Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06AMMAN5388
2006-07-18 09:34:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHAM #5388/01 1990934 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 180934Z JUL 06 FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2350 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0381 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS IMMEDIATE 1301 RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUMICEA/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA// IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS AMMAN 005388
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 TSOU
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT
Editorial Commentary
-- "The other thing that is dead"
Chief Editor Ayman Safadi writes on the back-page of independent,
centrist Arabic daily Al-Ghad (07/18): "Amr Mousa needed many years
to conclude that Israel's denial of all the signed agreements, its
nullification of the Palestinian partner, and its re-occupation of
Palestinian territories, all mean that the peace process has long
been dead and buried. There is another thing that lying dead before
the very eyes of Amr Mousa. We wonder how long it is going to take
him to acknowledge that the Arab League that he represents is also
dead.... There are only two options before the Arab League. The
first is launching an effective move led by the three countries that
have international and regional influence in the Arab Israeli
conflict, namely Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan ... that translates
into concrete action for ending Israel's aggression and re-arranges
the situation in the region within the context of conditions that
fulfill the minimum of Arab rights.... The second option is for Amr
Mousa to declare the demise of the Arab League and its claim of the
presence of an official Arab regime, just as clearly as he had
declared the demise of the peace process. May be this
acknowledgement will lead to a new birth, either from steps and
programs undertaken by the Arabs or from the depth of the vacuum and
desperation that have become the markings of the region."
-- "To whom do the people complain!"
Chief Editor Taher Odwan writes on the back-page of independent,
mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm (07/18): "Insisting on the
method of complaining to the United Nations and disavowing
responsibilities required from the Arab regime is disastrous and
irresponsible, because it is happening at a time when the Arab land
is turning into an arena of destruction and devastation as well as
massacres and bloodshed of people who have surrendered their lives
and their homelands to governments whose duty it is to protect the
land, the people and the sovereignty and not hand these people to
slaughter and destruction. It is funny that the [Arab] regimes are
just now finding out about Iran's influence in the region and that
this discovery is used as a justification to abandon Lebanon. If
there is a 'Shiite crescent' extending from Tehran to Beirut, then
who had paved the way for its existence? Was it not the Arab summit
meetings that allowed the American occupation to destroy Iraq and
turn it into an arena for sectarian and civil war? Who allowed Iran
to own Iraq? Was it not America, the 'friend' of the Arabs, and
with support of decisions issued by Arab summits, that gave the
green light for this dangerous strategic penetration? We are at the
threshold of decisive strategic changes in the region. If the peace
process is dead, then where is the Arab stand that should be
prepared and ready to deal with Israel's attempts at imposing
surrender on the Arabs? It is not an issue of preferring Siniora
over Hassan Nasrallah or Mahmoud Abbas over Haniyeh. The fact is
that it is a battleground, where regional and international players
have turned the tables upside down on the heads of all the Arabs....
Avoiding the war or regional wars ... is done by the Arabs taking
control of their own issues and causes from the hands of the
Americans and the Israelis and by adopting a stern position
vis-`-vis the American, British and Iranian occupations in Iraq and
a strong position vis-`-vis the continued Israeli occupation of
Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese lands."
-- "Jordan's options vis-`-vis the Israeli aggression against
Lebanon"
Columnist Batir Wardam writes on the inside page of center-left,
influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour (07/18): "The feelings of the
Jordanian people vis-`-vis the Israeli aggression against Lebanon
are defined by two contradicting waves. The first is that of anger,
hatred and sadness at the loss of Lebanese civilian lives and the
destruction of infrastructure in Lebanon. The second is joy and
gloating at the fact that Israel is being subjected to Hizbollah's
bombings.... It seems that the majority of the Jordanians are now
rallying behind the feelings of joy and gloating at the bombing of
Israel and they want to see more scene of this bombing.... Jordan
finds itself in a difficult situation. Jordanians are calling for a
stand against Israel ... and demand in the way of political pressure
that Jordan make the 'symbolic' gesture of at freezing or canceling
the peace treaty with Israel. The Jordanians street is always
right, for Jordan must play a more effective role in the ongoing
events, but it cannot do that alone. There must be an organized
Arab alliance for that. The core of the new Arab alliance has
started to appear. Unfortunately for the Jordanian street, it is
not being formed by Jordan, Syria and Hizbollah, as people would
have liked out of their sympathy for Lebanon and hatred for Israel,
but rather by Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This alliance is not
calling for supporting the resistance and Hizbollah as the people
had wanted, but rather is demanding Hizbollah to stop the
uncalculated adventures and is calling for supporting the Lebanese
government only, which, people forget, is the only legitimate party
responsible for managing the affairs of the Lebanese state. The
problem with the Jordanian-Saudi-Egyptian stand is not a moral one.
The leaders of these countries are correct to understand the
seriousness of the situation that is forming in the region and they
are right to want to protect the political interests of their
countries and refuse to be held hostage to the scheme of Hizbollah
and Iran. The problem with this alliance is that it cannot protect
the Lebanese people from the Israeli brutality, thus rendering it
politically ineffective and giving Hizbollah more opportunity to
gain popularity in the Arab world, a popularity that will increase
in proportion with the increase of Israel's crimes in Lebanon....
The option of exercising political pressure on Israel must be
available and present in the Jordanian decision-making process.
There is also a need to involve the Jordanian people in such a
decision, as the people have the right to know the political and
economic repercussions of a unilateral decision to sever political
relations with Israel and the sacrifices that the Jordanian people
will have to make."
HALE
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 TSOU
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT
Editorial Commentary
-- "The other thing that is dead"
Chief Editor Ayman Safadi writes on the back-page of independent,
centrist Arabic daily Al-Ghad (07/18): "Amr Mousa needed many years
to conclude that Israel's denial of all the signed agreements, its
nullification of the Palestinian partner, and its re-occupation of
Palestinian territories, all mean that the peace process has long
been dead and buried. There is another thing that lying dead before
the very eyes of Amr Mousa. We wonder how long it is going to take
him to acknowledge that the Arab League that he represents is also
dead.... There are only two options before the Arab League. The
first is launching an effective move led by the three countries that
have international and regional influence in the Arab Israeli
conflict, namely Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan ... that translates
into concrete action for ending Israel's aggression and re-arranges
the situation in the region within the context of conditions that
fulfill the minimum of Arab rights.... The second option is for Amr
Mousa to declare the demise of the Arab League and its claim of the
presence of an official Arab regime, just as clearly as he had
declared the demise of the peace process. May be this
acknowledgement will lead to a new birth, either from steps and
programs undertaken by the Arabs or from the depth of the vacuum and
desperation that have become the markings of the region."
-- "To whom do the people complain!"
Chief Editor Taher Odwan writes on the back-page of independent,
mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm (07/18): "Insisting on the
method of complaining to the United Nations and disavowing
responsibilities required from the Arab regime is disastrous and
irresponsible, because it is happening at a time when the Arab land
is turning into an arena of destruction and devastation as well as
massacres and bloodshed of people who have surrendered their lives
and their homelands to governments whose duty it is to protect the
land, the people and the sovereignty and not hand these people to
slaughter and destruction. It is funny that the [Arab] regimes are
just now finding out about Iran's influence in the region and that
this discovery is used as a justification to abandon Lebanon. If
there is a 'Shiite crescent' extending from Tehran to Beirut, then
who had paved the way for its existence? Was it not the Arab summit
meetings that allowed the American occupation to destroy Iraq and
turn it into an arena for sectarian and civil war? Who allowed Iran
to own Iraq? Was it not America, the 'friend' of the Arabs, and
with support of decisions issued by Arab summits, that gave the
green light for this dangerous strategic penetration? We are at the
threshold of decisive strategic changes in the region. If the peace
process is dead, then where is the Arab stand that should be
prepared and ready to deal with Israel's attempts at imposing
surrender on the Arabs? It is not an issue of preferring Siniora
over Hassan Nasrallah or Mahmoud Abbas over Haniyeh. The fact is
that it is a battleground, where regional and international players
have turned the tables upside down on the heads of all the Arabs....
Avoiding the war or regional wars ... is done by the Arabs taking
control of their own issues and causes from the hands of the
Americans and the Israelis and by adopting a stern position
vis-`-vis the American, British and Iranian occupations in Iraq and
a strong position vis-`-vis the continued Israeli occupation of
Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese lands."
-- "Jordan's options vis-`-vis the Israeli aggression against
Lebanon"
Columnist Batir Wardam writes on the inside page of center-left,
influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour (07/18): "The feelings of the
Jordanian people vis-`-vis the Israeli aggression against Lebanon
are defined by two contradicting waves. The first is that of anger,
hatred and sadness at the loss of Lebanese civilian lives and the
destruction of infrastructure in Lebanon. The second is joy and
gloating at the fact that Israel is being subjected to Hizbollah's
bombings.... It seems that the majority of the Jordanians are now
rallying behind the feelings of joy and gloating at the bombing of
Israel and they want to see more scene of this bombing.... Jordan
finds itself in a difficult situation. Jordanians are calling for a
stand against Israel ... and demand in the way of political pressure
that Jordan make the 'symbolic' gesture of at freezing or canceling
the peace treaty with Israel. The Jordanians street is always
right, for Jordan must play a more effective role in the ongoing
events, but it cannot do that alone. There must be an organized
Arab alliance for that. The core of the new Arab alliance has
started to appear. Unfortunately for the Jordanian street, it is
not being formed by Jordan, Syria and Hizbollah, as people would
have liked out of their sympathy for Lebanon and hatred for Israel,
but rather by Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This alliance is not
calling for supporting the resistance and Hizbollah as the people
had wanted, but rather is demanding Hizbollah to stop the
uncalculated adventures and is calling for supporting the Lebanese
government only, which, people forget, is the only legitimate party
responsible for managing the affairs of the Lebanese state. The
problem with the Jordanian-Saudi-Egyptian stand is not a moral one.
The leaders of these countries are correct to understand the
seriousness of the situation that is forming in the region and they
are right to want to protect the political interests of their
countries and refuse to be held hostage to the scheme of Hizbollah
and Iran. The problem with this alliance is that it cannot protect
the Lebanese people from the Israeli brutality, thus rendering it
politically ineffective and giving Hizbollah more opportunity to
gain popularity in the Arab world, a popularity that will increase
in proportion with the increase of Israel's crimes in Lebanon....
The option of exercising political pressure on Israel must be
available and present in the Jordanian decision-making process.
There is also a need to involve the Jordanian people in such a
decision, as the people have the right to know the political and
economic repercussions of a unilateral decision to sever political
relations with Israel and the sacrifices that the Jordanian people
will have to make."
HALE