MEDIA REACTION: THE AQSA MOSQUE/DARFOUR

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 002472 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC SECDEF FOR OASD/PA USCINCCENT FOR POLAD LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR ZEYA LONDON PASS TO MOC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: THE AQSA MOSQUE/DARFOUR ¶1. SUMMARY: THE DETERIORATING SITUATION IN DARFOUR AND THE THREATS AGAINST THE AQSA MOSQUE IN JERUSALEM DOMINATED COVERAGE IN LOCAL PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA. AN EDITORIAL IN "AL BAYAN" NOTED THAT THESE THREATS AGAINST THE AQSA MOSQUE ARE NOT ONLY AGAINST PALESTINIANS BUT ALSO AGAINST ALL MUSLIMS. ANOTHER EDITORIAL IN "AL BAYAN" NOTED THAT THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE GIVEN TIME TO SOLVE THE DARFOUR CRISIS AND THAT THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY FOREIGN MILITARY INTERFERENCE. END SUMMARY ¶2. UNDER THE HEADLINE "IT'S THE AQSA'S TURN," SHARJAH-BASED ARABIC DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 07/26:(CIRCULATION 85,000) "WHOEVER COMMITS THESE GROUP MASSACRES AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS ON THEIR OWN LANDS AND WITH ALL THE WORLD WATCHING WILL NOT REFRAIN FROM TARGETING THE AQSA MOSQUE. AND SINCE THE ARABS DO NOT ACT AGAINST WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE PALESTINIANS AND THE ENEMIES ARE PROTECTED AND BACKED UP BY THE U.S., THEN THE ZIONIST ENTITY WILL JUST CONTINUE ITS ATTACK PLANS AGAINST PALESTINE. THERE IS ZIONIST DANGER APPROACHING NOT ONLY THE AQSA BUT OTHER PLACES TOO." ¶3. NOTING THAT THE THREATS AGAINST THE AQSA MOSQUE ARE NOT ONLY AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS BUT ALSO AGAINST ALL MUSLIMS, DUBAI- BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 07/26:(CIRCULATION 40,000) ". IT IS NOT FAR FROM THE TRUTH THAT THE ISRAELI WARNINGS ARE PREPARATIONS FOR AN ATTACK OF THE AQSA MOSQUE. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE THAT THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT THAT IS COMMITTING DAILY TERRORIST ATTACKS AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE FIRST KIBLAH AND THE THIRD HARAM. THE AQSA MOSQUE IS A RED LINE AND WHOEVER TRIES TO JUMP OVER IT WILL BE PUNISHED AND THIS IS NOT ONLY A MUSLIM WARNING BUT IT IS ALSO A WARNING FROM SOME OF THE RATIONAL PEOPLE IN THE ZIONIST GOVERNMENT WHO THINK THAT IF TERRORISTS DESTROY THE AQSA MOSQUE THEN THAT WILL BE THE END OF ISRAEL BECAUSE MUSLIMS IN ALL THE WORLD WILL NOT ACCEPT IT." ¶4. NOTING THAT OUR REGION WILL NOT BEAR ANOTHER CRISIS LIKE THE ONE IN IRAQ, "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 07/25: ". WILL OUR REGION BE ABLE TO BEAR ANOTHER CRISIS LIKE THE ONE IN IRAQ? THE SITUATION IN DARFOUR NEEDS TO BE SOLVED WITH PATIENCE AND WISDOM NOT WITH HASTINESS. WE WISH THAT DARFOUR'S SITUATION WOULD NOT BE AN EXCUSE FOR FOREIGN MILITARY INTERFERENCE IN SUDAN. THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO BE GIVEN TIME TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM SO IT WON'T TURN INTO A CRISIS SITUATION." ¶5. CRITICIZING THE DOUBLE STANDARDS OF THE U.S. IN DEALING WITH THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT AND IN DEALING WITH THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT, "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 07/24: ". THE U.S.'S INSISTENCE ON LEGITIMIZING THE ZIONIST ATTACKS, KEEPING ISRAEL ABOVE ALL SCRUTINY AND MAKING SURE THAT IT IS NEVER PUNISHED, COMPARED WITH ITS (U.S.) INSISTENCE ON PUNISHING SUDAN REVEALS THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT'S DOUBLE STANDARDS, WHICH WILL MAKE THE WORLD MORE AND MORE CHAOTIC AND THE `LAW OF THE JUNGLE' WILL RULE AT THE EXPENSE OF EVERYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH HUMANITY." ALBRIGHT