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
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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
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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