PETITIONERS CALL FOR "REVIEW" OF JORDAN-ISRAEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 006724 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL IS LE JO SUBJECT: PETITIONERS CALL FOR "REVIEW" OF JORDAN-ISRAEL PEACE TREATY REF: A) AMMAN 6519 B) AMMAN 6335 C) AMMAN 5879 Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) Summary: Citing Israeli and U.S. policies toward the Palestinians and Lebanon, one-hundred Jordanian political and tribal figures petitioned King Abdullah to "reconsider" Jordan's peace treaty with Israel. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Ahmed Obeidat ) Prime Minister from 1984 to 1985 and chief of the General Intelligence Directorate from 1974 to 1982 -- was the most prominent signatory. Despite his resume, Obeidat has never been enthusiastic about Jordan's close ties to the U.S. or Israel. Most of the other petitioners were East Bank stalwarts like Obeidat, and include four other former ministers. About a quarter of the signatories are oppositionists traditionally hostile to Jordan-Israel ties, including several senior officials of the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic Action Front. Fourteen current members of parliament (seven from the Front) also signed. ¶3. (U) Excerpts from the petition and the list of signatories appeared August 28 in "Al-Arab Al-Yawm," a populist, widely-read, anti-U.S. daily. The petition states that unilateral peace agreements with Israel have lost their justification in light of "Israeli policies against a comprehensive solution" and should be "reconsidered," while Jordan should distance itself from American policies. ¶4. (C) Comment: GOJ commitment to the treaty is unshaken, but in the wake of the Lebanon conflict popular feeling against Israel is running high on the street (ref A) and in some liberal circles (ref B). For the Muslim Brotherhood and IAF this kind of petition is business as usual (ref C),but the current atmosphere emboldens other foes of Jordan's regional strategy to speak out. As former Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher put it to Ambassador, recent regional developments have "put moderates in the basement." The GOJ will respond by keeping the profile of its close cooperation with Israel even lower than usual. End Comment. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ HALE