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.

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COVERAGE
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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.

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BLOCK QUOTES: ROME CONFERENCE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEACE
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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."

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PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS VICTIMS OF ISRAELI, SUPERPOWER INTERESTS
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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."

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QANA: EXPECT "REVENGE...AGAINST ALL MANKIND"
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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."

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THE NEW MIDDLE EAST...AGAIN
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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."
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OMAN ONLINE: WARNING TO AMERICAN EMBASSY
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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