GOJ WELCOMES NEWS OF PARTIAL PRISONER RELEASE,

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 003126 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL IS JO SUBJECT: GOJ WELCOMES NEWS OF PARTIAL PRISONER RELEASE, KING RECEIVES ABU MAZEN IN AMMAN REF: A. AMMAN 2968 ¶B. AMMAN 1945 Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) Foreign Minister Farouq al-Qasrawi welcomed Israel's announcement on April 17 that it will release nine Jordanian prisoners currently held in Israel as a "positive and good step in the right direction." However, he emphasized that Jordan remained committed to bringing all of the prisoners home. Jordan's ambassador to Israel told reporters that seven of the men are expected to return to Jordan, while two will remain in "Palestinian areas" with their families. ¶2. (C) Contacted by poloff on April 18, Auda Abu Tayeh in the Foreign Minister's Private Office would not confirm press reports that the release would occur on April 20. He said that the Jordanian embassy in Tel Aviv is in contact with Israeli authorities "as we speak" on the matter. Given the sensitivity of the issue and the fact that "families are involved," he stated that the GOJ is proceeding cautiously and does not want to give false hope by prematurely confirming a release date. He speculated that the nine slated to be released are charged with the least serious offenses of the group and have nearly completed their prison terms. On a side note, Abu Tayeh commented he will remain involved in this and other peace process issues upon his transfer to the embassy in Tel Aviv, scheduled for next week. ¶3. (U) The news of the impending prisoner release came as King Abdullah received Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on April 17. According to a statement from the palace, the King emphasized Jordan's position that Israel's disengagement from Gaza should be followed by a withdrawal from the West Bank in accordance with the roadmap. He denounced unilateral decisions by either party as harmful to the peace process and reiterated Jordan's demand that Israeli settlement expansion cease. The King and Abu Mazen further agreed on the need to protect the holy places in Jerusalem from Israeli extremists (ref A) and to oppose the sale or lease of Orthodox Church property. Prime Minister Badran, Foreign Minister Qasrawi, and Royal Court Minister Muasher all joined the meeting. ¶4. (C) Comment: Public GOJ comments in the past suggesting "imminent" prisoner releases that never materialized -- most recently in the aftermath of former FM Mulki's March visit to Israel (ref B) -- have damaged the GOJ's credibility on this issue. Even a partial release will relieve some of the domestic pressure placed on the GOJ by anti-normalization advocates, but the victory will be short lived as the opposition and prisoners' families will ensure that the fate of the remaining prisoners -- including the four accused of pre-peace treaty murders of Israelis -- persists as a front-burner issue. ¶5. (U) 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