JORDANIANS CRITICAL OF U.S. AND ARAB POSITIONS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005595 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2012 TAGS: KPAL PREL PGOV IS JO SUBJECT: JORDANIANS CRITICAL OF U.S. AND ARAB POSITIONS ON THE MUQATTA SIEGE Classified By: AMBASSADOR EDWARD W. GNEHM FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) When Poloff recently queried a number of Jordanian contacts about the Muqatta siege, most had surprisingly little sympathy for Arafat, but quite a bit of antipathy for U.S. "acquiescence" in the Israeli actions and Arab leaders' lethargic response to the situation. End Summary. -------------- --- PEOPLE PROTESTING THEIR OWN PLIGHT, NOT ARAFAT'S -------------- --- ¶2. (C) There is wide-spread criticism in Jordan of the Israeli siege of Muqatta and wide-spread belief that Israel would not take such steps without at least tacit U.S. approval. Arab states are also taking some of the heat for the current stand-off. One contact complained that the Arab states had not done anything for the Palestinians since the Beirut Summit. Former Royal Court Advisor Adnan Abu Odeh pointed to a recent segment on Al-Jazeira, where an elderly Palestinian woman cursed both Sharon and the Arab leaders for their current state. Abu Odeh cautioned that this was emblematic of Arab feelings, "the Arab leaders are silently watching the Palestinians...this equalizes them with Sharon in the minds of people." ¶3. (C) The siege of Arafat has generated little sympathy for the Palestinian leader from our Jordanian contacts. Many contacts argued that the Palestinian protesters in the West Bank and Gaza were protesting their own plight, not Arafat's. Ghazi al-Sa'di, owner of the al-Jalil publishing house, said that the Palestinian protesters were demonstrating for their own dignity, and not for Arafat the person. Abu Odeh opined that "people also hit the streets because they were looking for an opportunity to get out of the house"--a reference to the Israeli-imposed curfews. Most contacts scoffed at Israel's attempt to link the siege to counterterrorism measures. One contact said "what Sharon is doing is going to convince the Palestinians to support Hamas, instead of Arafat." ¶4. (C) One contact, who has not shown a great deal of sympathy for Palestinians in the past, was extremely critical of the Israeli destruction of Palestinian Authority buildings, and believed Sharon's intentions were even more nefarious. "Sharon is destroying the Palestinian infrastructure, not only the Palestinian Authority." -------------- PALESTINIAN REFORM MUST GO ON -------------- ¶5. (C) Abu Odeh, an avowed Arafat critic, pleaded to Poloff that the U.S. must not allow the siege to derail Palestinian reform. "You must not allow Arafat to run in elections. If his is reelected, his people will feel validated." Abu Odeh urged that a constitution be drafted as soon as possible, naming Arafat as a symbolic President, and spelling out elections for Prime Minister." When asked how Arafat could be persuaded to accept this, Abu Odeh responded that Egyptian and Saudi mediators need to "put it in clear terms for him--it's either a symbolic role or exile. Arafat is a tactician; if he only has two choices, then he will chose the symbolic role." Abu Odeh, whose extended family resides in Nabulus, told Poloff that Arafat has the support of his cronies and some support in the camps, but little support in the cities. Abu Odeh also talked at length about the debilitating effect of the curfew on Nabulus and urged the U.S. to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground to encourage Palestinian participation in reform and elections. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) The siege of Muqatta has once again raised questions here not just about Israeli treatment of Arafat or Palestinians in general (which Jordanians assume will be bad),but about the commitment of the U.S. and Arab leaders to an eventual resolution of the conflict. GNEHM