MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 AMMAN 007319

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

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Summary

-- The lead story in all papers today, September 1,
focuses on the two bus bombings in Beersheba, Israel.
Only one commentary was noted on this event,
justifying the bombings as retaliation to Israel's
aggressive policies against the Palestinian people.
The issue of the kidnapping of the two French
reporters in Iraq continues to dominate media coverage
in the local print media. Reports highlight King
Abdullah's talks with the French Foreign Minister,
during which Jordan's readiness to seek the release of
the hostages was relayed. Majority of the editorial
commentary yesterday and today condemn the kidnapping
of the French reporters as a "terrorist" and "stupid"
act against a country that has stood by Iraq right
from the beginning. A few columnists denounce hostage
taking of civilians being done in the name of Islam
altogether as a defamation of Islam and Muslims and
Arabs in general. A couple of columnists see
"American and Zionist anti-Iraq foreign hands" behind
the kidnapping of the French reporters.

Editorial Commentary on Iraq

-- "This is not how favors are repaid"

Chief Editor Usama Al-Sharif writes on the front page
of center-left, influential Arabic daily in Al-Dustour
(08/31): "The kidnapping of two French reporters in
Iraq and the kidnappers demand that France cancel the
law banning the Hijab in government schools made the
issue of kidnapping foreigners for political reason a
major issue that seems to have overtaken the grave
events taking place in that wounded country. We have
always opposed foreign occupation and condemned its
motives and crimes, but we are concerned that
resistance methods would not be employed to harm the
Iraqi people, the Arabs and Muslims. What makes the
situation worse is that the kidnapped people are
reporters, who enjoy the immunity and the protection
that we, in particular, are keen to provide to anyone
who puts himself at risk in order to tell the truth.
For the kidnapped reporters to be French actually
makes the situation even more critical. France is the
country of brave stances before, during and after the
war on Iraq. It is the country that defends our
causes in the international arena and does not bargain
even if that made of it a target for the Zionist media
machine. What are the kidnappers calling for anyway?
France was never a Muslim country that applies the
Islamic law so that we can ask it to cancel or amend
one of its laws to match our beliefs. The French
people are the ones who make the laws and adopt
whatever is their best interest. Have Iraq's problems
been resolved so that we can now preoccupy ourselves
with the issue of the Hijab in France? Do the
kidnappers really serve the interests of the Muslim
people of Iraq...? France cannot succumb to the
demands of the kidnappers and we support it in that,
because the kidnappers do not represent the Iraqi
people and they are bringing harm to every Muslim and
Arab with what they are doing. We apologize to France
and its friendly people and we say that Islam washes
its hand of this group of misguided people who claim
whatever they claim in the name of Islam. We stress
the fact that the media and reporters have immunity
that should be safeguarded in Iraq and everywhere
else."

-- "Kidnapping and arresting reporters is a terrorist
and stupid action"

Daily columnist George Haddad writes on the op-ed page
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(08/31): "The gravity of the situation lies in the
fact that this kidnapping is being done in the name of
the Iraqis' resistance to the Anglo-Saxon occupation
and in the name of the `Islamic Army' in Iraq. This
means, simply, that there is something suspicious and
doubtful about the motives behind the kidnapping of
the French reporters. France has always stood against
the invasion and occupation of Iraq. In fact, this
stand has brought France much headache from the U.S.
administration, be on the political level or the
economic and trade level.. The kidnappers' unduly
claim to Islam and to their objective as being wanting
to pressure France to cancel the law banning the Hijab
in French schools could only be seen as a viscous and
stupid attempt, at best, to defame Islam and Muslims.
The French are free to do and decide whatever they
want in their country, whether we agree with them or
not, and they did not come to Iraq, Egypt or Jordan
and they did not try to impose their viewpoints on us.
Besides, there are millions of French Muslims who
reject such methods as being terrorist actions that
have nothing to do with the tolerance and good nature
of Islam.. Iraq is a war zone suffering from chaos
and the absence in security. It is a model situation
for misguided people, conspiracies and operations by
international intelligence forces to exist. Without a
doubt, the American and Israeli intelligence apparatus
are lead among those forces now roaming as they like
and doing what they like. The kidnapping and hostage
taking of reporters is by all standards a foolish and
terrorist action that could never serve any cause or
come to any good. Imagine when the hostage reporters
are friends of the people suffering from occupation
and brutality."

-- "The suspicious kidnapping"

Daily columnist Ibrahim Absi writes on the op-ed page
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(08/31): "The kidnapping of the two French reporters
in Iraq draws more than a question mark. This
kidnapping harms Islam, Arabs and Iraq and opposes the
religion, morality and the Iraqi resistance, and thus
cannot be done by a responsible Islamic group that
claims to be fighting the American occupiers in Iraq.
This kidnapping is staged by the enemies of Iraq, of
Islam and of the resistance, and is aimed at diverting
attention from the actions of the real Iraqi
resistance against the American occupation and from
the massacres and horrific actions that occupation
forces are committing against the Iraqi people. After
all, the two kidnapped reporters' task was to expose
these American crimes in Iraq. For whose benefit was
the kidnapping for those two innocent Frenchmen done?
Why do they have to do with the law banning the Hijab
in France? Has the battle of Iraq and the Iraqi
resistance become the Hijab in France or is it still
Iraq's liberation from the occupying American forces?
Why did the kidnapping take place at this point in
time when the city of New York is witnessing massive
demonstrations against the current U.S.
administration, against the occupation of Iraq, and
against the policies of the neo-conservatives that
brought hared and enmity to the United States? Is the
kidnapping meant to steal the light from these
demonstrations and ease the burden on the U.S.
administration.? The kidnapping of the French
reporters is not far from being done by American and
Zionist anti-Iraq foreign hands, even it hides behind
Islamic banners. We join hands with the Muslims of
France and the Arab and Muslim world in denouncing
this horrible incident and in calling for the
immediate release of these reporters and apologizing
to France that has stood by Iraq in its darkest of
hours much more than some Arabs and Muslims have."

-- "Consensus against this type of operations"

Daily columnist Jamil Nimri writes on the back page of
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm
(08/31): "Kidnapping civilians, whatever their
nationality, is rejected and denounced out of
principle, but the kidnapping of the French reporters
in particular has raised widespread condemnations
because France was one of the lead countries to oppose
the occupation and continues to be the title for
international opposition to American policies in the
region.. The international campaign, which included
national and Islamic forces in our region, against the
kidnapping of the French reporters must be the
beginning of unifying the stand against such
operations altogether; whatever may be the nationality
of the hostages. Such operations divert attention
from the real issue, and it is useless to speculate
about who is responsible for the kidnapping every
time. A strong and direct message must be delivered
that such operations are worthy of only gangsters and
criminals and not political or military struggles
against occupations."

-- "Kidnapping the media: `the Islamic Army' imitates
the American army"

Columnist Yaser Abu Hilaleh writes on the op-ed page
of independent Arabic daily Al-Ghad (09/01):
"Certainly the `Islamic Army' that claimed
responsibility for the kidnapping of the two French
reporters does not have the capability to imitate its
opponent with its missiles, tanks, nuclear weapons and
other deadly weaponry. However, it can imitate it in
targeting the media and in the objectives, such as
changing the culture of a society by force (the Hijab
in France). Demanding the change to the Hijab law is
exactly like demanding the change to the curricula in
the Arab countries.. Which sect did the kidnapping is
not important, because those who did it are Arabs and
Muslims who brought harm to their people and their
religion by imitating the invading army. These people
seems to have forgotten to distinguish between the
western media and the western governments, and they
seem to have forgotten that the one who exposed the
Abu Ghraib scandal was the American CBS.. I hope that
when this article is published, the two French
reporters would be free. They may not be free and we
hope that the worst would not happen. Enough mourning
for reporters and enough damage to Islam. The Islamic
Army can imitate the one with the upper hand in many
things, such as using technology and digital cameras
to photograph real resistance operations instead of
illusionary resistance operations that target unarmed
reporters. The `Islamic Army' is the making of the
culture borne and raised by America: a culture of
violence devoid of moral controls. The kidnappers
know that their people have been kidnapped for more
than a decade under the headline of the blockade and
the search for weapons of mass destruction. They know
their country has been kidnapped by multi-national
forces. They know so much.. It is in the interest of
the one with the lower hand not to imitate the one
with the upper hand when it comes to dealing with the
media. Why kind of victory is it that is achieved
over the dead body of a reporter?"

-- "The awakening against `kidnapping the innocent':
what is the difference between the French and the
Nepalese?"

Daily columnist Bater Wardam writes on the op-ed page
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(09/01): "For the first time, the Arab and Muslim
world, particularly political Islamic organizations,
express a clear-cut rejection of kidnapping innocent
people. This is a very important point of transition,
because it marks the first explicit condemnation by
non-governmental organizations vis--vis the
kidnapping of civilians, which in itself indicates the
rise of an actual `awakening of the conscience' in the
Arab and Muslim world vis--vis aggression against and
kidnapping of innocent people and civilians in the
name of Islam.. We want a clear and comprehensive
Arab and Muslim stand towards crimes of kidnapping and
political bargaining with the lives of the innocent.
.
We want to see protests and genuine efforts to seek
the release of those kidnapped, be they French,
Italian, Turkish, Nepalese and even Americans if they
are as innocent civilians as the reporters.. If our
stand vis--vis the kidnapping of the French reporters
was a comprehensive and general stand vis--vis all
kidnappings, then it would be a stand to be proud of.
If this stand is specific to the French for
exceptional political reasons, then it is a stand that
political hypocritical, racist and immoral."

Editorial Commentary on Middle East

-- "Beersheba: blood in return for Israel's
intransigence"

Columnist Hasan Shobaki writes on the op-ed page of
independent Arabic daily Al-Ghad (09/01): "Israeli
blood was shed yesterday in Beersheba in a clear
message to the Israeli Prime Minister that the
Palestinian resistance will remain so long as there is
an occupation. The explosions in Beersheba represent
a language that is well understood by Sharon and his
s
gang of experts in the extermination, killing and
destruction of all that is human. The terrorist
scheme that Israel is adopting, in terms of
frustrating the Palestinians in villages and refugee
camps and the organized crimes against Palestinian
prisoners, shows beyond the shadow of doubt that
Israel seeks to nullify the Palestinian existence from
the human viewpoint, just as it had sought before to
nullify it from the geographic viewpoint. The most
indicative of this is Israel's refusal to listen to
the voice of the world calling for putting an end to
the massacres being perpetrated against four thousand
Palestinian prisoners.. The bloodshed series led by
extremist of the Israeli occupation forces will not
stop as long as Israeli voters insist on selecting
leaderships like that of Sharon's, and as long as U.S.
elections continue to be governed by Israeli interests
and by turning a blind eye to the organized
extermination of non-political criminals in Tel Aviv
and Washington against a people who are accustomed to
fighting back and resisting."
HALE