MEDIA REACTION ON GAZA INCURSION

UNCLAS AMMAN 008398 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 GAZA INCURSION EDITORIAL COMMENTARY -- "WHY WOULD ISRAEL NOT RESPOND TO EVERY PALESTINIAN SHOT WITH A MASSACRE?" COLUMNIST ABU YAZAN WRITES ON THE OP-ED PAGE OF CENTER-LEFT, PRO-PALESTINIAN ARABIC DAILY AD-DUSTOUR (11/13): "ISRAEL KNOWS BEFOREHAND THE COST OF THE MASSACRES IT COMMITS AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS. THAT IS WHY IT COMMITS THEM WITHOUT HESITATION OR EVEN FLINCHING.... WHY WOULD THE ISRAELIS WORRY? WHY WOULD ISRAEL NOT RESPOND TO EVERY PALESTINIAN SHOT WITH A MASSACRE? WHY WOULD THE POLITICIANS AND GENERAL OF TEL AVIV BOTHER ABOUT LOOKING FOR EXCUSES AND JUSTIFICATIONS? THE MASSACRE OCCURRED AND REACTIONS TO IT EVAPORATED EVEN BEFORE THE INK HAS DRIED, AND STORY OF 'TECHNICAL ERRORS' AND THE LIE THAT ISRAEL DOES NOT TARGET THE INNOCENT CIVILIANS IS SET AND READY, ONLY TAMPERED BY AL-JAZEERA REPORTS AND FOOTAGE OF THE BODY PARTS OF CHILDREN, THE RUBBLE OF HOMES, THE GRIEF STRICKEN MOTHERS." -- "PULLING LEG" CHIEF EDITOR TAHER ODWAN WRITES ON THE BACK-PAGE OF INDEPENDENT, MASS-APPEAL ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM (11/13): "WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO TO BLAME THE UNITED STATES FOR ITS LATEST VETO AGAINST THE UNSC DECISION ON BEIT HANOUN MASSACRE? REALLY, WHAT GOOD IS IT, WHEN THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES TO DEAL WITH THE ARAB ISSUES WITH NONCHALANCE AND INDIFFERENCE AND WHEN IT GOES UP IN ARMS THEN THE MATTER IS RELATED TO CONDEMNING THE ARABS AND SUPPORTING ISRAEL? A NEW APPROACH IS REQUIRED THAT IS COMPLETELY IN LINE WITH THE APPROACH OF THE UNITED STATES, THE EUROPEAN UNION, THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND EVEN ISRAEL WHEN FACED WITH SIMILAR ISSUES AND CRISES. AN APPROACH THAT ADOPTS A VISION FOR RESOLVING THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE BASED ON INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY AND THAT SETS A TIMELINE FOR THE SECURITY COUNCIL, THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE TO IMPLEMENT IT, ON CONDITION THAT SANCTIONS OR PENALTIES WILL BE THE ALTERNATIVE, SUCH AS RESTORING THE BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL, SEVERING DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION, AND CANCELING SOME FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEALS WITH AMERICA AND EUROPE.... YOU EITHER LOOK FOR NEW METHODS AND MECHANISMS FOR WHICH THE WORLD WOULD RESPECT YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE WILL APPRECIATE YOU, OR STOP PULLING LEGS." -- "THE NEW AMERICAN VETO: AN INVESTMENT IN TERRORISM" COLUMNIST SULTAN HATTAB WRITES ON THE OP-ED PAGE OF SEMI-OFFICIAL, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI (11/13): "THE NEW AMERICAN VETO THAT ABORTED THE UNSC RESOLUTION POURS OIL ON THE FIRE OF TERRORISM. THE AMERICAN DECISION IS SIMILAR TO A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP. IT IS A DECISION THAT IS NOT BASED ON AMERICAN NATIONAL INTERESTS AS MUCH AS IT IS BASED ON THE INTERESTS OF RULING POWERS THAT CONTINUE TO MISLEAD THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AND DEDICATE THE FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST TO THEIR SERVICE AND THAT OF ISRAEL. THE ARABS MUST NOT AND CANNOT EXPECT THE UNITED STATES TO STOP USING THE VETO AGAINST ANY DECISION RELATED TO ISRAEL, EVEN IF ISRAEL COMMITS TENS OF MASSACRES AND ADMITS TO DOING SO.... THERE IS NOTHING CLEARER THAN THE CRIME THAT ISRAEL COMMITTED AGAINST THE INNOCENT AND UNARMED CIVILIANS IN BEIT HANOUN. AND ALTHOUGH ISRAEL HAS ADMITTED ITS MISTAKE, THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION CONSIDERED THAT AGGRESSION AND KILLING AS SELF-DEFENSE. AND THEN SOMEONE FROM THAT ADMINISTRATION COMES OUT AND SAYS, AFTER EVERY MASSACRE, THAT THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION IS TRYING TO IMPROVE ITS IMAGE BEFORE THE ARABS. THE QUESTION IS HOW. THE THING THAT WOULD IMPROVE ITS IMAGE IS NOT THE ALLOCATION OF MONEY TO MEDIA OUTLETS, NOR THE ORGANIZATION OF SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES, NOR THE APPEASEMENT OR BLACKMAIL OF REGIMES, BUT RATHER HALTING THE TERRORIST AMERICAN POLICY THAT PROTECTS MASSACRES IN PALESTINE AND EXERCISES OCCUPATION AND KILLING IN IRAQ AND OTHER PLACES.... THE BEIT HANOUN MASSACRE AND THE AMERICAN VETO THAT ENCOURAGES ISRAEL TO KILL AND COMMITS MASSACRES AND PROTECTS IT FROM ACCOUNTABILITY MUST CONSTITUTE A DECISIVE POINT. THE CONTINUED ARAB HANDLING OF THE AMERICAN APPROACH IS PATHETIC. MOREOVER IT GENERATES ANGER AND INVESTS IN TERRORISM. AFTER ALL, FUTURE ARAB GENERATIONS ARE GOING TO FIND IN THE AMERICAN STANCE JUSTIFICATION FOR WHAT EXTREMISTS DO AND SAY." -- "MORALLY AND POLITICALLY UNJUSTIFIABLE AMERICAN VETO" SEMI-OFFICIAL, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI EDITORIAL (11/13) OPINES: "THE U.S. VETO AGAINST AN ARAB DECISION TO CONDEMN THE ISRAELI MASSACRE OF PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS IN BEIT HANOUN HAS DISAPPOINTED THE HOPES OF THOSE WHO THOUGHT THAT THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION, AFTER ITS DEFEAT IN THE CONGRESSIONAL MIDTERM ELECTIONS, HAS COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT IT IS TIME FOR NEW AND DIFFERENT POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC APPROACHES TO REPLACE THE ITS METHOD WHICH IS BASED ON THE USE OF FORCE AND WARS TO ACHIEVE POLITICAL PURPOSES AND ABSOLUTE AND UNLIMITED SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL IN ITS OCCUPATION OF THE TERRITORIES OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.... UNFORTUNATELY, BY USING THE VETO AGAINST A VERY BALANCED AND FAIR ARAB DECISION, THE UNITED STATES HAS EMPHASIZED THE SAYING THAT IT IS NOT AN HONEST BROKER IN THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT." HALE