah for interrogation. Better Coordination Among Services -------------- ¶4. (C) NSF, MI, and police service chiefs were all present during the standoff. Security contacts told PolSpec on June 4 that they assessed their performance and coordination had improved substantially compared with a similar operation on May 31, which resulted in the death of three militants and three PASF officers (ref B). PM Fayyad confirmed this assessment to the Consul General later on June 4. PM Fayyad Resolute, Pleased with PASF Performance -------------- -------------- ¶5. (S) Fayyad told the Consul General that the week's events had demonstrated that PASF now had both the ability and the willingness to confront the toughest security challenges. It is no longer credible, he said, for the GOI to pretend the PASF are simply rounding up common criminals and car thieves. He noted that the entire multi-week operation had been entirely homegrown, from development of the intelligence to the confrontations with the militants. He noted that PASF personnel are now "fighting and dying for a Palestinian security doctrine." He said, "there is no going back," and PA forces will continue to defend Palestinian national interests against "outlawed groups." He asked again for U.S. support in ending IDF incursions into Area A. Hamas Turns Up the Rhetorical Heat; PA Arrests Hamas PLC Member Fanning the Flames -------------- - ¶6. (U) Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, released a statement declaring PA President Mahmud Abbas, PM Fayyad, and newly-appointed Minister of Interior Said Abu Ali "wanted fugitives" for "crimes against Palestinian resistance." Also named was a local PSO operations officer in Qalqilya. Hamas urged its militants to treat PASF no differently than Israeli soldiers. A JERUSALEM 00000893 002 OF 002 commentary in a Hamas-run paper from Gaza urged Palestinians: "Do not give in to the occupation or the Abbas-Dayton forces working this occupation." ¶7. (C) Separately, Minister of Interior Abu Ali ordered the arrest of a Hamas legislator, Ayman al-Ramahi, following press statements where he accused the PA of treason, and called for demonstrations in light of the incidents in Qalqilya. PASF contacts told PolSpec they have raised their alert level across the West Bank and will monitor mosques, primarily in Qalqilya, Nablus, and Hebron, on June 5. WALLES