TFLE01: KING COVERS DOMESTIC FLANK WITH PUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005879 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2016 TAGS: PREL KISL IS LE JO SUBJECT: TFLE01: KING COVERS DOMESTIC FLANK WITH PUBLIC WARNING OF WAR'S CONSEQUENCES REF: AMMAN 5775 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. ( U ) With public sympathy for Hizballah getting stronger, King Abdullah warned publicly that ending &Israeli occupation8 and establishing a Palestinian state are together the only long-term solution to the current conflict. The King,s statement, which led all local media August 3, said &the U.S. should acknowledge that war (in Lebanon) will not bring anything but more woes, violence and extremism,8 and that the conflict has weakened moderate voices in the region. If Hizballah were destroyed and no peaceful solution found to the Palestinian issue, &other Hizballahs would emerge. ¶2. ( U ) The King,s statement comes against a backdrop of sympathy for Lebanon (and increasingly, admiration for Hizballah,s &resistance8) that prevails in all sectors of Jordanian society (reftels.) In the words of the pro-western Planning Minister, the situation in Lebanon &is even turning moderates into extremists.8 Demonstrations remain orderly, are staged far from U.S. facilities, and number in the low thousands. However, their tempo has picked up in the past week; what started as Friday gathering are now almost daily events. -------------- FM Visits Beirut, Prepares for AL Ministerial -------------- ¶3. ( U ) Echoing King Abdullah,s points, Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdelillah al-Khatib said in Beirut August 3, &We believe that this situation in Lebanon could be repeated if a peace settlement that gives Arabs their full rights and gives the Palestinian people the right to set up their independent state is not reached.8 FM al-Khatib arrived in Lebanon on a Jordanian military flight carrying humanitarian assistance. ¶4. ( C ) Back in Jordan, Khatib told Ambassador August 3 that if an Arab League ministerial takes place in Beirut the GOJ will coordinate most of the logistics out of Amman. AL SecGen Amre Mousa visited Amman August 3 to advance the ministerial. Khatib told Ambassador that his trip to Beirut was not coordinated with his Egyptian counterpart, but when they realized they were in Beirut at the same time, decided it would be constructive to meet Lebanese officials together. -------------- Oppositionists Slam Peace Treaty -------------- ¶5. ( SBU ) A coalition of professional associations, opposition parties and independent politicians called for Jordan to abrogate its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. Islamic Action Front Deputy Hamzah Mansour authored the appeal to PM Bakhit, which also called for cutting diplomatic ties with Israel. Comment: Even in quieter times, most of these voices are critical of Israel-Jordan ties. In the current environment, however, their points will resonate with more Jordanians. End Comment. -------------- Prince Hamzah to Lead OIC Delegation -------------- ¶6. ( C ) King Abdullah is sending his half-brother Prince Hamzah Bin Al Hussein to lead the Jordanian delegation to the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference being held in Malaysia. Because Hamzah holds no official position and has no independent track record, his selection suggests King Abdullah assigns a low priority to the Conference but did not want to slight the Malaysian hosts, with whom he has good personal relations. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. ( C ) In private the King,s statements ) and actions ) remain supportive of U.S efforts to deal with the crisis. However, in the face of overwhelming public sympathy for Lebanon, and growing admiration of Hizballah, the King is trying to put some public distance between himself and the U.S. End Comment. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ Hale