Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09AMMAN2351
2009-10-22 14:28:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

JORDAN: KING'S INTERVIEW WITH HAARETZ DRAWS

Tags:  PREL PGOV KPAL SOCI JO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7299
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHAM #2351/01 2951428
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 221428Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6175
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002351 

SIPDIS

PLEASE PASS TO NEA/ELA AND NEA/PPD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL SOCI JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: KING'S INTERVIEW WITH HAARETZ DRAWS
PRAISE AT HOME

REF: STATE 76108

Classified By: Ambassador R. S. Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002351

SIPDIS

PLEASE PASS TO NEA/ELA AND NEA/PPD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL SOCI JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: KING'S INTERVIEW WITH HAARETZ DRAWS
PRAISE AT HOME

REF: STATE 76108

Classified By: Ambassador R. S. Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: King Abdullah's October 6 interview with the
Israeli Haaretz daily has drawn praise in Jordan. Public
commentary focused on the substance of the King's remarks
and, in particular, on his pointed call for Israel to stop
unilateral actions in Jerusalem that threaten to destabilize
Israel's relationship with Jordan and ignite the Islamic
world. Jordanian officials indicated to Ambassador that the
interview was meant to support the President's efforts and to
show the Israeli government and people that Jordan and other
Arab countries wanted peace and were willing to engage in
positive steps if Israel showed similar constructive good
will. While the King's comments largely focused on Jordanian
priorities, the interview and its discussion of the Arab
Peace Initiative nonetheless represent an honest effort to
reach out directly to the Israeli people to explain Jordanian
views. End Summary.


2. (U) On October 6 King Abdullah gave an interview in Amman
to Haaretz writer Akiva Eldar. The interview, published in
Israel on October 8, was reported on by the Jordan News
Agency a day later and picked up in major dailies, followed
by publication of a transcript on October 10. In the
interview, the King said that:

--The current Israeli-Jordanian relation was a cold peace.
"I don't think that is what Israelis want; I don't think that
is what Jordanians want, and I don't think that is what the
region needs."

--Israelis needed to decide whether they wanted their country
to be a fortress in the region or a neighbor.

--The October anniversary of the 1994 Israeli-Jordanian Wadi
Araba peace treaty "is a reminder that when there is
commitment to respecting the rights of the other, when there
is leadership with the courage to make difficult decisions in
the interest of the people, peace can be achieved. But it is
also a reminder of the missed opportunities for peace."

--The Arab Peace Initiative offered an "unprecedented
opportunity to resolve the conflict and build a better future

for all of us." He added, "The initiative is not just about
the two-state solution. It is about a 57-state solution, 57
nations, a third of the world, that still do not have a
relationship with Israel, will have normal relations with
Israel within the context of a comprehensive peace."

--There needed to be a clear action plan to resolve the
Middle East conflict. "That means engagement in serious
negotiations that tackle all final status issues--border,
refugees, settlements, Jerusalem--and build on the results of
previous negotiations, within the framework of the already
agreed terms of reference."

--Israeli actions in Jerusalem would directly destabilize
Israel's relationship with Jordan and ignite the Islamic
world, something that he had previously communicated to the
U.S. Administration.


3. (U) Jordanian public commentary following the interview
focused on the substance of the King's remarks (versus the
fact that he had engaged with an Israeli publication):

--Former Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood member and political
analyst Mohammed Abu Rumman wrote in Al-Ghad daily that the
Arab public welcomed the King's remarks, which represented an
escalation of Jordan's official rhetoric against Israel's
expansion of settlements and the Judaization of Jerusalem.
Rumman added that the remarks also broke the "stereotypical
image that Arab media outlets and governments have worked to
pin on Jordan, as though it is always following the U.S.
government and providing support for Israel."

--Jordan's official Arabic-language daily, Al Rai, asserted
that the King's comments "came at an appropriate time and a
critical stage, which was simultaneous with the public
rejection of, and anger at, the current Israeli policies and
that requires sending a clear message to Israel, Israeli
society, and the international community to urge them to go
ahead with achieving a comprehensive and just peace for the
Palestinians."

--Similarly, Al Rai published a roundup of reactions by
Parliamentarians who hailed the King's comments as
unprecedented and carrying political messages to Israeli
society, such as telling them "you must choose between the

AMMAN 00002351 002 OF 002


ghetto mentality and peace."

--At an October 18 dinner with MPs hosted by Ambassador,
interlocutors told Poloff that the King's remarks were much
needed and perhaps overdue, adding that he had to address
public concerns about Jerusalem head on. When asked about
some public speculation that this might precede the
withdrawing of Jordan's Ambassador to Tel Aviv, however, the
MPs said that it was a bad idea. Instead, they indicated
that they were hoping for a stepped up diplomatic offensive
that would bring Israel to the table.


4. (C) Chief of the Royal Court Nasser Lozi and Foreign
Minister Nasser Judeh told Ambassador that the King had
offered Haaretz the interview to show the Israeli government
and people that Jordan and other Arab states wanted peace and
were prepared to take positive steps if Israel showed similar
constructive good will. The FM also told the Ambassador that
he had been planning to appear on Israeli television a few
weeks before the King's interview but that the appearance had
to be put on hold because of the announcement of new Israeli
construction in Jerusalem. The FM is now looking for future
opportunities to appear on Israeli television.


5. (C) Comment: The King did not mention specific positive
steps that could be taken if Israel showed similar
constructive good will, rather focusing on Israeli actions
that are of concern to Jordanians. That said, the interview
and its discussion of the Arab Peace Initiative represented
an effort to reach out directly to the Israeli people to
explain Jordanian views, in line with the July 17 op-ed
published in the Washington Post by Bahrain's Crown Prince
(reftel).
Beecroft