VZCZCXRO3057
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHDO #0072/01 0281401
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281401Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7524
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000072 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAL EFIN EAID PTER GZ IS QA
SUBJECT: QATARI RESIDENTS PEACEFULLY DEMONSTRATE THEIR 
SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF GAZA 
 
REF: DOHA 50 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Thousands of Qatari residents marched in a 
peaceful rally in support of the people of Gaza January 25. 
The rally was organized by the Qatar Central Municipal 
Council (CMC) and the office of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the Muslim 
scholar and preacher.  This was the first public appearance 
by Al-Qaradawi since he fell ill last June.  In addition to 
the QAR 20 million (USD 5.5 million) of material aid pledged 
by the Amir January 20 (reftel), all charitable organizations 
in Qatar have begun a two-month fund drive to provide 
assistance to the residents of Gaza.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Qatari citizens and expatriates estimated to number 
more than 5,000 took part in a peaceful march January 25 
expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza.  The march 
began after the Friday sermon at the Omar Bin Al-Khattab 
Mosque and moved through the surrounding streets and along 
the Corniche.  Marchers raised banners with slogans 
protesting the ongoing Israeli "siege" of the Gaza Strip, 
pledging support to the Palestinians as a national duty, and 
urging the international community and international 
organizations to "end the silence toward Israeli policies" 
said to "starve the Palestinians in Gaza in order to force 
them to kneel down before Israel."  The rally was organized 
by the CMC and the office of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the 
Egyptian-born (naturalized Qatari of Egyptian origin) Muslim 
scholar and preacher, who is typically the initiator and 
leader of such gatherings.  The Chair, Vice Chair, and 
members of the CMC, and a number of intellectuals, opinion 
leaders, and religious figures took part in the march.  Many 
women and children participated as well. 
 
¶3. (U) Participants waved Palestinian flags and shouted 
slogans expressing their solidarity and support for the 
Palestinians in Gaza, such as:  "The Qatari people stand 
unified behind the Palestinian people in their misfortune;" 
"Our blood is fuel for Gaza lamps;" "Our willpower is 
stronger than the siege;" and "From Qatar, we raise a slogan 
of no to starvation and no for siege."  Marchers also raised 
a sign carrying the names of Hamas leaders Ismail Haniya, 
Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, Abdelaziz Al-Rantisi, and Ahmed Yassin 
noting that "these are our leaders." 
 
¶4. (U) The Chair of the CMC, Nassir Al-Kaabi, described the 
rally as "an expression of the Qatari people's solidarity 
with their Palestinian brothers who are facing all kinds of 
violence."  Also, Mohamed Nazal, a "spokesman" from Hamas 
addressed the crowed via telephone, and expressed his thanks 
to the leadership, government, and people of Qatar for their 
continuous support for the Palestinians. 
 
¶5. (U) The first sermon given by Al-Qaradawi since he fall 
sick in June 2007 preceded the march.  Thousands stood inside 
and outside of the mosque.  During the sermon, Al-Qaradawi 
addressed the harsh situation that the Palestinians in Gaza 
must endure; expressed that all Qataris, Arabs and Muslims 
are standing behind the Palestinians; and urged Arab, 
regional, and international organizations to move to end the 
Palestinians' tragedy.  Al-Qaradawi also expressed his thanks 
to the Qatari leadership for its continued support of the 
Palestinians. 
 
¶6. (U) Dr. Hamad Al-Kuwari, a former minister, ambassador to 
the United States and United Nations, and an active 
intellectual, was the first to address the crowd inside the 
mosque after the sermon.  In his speech, Dr. Al-Kuwari sent 
four messages as follows: 
 
- A message to the Palestinians that the Government and 
people of Qatar are with them as always on Arab and Muslim 
issues. 
 
- A message to the Palestinian leaders that they must be 
unified; shame on them for their division. 
 
- A message to the Arab governments that the Israeli siege of 
Gaza is a siege against all Arabs. 
 
- A message to the international community criticizing it for 
not taking action against such severe human rights 
violations. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Al-Kuwari told us he was very disappointed that the 
UN Security Council was attempting to draft a statement 
condemning the Israeli practices in Gaza rather than reaching 
for a resolution to the crisis.  Al-Kuwari's speech was 
followed by a speech in which Al-Qaradawi thanked Al-Kuwari 
for his valuable remarks and stated his agreement with them. 
Representatives of two local charity organizations also 
addressed the crowd. 
 
DOHA 00000072  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) In addition to the recently announced donation by the 
Government of Qatar of USD 5.5, the Qatar General Authority 
for Charitable Activities launched a campaign in support of 
Palestinians in Gaza that would last for two months.  All 
local charity organizations joined the campaign.  The 
Al-Balagh cultural organization (which is affiliated with 
Al-Qaradawi's Islam Online) also organized an oratorical 
festival in support of Gaza. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comments:  Though this rally was not the first of 
its kind to express support and solidarity for the 
Palestinians, it was significant in its size, perhaps in 
response to the first public appearance of Al-Qaradawi since 
his illness.  While there was no official coordination with 
the Palestinian Embassy in Doha, the Palestinian ambassador 
and Cultural Attache participated in the march after learning 
about it in the local press. 
RATNEY