VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMK #1288/01 1961322
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 151322Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5228
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT  PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 001288 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV BA REGION
SUBJECT: TFLE01: ISRAEL-LEBANON: KING'S STATEMENT AND 
BAHRAINI REACTION 
 
Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) Developments in Lebanon dominate the news in Bahrain, 
with focus on Bahrainis in Lebanon, statements by Hezbollah 
leader Nasrallah, and high-level diplomacy with the visit of 
Jordan's King Abdullah.  King Hamad issued a statement July 
14 urging an avoidance of risks and actions that affect 
Lebanon's sovereignty. Bahrain's four boycotting opposition 
political societies hailed the capture of Israeli soldiers in 
Gaza and Lebanon.  Shia clerics led two demonstrations 
expressing their solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese 
people. Most Bahraini Shia reportedly admire Nasrallah for 
what he has done "because this is the only language Israel 
understands."  While the Sunni Bahraini leadership will 
approach the issue in lock-step with such key allies as Saudi 
Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, the government faces a potentially 
tricky domestic situation, especially if a further escalation 
arouses strong passions in the country's majority Shia 
population.  End summary. 
 
---------------------- 
Palace, MFA Statements 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) King Hamad met with Jordan's King Abdullah during a 
brief stop in Manama the evening of July 14 to consult on the 
escalation of events in Lebanon, Israel and Palestine.  In a 
statement released July 15, both monarchs stressed the need 
to resolve disputes through diplomatic means, urged 
self-restraint and warned of the danger of escalating 
violence. 
 
¶3.  (U) Earlier July 14, echoing the Saudi and 
Egyptian-Jordanian statements issued July 13, King Hamad 
called publicly for an immediate halt to the escalation of 
military actions between Lebanon and Israel.  He urged "key 
international parties to use their influence to encourage 
negotiations and the adoption of an Arab peace initiative as 
a solution, so that peace prevails in the region."  He said 
Bahrain "opposes any acts that endanger Lebanon and its 
sovereignty" and denounces any use of force targeting 
civilians or civil establishments. The King urged a return to 
rationality to avoid miscalculated risks and actions that 
affect Lebanon's sovereignty. 
 
¶4.  (U) In a statement to Bahrain television, Foreign 
Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said that the 
instability in the region has caused severe damage to 
Lebanon's infrastructure and has resulted in the death of 
innocent civilians.  King Hamad and FM Shaikh Khalid had met 
to discuss actions being taken to facilitate the return of 
Bahrainis from Lebanon. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
MPs and Opposition Political Societies Speak 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) The press reported that First Deputy Chairman of the 
Council of Representatives (COR) Abdulhadi Marhoon will call 
for an urgent meeting of the COR to discuss means of support 
to Lebanon.  He called on other Arab parliaments to use their 
influence to put international pressure on Israel to cease 
their actions. 
 
¶6.  (U) According to pro-Shia newspaper Al-Wasat and 
pro-Baathist Akhbar Al Khaleej, the alliance of four 
political societies that boycotted the 2002 elections issued 
a joint statement hailing the capture of Israeli soldiers in 
Palestine and Lebanon.  It said that there was happiness in 
the Gaza Strip, Palestine, Lebanon, and the Arab and Islamic 
worlds after the killing of an Israeli soldier and the 
capture of two others.  "Due to American aid to some Arab 
regimes that signed peace agreements with the Zionist entity, 
these regimes have pulled themselves from the struggle, have 
weakened the resistance, and have failed to achieve freedom 
and democracy for their peoples."  The statement also 
demanded that Arab governments allocate financial support for 
the Palestinians and Lebanese. 
 
-------------- 
Friday Sermons 
-------------- 
 
¶7.  (U) Sunni Shaikh Juma Tawfiq said July 14 that even 
though Arab and Islamic nations condemn Israel's actions, no 
action is being taken to protect Lebanon as its 
infrastructure is destroyed, and it is isolated from the rest 
of the world.  He criticized the Arab League saying there is 
really no need for its representatives to meet since their 
reaction is predictable and there will be no concrete action. 
 He finished his address saying that the "weapons of the 
state have rusted and its ammunition has become ineffective." 
 
¶8.  (U) Shia Shaikh Mohamed Al Mahfoodh, sympathetic to the 
Shirazi branch of Shiism, questioned Arab governments' 
hesitancy to use the armies and weapons at their disposal to 
challenge Israel.  He claimed that Arab publics are out in 
front of their governments in terms of confronting Israel. 
He questioned how much Arab governments value their citizens 
compared to the apparent value of Israeli citizens to the 
"Zionist entity." 
 
¶9.  (U) Sunni Shaikh Salah Al Jowder criticized Israel over 
the aggression against innocent people in Lebanon and 
Palestine.  "Isn't it Israel who is the sponsor of 
international terrorism?  Isn't Israel the sponsor of 
destruction and sabotage in the world?"  He called on 
international, Muslim, and Arab organizations to intervene to 
halt the Israeli actions against Lebanon and to lift the 
siege on the Palestinians. 
 
-------------------------- 
Post-Friday Prayer Protests 
--------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (U) Shia clerics led demonstrations following Friday 
prayers July 14 in Manama and Diraz, home to the mosque where 
leading Shia cleric Shaikh Isa Qassim delivers his messages, 
to express their solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese 
peoples.  Leading cleric and Al Wefaq political society 
General Secretary Shaikh Ali Salman, along with other Shia 
clerics, led the Diraz protest in which it was estimated that 
between 700 and 3,000 people participated.  Shaikh Ali Salman 
reportedly called for continuing protests. 
 
------------------- 
Columnists Weigh In 
------------------- 
 
¶11.  (U) Akhbar Al Khaleej columnist Mohamed Al Shehabi wrote 
July 14 that Hezbollah leader Sayed Hasan Nasrallah's 
"Sincere Promise" has been achieved and that it is just a 
matter of time before victory over the "Zionist enemy" will 
be realized.  He anticipates that Israel will attempt to 
launch further attacks on Southern Lebanon in an attempt to 
raise the morale of Israel's soldiers and portray its 
strength, but eventually will fail.  The impact of the 
"Sincere Promise" will have a major effect on the region's 
politics and will reach to Washington. 
 
¶12.  (U) Fellow Akhbar Al Khaleej writer Hafedh Al Shaikh 
July 13 described Hezbollah's capture of the Israeli soldiers 
as a heroic operation.  Israel's anger will be doubled now 
with soldiers captive in both the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon. 
Al Shaikh calls Hezbollah's capture of the soldiers a "gift 
to Hamas and all the Palestinian people" because it will 
necessitate negotiations leading to the release of 10,000 
Arab captives in the hands of Israel, including women and 
children. 
 
----------------------- 
Nasrallah's Stock Rises 
----------------------- 
 
¶13.  Embassy contacts from the Shia community stated that 
Bahrain's Shias were glued to their television sets yesterday 
watching Nasrallah's speech.  While a small minority believe 
taking Israeli soldiers hostage was a mistake, according to 
our contacts, the vast majority, including many moderate 
people, admire him for what he has done because "this is the 
only language Israel understands."  They understand the 
consequences will be detrimental to Lebanon and the region, 
but many believe "Arab resistance" must be supported 
regardless of the price to be paid.  They distinguished 
between Nasrallah as a leader and the Hezbollah movement, 
noting that Nasrallah's enhanced stature did not necessarily 
translate into greater support for Hezbollah's political 
ascendance.  Positive popular reaction, they said, is 
reminiscent of the atmosphere when the Israelis left southern 
Lebanon in May 2000. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶14.  (C) Although there has been extensive local media 
coverage and attention to the fighting between Hezbollah and 
the Israelis and the ongoing actions in the Gaza Strip, 
protests and commentaries have, thus far, not turned 
anti-American. On a policy level, the leadership will be 
lock-step with key allies such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and 
Egypt in reacting to developments in Lebanon.  But the Sunni 
Bahraini leadership faces a tricky domestic terrain. In the 
politically volatile run-up to this fall's parliamentary 
elections, the government will not welcome an issue that 
could potentially arouse strong Shia passions.  With the 
election date still not formally set, a further escalation 
could add more uncertainty into the mix. 
 
********************************************* ******** 
Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ 
********************************************* ******** 
MONROE