VZCZCXRO0889
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1279 2001303
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 181303Z JUL 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2169
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001279 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA, NSC FOR ABRAMS/PASCUAL/SINGH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWBG PTER PGOV IS
SUBJECT: PA CLAIMS SUCCESSES IN PUBLIC ORDER/ANTI-HAMAS 
CAMPAIGN IN QALQILIYA AREA 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  National Security Forces (NSF), police 
and General Intelligence (GI) contacts told PolOff and POL 
FSN July 16-17 that the PA has arrested 17 Hamas activists 
and criminals in an intensification of ongoing security 
efforts in Qalqiliya and villages near Tulkarm and Salfit. 
Security commanders report dispersing scattered protests 
against NSF patrols and dismantling/flattening 31 
stolen/unregistered vehicles July 15-17.  They said increased 
activity levels will start tapering off by July 20 and then 
focus on maintaining security improvements.  End summary. 
 
NSF, Police Ramp Up Anti-Hamas, 
Public Order Efforts; 17 Arrested 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) National Security Forces (NSF), police and General 
Intelligence (GI) contacts told PolOff and POL FSN July 16-17 
that the PA has arrested 17 Hamas activists and criminals in 
the greater Qalqiliya area, including Area B villages near 
Tulkarm and Salfit.  According to Qalqiliya NSF commander BG 
Faysal al-Bishtawi, the NSF arrested Hamas activist Ahmad Abd 
al-Qadr Da'as and four other Palestinians in Qalqiliya on 
July 16.  He said the NSF also dispersed Hizb al-Tahrir 
(Liberation Party) and Hamas protesters who sought to prevent 
the NSF from crossing the tunnel that connects Qalqiliya and 
Habla village.  PA police report confiscating and 
dismantling/flattening 31 stolen/unregistered vehicles July 
15-17 as part of this security campaign. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The NSF detained seven residents of Baqat al-Hatab 
(Area B, east of Qalqiliya) for obstructing the PA's patrols 
and vehicle inspections, and confiscated two rifles and 
ammunition from them. (Note: The named arrestees were Rushdi 
Samara, Ahmad Amr, Qusay Barghuthi, Abd Jamal Farid, Ibrahim 
Sa'id Barghuthi, Abd al-Hafiz Ali Muhammad and Rushdi Wasif. 
End note). 
 
¶4.  (SBU) GI contacts report detaining five Hamas activists 
in villages around Qalqiliya, Tulkarm and Salfit July 14-16, 
naming the arrestees as: Mahmud Assi, Ibrahim Mustafa Awad 
Miri, Ibrahim Abd al-Aziz Musa Assi, Umar Abd al-Aziz Musa 
Assi, and Adnan Abd al-Latif Jamal. 
 
Campaign Relies Mostly on Local Resources 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Senior NSF officers told PolOff July 17 that the 
campaign is an intensification of ongoing security efforts 
and relies almost exclusively on existing local security 
personnel and resources.  They said they expect increased 
security activity to start tapering off by July 20, and will 
then focus on maintaining security improvements. 
LAPENN