REVENGE, REVENGE, REVENGE! EXPEL THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR!

UNCLAS CAIRO 004675 SIPDIS NEA/PPD FOR ROBIN SMITH AND DAVID BENZE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO PREL PREL IS LE EG SUBJECT: REVENGE, REVENGE, REVENGE! EXPEL THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR! EGYPT MEDIA TRENDS: JULY 31, 2006 ¶1. Summary. Egyptian media was overwhelmingly focused on the July 30 Qana bombing. Most headlines, television talk shows and commentaries expressed rage toward the US for the deaths of women and children, perceiving the US as, having planned the military campaign with Israel in order to pursue its "greater Middle East project" and, subsequently, preventing the possibility of a ceasefire during the Rome conference last week. In response to the Qana bombing, Egyptian state television and the main pro-government daily, Al-Ahram, diverted from their usual less inflammatory editing and programming, to exploiting images of dead children and babies. In an unusual practice, President Mubarak went live on television to deliver a strong statement in support of the Lebanese people and in condemnation of the Qana bombing. Opposition commentators spared no anger toward the US or Arab regimes, with fresh praise for Hezbollah from opposition columnists. End summary. ¶2. Breaking news. President Mubarak went live on television this afternoon to deliver a statement condemning the Qana bombing. Of note, Mubarak declared Israel as "going beyond all red lines" and called the Qana bombing a "horrible massacre against innocent civilians (and) a witness to Israel's serious violation of international law." He expressed "sorrow for failing to reach an immediate ceasefire" and recalled his "warning of the serious repercussions on the security and stability of the Middle East and the world." He blamed the failure of a ceasefire on "procrastination and incapability (which) reflect substantial international imbalances in the collective security system." ¶3. In the headlines. The Qana bombing pushed already-raging emotions even higher, as reflected in all of the day's headlines. All papers showed photos of dead children and babies being carried from the rubble. Most had several photos, many in color, prominently placed on front and inside pages. Leading pro-government daily, Al Ahram's banner headline, "A Horrifying Israeli War Crime in the 'Qana 2006' Massacre" was accompanied by a quarter-page, color photo of two dead girls lying side-by-side on a stretcher. The use of these photos represented a change from Al-Ahram's usual method of focusing on military operations and setting a more neutral tone. Like Al-Ahram, pro-government daily, Al-Gomhouriya, headlined, "The World Conscience Is on Vacation" with the same photo of the two girls. From the independent and opposition papers, headlines shouted, "Revenge, Revenge, Revenge" (opposition daily Al-Wafd),"The Bush-Olmert Massacre in Qana" (Al-Wafd),and "The Murderers" (opposition daily, Al-Ahrar). Well-respected, independent daily, Al-Masry Al-Yom, headlined on the front page, "Dozens of Civilians Martyred including 38 Children in Brutal Shelling, Hizbullah Threatens a Harsh Response" and inside, promoted to "Expel the Israeli Ambassador, Expel the American Ambassador." ¶4. In the commentaries. Most of the day's commentaries repeated the same anger toward Israel, the US and Arab rulers for the Qana bombing. For example, from Al-Masry Al-Yom, one senior columnist left his column blank, with a single sentence at the bottom, "After the Qana massacre what will the Arab traitors say?" Other columns lamented that "the Arab nation is empty, lacking pride, honor and courageous men... while leaving its children to die. ... Hezbollah will expose Israel's brutal appetite and will encourage Arab nations to push their succumbing rulers in history's trash." Comments expressing anger toward the US varied in extreme from pro-government to opposition. An Al-Masry Al-Yom columnist accused the US of "working against its own people ... and (losing) all the sound qualifications of a member of the international community." A columnist in pro-government daily, Rose Al-Youssef, accused the US of "committing this massacre which it plotted in order to force the international community to accept its ceasefire conditions..." and "history will always link Israel's massacres ... with US criminality." An Al-Ahram columnist condemned "Secretary Rice for announcing her new Middle East among the ruins" and "reject(s) the new model that Rice represents...." As for Hezbollah, columns were mostly silent regarding Hezbollah, other than opposition daily, Al-Wafd columnists who wrote in praise of "the mufti who ended the confusion by saying that Hezbollah is not a terrorist group" and "Hezbollah for incurring fear and shock on the Zionist occupation." RICCIARDONE