Wikileaks: Omar Suleiman promised Israel to mar Hamas victory in PA elections

[ 11/02/2011 - 05:11 PM ]

OSLO, (PIC)-- Wikileaks has revealed a confidential document leaked from the US embassy in Tel Aviv telling that Omar Suleiman, the former Egypt's intelligence chief, promised the Israelis not to let Hamas win the 2006 PA legislative elections, according to the Norwegian Aftenposten newspaper.

According to the paper that published the Wikileaks revelation, Suleiman pledged to exert all efforts to prevent any possible victory for Hamas in the PA legislative elections after polls revealed that it would sweep the elections.

The paper added that Suleiman invited a close Israeli friend to Cairo for "urgent" matter. The friend was Amos Gilad, the head of security department in the Israeli war ministry.

Gilad's visit to Cairo was secret and only his superiors knew about it, the paper said, adding that both Suleiman and Gilad discussed the possible victory of Hamas, their common enemy, in the elections.

Gilad, however, informed US officials in the US embassy in Tel Aviv about the topics he discussed with Suleiman, which the embassy documented in its records, the paper pointed out.

According to Gilad, the atmosphere of the discussion was pessimistic due to the bad news that would be reflected on the Zionist entity and Egypt if Hamas won the elections.

"Don’t worry; there will be no elections in January… I will handle this matter" Suleiman was quoted as saying to Gilad when the latter raised anxiety over the possible victory of Hamas in the Palestinian legislative elections.

However, the leaked document didn’t mention the mechanism that Suleiman would follow to derail the elections, but Gilad was reportedly confident that his Egyptian friend would fulfill his promise.

But Hamas won the elections and Suleiman failed to keep his promise after more than 1000 observers, including 185 Europeans and Americans, witnessed the elections that was described as the most democratic, most honest, and most transparent in the Arab region, another leaked document from the US embassy revealed.
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