Western powers to try to boost Abbas ahead of vote

JERUSALEM, Dec 19 (Reuters) Western powers and their Arab allies will try to boost Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah ahead of elections by pumping money into his office and programmes that could benefit him politically, diplomats say.

The effort dovetails with a US-led push to strengthen forces loyal to Abbas. Palestinian analysts said it could backfire if Hamas succeeded in painting Abbas and his Fatah faction as beholden to U.S. and Israeli interests.

Fighting in the Gaza Strip between the ruling Hamas faction and once-dominant Fatah has intensified since Abbas's call last weekend for early elections, arousing fears of civil war.

Western diplomats said in interviews this week the extent of Western and Arab financial support for Abbas had yet to be determined.

They said the goal would be to persuade Palestinians, hard hit by Western sanctions against the Hamas-led government, that backing moderate leaders would benefit them.

Political analysts say Hamas has ample funds, donated by Iran and other allies, to wage effective political and military campaigns against Fatah. Hamas has said it would boycott the election called by Abbas.

The stakes in the showdown are huge for Washington. Fatah risks losing the Palestinian presidency along with parliament to Hamas, torpedoing Western peacemaking hopes since Hamas's charter calls for the destruction of Israel.

''It's all about building up Abbas. Everything is on the table if you can get money to him so he can benefit. The question is: how do you make sure Abbas benefits?'' said a Western diplomat whose government is helping lead the effort.

Hamas took control of the Palestinian Authority in March after defeating Fatah in parliamentary elections in January.

Western diplomats say Abbas has been sending mixed messages about whether he would run again for president. Abbas has not ruled out forming a unity government of so-called technocrats and scrapping the election.

TARGETED FUNDING ''Israel and the United States are considered enemies. When the enemies are praising Abbas, this is suspicious from the Palestinian public's perspective,'' said former Palestinian Labour Minister Ghassan Khatib.

Hamas has already seized on the issue. Politburo chief Khaled Meshaal said in a newspaper interview this week that Fatah would ''falsify the results in their favour with the support of the Americans, Israel and foreign forces''.

Western diplomats acknowledged their efforts could have limited effect if Israel balked at making concessions, such as freeing Palestinian prisoners, to strengthen Abbas.

''Israel recognises that it wants to promote moderates, but there are limits'' to its cooperation if Gaza militants refused to free captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, a diplomat said.

Abbas is counting on Western and Arab money to pay government workers, but that would require hundreds of millions of dollars.

With Abbas at his side yesterday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair called for an international initiative that included reconstruction and development assistance for the Palestinians.

Blair aides said the idea was to channel money and equipment into Abbas's office, bypassing Hamas.

''We want to find a way not just to engage politically but to re-engage economically in ways that are seen to support the forces of moderation,'' Blair's spokesman said.

The US administration is likewise seeking congressional approval to contribute tens of millions of dollars to a US-led programme aimed at bolstering Abbas and his presidential guard.

Washington has also set aside about 42 million dollar to promote so-called democratic ''alternatives'' to Hamas. The US programme seeks to restructure Fatah and provide moderate parties with electoral training and strategic advice.

US officials say party-building programmes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have been under way for years.

REUTERS PDM PM2018