JORDAN: MEDIA REACTION ON OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

UNCLAS AMMAN 003760

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR,
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD
USAID/ANE/MEA
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL
USCINCCENT/CCPA, USCENTCOM REAR MACDILL AFB FL
NICOSIA FOR ILMG
STATE PASS TO AID

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: MEDIA REACTION ON OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

SUMMARY
NEWS REPORTS IN JORDAN'S DAILIES COVERED THE NEW
ISRAELI LAW BANNING THE SALE OF LAND TO NON-JEWS AND
THE ISRAELI ARMY'S ATTACK ON JORDAN RADIO AND
TELEVISION'S OFFICE IN RAMALLAH.

EDITORIAL WRITERS COMMENTED ON THE MUTINY BY THE
PALESTINIAN PREVENTIVE SECURITY AGENCY AGAINST THE
DISMISSAL OF ITS LEADER JIBRIL RJOUB.

NEWS REPORTS
ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES LED WITH REPORTS ON THE NEW
ISRAELI LAW THAT BANS THE SALE OF LAND TO NON-JEWS AND
FORBIDS ARABS FROM LIVING IN JEWISH QUARTERS, WHICH THE
DAILIES DESCRIBED AS RACIST.

REPORTS ALSO COVERED THE ISRAELI ARMY'S ATTACK ON
JORDAN RADIO AND TELEVISION'S OFFICES IN RAMALLAH.


EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES
-- TERRORISM OR WAR OF INDEPENDENCE?
PROMINENT DAILY COLUMNIST DR. FAHED AL-FANEK WROTE IN
SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY
9: "IF KILLING CIVILIANS CONSTITUTES TERRORISM, WHICH
IT DOES, THE KILLING COMMITTED BY THE FORCES OF
[ISRAELI] OCCUPATION IS FAR WORSE AND MUCH MORE WORTHY
OF CONDEMNATION THAN THE ACTS OF COMMANDOES WHO TRY TO
RAISE THE COST OF OCCUPATION TO A POINT THAT PERSUADES
ISRAEL OF THE NECESSITY OF WITHDRAWAL AND ACCEPTING
PEACE. BUT PRESIDENT BUSH, IN HIS MOST RECENT SPEECH
DID NOT ASK ISRAEL TO CEASE ITS TERRORIST ACTS. THE
PROBLEM IS NOT ONE OF TERRORISM BUT OF OCCUPATION, THE
CONTINUATION OF WHICH IS THE FATHER OF ALL VIOLENCE."

-- FIGHTING OVER NOTHING
PROMINENT DAILY COLUMNIST TARIQ MASARWAH WROTE IN SEMI-
OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 9: "IT
APPEARS THAT THOSE WHO FIGHT AND MUTINY AND NEGOTIATE
OVER POSITIONS IN THE PNA ARE NOT AWARE OF WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN PALESTINE. THERE IS NO MORE AUTHORITY
EXCEPT THOSE OF THE OCCUPATION, AND THE RESISTANCE TO
IT. THE PROMISED PALESTINIAN STATE WILL NOT BE THAT
HOPED FOR BY ARAFAT AND [JIBRIL] RJOUB, BUT ONE MADE TO
AMERICAN-ISRAELI MEASURES. THE PALESTINIAN STATE IS
THERE TO BE MADE BY THOSE WHO LOVE PALESTINE, THOSE WHO
FIGHT FOR IT, THOSE WHO ARE MARTYRED FOR ITS CAUSE.
THE LIBERATION OF THE HOMELAND AND ITS CITIZENS,
ESPECIALLY IN PALESTINE WILL NOT BE ACHIEVED THROUGH
FIGHTING OVER NOTHING."

-- AT THE CROSSROADS WITH OBSCURE CHOICES
TAHER AL-ADWAN, CHIEF EDITOR OF INDEPENDENT, MASS-
APPEAL ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM WROTE ON JULY 9:
"THE STATE OF THE PNA WOULD BE LAUGHABLE WERE IT NOT SO
TRAGIC. THE MEN OF THE PREVENTIVE SECURITY AGENCY NOW
DEMONSTRATE AGAINST THE DISMISSAL OF THEIR LEADER IN
THE SHADOW OF THE TANKS AND ARTILLERY OF THE OCCUPATION
FORCES. ONCE AGAIN THE PALESTINIANS ARE AT A
CROSSROADS AND THE ONLY WAY OUT OF THE DILEMMA FOR THEM
IS TO STAND UNITED BEHIND THEIR GOAL OF LIBERATION.
THEY SHOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT THEY STAND ALONE IN A
MILITARY AND POLITICAL BATTLE AGAINST ISRAEL/U.S. AND
THAT THEY CANNOT AFFORD THE LEISURE OF SLOGANEERING,
HIDING BEHIND OBSCURITY."
GNEHM