MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ AND THE PALESTINIAN

UNCLAS AMMAN 000245

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR,
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN
USAID/ANE/MEA
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL
USCINCCENT//CCPA, USCENTCOM REAR MACDILL AFB FL
STATE PASS TO AID

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ AND THE PALESTINIAN
"TRANSFER"

Summary

-- Lead story in all papers today, January 13, are
highlights of King Abdullah's remarks during an
interview with the Jordan News Agency, in which he
addressed numerous domestic and international issues.
In addition to stating that parliamentary elections
would be held by June 2003, the King warned of the
negative repercussions of a war on Iraq, stating that
such a war would complicate finding a solution to the
Palestinian issue.

Editorial Commentary on Iraq

-- "Will Saddam go away?"

Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back page of
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm
(01/13): "Saddam Hussein's ousting from power will
prevent the war. This is the conclusion of the new
media and political campaign that is accompanying the
build-up of armies in the region. And so, the
importance of inspections as the conclusive factor for
whether war will be launched is slowly subsiding. The
U.S. Secretary of State was very clear when he said
that the war is not dependent on inspectors' reports.
Placing Saddam's ousting as a condition for preventing
the war is a definite signal that the possible war has
become the next unavoidable war. Those who know the
Iraqi President and who have followed his life and his
rule know that he his not a person who would accept
such a decision."

Editorial Commentary on the Palestinian "Transfer"

-- "Transfer, as an Israeli policy"

Columnist Fahd Fanek writes on the op-ed page of
centrist, influential among the elite English daily
Jordan Times (01/13): "These days, the highway
between Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport and the city of
Jerusalem is festooned with political placards and
posters. One of them says: `transfer means peace and
security'. Such overtly racist slogans are not being
met with the derision they deserve from the Israeli
public; neither do the authorities attempt to remove
them. `Transfer' (of native Palestinians out of the
West Bank and Gaza Strip to neighboring Arab
countries, chiefly Jordan) has gained respectability;
it has become the stated policy of Israeli's far
right, while moderates are scared to speak out against
it. Yet, Israeli officials must realize that
`transfer' is not a practical option; neither is the
perpetuation of the current state of affairs with the
Palestinians. The next Israeli government must act
radically to break out of the impasse. In order to do
that, Israel has three options only: a two-state
solution, annexation of the West Bank and Gaza; and
`transfer'. Bush has apparently understood how
difficult a situation this is. That is why he
proposed a half solution; he publicly asked the
Palestinians to replace Arafat, but failed to make a
similar overt demand of the Israelis regarding Sharon.
When Bush described Sharon as a `man of peace', he did
that half-mockingly. The American President was
confident that his listeners were smart enough to
understand that he meant the exact opposite of what he
said. Time is of the essence. The general election
is almost upon us and to win, Sharon only needs a few
more Palestinian attacks inside the Green Line."
GNEHM