VZCZCXRO9950
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1274 1991522
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 171522Z JUL 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2158
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001274 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA, NSC FOR ABRAMS/PASCUAL/SINGH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWBG PGOV PTER IS KMDR KPAO
SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN ICONS: MOST PROMINENT IMAGES/FIGURES 
ASSOCIATED WITH PRISONER EXCHANGE COMMEMORATIONS 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  The most prominent images that West Bank 
Palestinians displayed in prisoner exchange rallies and 
celebrations in Ramallah on July 16 were of Dalal al-Mughrabi 
(female terrorist who hijacked an Israeli bus in 1978), freed 
PLF terrorist Samir Quntar, Yasir Arafat and Hizbullah leader 
Hasan Nasrallah.  Palestinian dailies and rally participants 
carried few images of PA President Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen) 
or jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghuthi.  End summary. 
 
Ramallah Fatah Rally Plays Up 
Arafat/al-Mughrabi, Not PA Leaders 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Posters with dual images of Arafat and al-Mughrabi 
dominated the July 16 Ramallah rally attended by 1200 
Palestinians and centered at Manara Square and Arafat's 
mausoleum.  Some Quntar and Nasrallah images were also posted 
at the rally site.  Quntar was celebrated for his political 
identity as a Palestinian fighter and prisoner and his 
Lebanese ethnic origins downplayed.  There were few if any 
pictures of President Abbas.  The rally, planned by Fatah's 
Mobilization Committee (dominated by Fatah Central Committee 
(FCC) members Ahmad Quraya' and Hakam Bala'wi), lacked any 
images of or references to jailed Fatah leader Marwan 
Barghuthi, who is regarded as a central threat to FCC 
members' power, even from prison. 
 
Media Commentaries, Contacts Credit 
Hizbullah, Ignore PA/Fatah Leadership 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Palestinian press commentators uniformly credited 
Hizbullah for the prisoner release, and did not ascribe any 
meaningful role to the PA or Fatah in achieving return of the 
remains of Palestinian militants to Lebanon.  Palestinian 
dailies commented that the deal with Hizbullah broke the 
Israeli taboo on releasing prisoners "with blood on their 
hands," set an important precedent for future deals to 
release Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, and 
demonstrated that the use of force and kidnapping is the most 
effective way to secure prisoner releases. 
LAPENN