JORDAN: PUBLIC'S HIGH HOPE IN PEACE SINKS TO NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002449

SIPDIS

NEA/ELA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAL JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: PUBLIC'S HIGH HOPE IN PEACE SINKS TO NEW
LOWS

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


1. (C) Jordanian public hope for a rapid, positive outcome
for the peace process deflated enormously over the past week,
down from extremely high levels following the President's
initial statements and actions in January and his June 4
speech in Cairo.


2. (SBU) Headlines from recent days include:

--"America Reneges on the Call to Stop Settlements and the
Palestinians Tear Up Obama's Pictures" (Al Ghad)
--"Urging Abbas to Resume Talks without Preconditions,
Clinton Supports Netanyahu" (Ad-Dustour)
--"Obama Succumbs to Israel"

The November 3 issue of Al-Ghad independent daily carried a
cartoon by the widely followed Emad Hajjaj that depicted two
panels under the heading, "Obama's Slogans." The first panel
under the heading, "Yes We Can," depicted a sun rising over a
pristine horizon. The second panel depicted a sun
superimposed by a Star of David rising over a horizon
sprouting settlements with the heading, "No We Can't!"


3. (SBU) A majority of daily columnists and analysts have
evinced deep frustration and bitter despair, with emotionally
charged commentaries expressing strong criticism of the
perceived failure of the United States to live up to its
promises. Widely read columnist Fahd Al-Fanek wrote in his
November 3 column published in the government-owned Al-Rai
daily: "We had high hopes in the new U.S. President before
he accomplished anything. It was enough that he is not
George Bush. It is time to reevaluate and admit that Bush,
despite his downfalls, achieved more in regards to the
Palestinian issue than Obama has."


4. (SBU) The substance and emotional tone of the reporting
and commentary echoes that of the King in an October 8
interview with Haaretz when he discussed the peace process:
"The challenge is to stop looking at short-term solutions
that will only get us into more problems. I think there is
more anger on all sides. Do we want to see this anger
trigger more war and more conflict or do we want to reach
peace." It also echoes that of the King's interview with the
Italian paper La Republicca, published October 19, when he
said: "The failure to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict and achieve Arab-Israeli peace is the most serious
threat to peace and to stability in the region, including in
the Mediterranean. That must be the priority. In the
beginning there were great hopes, but now the horizon seems
to be moving farther away."


5. (SBU) Contributing to the tenor of reporting was a string
of public statements by Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb
Erekat, which followed the Secretary's meetings with
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Abu Dhabi and Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Senator
George Mitchell's meetings with Jordan's King Abdullah and
Abbas in Amman. "If America cannot get Israel to implement a
settlement freeze, what chance do Palestinians have of
reaching agreement with Israel on permanent settlement
issues," Erekat told the press on November 1. He added that
there was "no possibility to resume talks under the current
circumstances and the Israeli intransigence."
Beecroft