YASSIN ASSASSINATION SPARKS CONDEMNATION, RALLIES

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002164

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2014
TAGS: ASEC PREL KPAL JO KTER
SUBJECT: YASSIN ASSASSINATION SPARKS CONDEMNATION, RALLIES
AND LIMITED VIOLENCE IN CAMPS

REF: AMMAN 2156

Classified By: DCM David Hale for Reasons 1.5 (b),(d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (S) Both King Abdullah and Prime Minister al-Fayez
publicly condemned the Israeli assassination of Hamas
founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, warning that the killing would
lead to an escalation of violence and instability in the
region. A visibly upset Foreign Minister Muasher
complained to the Ambassador that the Israelis had chosen
to kill Yassin only three days after the King's meeting
with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon. Approximately 800
persons each demonstrated against the assassination at the
University of Jordan and the Professional Associations
headquarters, while a protest later in the day at the King
Hussein mosque garnered roughly 2,500 Jordanians. A
violent demonstration at the Baqa refugee camp led to the
closing of schools and government offices in the camp, as
well as the deployment of additional police. Public
security forces have been instructed to allow demonstrators
to let off steam, but to keep any violence from getting out
of hand. Embassy contacts outside the government have
unanimously denounced the assassination and warned of its
negative effects on the peace process, the upcoming Arab
League summit, and attitudes towards the U.S. in the
region. End Summary.

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GOVERNMENT CONDEMNATION
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2. (U) In a written statement released by the palace March
22, King Abdullah condemned the Israeli killing of Yassin,
saying "We are disappointed and pained by the new
development despite the relentless efforts that we have
exerted with all parties, including the Israeli government,
to prevent continuation of the policy of military
escalation." The King called on the Israeli government to
return immediately to the negotiation table with the
Palestinians, while he urged the international community to
make all efforts to put the peace process back on track.
In a similar press statement, Prime Minister Faisal
al-Fayez called Yassin's assassination a "crime ...
committed against the Palestinian people" and "a flagrant
violation of all charters and norms." He further warned
that the killing would lead to more bloodshed and undermine
opportunities to achieve peace in the region.


3. (C) During a March 22 meeting with the Ambassador and
visiting Ambassador Dick Jones from CPA, Foreign Minister
Marwan Muasher was visibly upset as he briefly talked about
the assassination. He noted with bitterness that the
Israelis had chosen to kill Yassin only three days after
the King had met with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon in
Israel (reported septel),implying that this would
embarrass the King both in Jordan and the Arab world and
fan more public opposition to the government's policy of
engagement with Israel. "Jordan looks terrible this
morning," said Muasher. This act, he stated, would silence
his efforts to ensure moderate treatment of
Israeli-Palestinian issues at the Arab League Tunis
Summit.
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HOSTILE PUBLIC REACTION
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4. (C) The Jordanian Public Security Directorate (PSD) and
mobile Embassy security units reported a non-violent
demonstration of roughly 800 students, academics and others
at the University of Jordan strongly condemning Israel for
its killing of Yassin. A similar rally of around 800
persons organized by labor activists and opposition
political parties took place at the Professional
Associations headquarters in Amman. Roughly 2,500 people,
some carrying HAMAS flags, gathered later in the day at the
King Hussein mosque in downtown Amman for a march towards
City Hall to voice their outrage against the
assassination. As a precautionary measure, the Israeli
embassy did not open March 22 and sent all but three
diplomats and security officers home to Israel. That
embassy will evaluate the situation over the next week.
(See ref for U.S. Embassy/EAC responses.)


5. (S) The most serious protest against Yassin's death
erupted at the Baqa refugee camp with reports of burning
tires and the smashing of vehicles. As a result of the
unrest, schools and government offices in the camp were
closed and the PSD sent in additional police to the camp.
The government also temporarily closed roads to Jerash,
Irbid and the Syrian border. Security officials indicated
that while public security forces will prevent any violence
from getting out of hand, they have been instructed to
allow demonstrators in the country to let off steam.

6. (S) According to the Jordanian military, military units
with back-up security responsibility for refugee camps have
been placed on alert, though none has been deployed. King
Abdullah was scheduled to attend a meeting at 13:00 at the
military general headquarters to discuss the security
situation.

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PRIVATE DESPAIR
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7. (C) Embassy sources outside the government contacted
March 22 all expressed sharp condemnation of Israel's
action and predicted that it could have serious negative
consequences in the region. One noted academic and media
columnist feared that it would provoke a hard-line stance
in the upcoming Arab League summit and increase hostility
towards Americans, as well as further damage any prospects
for Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. A former member of
Parliament who represented the Wehdat refugee camp in
Jordan called the assassination an "ugly crime" and said
the resulting mood inside the camp was "very tense."

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COMMENT
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8. (C) While there is little love lost for HAMAS in the
GOJ, nearly all Jordanians agree that the assassination of
Sheikh Yassin was unnecessary and escalatory. It is likely
that we will see more protests in the coming days,
particularly after communal prayers on Friday.

Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ or through the
Department of State's SIPRNET site.
GNEHM