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
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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