Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02AMMAN4286
2002-08-01 13:14:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

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

Tags:  KMDR JO 
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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