JORDAN: TRIBAL CLASHES WITH POLICE ERUPT IN MA'AN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 002490

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/14/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KCRM KJUS SOCI JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: TRIBAL CLASHES WITH POLICE ERUPT IN MA'AN

REF: A. AMMAN 2451

B. AMMAN 1896

C. AMMAN 1749

D. AMMAN 1746

E. AMMAN 858

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


1. (C) Summary: In response to the death of a local resident
due to police abuse, rioters fired upon policemen and set
ablaze police property in the East Bank tribal town of Ma'an
on November 14. Ma'an is viewed as a bellwether for East
Bank opinion and has a history of riots in protest of
government policies. The Ma'an riot occurred one week after
riots and gunshots were fired at security personnel in
eastern Amman after a similar death resulting from alleged
police abuse (ref A). Similar to the East Amman riot, senior
government officials were slow to publicly respond to the
incident. In the course of an interview on another topic,
the Minister of Interior responded to press questions about
violent outbreaks generally without specifically mentioning
either the East Amman or Ma'an riots. He confirmed that the
police respect the rule of law, investigate and prosecute
officers accused of abuse, and that these violent outbreaks
often produce victims on both sides. He added that isolated
incidents should not be seen as a reflection on Jordan's
security and stability as a whole. However, he then
externalized the issue by accusing "non-citizen instigators
who are known to us" of waging regular campaigns against both
the government and Jordan. Local Arabic-language media
continues to harshly criticize the government's lackluster
response and point to citizen frustration with incompetent
officials and institutions as the spark for recent outbreaks
of violence. End Summary

Rioters Attack Police
--------------


2. (C) The Ma'an riot was triggered after the death of
Fakhri Kreishan, a 48 year-old retired telecom official who
died after sustaining injuries during an altercation with
police. Kreishan was reportedly hit on the head with a baton
as he tried to prevent the arrest of a fugitive wanted for
check writing fraud who had taken refuge in his house.
Kreishan was immediately taken to Amman for medical
treatment. After the initial incident, Kreishan's family
granted a three day "atwa," or truce, to the family of the
police lieutenant who allegedly beat Kreishan.
Traditionally, an atwa is a promise to refrain from violence
until a final reconciliation can be reached between the
tribes. The Public Security Department (PSD) publicly stated
after the beating that the lieutenant had been arrested and
an investigation initiated.


3. (C) Kreishan did not recover from his injuries and was
pronounced dead on November 14. Shortly after this news
became public, violence erupted with rioters attacking a
police booth and firing at the officers inside. No injuries
were reported, though the rioters set an emergency vehicle
ablaze and blockaded the desert highway linking Amman and
Aqaba. Intermittent gunshots were also heard in the town.


4. (C) Tribal leaders immediately attempted to calm tensions,
but younger members of the community reportedly continued to
gather on the streets the night of November 14 creating a
tense environment. As of the morning of November 16, the
situation reportedly had stabilized but Gendarmerie forces,
deployed after the attack to restore security, continued to
maintain a presence.

Interior Minister: "Non-Citizen Instigators" to Blame
-------------- --------------


5. (C) On November 15, the Minister of Interior had a
previously-scheduled press availability to discuss plans for
decentralization. However, he responded to inquiries about
the recent outbreak of violence and these comments became the
lead in subsequent articles. The Minister began by stressing
Jordan's respect for the rule of law. He stated that PSD
officers respect the rights of Jordanian citizens, but that
accusations of abuse are always investigated and PSD officers
can be put on trial for abuse of power. He also stated that
these violent outbreaks produce victims not only in the
community, but also among the PSD officers who are on the
scene. Interestingly, the Minister did not address either
the East Amman or Ma'an riots specifically and he did not
give any details about the investigation or prosecution of
the specific PSD officers accused of abuse linked to the two
recent deaths.


6. (C) The Minister went on to say that tribal tensions were

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not to blame for outbreaks, saying that Jordanian tribes are
known for their desire to achieve peaceful resolutions to
conflicts. Instead, he accused "non-citizen instigators who
are known to us and will be revealed shortly." He also said
that these "non-citizen instigators" were using riots to cast
doubt on Jordan's stability and security. The Minister says
these isolated incidents do not reflect the state of the
nation.


7. (S/NF) The King has yet to make any public statements
regarding the riots or the root causes of the violence. The
lack of a visible royal response closely mirrors that during
and after the East Amman riots a week earlier. Post
interlocutors continue to openly criticize the government's
lackluster performance in dealing with the riots and
anticipate that the Minister of Interior's comments will only
fuel further criticism. This open criticism is a rare
occurrence in Jordan.

Media Continue to Attack Government Over Riots
-------------- -


8. (C) Local Arabic-language media, especially those more
critical of government policies, continue to unfavorably
highlight the government's handling of the recent riots and
view them as a sign of a growing gap between society and the
State. Articles have specifically discussed ineffectual and
a lack of citizen trust in the government to understand
citizen's concerns and needs. Editorials have also called
for political reforms in order for the country to better
handle the real economic, social, political, and external
challenges it faces. The King has not been coming under
direct criticism, though attacks on appointed "corrupt" and
"incompetent" government officials have been one strategy
used to indirectly target the royal court. Additionally, the
international media is also covering the riots and focusing
on the police brutality. An article in the Associated Press,
for instance, erroneously links the police abuse with U.S
support to Jordan's security agencies, stating the recent
events cast "a spotlight on the nation's U.S. trained
security forces, that may have also been a proxy jailer for
the CIA."

Ma'an: A Bellwether for East Bank Opinion
--------------


9. (C) Violence in Ma'an is usually taken seriously by local
political analysts. Ma'an, populated by tribal leaders of
Bedouin East Bank origin, is considered a bellwether for
political, social, and economic stability. No single tribe
dominates the area but, instead, several small families
compete for political and social dominance. Ma'an's Bedouin
backbone and tribal competitions have made it a flashpoint
over the past twenty years and a barometer of East Bank
public opinion. In fact, riots have given the city a
reputation as a volatile center of religious conservatism.
Some examples of anti-government protests in Ma'an include:

-- 1989 riots by truckers and unemployed Ma'anis protested a
rise in oil prices.

-- 1996 violent protests sparked by the rising price of
bread.

-- 2002 protests and demonstrations to protest the lack of
state attention to rural and Bedouin interests.

-- 2009 firing of weapons in front of Gendarmerie troops
during the Gaza crisis.


10. (C) Hassan Al-Assaf, Director of the Ministry of
Interior's Residency and Nationality Department, (also from
Ma'an and a former governor) told Poloffs that Ma'anis have a
tendency to "speak loudly" when they feel they are not being
listened to by government officials. This practice stems
from a belief that they are often at a "great distance" from
the "center of Jordan," according to Al-Assaf. He believes
that tensions will decrease, at least in Ma'an, once citizens
sense their voices and frustrations have been heard and
acknowledged by GOJ officials. In this instance, Al-Assaf
stated the community wants to see "justice" and the actions
taken by the PSD to investigate the death should be
sufficient once the initial shock of the death has subsided.

Comment
--------------


11. (S/NF) For the second week in a row, public frustrations
have manifested in actual attacks against security personnel.
This level of protest and the concurrent open criticism in
the media are rare in Jordan. What is puzzling is the fact
that the Jordanian leadership does not appear to be learning

AMMAN 00002490 003 OF 003


from each outbreak of violence. After being criticized for
his silence after the East Amman riots, the King continues to
remain silent while the Minister of Interior failed to
specifically address the riots or the status of
investigations of specific PSD officers accused of abuse.
This clumsy public relations response will likely increase
criticism that Jordanian leadership does not understand the
concerns of the citizenry. End Comment.
Beecroft