FEELING MORE DOMESTIC PRESSURE, JORDAN,S KING

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 006023 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS IS LE JO SUBJECT: FEELING MORE DOMESTIC PRESSURE, JORDAN,S KING PUBLICLY QUESTIONS U.S. MIDDLE EAST STRATEGY REF: A. AMMAN 5879 ¶B. AMMAN 5963 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Following up on statements August 2 to domestic media, King Abdullah expressed concerns about Lebanon and other regional conflicts in an August 8 BBC interview that was widely covered by the local print media. The King is feeling the heat from Jordanians' resentment of perceived U.S. backing of Israeli actions in Lebanon. He is protecting his domestic flank by stepping more in line with emotional public opinion. End summary. ¶2. (U) In an August 8 interview with BBC aimed both at the Jordanian domestic audience and at Western governments, King Abdullah attempted to demonstrate distance between himself and U.S. positions on Lebanon and other regional issues. Complaining about "piecemeal" approaches to the region's crises, he said "I don't think there is an overall strategy." Asked about the Secretary's recent references to a "new Middle East," the King replied "the way I'm looking at this new Middle East, I'm seeing what is happening in Somalia, (and) Gaza (and) Lebanon (and) Iraq. This is a new Middle East?" As instability spreads, "the moderate countries are becoming less emboldened to stick (out) their necks." ¶3. (U) He urged the international community to press for a Palestinian state as the core of a lasting settlement of the region's problems. Israel should end "unilateral" approaches to the Palestinians and Lebanon. On Lebanon, he stressed that "all of us need to stand behind . . . Siniora's government" and support the seven-point plan. The King's most recent statements are similar to points he made to Jordanian domestic media August 2 (ref A). Mounting Domestic Pressure -------------- ¶4. (C) The BBC interview comes at a moment when the King's top advisors tell us he is feeling pressure from the strong sympathy all sectors of Jordanian society feel for Lebanese civilians, and from growing admiration for Hassan Nasrallah (ref B). ¶5. (SBU) Jordanians' emotions continue to run high. At a luncheon at the Ambassador's residence August 9 for political reformers (several of whom are recipients of MEPI grants), criticism of the U.S. over Lebanon monopolized conversation. These moderate reformers complained that the situation had weakened them and strengthened extremists - "the extremists have Iran's support, who can we count on?" - one asked. Also on August 8, Ambassador received a letter signed by seventy-two prominent Jordanians, including four former Prime Ministers, denouncing U.S. support for Israeli actions in Lebanon (faxed to NEA/ELA). Meanwhile, reports of attacks on Palestinian camps in Lebanon have revived paranoid talk among East Bankers that Israel's long-term goal is "Jordan as Palestine." Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) While the King does not believe everything he said on the BBC, he sent a message to the Ambassador that he feels intense pressure from public opinion, which is fed on a steady diet of one-sided televised carnage. It is now an article of faith for most Jordanians that the U.S. is to blame for not ending the violence sooner - and no line of reasoning seems to alter this perception. Former Prime Minister Taher al-Masri said the King needed to make these remarks to align himself with the mood of public anger, but Jordanians still grudgingly accepted that the King's policies and association with the U.S. kept Jordan stable and peaceful in contrast to some of the countries around it. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ Hale