MEDIA REACTION ON ANTI-SEMITISM LAW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 008595 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 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR JO SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON ANTI-SEMITISM LAW Summary -- Lead story in all papers today, October 18, focuses on Prime Minister Faisal Fayez's talks with a variety of parliamentary blocs over a possible cabinet reshuffle, which is expected to be announced on Friday or Saturday. Another lead story highlights the "ferocious battles" in Fallujah in Iraq. Editorial Commentary -- "The law of `preferring Jews over the rest of the people'" Daily columnist Jawad Bashiti writes in independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm (10/18): "From now on, the United States, which is fighting two wars in the world: a war against terrorism and another war against the `enemies of Semitism', will be keeping score of all anti-Semitic actions that take place anywhere. It will be correcting the stances of countries vis--vis this issue in terms of rewards and punishments, and will be setting a list of actions that each country in this world would need to undertake in order to respond to anti-Semitic actions. With this law, which is only paralleled by the illusions of the Old Testament and the heavenly promise, the United States, officially and openly, joins Israel in its war and antagonism against the Arabs, and particularly against the Palestinians. Whoever survives the anti-terrorism law will not survive the anti-Semitism law. Arabs, apart from the odd number of reformists, will be considered on the one hand as either exercising terrorism, supporting it, or calling for it, or, on the other hand, as exercising anti-Semitism, instigating it or promoting it." -- "Bush gets United States involved in a historical issue" Daily columnist Sultan Hattab writes on the op-ed page of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai (10/18): "By signing the anti-Semitism law, United States President George Bush put the U.S. prestige, role and capabilities in the service of the Jews, as he looked to gain their votes in the upcoming presidential elections.. This is one of most serious decisions ever taken by the United States since its establishment, because it has to do with what is outside its borders and because it works on reshaping the world in favor of the Jews and their protection by a superpower. This decision is considered as absolute support for Israel, enabling it to use this would-be weapon anytime against its opponents and enemies and without need to refer to the United States.. We do not support the oppression of any people or religion, not even the Jews, and we stand against antagonizing them and Semitism. However, we stand against the idea that such a privilege would turn into a privilege to confiscate our rights and to make any resistance against Israeli policy in the region, particularly Sharon's Nazi policy of building the wall, killing the Palestinians and confiscating their rights, an action to be recorded as anti-Semitism." -- "The anti-Semitism law poses questions regarding freedom in the U.S." Journalist Lamis Andoni writes in independent Arabic daily in Al-Ghad (10/17): "The law, and most pertinently the philosophy that lies beneath it, represents another escalation against the Palestinian struggle for independence and against the growing campaigns in Europe and America in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Philosophically, the law conveys the distorted concept that any criticism or condemnation of Israel is a form of anti-Semitism. The law is considered a success for the many extensive attempts and campaigns by Israel and Zionist organizations to describe everything that is happening - from news reports, through demonstrations protesting Israel's bombing of Palestinian towns, all the way to the Hague decision against the separation wall - as proof of the rise and spread of anti-Semitism in the world.. In recent years, the rise of solidarity movements that go beyond the condemnation of occupation to the support of the right of return for the Palestinian people and the condemnation of Zionism have been witnessed. Such a step aims to disfigure the nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict by showing it as a conspiracy to exterminate Jews in the world, which serves the interests of extremist Israelis and Americans, who seek to portray the Israeli aggression as legitimate action against terrorism, or even against Arab-Palestinian efforts to organize a massacre of Jews, and thus rendering void the legitimacy of the Palestinian resistance against the occupation. Therefore, resisting this law is of great importance, particularly outside the United States." -- "Semites!!" Columnist Mohammad Ka'wash writes on the back-page of independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm (10/17): "It is most surprising, even incomprehensible that President Bush, who claims to wage war against terror and for the `liberation of people' from repression, is the same person who aids Sharon and his extremist government, and gives all support for Israel's aggression against the Arab Semitic people of Palestine. We should remind the President that the Arab people of Palestine and Iraq are Semites, so will he implement his law to their benefit, too?" HALE