MEDIA REACTION: CRISIS IN LEBANON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 001181 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, NEA/PI, AND INR/R/MR STATE PASS USTR FOR N. MOORJANI, J. BUNTIN LONDON FOR TSOU PARIS FOR ZEYA USCENTCOM FOR PLUSH FOREIGN PRESS CENTER FOR SILAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KPAO KMDR MU SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CRISIS IN LEBANON REF: MUSCAT 1173 ¶1. SUMMARY: Government-owned daily "Oman" expresses hope that the Rome conference may end Israel/Hezbollah combat; privately owned "Al-Watan" sees the Palestinians as victims of Israeli and "superpower" interests; "Oman" predicts retaliation for the Qana bombing; a columnist for "Oman" compares American and Israeli visions of the "New Middle East;" participants in online discussion exchange views of the United States." END SUMMARY. -------------- COVERAGE -------------- ¶2. Israeli/Hezbollah combat dominated Oman's Arabic and English newspapers this week; reftel provides detail. Large photographs of dead and wounded Lebanese civilians dominated the front pages, especially following the Qana incident. -------------- -------------- BLOCK QUOTES: ROME CONFERENCE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEACE -------------- -------------- ¶3. Government-owned "Oman" (circulation 38,000) editorialized July 26 about "Israeli Aggression and the Rome Conference," hoping for an end to the present violence: "The Rome conference presents a great opportunity for comprehensive peace in the region. However, chances are that the U.S.-Israeli conditions will prevail. The aggressive war that is destroying Lebanon is a war on humanity. The crimes committed by the Israelis there must be paid; there must be compensation for the destruction of Lebanon. The Rome conference should solve matters completely, shunning rhetoric from one country toward another. This region cannot endure more wars and conflicts. It needs a just and comprehensive peace." -------------- -------------- PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS VICTIMS OF ISRAELI, SUPERPOWER INTERESTS -------------- -------------- ¶4. "Al-Watan" (privately owned daily, circulation 42,000) published a July 26 editorial entitled "The Bravery of Watching": "How can we be so rude, doing nothing but watching television images of Lebanon and dying children? Can we just keep watching without doing anything while the Zionists are burning the flesh of our children in Lebanon and Palestine? This is merely a conflict of interests between superpowers mixed with the interests of the Israelis and the victims are Palestinian and Lebanese families and children." -------------- QANA: EXPECT "REVENGE...AGAINST ALL MANKIND" -------------- ¶6. On July 31, "Oman" reported the ongoing escalation of the Israeli military operation in Lebanon and the likelihood of "A Second Qana": "The Lebanese Government decided to refuse U.S. Secretary of State Rice's visit because any negotiations under the hell of Israeli bombardment would be meaningless. Will it be sufficient for the martyrs to receive expressions of sympathy from the world community? Or will those torn bodies and pure souls find someone from this or the coming generation to carry out revenge, not only against the killer but against all mankind? The counter violence that the superpowers fear shall indeed be staged blindly, without differentiating between the killer and the innocent." -------------- THE NEW MIDDLE EAST...AGAIN -------------- ¶7. "Oman" carried a second editorial on July 31, "Rice's Dreams for A New Middle East," by columnist Abdullah al-Uliyan: "The calls of Rice regarding the new Middle East are identical to Shimon Peres' former notion of the New Middle East... Israel seeks to restructure the region in a way that suits its own ambitions and the Torah's dreams. This time [the New Middle East] would be built instead on destruction and the killing and displacement of innocent civilians; whatever is necessary to make the Israeli dream come true." -------------- OMAN ONLINE: WARNING TO AMERICAN EMBASSY -------------- ¶9. Participants in Oman's largest online discussion forum "al- Sablah" discussed their attitudes toward America this week, an exchange spurred by continuing Israel/Hezbollah violence. One participant posted a "warning" to the American Embassy that it should be alert, because the apparent security for its employees might become a "Fire that turn[s] their lives into Hell." The writer added, "Yes, let [the] American Embassy and all American bases and interests in Oman be warned for what its administration and Zionist entity [are] doing and the insult of the Arab that has upset the peaceful Omani." The topic appeared on July 30, quickly generated over 2,200 hits and over 73 responses. Of those responding, 80% disagreed with the author's sentiments, saying they trusted the nation's religious and political leaders to handle the issue instead and requesting that site administrators close the topic. ¶10. Negative responses from posters included the following (posted, unusually for this proudly Arabic-language outlet, in a mixture of English and Arabic): "We should kill every Zionist American... We should conduct a demonstration towards American Embassy meet the Ambassador and give him our protest letter... American Ambassadors should be kicked from all Islamic countries... The warning is not enough; we demand to freeze all agreements between Oman and America as a way of protest from the Omanis including the FTA... This is the right action, we don't want to kill or destroy but play a fair political game using this type of pressure... Let the Ambassador and his team in the Embassy knows that they are not welcomed." GRAPPO