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OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #2289/01 3591136
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 241136Z DEC 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3580
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEADWD/DA WASHINGTON DC//DAS-ZD/DACS-ZK//
RUEAHQA/CSAF WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
RHMFIUU/CMC WASHINGTON DC
RUENAAA/CNO WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 7457
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4442
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4290
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5784
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4206
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2776

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002289 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS BBG 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC FOR ABRAMS 
CMC WASHINGTON DC FOR POLAD 
 
JERUSALEM ALSO FOR ICD 
LONDON FOR HKANONA AND POL - TSOU 
PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
ROME FOR MFO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KMDR KPAL KWBG KPAO IS
SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (12/24): REPORTS ON ABBAS' 
REGIONAL MEETINGS 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
 
All papers lead with statements made by Palestinian Authority 
President Abbas during a press conference following his meeting with 
Egyptian President Mubarak in Cairo yesterday. Abbas is quoted as 
blaming both Israel and Hamas for the Gaza siege, while noting that 
Egypt is qualified to mediate to solve the Palestinian problems in 
Gaza and is doing its best to help the Palestinians. Abbas 
reiterated his rejection of any potential Israeli offensive against 
Gaza as well as his rejection of Hamas' "futile" rocket attacks on 
Israel. Abbas also denied that there are any political prisoners in 
Palestinian Authority prisons. Al Quds and Al Ayyam report on Abbas' 
meeting yesterday with Jordanian Foreign Minister Al Basheer in 
Ramallah.  Abbas stated during the press conference following the 
meeting that the two had discussed his recent visit to Washington 
and his meeting with President Bush. 
All the papers run statements by Palestinian Authority Prime 
Minister Fayyad yesterday calling for reuniting the Palestinian 
homeland. Al-Ayyam runs an undated Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper 
interview with Fayyad from his stay in London for an economic 
conference. Fayyad says that chaos in the Palestinian Territories 
resulted in the emigration of around 50,000 Palestinians in 
2006-2007. He also added that the Palestinian Authority money 
transfers to Gaza have so far prevented the collapse of the Gaza 
Strip. Finally, he denied that there is any Fatah opposition to his 
government. 
All the papers report on the end of the 24-hour truce in Gaza, with 
the news that Palestinian factions resumed firing projectiles at 
Israel and the Israeli military killed three Palestinian militants 
who were attempting to plant a bomb near the Israeli border fence. 
The papers report that Hamas is demanding Israel commit to its 
"obligations" from the original six month truce in order for it to 
be renewed. The papers also report that Israel partially opened 
three Gaza crossings to allow for the entry of humanitarian 
assistance loaded onto 40 trucks, 20 of which were for UNRWA and the 
rest for the private sector. 
Al Ayyam quotes the French Consul General Alain Remy, from his 
interview yesterday with Palestinian media, saying that there are no 
contacts between France and Hamas.  Remy remarked that donor 
countries have provided three billion USD in assistance to the 
Palestinians since the Paris conference. Remy also said that there 
is no French peace plan per se, but that there is an EU working 
paper which was crafted in order to keep the peace process alive, as 
the Annapolis process has not succeeded in achieving in its desired 
objective of reaching a signed agreement by the end of 2008.  Remy 
added that the working paper was still an internal EU one and has 
not yet been sent officially to either of the parties. Remy hoped 
that the next US administration would continue the momentum of 
Annapolis and consider the Middle East peace process a priority from 
the moment it assumes office in late January. He further added that, 
"We think we can provide the Palestinian Authority with financial 
assistance of Euro 25 million in early 2009, as we did last year". 
Finally, he revealed that the EU would be ready to participate in a 
military force deployed in the Palestinian Territories following a 
peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. 
Al Quds front page runs the results of a poll conducted by the 
Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showing that most 
Palestinians want legislative and presidential elections in early 
2009 to end the Fatah-Hamas conflict, and most also want to see a 
stronger intervention from the Obama administration for resolving 
the conflict with Israel. The results show that Hamas' popularity is 
no longer on the wane, while Fatah's popularity remains stable, 
 
JERUSALEM 00002289  002 OF 002 
 
 
despite the Hamas boycott of the national dialogue. The poll shows 
that a majority of Palestinians blame both Hamas and Fatah equally 
for the failure of the national dialogue and that a majority of 
Palestinians support Hamas' stand on the end of PA President Abbas' 
term in January 2009. 
------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------- 
 
¶1.  Al Quds editorial "The complicated crisis in Gaza" opines: "The 
worst scenario that could happen [in Gaza], is the use of military 
force, especially the Israeli one, in an attempt to topple the Hamas 
movement, because such an attempt is a definite prescription for 
bloodshed, extreme loss of life, and great destruction to 
infrastructure ... Considering this option [military force] is a 
form of recklessness and miscalculation given the catastrophic 
implications such a massive offensive would wreak in Gaza, which 
could have in turn have regional and international repercussions. 
The solution to the crisis is in the hands of Hamas, which should 
reconsider its calculations and take into consideration the 
suffering of the citizens of Gaza.  Through dialogue and 
understanding, Hamas should come closer to the Palestinian Authority 
and end the prevailing divisiveness in the interests of the 
Palestinian people and their cause". 
¶2.  Jawad Al Basheeti writes in Al Ayyam under the title "War is an 
extension of elections": "The Gaza Strip has already become the 
largest "polling booth" for Israel, where Netanyahu, Livni and Barak 
compete to marshal the winds to propel their electoral boats...It is 
extremely bad for the Palestinians, and Gazans in particular, to 
constantly extend the truce [with Israel] in exchange for Israel 
constantly extending the siege of the Gaza Strip...The Palestinian 
controversy over the "two old options" - the "negotiated solution" 
and the "solution through military resistance" - has in fact 
produced a miserable third option, which is the "truce" option. 
Both in theory and in practice, Palestinian policy has lost its 
way." 
 
Walles