VZCZCXRO6081
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1357 2180913
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 060913Z AUG 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5665
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
RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 7812
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4784
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4632
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6125
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4551
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3129

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001357 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS BBG 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC 
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 (08/06): Coverage Highlights 
Disagreements at Fatah Congress 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
 
News from the Sixth Fatah Party Congress continues to receive front 
page coverage in the local press. All dailies note that the second 
day of the conference witnessed "stormy discussions," several of 
which required the intervention of Palestinian Authority (PA) 
President Mahmoud Abbas. Al-Quds leads with news that Congress 
delegates created 18 committees to pursue a number of issues in 
detail. Congress Spokesperson Nabil Amr noted during a press 
conference that the disagreements among Fatah delegates were 
"healthy." Amr stressed that "Fatah is committed to peace but will 
stick to resistance as an option as long as Israel occupies the 
Palestinian Territories," according to coverage. Al-Ayyam notes that 
Fatah delegates criticized Hamas for refusing to allow Fatah members 
residing in Gaza to participate in the Congress in Bethlehem. 
 
US condemnation of the eviction of the Hanoun and Ghawi families 
continues to receive front page coverage in Al-Quds. The headline 
reads "The US summons the Israeli ambassador and renews its 
objections against the eviction of the Ghawi and Hanoun families." 
The report, citing a source in Tel Aviv, notes that the US 
reiterated that the eviction of the two families from the homes in 
Sheikh Jarrah was "provocative" and contradicts their obligations 
under the Roadmap peace plan. 
 
All dailies run front page coverage on Israeli authorities 
submitting new demolition notices on August 5 to 17 families 
residing in East Jerusalem and one in Jenin due to their lack of 
appropriate building permits. Additionally, the reports note that 
Israeli police broke up a protest march in Sheikh Jarrah on August 
¶5. Palestinian Authority spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh is quoted 
in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida saying, "The US administration has to take 
strict actions. Statements alone are not enough."------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------- 
 
1) Al-Quds independent daily runs an editorial under the title, 
"Obama and the peace plan" (08/06): "Palestinians and Arabs have all 
been optimistic regarding President Barack Obama's promise to bring 
g 
change to the Middle East and work towards the two state solution 
... We hope that Obama's peace plan will be implemented, unlike 
previous plans that were abandoned." 
 
2) Talal Okal opines in Al-Ayyam independent daily under the 
headline "Fatah affiliates, you have to unite" (08/06): "Given all 
the challenges and obstacles facing the Fatah movement, it is 
necessary for Fatah affiliates to unite and revisit the movement's 
structure and role in Palestinian society ... [Mahmoud] Abbas' 
speech laid the foundation for the new Fatah, but Fatah as a 
movement still needs to bridge the gaps that developed over the past 
20 years in order to end up with an adequate political program that 
will help the Palestinian situation". 
 
WALLES