VZCZCXYZ0029
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJM #3949/01 2431457
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 311457Z AUG 06
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4672
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 003949 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR WILLIAMS/MAHER/STEINGER; 
PRM FOR PDAS GREENE AND PRM/ANE; NSC FOR 
ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS; TREASURY FOR 
SZUBIN/LOEFFLER/NUGENT/HIRSON; BRUSSELS FOR LERNER; PLEASE 
PASS TO USAID FOR KUNDER/MCCLOUD/BORODIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN KPAL KWBG PGOV PHUM ELAB
SUBJECT: ABBAS PROCLAIMS SUPPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2 GENERAL 
STRIKE; HAMAS BLOCKING ACTION FAILS 
 
REF: JERUSALEM 3906 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  PA President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) 
told striking PA employees gathered outside his Ramallah 
office August 30 that they have a right to express their 
opinion by all appropriate means, thus signaling his support 
for a planned general strike set to start September 2.  He 
urged that the demonstrators demand both their salaries and a 
national unity government as a means of ending the current 
crisis.  He also repeatedly called for a halt in the firing 
of rockets from Gaza into Israel.  Fearing that the general 
strike may prompt the downfall of the Hamas-led government, 
Hamas coalition members pushed August 30 for Palestinian 
Legislative Council (PLC) approval of a resolution to 
postpone the strike for at least two weeks, but failed to win 
sufficient support.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Approximately 2000 striking PA employees marched 
August 30 from Manara Square to Abu Mazen's Muqata'a office 
in Ramallah.  The crowd was well-controlled by Fatah and its 
affiliate groups, according to observers. Abu Mazen, 
accompanied by Salah Rafat (PLO Executive Committee member) 
and Azam al-Ahmed (Head of the PLC Fatah Bloc), addressed the 
crowd, making the following points: 
 
-- It is time to end the siege and the suffering. 
 
-- To those who say "we stay hungry but we will not kneel;" 
it's not you but the people who are hungry (Note:  Comment 
intended to rebuff Hamas and its slogans.  End Note.) 
 
-- You have the right to say or do whatever you want within 
the limitation of law and order. 
 
-- We have to raise our voices; we have to call for and 
demand salaries. 
 
-- We should also say that we want a national unity government 
 
-- The national dialogue must culminate with the formation of 
a national unity government. 
 
-- The government should serve the interests of the people, 
not Fatah or Hamas. 
 
-- Rocket attacks must stop immediately 
 
-- In two months, 250 people have been killed in Gaza and 
houses destroyed.  Why? 
 
-- Money received from the Arab League and other sources was 
spent legally.  He who says otherwise is a liar.  (Note: 
Comment directed at Hamas accusations of corruption.  End 
Note.) 
 
¶3.  (SBU) During an August 30 PLC session, Hamas supporters 
proposed a resolution to postpone the general strike by at 
least two weeks in order to give the government time to find 
a solution to the salaries issue.  The proposal was submitted 
by Ziad Abu Amre, an independent from Gaza who ran in the 
January 2006 PLC elections with support from Hamas.  The 
measure was defeated, with 21 in favor but 28 opposed. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  PA Prime Minister Ismael Haniyah appealed for calm 
August 30, stating that "The Palestinian government embraces 
all its employees, adopts their demands and does its best to 
ease their suffering,"  according to press reports.  He also 
asked that PA employees in the education and health sectors 
continue working.  He said that the PA had pledged USD 5 
million to be paid to 50,000 PA employees.  A 
Hamas-affiliated media outlet issued a statement condemning 
those calling for a strike, challenging the legitimacy of a 
teachers union supporting the strike and beseeching "our 
brothers the teachers and employees to ignore and abort all 
calls for a strike." 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Comment:  As the September 2 start date of the 
general strike approaches, Hamas has become increasingly 
concerned about the threat it may pose to its hold on power. 
Some of the demonstrators outside of Abu Mazen's office 
chanted a rhyme in Arabic "No to Haniyah. Yes to the 
thieves," suggesting that many Palestinians would prefer the 
 
return of a corrupt Fatah-led government just to ensure 
payment of their salaries and an end to the economic 
free-fall of the past six months.  End comment. 
 
WALLES