MUHAMMAD DAHLAN ON FATAH REFORM, ISRAEL,

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000042 SIPDIS NOFORN NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, SEMEP, AND IPA; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/08/2020 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KPAL KDEM KWBG IS SUBJECT: MUHAMMAD DAHLAN ON FATAH REFORM, ISRAEL, NEGOTIATIONS AND HAMAS Classified By: CG Daniel Rubinstein, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. The new Fatah Central Committee (FCC) is reaching out to the Fatah grassroots in ways the former FCC never did, according to FCC and Palestinian Legislative Council member Muhammad Dahlan. Fatah anniversary celebrations in January; upcoming union, syndicate, and journalist elections; and outreach to the Palestinian Diaspora are helping strengthen the movement. Dahlan claimed that his own efforts as the FCC member responsible for media have unified Fatah's public message. He added that a return to negotiations on the basis of a complete settlement freeze, plus an end to incursions, are essential for Fatah's popular support, while a lack of funds makes it hard for Fatah to counter Hamas's popularity. End Summary. FCC STEPS TO REACTIVATE AND REFORM FATAH -------------- ¶2. (C) In a meeting in Ramallah on January 6, FCC member and former Preventive Security Organization Gaza chief Muhammad Dahlan told the Consul General that following the Fatah General Congress in August 2009, FCC members have been attending events throughout the West Bank in an effort to reactivate the grassroots. He said FCC members have attended rallies marking Fatah's anniversary in towns and villages during January, demonstrating that the FCC is active and engaged. Dahlan said FCC member Tawfiq Tirawi (former head of the General Intelligence service in the West Bank) is organizing elections for leadership positions in Fatah's unions and syndicates. Elections for the journalists syndicate will take place in February, he said, followed by unions, then student organizations. Dahlan said that he was working with FCC member Jamal Muhaysin to reach out to Fatah members in the Palestinian Diaspora, particularly in refugee camps in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, and also in Egypt. He said FCC member Sakher Bseiso is considering a trip to Gaza in late January, to show Gazans that Fatah has not forgotten them. IMPROVEMENTS IN FATAH'S MEDIA TO COUNTER HAMAS -------------- - ¶3. (C) Dahlan said that in his role as the FCC Commissioner for Media and Culture, he issues bulletins to Fatah representatives in the Palestinian Territories and abroad several times a week. The bulletins contain talking points on policy issues for use with the media. Each bulletin has been coordinated with the FCC and Abu Mazen, he said, to ensure a unified message. Fatah is also training spokesmen to reach out to the media to promote Fatah's views, Dahlan said. He complained that a lack of funding is holding him back from introducing additional media reforms. He said that he hopes U.S. and other international support to Fatah will increase in parallel with Fatah's efforts to reform itself. Dahlan said he hoped to use funds to establish a Fatah-controlled newspaper, radio station, and possibly television station to counter Hamas's efficient media machine. DAHLAN: FATAH FIGHTING OCCUPATION AND HAMAS -------------- ¶4. (C) Dahlan told the Consul General that Fatah is fighting two enemies: the Israeli military occupation and Hamas. He claimed that certain GOI actions, such as the December 26 IDF incursion in Nablus, undermine support for Fatah. He added that "another (operation like Nablus) would be the end of Abu Mazen and Fayyad ... and Fatah." ¶5. (C) Dahlan said that while "Fatah needs negotiations to survive," Abu Mazen cannot return to negotiations without a settlement freeze. "If there is no breakthrough in the coming months, then Abu Mazen and Fayyad are going to be in a very tough position," he said. ¶6. (C) Dahlan (who claims to maintain an extensive network of contacts in Gaza) said that Hamas is the only party that benefits from the closure of the Gaza Strip. Hamas receives revenue from goods smuggled into Gaza, while continuing to enjoy the support of "regional powers," he said. He predicted that Hamas could maintain the status quo for several years. Since Fatah is the only party capable of competing with Hamas, Dahlan said, international donors -- including the USG -- should ensure that Fatah has tangible gains to show its supporters. RUBINSTEIN