JORDAN'S KING CHASTISES "RUMORMONGERS" ON MIDEAST

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001764 SIPDIS NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2019 TAGS: PGOV KPAL KDEM KWBG JO SUBJECT: JORDAN'S KING CHASTISES "RUMORMONGERS" ON MIDEAST PEACE, INTERNAL POLITICS REF: A. AMMAN 1762 ¶B. AMMAN 1689 ¶C. AMMAN 1667 ¶D. AMMAN 1520 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Lawrence Mandel for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S/NF) Summary: In a vaguely worded but politically loaded statement, King Abdullah warned against "rumormongering" about the peace process and internal politics on August 5. The King attempted to calm fears about an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal coming at Jordan's expense while stating his disapproval of recent internal tensions between East Bankers and Palestinian-origin Jordanians. This is the King's first public statement after a lengthy summer holiday. Our contacts speculate that the King could be trying to catch up on issues that have the potential to spin out of his direct control. End Summary. King Breaks His Silence -------------- ¶2. (SBU) During a meeting with leaders of the Jordanian Armed Forces, King Abdullah addressed reported uneasiness among ruling elites in Jordan about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and internal stability. In a rather vague statement that was later released by the quasi-official Petra News Service, the King urged government officials and politicians to refrain from "rumormongering" about the potential impact of a peace agreement on Jordan. Referring to fears of the so-called "Jordan option" whereby Jordan would become the de facto Palestinian state, the King strongly denied that foreign pressure would result in any agreement that ran against Jordanian national interests (Ref A). ¶3. (SBU) Speaking obliquely about the recent controversy surrounding Ministry of Interior's comments on revocation of citizenship for some Palestinian-origin Jordanians, the King said that he was "following the talk on the topic of refugees, which is regrettable" (Refs C and D). He reiterated that Jordan's "commitment to the right of return and compensation is a firm stance not subject to discussion." The King stopped short of either endorsing the current Interior Ministry's comments on citizenship revocation or clarifying their purpose. ¶4. (SBU) Addressing growing concerns about the divide between East Bankers and Palestinian-origin Jordanians, the King acknowledged that those who sought to exploit that divide for political gain were "regrettably from the inside." In this, he tangentially addressed a divisive soccer match between the rival Faisali and Wahdat soccer teams in which slogans were chanted against the royal family before the match was ended prematurely by police (Ref B). The King called national unity a "red line" and pledged that the state would not allow gossiping politicians (or, by implication, rowdy soccer fans) to "ruin Jordan's future" by sowing internal discord. Reaction -------------- ¶5. (S/NF) Many of our contacts see the King's statement as too little, too late. Influential Al-Arab Al-Yawm columnist Fahed Al-Khitan told us the King's speech amounted to a "delayed" response to the series of recent troubling incidents, including the Faisali-Wahdat soccer game and the citizenship revocation controversy. A press contact added that the King was reactive in his management of political issues rather than strategically planning for a range of potential problems. The general consensus among our contacts is that the statement is evidence of pressure felt by Jordanians from ongoing Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts. Comment -------------- ¶6. (S/NF) Between his trip to the United States in July and his subsequent internal vacation in Aqaba, the King has been out of the public eye for weeks. In a country whose political life is guided closely by the King's official statements and informal guidance, the hiatus left a political vacuum that was quickly filled by the conspiracy theories, character assassinations, and political maneuvering of the elite. The King's statement to a friendly audience of military leaders was likely designed to re-assert his authority as Jordan's chief political actor and re-establish the limits of political discourse. His intervention is also an implicit recognition that the issues and controversies which erupted during his absence could get out of hand. AMMAN 00001764 002 OF 002 Mandel