VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJM #0080/01 0061801
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 061801Z JAN 06
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9563
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000080 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MUSTAFA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/06/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG PBTS IS KPAL KDEM
SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS SITREP 
#3: JANUARY 6, 2006: HAMAS ENDORSES CODE OF CONDUCT FOR 
ELECTIONS; CEC AWAITING RESPONSE FROM ABU MAZEN OVER 
RESIGNATION LETTER 
 
REF: A. JERUSALEM 04794 
 
     ¶B. JERUSALEM 00067 
 
Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.    (C) Summary.  Hamas January 5 endorsed a Code of 
Conduct for the January 25 Palestinian Legislative Council 
(PLC) elections that it had earlier refused to sign in 
October.  The Chief Electoral Officer for the Central 
Elections Commission (CEC), Ammar Dweik, reported that Abu 
Mazen had yet to respond to the Commission's resignation 
letter.  Dweik expressed concern for Election Day security, 
adding that elements within Fatah were determined to scuttle 
the election process.  Dweik said that time was running out 
on establishing voting procedures in Jerusalem.  End summary. 
 
Hamas Signs Code of Conduct 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2.    (C) Hamas spokesperson, Sami Abu Zuhri, January 5 
reported that Hamas had endorsed the code of conduct signed 
by thirteen Palestinian factions on October 17 that requires 
the signatories to respect the outcome of the PLC elections 
and abide by rules of conduct during the campaign period (REF 
A).  Abu Zuhri said that Hamas had raised two reservations to 
the 25-point document: Article 23 that stipulates commitment 
to laws of the Palestinian Judiciary regarding the elections 
process; and Article 24 stipulating commitment and 
acknowledgment of official and final results issued by the 
CEC and/or specialized court.  Abu Zuhri said that Hamas 
wanted all the judges appointed to rule on such matters to be 
agreed upon by all the factions, and that the movement would 
accept the final results from the CEC as long as the 
electoral procedures were free of fraud or other 
irregularities. 
 
Dweik: No Word From Abu Mazen 
On CEC Resignation Letter 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3.    (C) During a January 6 meeting with ConGen PolChief and 
Poloff, CEC Chief Electoral Officer Ammar Dweik reported that 
Abu Mazen had yet to respond to the CEC's January 4 
resignation letter regarding the PA cabinet's decision to 
allow Palestinian security forces to vote in their duty 
stations instead of where they are registered to vote (REF 
B).  PolChief informed Dweik that Abu Mazen told the Consul 
General in a January 5 meeting that the PA Ministry of 
Interior must observe CEC regulations for voting in the 
elections.  Dweik said that he had received a call from PA 
Cabinet Secretary Samir Huleileh informing Dweik that the CEC 
should handle the voting for the security forces as it saw 
fit.  Dweik indicated that he has sought a written document 
to that effect from the cabinet but has yet to receive a 
positive response.  He would await a January 8 PA cabinet 
meeting to see whether the cabinet clarifies its position on 
voting procedures for the security forces.  With respect to 
early voting for the PA security forces, Dweik said that the 
CEC required Israeli cooperation to facilitate the movement 
of tens of thousands of security personnel. 
 
CEC Worried About 
Election Day Security 
--------------------- 
 
¶4.    (C) Dweik commented that he has little confidence in 
Election Day security for polling stations, especially in the 
Gaza Strip.  "When Ala'a Husni (Chief of the PA police in 
Gaza) announces that he has a 'mutiny' on his hands, it gives 
the CEC no confidence," Dweik said.  Dweik indicated that the 
situation was better in the West Bank, but he said that the 
CEC had received reports that some elements in Fatah may 
cause problems.  He thought that international election 
observers would be able to operate in the West Bank without 
trouble, but admitted that some incidents (i.e. kidnappings) 
could be directed towards observers in Gaza.  Dweik said that 
recent attacks against CEC offices in the West Bank and Gaza 
appeared organized and politically motivated by some elements 
within Fatah who sought to derail the elections.  His 
suspicions were based in part on a recent conversation with a 
senior, unnamed PA/Fatah official, who told Dweik that one of 
the scenarios of those in Fatah determined to block the 
elections was to direct attacks against the CEC itself. 
 
¶5.    (C) Noting that security was the "first and top 
priority," Dweik complained that at this stage, the PA 
security forces had done nothing to stop attacks on CEC 
 
 
 
facilities, including the recent attack on the CEC district 
office in Rafah.  Dweik put the blame squarely on Nasir 
Yusif, adding that Abu Mazen should remove the PA Minister of 
Interior.  Dweik said that the CEC maintained good contacts 
with the commanders of the PA Police and National Security 
Forces, but that change needed to be made at the top. 
 
Awaiting Word on 
Jerusalem Voting 
---------------- 
 
¶6.    (C) On voting in Jerusalem, Dweik said that working 
level Israeli police and security officials had informed the 
CEC that it would allow candidates, with the exception of 
Hamas, to campaign inside the municipal boundaries -- as long 
as those activities were coordinated first with the CEC. 
Dweik said that the Commission was reluctant to play the role 
of approving campaign activities since it should be left to 
the candidates themselves.  He noted that in the 2005 PA 
presidential elections, candidates coordinated their 
activities through the PA Ministry of Civil Affairs.  Dweik 
said that a decision needed to be made soon whether elections 
would proceed in Jerusalem as they had in 1996 and in January 
2005, since the CEC would need time to prepare. 
 
PA Leadership Divided 
Over Elections 
--------------------- 
 
¶7.    (C) Dweik argued that the problems of election 
preparations in the West Bank and Gaza did not compare to 
those faced in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In Iraq there is a 
"coalition" to provide security and support to the electoral 
process, and a government that clearly wanted elections to 
occur, Dweik said.  Israel was neutral, at best, in the 
upcoming PLC elections; however, the PA leadership was 
clearly divided over how the proceed.  While Abu Mazen had 
made public statements in support of the elections, Prime 
Minister Abu Ala'a was clearly opposed, while PLC Speaker 
Rawhi Fattuh had openly stated his opposition to the 
elections taking place on January 25.  Dweik said that these 
elements were working to block the elections.  (Note: 
Ramallah-based Tanzim activist Husayn al-Shaykh January 6 
related to ConGen Pol FSN his belief that elections should be 
delayed given the internal security chaos and the likely 
prospects of a strong Hamas showing in the PLC elections.  He 
opined that Abu Mazen might be embarrassed to inform the USG 
that he was incapable of controlling the security situation 
in the territories.  End note.) 
 
Summary of Local 
Press Coverage 
---------------- 
 
¶8.    (SBU) PLC elections continued to dominate reporting in 
all Palestinian papers.  The dailies January 6 front-paged 
reports that sources in Washington stated that the 
Palestinian elections should go ahead as planned despite the 
uncertainty caused by PM Sharon's health situation.  The 
reports quoted White House Spokesman Scott McClellan, who 
added that the Bush administration has conveyed this position 
to Abbas. 
 
-- Al-Hayat al-Jadida quoted Secretary Rice commenting that 
Hamas's participation in the legislative elections is an 
internal Palestinian affair, but adding that all parties have 
a right to take part in elections. 
 
-- Nabil Sh'ath was quoted in al-Ayyam saying that Israel's 
position on voting in East Jerusalem will not change as a 
result of Sharon's absence from the political scene.  Sh'ath 
said he believes Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will 
pursue the same policy Sharon would have adopted, and that he 
expected elections will take place in Jerusalem. 
 
-- Al-Quds reported that the CEC submitted a resignation 
letter to PA President Abbas asking him to appoint a new 
Commission as the current staff objected to a decision by the 
Palestinian cabinet that allows the opening of voting centers 
at security forces' headquarters, which the CEC considers a 
violation of law. 
 
-- Al-Quds reported that Hamas has suspended its election 
campaign in Khan Yunis in order to "focus all efforts" toward 
resolving the bloody conflict between two major families 
there. 
 
 
 
Op-eds: 
 
-- Columnist Rajab Abu Sariya commented in al-Ayyam that by 
not declaring a clear position concerning elections in 
Jerusalem, Israel mainly aims at denying the Palestinians a 
positive environment in which to hold their election 
campaigns. 
 
-- In its main editorial, al-Quds held that Hamas's 
considerable presence in Palestinian society cannot be 
overlooked and that its involvement in the political process 
is an essential "requirement for a true Palestinian 
democracy." 
 
WALLES