VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJMA #0854 1301306
ZNR UUUUU ZZH ZUI RUEWMCE0065 1301301
O 101306Z MAY 07
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC0000
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 000854 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/WATERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWBG PGOV KPAL IS PREL KDEM
SUBJECT: FATAH: ALTERNATE GAZA CITY INTERNAL ELECTIONS 
 
REF: A) JERUSALEM 806 B) JERUSALEM 821 C) JERUSALEM 836 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  UNDER THE AUSPICES OF FRC MEMBER AHMAD 
HILLIS, 320 GAZA FATAH ACTIVISTS HELD AN ELECTIONS CONFERENCE 
AND BRANCH ELECTIONS IN TWO GAZA CITY NEIGHBORHOODS ON MAY 8, 
ACCORDING TO PARTICIPANTS.  THESE ELECTIONS WERE NOT 
COORDINATED WITH THE GAZA FIELD COMMITTEE.  PARTICIPANTS 
ELECTED HILLIS ALLIES TO THE BRANCHES' SEVEN-MEMBER 
REPRESENTATIVE COMMITTEES.  HILLIS PUBLICLY SAID HIS 
SUPPORTERS WILL CONTINUE TO HOLD LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS ACROSS 
GAZA, INCLUDING IN AREAS WHERE THE FIELD COMMITTEE HAS 
ALREADY CONDUCTED ELECTIONS.  THIS EFFORT IS CONSISTENT WITH 
HILLIS INTENTION TO REPLACE THE FIELD COMMITTEE WITH ELECTED 
MEMBERS, AND IT DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR FATAH COHESION.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
ELECTIONS CONFERENCE 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) 320 GAZA FATAH ACTIVISTS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF FRC 
MEMBER AHMAD HILLIS HELD AN ELECTIONS CONFERENCE AND BRANCH 
ELECTIONS FOR REPRESENTATIVES IN TWO GAZA CITY NEIGHBORHOODS 
ON MAY 8, ACCORDING TO PARTICIPANTS.  THE ELECTIONS WERE NOT 
COORDINATED WITH THE GAZA FIELD COMMITTEE ELECTIONS BOARD AND 
THE FIELD COMMITTEE DID NOT PARTICIPATE.  IN ADDITION TO 
HILLIS, FATAH CENTRAL COMMITTEE (FCC) MEMBER NABIL SHA'ATH, 
FATAH REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL (FRC) MEMBERS ABU ALI MAS,UD, 
SAMIH NASSER, MG (RET) SA'EB AL-AJAZ, AND AHMAD AL-NASSER 
OVERSAW THE BRANCH ELECTIONS. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) AT THE START OF THE CONFERENCE HELD PRIOR TO 
VOTING, NABIL SHAATH DELIVERED A SPEECH URGING FATAH MEMBERS 
TO UPHOLD DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS AND CALLING THEM THE ONLY WAY 
TO ENHANCE FATAHS INTERNAL UNITY AND PUBLIC STANDING. 
(COMMENT:  SHAATH DID NOT EXPLICITLY CRITICIZE THE FIELD 
COMMITTEES IN HIS REMARKS, BUT PARTICIPANTS WOULD HAVE BEEN 
FAMILIAR WITH HIS PROPOSAL AT THE MAY 3-4 FCC MEETING TO 
DISMANTLE THE FIELD COMMITTEES.  FATAH MEMBERS WILL LIKELY 
INTERPRET HIS REMARKS TO MEAN HE IS SIDING WITH HILLIS AND 
AGAINST THE FIELD COMMITTEE.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶4.  (SBU) IN REMARKS TO THE ASSEMBLED CONFERENCE, HILLIS SAID 
FATAH WILL CONTINUE TO HOLD ELECTIONS ACROSS GAZA, AND, 
IMPLICITLY CRITICIZING THE FIELD COMMITTEES, SAID "ELECTIONS 
WILL STILL NEED TO BE HELD IN THREE REGIONS IN THE GAZA 
STRIP," (I.E. IN AREAS WHERE THE FIELD COMMITTEE HAS ALREADY 
CONDUCTED LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS).  HE URGED MEMBERS TO WORK 
DILIGENTLY TO ATTRACT SUPPORTERS TO FATAH, EXPAND PUBLIC 
OUTREACH AND DEMONSTRATE SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIANS IN 
DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES. 
 
BRANCH ELECTIONS 
---------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) AT THE CONFERENCE'S CONCLUSION, PARTICIPANTS FROM 
TWO OF THE FIVE BRANCHES IN THE SHUJAYA NEIGHBORHOOD OF GAZA 
CITY COMPLETED BALLOTS, ELECTING A SEVEN-MEMBER COMMITTEE AND 
HILLIS, CLOSE ASSOCIATE ANWAR KHALIL AL-IMBAYAD AS ITS 
SECRETARY GENERAL.  PARTICIPANTS ALSO ELECTED A SEVEN-MEMBER 
 
SIPDIS 
COMMITTEE FOR EAST GAZA CITY AND SAMI AL-HILLU (ALSO A CLOSE 
HILLIS ASSOCIATE) AS ITS SECRETARY GENERAL. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) HILLIS SAID BRANCH ELECTIONS WILL ALSO BE ORGANIZED 
BY THE END OF THIS WEEK IN THREE OF FIVE BRANCHES IN THE 
SHUJAYA NEIGHBORHOOD OF GAZA CITY.  HE SAID REPRESENTATIVES 
FROM THE FIVE BRANCHES THEN WILL CONVENE A CONFERENCE TO 
ELECT DISTRICT COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) THESE ELECTIONS FOLLOW BRANCH ELECTIONS IN RAMALLAH 
THAT WERE ALSO NOT COORDINATED WITH THE FIELD COMMITTEE, AND 
THEY POSE A DIRECT CHALLENGE TO THE FIELD COMMITTEES 
MANDATE.  RIVAL FATAH ELEMENTS ARE COMPETING BY HOLDING 
ALTERNATE ELECTIONS RATHER THAN FACING OFF IN HEAD-TO-HEAD 
ELECTIONS.  NEITHER SIDE HAS TRIED TO STOP THE OTHERS 
ELECTIONS FROM PROCEEDING, AND NEITHER IS APPARENTLY CAPABLE 
OF BLOCKING RIVAL ELECTIONS.  RIVAL GROUPS HAVE NOT YET HELD 
PARALLEL ELECTIONS IN THE SAME GAZA NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT HILLIS 
IS THREATENING TO DO SO.  IF THERE IS NO COMPROMISE, THE 
OUTCOME COULD BE TWO RIVAL SETS OF BRANCH AND DISTRICT 
REPRESENTATIVES.  THESE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS UNDERSCORE THE 
SHARP RIVALRY AMONG FATAH LEADERS IN GAZA, WHICH BODES POORLY 
FOR INSTILLING THE DISCIPLINE THAT FATAH NEEDS TO WIN GENERAL 
ELECTIONS. 
WALLES