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