JORDAN: MEDIA REACTION ON THE GAZA BOMBING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004089

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 THE GAZA BOMBING


SUMMARY

JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 24 WERE DOMINATED BY REPORTS
ON THE ISRAELI "MASSACRE" IN GAZA, AND REACTIONS TO IT.
REPORTS HIGHLIGHTED THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION'S CRITICISM
OF THE RAID, AND ISRAEL'S DESCRIPTION OF IT AS "A GREAT
SUCCESS."

EDITORIAL WRITERS RAGED AGAINST THE ISRAELI "MASSACRE."
ONE COMMENTARY SAID THAT THE "TRAGEDY IN GAZA MAY
ANSWER THE TRADITIONAL AMERICAN QUESTION: "WHY DO THEY
HATE US?" ANOTHER COLUMNIST CHARGED THAT: "SHARON AND
BUSH BEAR RESPONSIBILITY".


NEWS REPORTS

ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 24 LED WITH REPORTS OF
THE "INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION OF THE ISRAELI MASSACRE
IN GAZA." THE FRONT-PAGE REPORTS, WHICH INCLUDED
PHOTOS OF THE CHILDREN KILLED IN THE RAID, HIGHLIGHTED
JORDAN'S CONDEMNATION OF THE RAID AND THE U.S.
ADMINISTRATION'S CRITICISM OF IT.

IN SEPARATE STORIES, DAILIES REPORTED THAT: "THE
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER EXPRESSED HIS SATISFACTION WITH
THE MASSACRE," WHICH HE DESCRIBED "A GREAT SUCCESS."


EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES

-- WHEN F-16S BOMB PEACE SETTLEMENT EFFORTS
COLUMNIST YASSER ABOU HILALEH WROTE IN SEMI-OFFICIAL
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 24: "ON THE EVE
OF THE CRIME HAMAS HAD DECLARED ITS READINESS TO
SUSPEND OPERATIONS BEYOND 1948 LINE, PALESTINIAN
OFFICIALS WERE SPEAKING WITH OPTIMISM, AND ARAB FOREIGN
MINISTERS RETURNED FROM WASHINGTON HAPPY. THERE WAS
HOPE OF A SETTLEMENT, BUT SHARON WANTED TO QUASH THIS
HOPE, NOT TO SAY THIS ILLUSION. THE ANGER GOES BEYOND
SHARON TO THE U.S. THAT GIVES HIM HIS F-16S, AND THAT
GIVES FALSE PROMISES TO THE PALESTINIANS. THE TRAGEDY
OF GAZA MAY ANSWER THE TRADITIONAL AMERICAN QUESTION:
`WHY DO THEY HATE US?' IT ALSO RAISES MANY NEW
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE SETTLEMENT, THE
REGION, AND THE WORLD."

-- REVENGE IS JUSTIFIED
TAHER AL-ADWAN, CHIEF EDITOR OF INDEPENDENT, MASS-
APPEAL ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM WROTE ON JULY 24:
"AT THE TIME OF WRITING, MORE THAN 12 HOURS AFTER
SHARON'S LATEST MASSACRE IN GAZA, AND STILL THERE IS NO
REACTION FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. WHITE HOUSE REACTIONS
TO PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE AGAINST THE OCCUPATION DO NOT
TAKE MORE THAN 15 TO COME OUT, FULL OF DEROGATORY TERMS
AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS. THIS TIME WE WOULD NOT BE
SURPRISED TO HEAR IT JUSTIFY SHARON AS HAVING ACTED IN
SELF-DEFENSE. AND THE AMERICAN MEDIA WILL NOT SHOW IN
THE U.S. SHOTS OF PALESTINIAN FLESH TORN TO SHREDS BY
U.S. MADE AIRCRAFT. THE ONLY PERMISSIBLE FOOTAGE ON
THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT IS OF MARTYRDOM
BOMBERS. BUT NOW ALL THE PROMISES OF REVENGE EXPRESS
NOTHING BUT A LEGITIMATE RIGHT, AND SHARON AND BUSH
BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ESCALATION BECAUSE
EMPLOYING STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY TO KILL CIVILIANS
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IS THE WORST FORM OF
TERRORISM."

-- A WAR CRIME IN GAZA
PROMINENT COLUMNIST URAIB AL-RANTAWI WROTE IN CENTER-
LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON JULY 24:
"WASHINGTON, WHICH IS NORMALLY FASTER THAN TEL AVIV TO
CONDEMN ANY PALESTINIAN COMMANDO OPERATION, IS NOW
SILENT AS A TOMB. SOME MAY SEE THIS AS ENCOURAGING
SINCE THE TRACK RECORD OF BUSH IS TO DEFEND `ISRAEL'S
LEGITIMATE RIGHT OF SELF-DEFENSE.' AND KOFI ANNAN, WHO
COULD NOT FIND IN THE LEXICONS OF THE NUMEROUS
LANGUAGES THAT HE SPEAKS ADEQUATE TERMS OF CONDEMNATION
OF THE PALESTINIANS, IS NOW CONTENTED TO EXPRESS REGRET
THROUGH A SPOKESMAN. STILL, THE MOST DANGEROUS ASPECT
OF THIS OPERATION IS THAT IT CAME HOURS AFTER HAMAS
LEADER AHMAD YASSIN ACCEPTED TO SUSPEND MARTYRDOM
OPERATIONS IF ISRAEL ACCEPTS TO STOP TARGETING
PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS. ISRAEL CLEARLY WANTED TO
SABOTAGE EFFORTS AT A PEACE SETTLEMENT, BECAUSE SUCH A
SETTLEMENT WOULD IMPOSE ON IT COMMITMENTS THAT IT HAS
NO WISH OF HONORING." GNEHM