ISLAMISTS WEIGH IN AGAINST THE U.S., ISRAEL AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000381

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/15/2014
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KISL IS JO
SUBJECT: ISLAMISTS WEIGH IN AGAINST THE U.S., ISRAEL AND
FRANCE

REF: A. AMMAN 00304

B. 03 AMMAN 08225

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for Reasons 1.5 (b),(d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) The Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and its political
wing, the Islamic Action Front (IAF),have recently joined a
charge against reform of the state educational curriculum and
spearheaded a new drive in Parliament to sever relations with
Israel. The Islamists also denounced the French government
for its decision to ban headscarves in state schools.
Israeli politicians' rhetoric about the displacement of
Palestinians from the West Bank, which raises the specter of
another wave of refugees coming to Jordan, has contributed to
a public mood of paranoia about Israeli motives and
receptivity to Islamist tub-thumping. End Summary.

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"EXTREMIST" AMERICA
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2. (U) On January 7, secretary general of the IAF Hamzah
Mansour gave an interview on Al-Arabiyah television via
satellite from Amman. When asked about the IAF's opposition
to the inclusion of new human rights materials in Jordan's
educational curriculum (see ref a),Mansour stated that the
proposed changes were intended "to present our pupils with an
Islam that is tailored to suit the specifications of Sharon
and Bush, and not Almighty God." Mansour rejected the idea
that the current curriculum supported extremism and instead
claimed "it is the U.S. administration and its lackey Blair
who is the inventor, leader and sponsor of extremism."

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NO PEACE IN OUR TIME
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3. (U) During his interview, Mansour also condemned the
Jordan-Israel peace agreement, claiming that it was a "treaty
of subjugation" that was "imposed on our people." He asked
rhetorically, "What kind of peace can be made with those who
expelled five million Palestinians from their land and
replaced them with five million bastards brought in from all
corners of the world?"


4. (U) In addition to such statements of condemnation of
Jordan-Israel relations, the IAF rounded up 41 MPs (roughly
37% of the 110-seat Chamber of Deputies) to endorse a
memorandum demanding that the GOJ sever ties with Israel and
expel the Israeli ambassador. It also requested that an
expected visit to Jordan by Israeli FM Silvan Shalom later
this month be canceled. "The government should consider the
Israeli ambassador persona non grata and halt all dealings
with the Jewish entity," read the memo.


5. (C) While the IAF-generated memo reflects long-standing
anger at Israel for its treatment of Palestinians, its
endorsement by mainstream MPs was in direct reaction to a
recent proposal by hard-liners in the Israeli Likud party
central committee that recommended the transfer of
Palestinians to a third country in the region. The GOJ was
quick to rebuff the proposal, with Prime Minister Faisal
al-Fayez stating on January 11 that Jordan "rejects any
Israeli schemes which seek to expel Palestinians or to return
to statements that Jordan is a substitute homeland (for
Palestinians)." King Abdullah also publicly rejected the
proposal, highlighting the issue's importance to Jordanians.

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HEADSCARF MANIA
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6. (U) Mansour also directed his ire at the French decision
to prohibit women from wearing Islamic headscarves in state
schools. He claimed that the French President "wants to take
away the robe of chastity from the Muslim woman and he wants
to defame her image." Mansour also warned that the ban
marked "the beginning of a new era of more restrictions on
Muslims in France and afterward throughout Europe and
elsewhere in countries around the world."


7. (U) To further express condemnation of the French
decision, female members of the IAF launched a petition
campaign in Jordan calling on France to rescind its headscarf
ban. As of January 12, 30,000 signatures had been collected.
IAF MP Hayat Al-Maseemi (West Banker, Zarqa - 1st District)
said the campaign was "a show of solidarity with Muslim women
in France and the world," and she questioned why France
considered headscarves "a threat to secularism, while
regarding revealing attire as part of public freedoms."

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COMMENT
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8. (C) What is noteworthy here is that IAF calls to sever
relations with Israel may be finding increased resonance
among Jordanians as the Palestinian-Israeli stalemate drags
on and as some in the Israeli right-wing look to Jordan as a
solution. The fact that 24 mainstream MPs joined the 17 IAF
MPs shows popular frustration with Israeli policies. It also
highlights the extreme sensitivity, bordering on paranoia,
that Jordanians and the GOJ feel at even the hint of an
Israeli transfer of Palestinians to Jordan.

Visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman or access the site
through the State Department's SIPRNET home page.
GNEHM