JORDAN: MEDIA REACTION ON KING'S U.S. VISIT,

UNCLAS AMMAN 004286 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 KING'S U.S. VISIT, EXPLOSION AT HEBREW UNIVERSITY SUMMARY TWO THEMES DOMINATED JORDANIAN DAILIES ON AUGUST 1: THE FIRST WAS KING ABDULLAH'S OPEN DISCUSSION WITH PARTICIPANTS IN ET FORTUNE INSTITUTE, AND THE OTHER WAS THE EXPLOSION AT THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY, WHICH DAILIES DESCRIBED AS "THE FIRST PALESTINIAN RESPONSE TO THE GAZA MASSACRE." EDITORIAL WRITERS COMMENTED ON THE FORTHCOMING MEETING BETWEEN KING ABDULLAH AND PRESIDENT BUSH, AND ON U.S. POLICY IN THE REGION, WHICH IS NOW INCREASINGLY REFERRED TO AS U.S.-ISRAELI POLICY. NEWS REPORTS ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES ON AUGUST 1 LED WITH REPORTS ON KING ABDULLAH'S OPEN DISCUSSION WITH PARTICIPANTS IN FORTUNE INSTITUTE CONFERENCE. NEWSPAPERS HIGHLIGHTED TWO ELEMENTS FROM THE DISCOURSE: THE NEED TO ESTABLISH A PALESTINIAN STATE WITHIN THREE YEARS, THIS BEING THE KEY TO STABILITY AND PROSPERITY IN THE REGION, AND THAT THERE IS NO BALANCE IN THE U.S. VISION OF THE MIDDLE EAST. ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES REPORTED THE PALESTINIAN "COMMANDO" OPERATION, WHICH THEY DESCRIBED AS "THE FIRST PALESTINIAN RESPONSE TO THE MASSACRE OF GAZA." EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES -- THE JORDANIAN-AMERICAN SUMMIT: ANOTHER LINK IN A CONTINUOUS EFFORT DAILY COLUMNIST MAHMOUD AL-RIMAWI WROTE IN SEMI- OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON AUGUST 1: "THE JORDANIAN-AMERICAN SUMMIT SCHEDULED FOR TODAY, THURSDAY, IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND [THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION] OF THE CONSTANTS OF JORDAN'S POSITION REGARDING THE [ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT] AND THE SETTLEMENT IN THE REGION. THE U.S. SHOULD BE REMINDED OF ITS RESPONSIBILITY ON THIS ISSUE, SINCE THE AMERICAN PERFORMANCE SO FAR HAS ONLY EXACERBATED THE SITUATION INSTEAD OF CALMING IT." -- BORN TO KILL OCCASIONAL COLUMNIST KHALIL AL-SAWAHRI WROTE IN CENTER- LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON AUGUST 1: "DURING SHARON'S BLACK RULE, ISRAEL HAS SURPASSED ITSELF IN COINING EUPHEMISMS FOR THE ITS CRIMES AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS. ASSASSINATION IS NOW TERMED TARGETED KILLING, MASSACRES ARE TERMED PREEMPTIVE SELF-DEFENSE, AND KILLING ARAB CHILDREN IS PERMISSIBLE SINCE THEY ARE TOMORROW'S TERRORISTS. MEANWHILE, PALESTINIAN SELF- DEFENSE IS TERMED TERRORISM. IT IS STRANGE AND REGRETTABLE THAT THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA QUICKLY LAP UP THESE ZIONIST TERMS, AND ACCEPT THAT SELF-DEFENSE IS TERRORISM, WHILE STATE TERRORISM IS A LEGITIMATE RIGHT. MEANWHILE, ISRAELIS PRACTICE COLD-BLOODED MURDER AND PROUDLY WRITE ON THEIR CLOTHES: `BORN TO KILL.'" -- SUBJUGATING THE ARAB MIND TAHER AL-ADWAN, CHIEF EDITOR OF INDEPENDENT, MASS- APPEAL ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM WROTE ON AUGUST 1: "ARAFAT'S DICTATORSHIP IS NOT THE MAIN PROBLEM FACING THE PALESTINIANS. THEIR MAIN PROBLEMS ARE THE OCCUPATION AND THE PRACTICES OF THE WAR CRIMINAL SHARON. NOR IS SADDAM'S DICTATORSHIP THE MAIN PROBLEM OF THE IRAQIS. THEY SUFFER FROM SIEGE AND THE DAILY AIR RAIDS. MOREOVER, WHAT ISRAEL AND THE U.S. PLAN IS NOT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PALESTINIANS AND IRAQIS, BUT TO CONVERT THEM INTO DEAD BODIES. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS TURNING POINT BECAUSE IF THE PLAN IS CARRIED OUT, THERE WILL BE A LONG PERIOD OF SUBJUGATION, NOT ONLY OF OUR NATIONS, BUT ALSO OF OUR MINDS AND OUR WILLS." GNEHM