JORDANIANS HOPE PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS WILL JUMP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000247

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL IS JO
SUBJECT: JORDANIANS HOPE PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS WILL JUMP
START PEACE PROCESS

REF: A. AMMAN 00217

B. AMMAN 00044

Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Jordanians followed the Palestinian elections with
interest, lauding the Palestinians for the smooth process and
high voter turnout. King Abdullah on January 10 called Abu
Mazen to congratulate him on his election and dispatched FM
Mulki to Ramallah to congratulate the new Palestinian
president in person. Abu Mazen also received Jordanian
delegation members who had joined the ranks of observers
during the election process. Jordanians hope that the
elections will serve as a step towards reviving direct
Israeli-Palestinian talks, and several contacts urged all
parties -- especially Israel and the U.S. -- not to squander
this opportunity. End Summary.

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JORDANIANS OBSERVE, LAUD THE PROCESS
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2. (C) Jordanians have taken a keen interest in the
Palestinian elections, applauding the Palestinians for the
smooth process and high voter turnout. King Abdullah on
January 10 followed an official cable of congratulations with
a telephone call to Abu Mazen, stressing Jordan's "keenness
to cooperate and coordinate with the Palestinians to go ahead
in peace and achieve the aspirations of the Palestinians."
King Abdullah told reporters after a meeting EU foreign
policy chief Javier Solana on January 9 that the Palestinian
elections were "a step towards enabling the Palestinian
leadership to build their institutions and resume the peace
process." After meeting PLO official Farouq Qaddoumi in
Amman, FM Mulki departed for Ramallah to offer the GOJ's
congratulations in person. Press coverage of the elections
was heavy, dominating front pages in all major Jordanian
dailies (ref A).


3. (C) Abu Mazen on January 10 received Jordanian
delegation members who had traveled to the West Bank to
observe the elections. Former PM and current Senator Abdul
Salam al-Majali told reporters that Jordan fully supported
the Palestinian people, and commended the transparency of the
elections. Partially in response to public pressure, the GOJ
had backtracked on its original declaration that it would not
send observers to the West Bank and Gaza. Following the
dispatch of Majali's official delegation (ref B),a
five-member parliamentary delegation headed by Amman MP
Mamdouh al-Abbadi traveled to the West Bank on January 8 to
monitor the elections. Abbadi told reporters after meeting
Abu Mazen that their discussions focused on
"Jordanian-Palestinian relations, which, we stressed, are of
special and integral importance to us." Abbadi noted that
his delegation would monitor the polling and ballot counting
in Gaza, Hebron and Ramallah, adding that "people are very
excited about the election process despite the humiliation
from the occupation." After his own meeting with Abu Mazen
in Ramallah on January 6, Majali said that Jordan's
participation in the monitoring process reaffirms the
solidarity between Palestinians and Jordanians. "Israel
pledged that it will help the Palestinians vote and we are
here to ensure that it will keep its word," he said, adding
that Jordan wanted to help ensure the election is held in a
transparent way.


4. (C) Dureid Mahasneh, a Jordanian businessman who
participated in Jordanian-Israeli peace negotiations in 1994,
was impressed that the elections proceeded smoothly. How
ironic, he lamented to Poloff, that the Palestinians, despite
their dismal social and economic conditions, would be the
ones to demonstrate political sophistication and an
understanding of true democratic principles far beyond those
on display in most Arab states.

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ABU MAZEN'S WIN A VICTORY FOR MODERATES
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5. (C) Abu Mazen's electoral victory is an achievement for
the voices of moderation, and the high voter turnout shows
that people are craving change, according to Hamadeh Faraneh,
a former member of Parliament and political analyst. Noting
that the election reinforced public support for Fatah at
HAMAS's expense, he commented that Abu Mazen won on the
merits of his positions, not his personality. Highlighting
the public comments by a HAMAS official congratulating Abu
Mazen after the election, he told Poloff that HAMAS is
currently in a position of weakness that should be exploited.

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MAINTAINING MOMENTUM CRUCIAL
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6. (C) Some Jordanians are not so optimistic that the
election of Abu Mazen will lead to a new chapter in the peace
process. Dalia Farouki, who works with the National Center
for Human Rights in Amman, commented to Poloff just before
the election that Abu Mazen's success as President depends
heavily on Israeli actions. Drawing on her experiences
during visits to her family's home in Jerusalem, she says
that people are psychologically scarred from more than four
years of violence and destruction. In her view, they are
much more skeptical of politicians and wary of empty promises
than before the second intifada, and much difficult work
remains ahead to move beyond the current impasse. She said
that many ordinary Jordanians (and Palestinians) are not
convinced that the Israelis (and the U.S.) are truly
committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state, and
will be looking for concrete actions to prove otherwise.
Mahasneh concurred, urging that the United States become
actively re-engaged to maintain the momentum generated by the
election.


7. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.

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