PROSECUTOR DISMISSES COMPLAINT AGAINST ADNAN ABU

S E C R E T AMMAN 008269

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2016
TAGS: PGOV PINR KPAL KDEM JO
SUBJECT: PROSECUTOR DISMISSES COMPLAINT AGAINST ADNAN ABU
ODEH

REF: A. AMMAN 5324


B. 05 AMMAN 2218

Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) Summary: The prosecutor for Jordan's State
Security Court announced November 5 that he had determined
there were no grounds to take action on a complaint that
several private citizens had lodged against
Palestinian-Jordanian elder statesman and author Adnan Abu
Odeh. End summary.


2. (SBU) On an Al-Jazeera political talk show taped several
months ago and aired in late October, Abu Odeh made guarded
but implicitly critical comments on the place of
Palestinian-Jordanians in society, on the prospects for
reform of Jordan's electoral system, and on the gap between
the reform-oriented statements of King Abdullah and follow-up
actions. On November 1, a group of East Bankers headed by a
hitherto obscure cleric from Jerash announced to media that
they had lodged a complaint against Abu Odeh with a
prosecutor for Amman's civilian court system. The complaint
alleged Abu Odeh's statements on Al-Jazeera had done them
harm by inciting ethnic tensions, and that he had also
violated Jordan's law against lese majeste.


3. (SBU) The Amman civilian prosecutor immediately announced
that he had no jurisdiction over the case, and referred it to
the State Security Court (SSC),a mixed civilian-military
tribunal best known for trying terrorism cases (ref A). An
SSC prosecutor summoned Abu Odeh November 2, interviewed him,
and released him on his own recognizance. On November 5, the
prosecutor announced to media that he had determined there
were no grounds on which to prosecute the complaint against
Abu Odeh.


4. (S) Ambassador raised the issue with King Abdullah early
November 5, before the dismissal was announced. The King
called the Jerash cleric's initiative "stupid." He said he
had learned of it through media reports while he was on a
state visit to Holland and was determined not to have it go
forward. His staff blamed PM Bakhit for trying to pursue
action against Abu Odeh in a misguided effort to ingratiate
himself with the King.


5. (S) Comment: The complaint against Abu Odeh is a
reminder of how sensitive many East Bankers remain to even
the most careful public discussion of Jordan's ethnic divide.
Many ethnic Palestinians will interpret this episode as a
warning from the establishment. In Post's view, the incident
is better understood as an illustration of the gap in
attitudes toward reform between the King and many of his East
Banker backwoodsman subjects. These are the core of the
Hashemites' traditional supporters, but they resist many of
the King's reform initiatives. Many of them are likely to
loudly oppose the electoral reform legislation that the
government is expected to bring before the next session of
parliament.


6. (S) Bio note: Abu Odeh was born in Nablus in 1933. He
served in Jordanian intelligence, was Jordan's PermRep in New
York from 1992-1995, and held several ministerial portfolios,
including as Royal Court Minister from 1984-1988. King
Abdullah dismissed him from a palace advisor role in 2000
when it became clear to the King that Abu Odeh was leaking
sensitive information to radical Palestinian figures. Abu
Odeh, for his part, attributes the dismissal to
anti-Palestinian animus allegedly prevailing at that time in
the top ranks of the GID.


Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/


HALE