KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION, JUNE 14-16: ISRAELI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 002657

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR/R/MR, NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, PA, INR/NESA,
IIP/G/NEA-SA, INR/B
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH, PARIS FOR O'FRIEL
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA
CINCCENT FOR CCPA
USDOC FOR 4520/ANESA/ONE/FITZGERALD-WILKS
USDOC FOR ITA AND PTO/OLIA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KU KDMR
SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION, JUNE 14-16: ISRAELI
OPERATION TARGETING AL-RANTISSI; IRAQ; US CIVIL RIGHTS


1. SUMMARY: Kuwait's State Minister for Foreign Affairs
condemned the June 10 attack by Israeli helicopters that
injured senior Hamas leader Abdul Aziz Al-Rantissi as
"terrorism." One conservative writer calls for Jihad as the
only option for Palestinians in an editorial titled, "No
Peace With Them."

An Islamist writer cites recent Congressional hearings on
possible civil rights violations after September 11 as proof
of US hypocrisy: "America tries to demonstrate to the world
the ideal vision of democracy and human rights while it
holds inside ugly contradictions and shameful practices."

Another commentator blames the US-led campaigns in
Afghanistan and Iraq for an "increase in terrorism" that has
resulted in a "world living in a state of shock and terror."
END SUMMARY.


2. News Stories: Al-Rai Al-Aam reports on June 15 State
Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah's
strong denunciation of Israeli "assassination operations,"
saying such operations are a form of terrorism.

On June 16, all dailies carry front-page coverage of the
burial of the remains of the second identified Kuwaiti POW,
Ahmad Al-Qallaf.

The Minister of Information Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd's comments
on Al-Jazeera, accusing the satellite news channel of
"unprofessionalism" and of broadcasting "false" information
about Kuwait, appear on the front pages of all dailies on
June 14.

Al Anba reports on June 14 the Kuwaiti Minister of Interior
Sheikh Mohammed Al-Khaled's visit to Iran will include
discussion of reports that Iranian authorities have
apprehended Al-Qaeda spokesman, Suleiman Bu Gheith, along
with other Kuwaitis who have fled Afghanistan.

On June 14, all newspapers report that Kuwaiti border
patrols sabotaged two attempts by Iraqis to infiltrate
across the border into Kuwait, one of which aimed at
smuggling 14 kilograms of hashish into Kuwait.

Al-Qabas reports on June 15 that two candidates for the July
5 parliamentary elections have withdrawn, reducing the total
number of candidates to 274 for the fifty National Assembly
seats.

Editorials:


3. "No Peace with Them"
Conservative Dr. Sami Nasser Al-Khalifa wrote in independent
Al-Rai Al-Aam (6/14): "In his attempt to assassinate
[senior leader of Hamas Abdul Aziz] Al-Rantissi, Sharon has
proven that any so-called `peace' cannot be achieved unless
the Palestinians surrender to the Zionist's will, or Arabs
and Muslims are subjugated under the new `Road Map plan' .
We have no choice but to resort to the Quran, because verses
on Jihad mentioned in many Surras state that war should have
one objective: boosting the Almighty's religion. In other
words, war means to fight [for] a divine project."


4. "The Burned-Bodies Dialogue"
Dr. Ayyed Al-Manna wrote in independent Al-Watan (6/14):
"The religious and the political extremists on both sides,
the Israelis and the Palestinians are engaged in the burned
bodies dialogue. The Palestinians attack the Israelis with
explosive belts while the Israelis respond back by attacking
the Palestinians using the Apache helicopters and tanks.
What is the aim of this dialogue? As long as both parties
have not reached the point of exhaustion, then the burned-
bodies dialogue will be seen as the most effective means to
achieve the final goal."


5. "The American Terrorism"
Abdel Aziz Al-Hindal wrote in independent Al-Qabas (6/14):
"In Afghanistan, the US found out that most of the people
who died during the war were civilians. As for Iraq, many
Iraqi soldiers and civilian remained neutral, leaving the
fighting to the Baathists. The result of both wars was that
the leaders of those countries remained alive to respond
against the US. Consequently, terrorism has spread
throughout the world, and security authorities must be on
alert at all times in order to confront any possible
terrorist attack. The result of the two wars waged under the
pretext of combating terrorism is an increased number of
terrorist attacks. As a result of American polices, the
world lives in a state of shock and terror."


6. "America is Violating Civil Rights"
Islamist Adel Al-Qassar wrote in independent Al-Qabas
(6/15): "On June 4, 2003, the American Congress held a
session organized by a coalition of American civil rights
organizations to listen to a number of victims whose civil
rights were violated after September 11 attacks. US
Congressman [Ted] Kennedy stated that many American laws
include articles that are discriminatory and should be
revised. It is regrettable that some people defend America
more than the Americans themselves. America tries to
demonstrate to the world the ideal vision of democracy and
human rights while it holds inside ugly contradictions and
shameful practices."


7. Radical Islamist Mohammad Al-Mulaifi wrote in
independent Al-Seyassah (6/15): "Those who came under the
pretext of providing freedom and liberation to the Iraqis
have not found any Iraqi that deserves to lead the country
according to the American wishes. In other words, they have
not found a `new Karzai' on which the White House can
depend. The US Administration has gone beyond the freedom of
Iraq by appointing Noah Wildman, a Jew that holds American
and Israeli citizenship, to prepare a new Iraqi constitution
which will be the basis for establishing a new regime in an
American Iraq."

JONES