"DAY OF RAGE" PROTESTS OVER GAZA AIMED AT UPPING

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000074 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/08/2019 TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAL JO SUBJECT: "DAY OF RAGE" PROTESTS OVER GAZA AIMED AT UPPING PRESSURE ON JORDAN Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d) ¶1. (S) Summary: The Government of Jordan (GOJ) is coming under increased public pressure to react to events in Gaza and may not be able to hold out much longer, according to Royal Court Chief Nasser Al-Lozi in a January 7 conversation with Ambassador. Only days after Prime Minister Nader Dahabi's remarks about the GOJ's right to revisit its relationship with Israel, King Abdullah appeared on an Al-Jazeera program and spoke of a "conspiracy" against Palestinians. A former advisor to the King appeared in a separate Al-Jazeera interview likening Gaza operations to Hiroshima. Separately, Jordanian Islamists appear to be taking advantage of events in Gaza to expand their base by reaching out publicly to Hamas. Trade groups and opposition political parties have announced a number of country-wide demonstrations scheduled for January 9, calling it a "Day of Rage." End Summary. The King Covers His Flank -------------- ¶2. (S) In a January 7 conversation with Ambassador, Royal Court Chief Lozi expressed concern about the GOJ's ability to withstand much longer public anger over events in Gaza and pressure to support Hamas. In fact, the Jordanian leadership has already been compelled to take steps to try to placate the public's outrage and avoid becoming the focus of its frustration. Two days after the PM declared the GOJ's willingness to revisit its relationship with Israel before Parliament on January 4 (ref a),King Abdullah appeared on an Al-Jazeera program hosted by Yusuf Al-Qardawi, a Qatar-based Egyptian member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and charged that there is "a conspiracy being concocted against the Palestinian people." The King stressed the importance of stopping the "Israeli aggression" that he said threatened the two-state solution. A former advisor still closely associated with the King, Adnan Abu-Odeh, said in a separate Al-Jazeera interview that he does "not see a big difference between Hiroshima and the destruction of Gaza" and called on the Nobel committee to revoke the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Israeli President Shimon Peres. Jordan's Foreign Minister Salah Bashir, who is at the UN in New York, spoke out January 7 against the efforts of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France in crafting a UN Security Council Presidential Statement that did not call for the immediate end of the Israeli campaign. ¶3. (S) The GOJ is under pressure to dismiss the Israeli Ambassador from Amman but does not wish to do so, according to Lozi. He noted that pressure increased after Venezuela expelled its Israeli envoy and Mauritania recalled its ambassador to Israel. (Note: Jordan's ambassador to Israel remains in Amman after a late December ambassadorial-level conference here, although we understand his family is still in Tel Aviv. The Jordanians have made clear to us that they do not want to formally recall him. They cannot, however, send him back under the current circumstances, as doing so would exacerbate public unhappiness and open the government to accusations that it is collaborating with Israel. End Note.) Islamists Reach Out to Hamas -------------- ¶4. (U) Events in Gaza seem to have opened up possibilities for increased public contact between Jordanian Islamists and Hamas only months after the resumption of contacts between the GOJ and Hamas on security issues. Earlier this week, a 60-member Jordanian delegation headed by the Controller General of the Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hummam Said, visited Hamas Political Director Khaled Mish'al in Damascus to demonstrate solidarity with the movement, according to press reports. The delegation consisted of political parties and professional associations, including a former member of parliament. Separately, a well-known government critic for the Al-Arab al-Yawm newspaper, Fahd al-Khaytan, called in a January 7 editorial for increasing GOJ-Hamas contacts "as a response to the bullying actions of the leaders of the Israeli enemy who have violated the Gaza Strip with the aim of destroying Hamas." Day of Rage -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Pressure on the GOJ is likely to continue. Numerous groups including the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, and other political parties have called for a "Day of Rage" January 9 and have organized marches, demonstrations, and rallies. They have been joined in their call by a number of professional associations, AMMAN 00000074 002 OF 002 including the Jordanian Red Cross, Zarqa Chamber of Commerce, radio stations, the YWCA, and the women's Union and Council of Church Leaders. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman Beecroft