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