JORDAN'S PARLIAMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY STAGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 000717 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/2019 TAGS: PREL KPAL KWBG IS JO SUBJECT: JORDAN'S PARLIAMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY STAGE GAZA-RELATED POLITICAL THEATRICS Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Efforts by the Jordanian parliament to bring international legal action against Israel over the events in Gaza have stalled. Separately, civil society leaders organized a mock trial of Israeli leaders, and further such efforts are in the works. The campaign is not being led by Islamists, but rather pro-establishment politicians who generally stayed on the sidelines during the crisis itself. Their ex post facto actions are likely designed to demonstrate their support for the Palestinian cause to a domestic audience still outraged over Gaza while drawing a clear line between their campaigns and those of the Islamists. End Summary. Parliament Votes to "Sue" Israel -------------- ¶2. (C) In the middle of the Gaza campaign, Jordan's parliament voted unanimously to pursue unspecified "legal options" against Israeli military and political leaders. On January 26, Legal Committee Chair Mubarak Abbadi was tasked with assembling a legal brief in coordination with the National Center for Human Rights (NCHR). That brief was then to be presented to the ICC. In a statement after the vote, Abbadi said that the brief would encourage ICC prosecutors to open an investigation into "war crimes and genocide in Gaza." Recognizing that Israel's non-membership in the ICC made a prosecution essentially impossible, Abbadi told Poloff that parliament's move was political rather than legal in its effect. On February 18, it was announced that Abbadi's trip to The Hague had been "delayed for procedural reasons" with no further explanation as to the motives or source of the delay. Jordanian and Arab media outlets speculated that "external pressure" was behind the cancellation, and pointed to negative statements about Abbadi's trip by Israeli Public Security Minister Avi Dichter as evidence of that theory. Mock Trials and Civil Society Actions -------------- ¶3. (C) Civil society has also engaged in Gaza-related political theater. On February 8, the Al-Dustour newspaper and several NGOs organized a "mock trial" of Israeli political and military leaders. Pol FSN attended the standing-room only event, in which different civil society activists played the roles of judges, prosecutors, and conflict victims. The main organizer and patron of the event was Nabil Al-Sharif, who on February 24 became the government spokesman following a cabinet reshuffle. Notably absent from the proceedings were members of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and its political wing, the Islamic Action Front, who were so vocal during Israeli operations in Gaza. Civil society activists have also organized an umbrella organization ("Justice Now for Gaza") to assist in preparation of legal briefs and follow up on parliament's actions. Eva Abu Hawaleh, a lawyer, NGO leader, and member of the group, told poloffs that the group was "a form of pressure" designed for public consumption rather than legal effect. Comment -------------- ¶4. (C) As a legal maneuver, parliament's quest to "sue" Israel is quixotic at best. As a political tool, however, it has captured the imagination of many Jordanians, particularly those in civil society, who continue to express outrage over widespread civilian casualties in the Gaza crisis. The campaign is not being led by Islamists, but rather pro-establishment politicians who generally stayed on the sidelines during the crisis itself. Their ex post facto actions are likely designed to demonstrate to a domestic audience their support for the Palestinian cause while drawing a clear line between their campaigns and those of the Islamists. Beecroft