WORRIED ABOUT IRAN, SAUDIS TRY TO MOLLIFY PUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 000015

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT TO NEA/ARP FOR JHARRIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL SA IS
SUBJECT: WORRIED ABOUT IRAN, SAUDIS TRY TO MOLLIFY PUBLIC
ANGER OVER GAZA

REF: A. RIYADH 0001

B. RIYADH 1871

C. RIYADH 1868

D. OPENNET GMP20090102869005

Classified By: DCM David Rundell for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

Key Points:

-- The Saudi government has sought to mollify strong internal
public anger against Israel while working diplomatically
through multilateral channels for an immediate cease-fire and
a unified Arab/Islamic position to check what it sees as
dangerous Iranian influence.

-- FM Saud,s public criticism of Palestinian divisions was
driven by the Saudi conviction that Iranian/Syrian/Hizballah
support for Hamas was intended to provoke Israel.

-- Seeking to constructively channel public agitation, the
King ordered a national telethon for Gaza Palestinian relief,
which raised approximately 100 million (US$26.7 million)
Saudi riyals on 3 January.

-- A group of Mecca scholars that included university
professors and magistrates called for support of Hamas,
terming resistance against Israel as "Sharia-justified jihad."

COMMENT:

(C) The Saudi government's reaction to the Gaza crisis is
driven primarily by two factors: a need to prevent extremists
and other opponents from exploiting domestic public anger to
challenge the government, and a conviction that Iran is
actively working in tandem with the Syrians and Hizballah to
exacerbate tensions and thus extend its influence and
increase Shia power throughout the region. Aware of public's
need to actionably demonstrate solidarity with Gaza
Palestinians, the Saudi government opened new avenues for
constructive public action. Nevertheless, the SAG faces
mounting, though largely privately-expressed, criticism for
being unable to stop the violence, and its strategy for
managing the crisis will be tested as the conflict drags on.

End Key Points and Comment.

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EXTERNALLY: IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE TO CHECK IRAN
-------------- -


1. (C) IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE: Both publicly and privately,
Saudi officials have made clear that their first priority is
an immediate cease-fire, which they believe needs to be
crafted through multilateral channels. The Saudis strongly
prefer to take action through regional, Arab and Islamic
organizations, and have focused their diplomatic efforts on
successive meetings of the GCC, Arab League and OIC. FM Saud
al-Faisal traveled to New York on January 4 to press the
Saudi views to members of the UNSC. However, despite their
preference for coordinated Arab League action, divisions
among Arab leaders, and particularly Saudi unhappiness with
Syria and its allies, have led them to oppose Qatari calls
for an Arab summit (again).


2. (C) IRAN CAUSING PALESTINIAN DISUNITY: While first and
foremost condemning Israeli aggression, Saudi officials have
also publicly castigated Palestinian divisions as being
partly responsible for the situation. In his address to the
Arab League Ministerial held in Cairo on December 31, Saud
al-Faisal stressed that "this massacre could have been
prevented had the Palestinian people taken a united stand
under one leadership." Addressing the Palestinian people, he
said further: "The Arab nation cannot extend a helping hand
if you are not united." Though they are hesitant to say so
publicly, Saudi officials have made clear that they believe
that Iran, working through Syria and Hizballah, is actively
working to divide the Palestinians. In a January 4 meeting
with DCM, MFA Assistant Deputy Minister Prince Turki Bin
Mohamed Bin Saud Al Kabeer pointed to a meeting between
Iranian security chief Saeed Jalili, Syrian President Bashar
Al-Asad and Hamas political bureau chief Khalid Masha,al in
Damascus on January 3. "Although the Palestinians should
adopt a unified position," Turki charged, "Hamas is awaiting
instructions from Iran."

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RIYADH 00000015 002 OF 002


INTERNALLY, CHANNELING PUBLIC ANGER
--------------


3. (U) FOCUS ON HUMANITARIAN ACTION: The SAG has continued a
vigorous humanitarian relief effort, with King Abdullah
personally leading the campaign through well-publicized
events such as visits to injured Palestinians in Riyadh
hospitals. He ordered Interior Minister Nayef to lead a
"goodness campaign" which took the form of a lengthy telethon
and collection drive. The 11-hour telethon, titled the Saudi
Popular Campaign for Relief to the Palestinian People, began
at 4 p.m. local time on Saturday, January 3, and continued
past midnight. Newspapers reported total donations between
92 and 120 million riyals (US$24.5 to US$32 million). The
King committed the first 30 million riyals, while Crown
Prince Sultan donated 10 million. Stadiums and television
station offices transformed into collection sites, where
Saudis donated a wide variety of in-kind goods. Multiple
television stations carried the telethon, which in the
background featured religious figures quoting Qu'ranic
passages and the Prophet's comments on charity. Cameras
captured images of people making donations around the
country, including children giving toys.


4. (C) RED CRESCENT ACTION: In a January 5 meeting with DCM,
Saudi Red Crescent President Prince Faisal bin Abdallah bin
Abdalaziz Al Saud reported that the organization receives its
funding from the government and does not raise its own funds.
Prince Faisal said that Interior Minister Nayif was
coordinating all fundraising for the Gaza relief effort, and
added that the Saudi Red Crescent is sending only disaster
relief, and not money, to Gaza. These supplies were being
handed over to the ICRC and UNHCR at the Gaza border. The
Prince noted that the Saudi Red Crescent was also
coordinating the transportation of injured Palestinians to
Riyadh and their placement in local hospitals.


5. (C) PREVENTING PUBLIC DISPLAYS. In a separate meeting with
DCM, Deputy Minister of Interior Mohamed bin Nayef described
the SAG's approach to dealing with the public outcry on Gaza.
He explained that the telethon was intended to provide an
avenue for the frustrated Saudi public to express their
concerns over Gaza, confirming that all the money collected
will go into one central relief fund. Concomitantly, no
public demonstrations would be countenanced, he explained,
"since demonstrations always end in violence." To this
point, on December 31 the Ministry of Interior denied a
request by activists to conduct a New Year's Day sit-in to
show solidarity with Gaza Palestinians. However, Eastern
Province Shi'a have tested the government's ban on public
demonstrations with small gatherings in Qatif and Safwa (refs
A-C). (Comment: we expect there will be further attempted
gatherings during the feast of Ashura. End comment.) The
arrest of an independent imam who had called for violence
against Israelis seems to have had the desired effect on
messages emanating from government mosques throughout the
Kingdom for the time being. Most mosque sermons on January 2
addressed the situation in Gaza by calling on Muslims to
participate in humanitarian assistance efforts.


6. (C) SCHOLARS AND OTHER CRITICS: The enthusiasm displayed
by telethon participants is not universally shared. On
December 31 a group of prominent Mecca scholars, including
several magistrates and professors at Umm al-Qura Islamic
university, issued a statement urging Muslims and Arab
governments to support Hamas (ref D). The statement declared
that "what is being done by the valiant Islamic resistance,
represented by the elected Palestinian government and by the
Islamic resistance movement HAMAS, and by the various Islamic
resistance movements in the occupied land of Palestine, is
Sharia-permitted Jihad..." Likewise, despite the outpouring
for the telethon, some Saudis questioned the campaign's
logic. Privately and in comments posted on a variety of
blogs and websites, some citizens criticized the emphasis on
assisting victims of the violence, rather than focusing on
stopping the violence altogether. Some Embassy contacts
commented that their government should use more diplomatic
muscle to stop the Israeli offensive.

FRAKER