US embassy cable - 05JERUSALEM4644

C O N F I D E N T I A L  JERUSALEM 004644 
 
 
STATE FOR NEA FRONT OFFICE AND NEA/IPA; NSC FOR 
ABRAMS/DORAN/MUSTAFA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2015 
TAGS: PREL, KPAL, KWBG 
SUBJECT: OCTOBER 2 PALESTINIAN CLASHES WITH HAMAS 
 
REF: TEL AVIV 5956 
 
Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles. Reasons: 1.4. (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: Clashes took place in Gaza on October 2 
between Palestinian Authority (PA) policemen and Hamas 
gunmen. Three Palestinians were killed -- a senior police 
officer and two civilians -- while at least 51 were wounded, 
many of whom were bystanders.  Two police stations in the 
vicinity of Gaza City were badly damaged, while others were 
set ablaze.  PLO Chief Negotiator Sa'eb Erekat and PLC Member 
Hanan Ashrawi, in separate conversations with Consul General, 
provided their views on the events, while the PA and Hamas 
have offered differing public explanations.  These clashes 
represent the first efforts by the PA Security Forces to 
enforce the display of weapons in public.  End Summary. 
 
2. (C) PLO Chief Negotiator Sa'eb Erekat, speaking to the 
Consul General during the evening of October 2, said the 
clashes began as a result of PA efforts to crack down on 
public displays of weapons.  Erekat said that Hamas 
retaliated against PA police stations using weapons - 
including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).  Erekat 
emphasized that PA forces consider themselves outgunned and 
appealed again for additional weapons and ammunition for the 
security forces.   The PA Ministry of Interior issued a 
public statement that said the clashes started when a PA 
police patrol attempted to break up a fight between 
individuals near Bank of Palestine in al Nasser Street in 
Gaza city. One of those involved in the fight was a Hamas 
member who called other gunmen as reinforcements. There are 
also press reports that a PA police patrol in Gaza City 
stopped a car containing four armed Hamas members and tried 
to confiscate their weapons; one person was Mohammed Rantisi, 
a son of Abdel Aziz Rantisi, the former Hamas leader killed 
by Israel two years ago.  The encounter reportedly escalated 
into gunfire between the Hamas members and the PA police, 
with armed Fatah gunmen joining in on the side of the police. 
 PA sources said that Hamas gunmen fired RPGs at PA police 
stations in Gaza City neighborhoods. The clashes moved on to 
the Shati Refugee camp west of Gaza, which is where the 
Palestinian police officer was killed.  Other details are in 
reftel. 
 
3. (C) PLC Member Hanan Ashrawi told Consul General on 
October 3 that she expected increased criticism against 
Hamas, who she thought was losing support because of 
incidents such as those which occurred in the Jabalya Refugee 
camp on September 23.  She said she was urging others to 
speak up, and clarify that clashes such as those which had 
occurred on October 2 were not simply Fatah vs. Hamas, but 
rather Hamas vs. the Palestinian Authority.  Ashrawi also 
remarked that recent Hamas statements were the first time she 
had seen them "so meek;" in reaction to Israeli threats of 
further retaliation against more Qassam rocket launches, 
Hamas spokesmen specifically articulated that they would 
return to the "calm," rather their usual more vitriolic 
response. Ashrawi also thought that Hamas was taken aback by 
the recent voting results in the West Bank, which have been 
widely seen as a Fatah victory. In all, Ashrawi stressed the 
need for the PA to "come out on top" in any actions against 
Hamas, and to be seen as being on the right side of the issue. 
 
4. (C)  The Follow-Up Committee of the National and Islamic 
Factions  -- which includes PA representatives as well as 
Fatah, Hamas and other militias -- met late on October 2 in 
Gaza to contain the crisis, according to press reports. 
Ibrahim Abu al-Naja, coordinator of the committee, told the 
press that the meeting contained the crisis and all gunmen 
were pulled from the streets as of midnight. Abu al-Naja also 
said that further meetings will take place to ensure that 
such incidents will not reoccur. 
 
5. (C) The PA and Hamas exchanged accusations about the 
clashes. In a public statement, the Palestinian Interior 
Ministry blamed Hamas for the escalation in Gaza: "Hamas has 
breached the Palestinian factions' agreements and the 
Palestinian Authority's orders to lay down its arms ... The 
clashes erupted after PA police offices attempted to 
confiscate weapons of gunmen who were in a car. The gunmen 
proceeded to fire at the officers; this caused the outbreak 
of the recent events."  Hamas refuted the PA's version, 
insisting that PA police opened fire at Mohammed Rantisi,s 
car and attempted to arrest him. Hamas official Mushir 
al-Masri accused elements within the PA of creating friction 
in an attempt to crack down on Hamas, according to press 
reports.  Other Hamas officials, including Mohammed Nazal 
from Lebanon, said Hamas is being targeted by "a few within 
the PA who seek to start a Palestinian civil war." 
 
6. (C) Comment: These clashes represent the first efforts by 
PA security forces to enforce the ban on the display of 
weapons in public.  We will monitor the situation closely to 
determine if these first steps are part of a sustained 
effort. 
 
WALLES