MEDIA REACTION ON PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 AMMAN 000888 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 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR JO SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS AND DANISH CARTOONS Summary -- Lead stories in all papers over the past three days, February 5-7, focus on the situation in the aftermath of the Palestinian elections and the victory of Hamas and on the fallout from the Danish cartoons. Editorial Commentary on Palestinian Elections -- "Agreements must be complied with" Center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour (02/07) editorializes: "The rhetoric of Hamas movement in these times is calm and shows a great deal of awareness about the nature of the game and the players. It also knows that it is facing a big test, not just by foreign parties, but also by the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nation.. If Hamas manages to show political capability and presence by choosing a prime minister who can stand by and support President Abbas, distributing ministerial portfolios with the same level of responsibility and awareness, and pushing towards the reformation of Palestinian institutions after holding accountable corrupt people who stole the Palestinian people's money, then it will be salvaging the Palestinian situation and preventing it from slipping into the abyss. As important as peace negotiations are, the Palestinian people need to put their house in order more than they need to have a withdrawal here and redeployment there. Indeed, what is the use of an independent but corrupt state? The priority is to establish a clean leadership, and then it will be easy for the Palestinian people to regain their rights completely and without any losses." -- "About the corruption in the Authority" Daily columnist Oraib Rantawi writes on the op-ed page of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour (02/07): "If there one advantage of holding the Palestinian elections and Hamas' victory, it is the increasing ability for accountability and liability.. We are sad to hear the news about the corruption and the corrupt people. We are sorry to know that a financial, administrative and political system would allow `worth-for-nothing' employees to embezzle over a quarter of a million dollars. Yet we are happy that these files have been opened and thrilled that this dirty laundry is being hung out before it starts to affect the entire regime and we wake up one day to see a corrupt authority rather than corruption in the authority. We are pleased that the Palestinian democracy can be the launch pad for fighting corruption. It is yet another lesson that the Palestinians are giving to us: corruption is a disease that cannot be fought except with democracy and more of it." -- "To shoulder responsibility" Centrist, elite English daily Jordan Times (02/06) editorializes: "The decisive victory in the January 25 polls have exposed and exacerbated long-standing internal divisions between hawks and doves within Hamas. Having two souls - one pragmatic and one stubbornly inflexible - might have served Hamas well as an opposition movement. But now that the movement shoulders new, huge responsibilities, as the majority party in the Palestinian legislature and the leading force in a future Palestinian government, it must speak in one voice.. It is of paramount importance that Hamas opens the door to other Palestinian factions and independents, and tries to reshape Palestinian political life on the basis of national consensus, and not merely on the basis of the political platform upheld by its most hardline wing. Continuing to voice empty and unrealistic slogans about ignoring all signed agreements and not negotiating with Israel under circumstances could very well mean political suicide for Hamas. Only through soul-searching, political integration and a policy of inclusion will Hamas be able to shoulder its new responsibilities." -- "Immoral and unrealistic" Daily columnist Nahed Hattar writes on the back-page of independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al- Yawm (02/05): "The statement issued by the Security Council about the need for the upcoming Palestinian government to respect agreements with Israel and international parties is disgusting. The Security Council, which supposedly congratulated the Palestinian people on the free, safe and honest elections, refuses to acknowledge their political outcome and is asking the upcoming Palestinian government to go against the voters who made Hamas win specifically because it opposed the compromising political and negotiating approach of Fatah. In other words, the Council is asking Hamas to betray the turn of its own electors. This is what is so disgusting and contemptuous. It forces us to look with contempt at the American democracy propaganda that does not hide its lies and moral bankruptcy which is represented by its use of democratic values to impose the exact opposite and to prevent the people from exercising their political, economic, social and cultural options." -- "Let Hamas form its government" Daily columnist Oraib Rantawi writes on the op-ed page of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour (02/05): "Hamas ought to claim its constitutional right of forming a new government, be it alone or in coalition with others who agree with its own vision and proposals, and this is because the Movement has the right to try out its programs and practices in a ruling position as it did in opposition.. The Palestinian elections provided us with the opportunity to test the Brotherhood Islamic trend in authority after we have tested it in the opposition. While some people in Hamas do not want to enter this test, it is in the interest of all national, leftist, democratic and pan-Arab faction that it does enter this test, so that, in the future, the debate is set straight and rhetoric is toned down." Editorial Commentary on Danish Cartoons -- "Let's be careful of dissention" Chief Editor Osama Sharif writes on the back-page of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour (02/07): "The Danish pitfall interacted dangerously and worryingly and exposed the expanded cultural gap between the two civilizations. It also opened the door wide for moral and intellectual challenges that have to do with the absolute freedom of expression in the secular civilization and the crossing of this right with the sanctity of religious beliefs in other civilizations. Before all that has happened and continues to happen, the world stands confused facing one of the most serious challenges posed by globalization: culture is part of the identity and religion is a major problem to culture, particularly in the Islamic world.. It is sad to see a major newspaper like the French Le Monde republish the harmful cartoons and justify this as the sanctity of the right to freedom of expression, as if offending Muslims and defaming their image strengthen this right. The angry Arab and Muslim reaction was expected. Yet, what is required is not burning embassies and threatening others, because this only serves to stoke the fire of dissention and emphasizes the stereotypical ugly image of Islam and Muslims. There should not be any room or opportunity for extremists on all sides to push the people towards entrenchment and isolationism. Defending the Prophet and Islam is not done through mobs and chaos. Islam is a religion of moderation, dialogue and openness to the world and a noble message to all people. Muslim thinkers and scientists must work hard to tell the world that we refuse insults to our Prophet, defamation of our image and attacks against our beliefs, and at the same time we are not closing the door in the face dialogue and understanding for anyone interested. Let us be careful of dissention in all its forms, because the enemy is watching and it will not do him any harm if we decide to isolate ourselves." -- "Facing up to the offensiveness" Chief Editor Ayman Safadi writes on the back-page of independent, centrist Arabic daily Al-Ghad (02/07): "Over long decades, Arabs and Muslims were subjected to injustice and usurpation from the west that colonized the countries of the Arabs, usurped their resources and violated their rights. The Arabs had no tools to defend themselves, because the west had military, economic and scientific superiority, while the Arabs were divided and suffering from backwardness, oppression and lack of vision. The Arab weakness gave birth to western offensiveness, and the racist and condescending perspective of Arabs and Muslims became entrenched in the minds of some influential parts of the western societies. The publishing of the harmful cartoons reflects the growing recklessness with Arab and Muslim feelings amidst western societies. Freedom of expression does not justify offending religious sanctity, and the west has not right to impose its cultural values on others who are proud of their own. The Muslims have the right to rise to the defense of their Prophet, and it is in the interest of the west to read carefully the depth of the people's anger.. The west must realize that the injustice suffered by the Arabs in Palestine and Iraq and the overboard offensiveness against the Arab culture and Islamic sanctities will yield explosive reactions from which the entire world will suffer." -- "The culture of hate" Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back-page of independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm (02/05): "What makes elite European newspapers express solidarity with a Danish newspaper that intentionally published cartoons offensive to the Prophet despite their knowledge that this re- publishing is going to stir the anger of over one billion human beings known as Muslims? This confusing question may have more than one answer, but they all lead up to one thing, namely the exposure of the culture of hatred that is currently being rooted in the west against Arabs and Muslims.. This media solidarity running from Europe to New Zealand with the Danish newspaper's cartoons cannot be seen as freedom of the press, but rather as an attack by western media groups against the religion and culture of another and as contempt for the feelings of more than one billion Muslims. More importantly, it seeks to link between the Prophet and terrorism, when the west has been claiming right from the beginning of the war on terror that it is keen not to link between Islam and terrorism. The offense is worse than that to be rectified with a statement of apology.. This solidarity and insistence on the offense is a blatant call to stoke the fire of conflict and hatred at the rhythm of the neo-conservatives' statements related to the clash of civilizations.. Justifying the publication of the cartoons as being freedom of the press is worse than the guilt of the publication itself. It is also a failed attempt to force the world to overlook the offense to Islam by starting an international dialogue about the freedom of the press. Since when is libel, slander and swearing freedom of the press?" -- "A cartoon that ignited a world war!" Columnist Yaser Abu Hilaleh writes on the op-ed page of independent, centrist Arabic daily Al-Ghad (02/05): "All this war was caused by miserable drawings for a cartoonist in a humble newspaper? The issue has to do with anger. The hearts of Muslims around the world are filled with anger and they found a weak point from which the anger exploded.. True, internal and external disasters have entrenched the oppression complex amidst the Muslim masses. However, expressing this complex does not take place unless the factor is external. Internally, lives were lost and sanctities were soiled, but dealing with that was always done according to the rule of 'bite your anger', but this rule was ignored when it came to the Danish issue.. What happened was considered an offense and contempt by millions of Muslims. Had this happened with Jews, Sikhs or devil worshipers, an apology would have been expressed. Respect for minorities and fighting racism are foundations of democracy, just as is freedom of expression. Amidst these anti-Islam feelings, the Danes opted for confrontation, so let them pay the price. It will not harm the Arab and Muslim world if it severed all its ties with Denmark. Yet, the thing that is harmed the most in this is the value of accepting others, dialogue, co-existence, understanding and partnership.. The U.S. stand, as well as the British stand, that rejected the cartoons is noteworthy. The Department of State considered the publication of the cartoons in European newspapers to be an 'unacceptable' instigation of religious or ethnic hatred.. But the masses do not want to hear this. They would have liked the two countries [US and Britain] to have been supportive of the cartoons so that the portrayal of the enemy is complete and the confrontation arena is expanded." -- "The clash of civilizations" Chief Editor Ayman Safadi writes on the back-page of independent, centrist Arabic daily Al-Ghad (02/05): "The clash of civilizations has begun. Whoever denies that chooses to overlook a fact whose repercussions will impact humanity for decades to come. The gap between the east and the west is widening. Rejecting 'the other' has become a major aspect of the mass culture of the Arabs and Muslim on one hand and the west on the other.. The anger that was expressed by hundreds of thousands of Muslims over a Danish newspaper's publication of cartoons that offend the Prophet is, in some aspect, an expression of imbedded and accumulated anger resulting from continuing western actions that are seen by Arabs as being scornful of their rights and transgressing against their identity. Moreover, the growing anti-Arab stance amidst western parties is caused by the Arabs and Muslims' failure to communicate with those societies that saw only terrorism from Arabs and Muslims." RUBINSTEIN