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 ISRAEL'>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)

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SUMMARY
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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.

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PEOPLE PROTESTING THEIR OWN PLIGHT, NOT ARAFAT'S
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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."

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PALESTINIAN REFORM MUST GO ON
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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.

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COMMENT
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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