AL-JAZEERA COMMENTARY ON JORDANIAN MONARCHY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000745

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV QA EG JO
SUBJECT: AL-JAZEERA COMMENTARY ON JORDANIAN MONARCHY
TOUCHES A RAW NERVE

REF: A. AMMAN 147

B. 08 AMMAN 3122

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


1. (C) Summary: The airing of a highly critical two-part
series about the Jordanian monarchy on the Al-Jazeera
historical commentary show "With Haykal" has resulted in a
flurry of press commentary questioning presenter Mohammed
Haykal's character and condemning the lack of a robust
defense of the monarchy. The state is under pressure from
the Jordanian political elite to respond and may do so by
downgrading or canceling its representation at the upcoming
Arab League summit in Doha. End Summary.

Lighting a Fire
--------------


2. (SBU) "With Haykal," an Al-Jazeera show featuring
historical commentary by veteran Egyptian journalist Mohammed
Haykal, stirred up great ire with its recent focus on Jordan.
The March 12 and 19 editions of the show focused on the
Jordanian monarchy from the era starting with World War I
through the end of King Hussein's reign in 1999. During both
shows, Haykal repeatedly portrayed Jordan (and in particular
King Hussein) as overly supportive of American and Israeli
policy to the detriment of the Arab cause.


3. (SBU) Haykal theorized that recent kings of Jordan have
fallen prey to a "complex" in which they aspire to leadership
of the Arab world based on their Hashemite roots. At the
same time, he noted that Jordanian leaders have always sought
relationships with Israel and the United States, even when
those relationships compromised Arab political positions.
Haykal claimed that King Hussein received a million dollars
annually from the CIA, and sought to ensure support from
Israel through secret back-channel political deals.
Assessing Jordan's role in the region, Haykal said that the
country was created in an "artificial way" as a "buffer zone"
between Israel and the rest of the Arab world.

Media Reaction
--------------


4. (SBU) Haykal's assessment of the Jordanian monarchy
touched off a firestorm of condemnation from media outlets
and the government. Press commentary questioned Haykal's
character and the professionalism of Al-Jazeera rather than
the substance of the accusations. In particular, it pointed
out that Haykal's role as an advisor to the Egyptian regime
in 1967 hardly made him a neutral source. Al-Dustour, a
partially government-owned paper, suggested that Haykal (who
is 86-years-old) has Alzheimer's disease. Other columnists
criticized the relative silence of Jordan's political elite
towards Haykal and demanded "stronger facts" that could be
used to contradict his accusations. Several commentators
linked Haykal's statements to recent diplomatic rows between
Jordan and Qatar, including Jordan's decision not to attend a
Qatar-organized summit in the midst of the Gaza crisis (Ref
A).


5. (SBU) Al-Jazeera program director Arif Hijawi appeared on
air on March 23 to refute the accusation that Haykal's
program was linked to current political developments and
asserted that Haykal's views on Jordan were already well
known before the current controversy. Hijawi denied that any
official objection was received from Jordan regarding the
content of "With Haykal" and hinted that freedom of speech
would overrule such an objection at any rate.

Official Reaction
--------------


6. (SBU) Official public reaction from the Jordanian
government has so far been muted. While the government-owned
press has published several articles and commentaries
critical of Haykal, the only high level response from the
government came from Interior Minister Nayef Al-Qadi, who
said on the margins of a March 18 press conference that
Haykal "propagates lies".


7. (C) The Jordanian government is under considerable
pressure to respond to Haykal, Al-Jazeera, and their Qatari
government sponsors, according to Ambassador's interlocutors.
Royal Court Chief Nasser Al-Lozi said he had received many
phone calls on the issue from members of Jordan's political
elite demanding the closure of Al-Jazeera's Amman bureau. In
the interval between the two shows, Lozi repeatedly reached
out to Qatari officials by phone in an attempt to tone down
Haykal's criticism but was brushed off. He also attempted
unsuccessfully to enlist Syrian help in persuading Al-Jazeera

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to back down.


8. (C) Comment: The most likely Jordanian response to the
Haykal incident may be a downgrading of Jordan's
representation at an upcoming Arab League summit in Qatar.
Comments by Lozi and FM Nasser Judeh to the Ambassador
indicate that the King and government officials are looking
for other international meetings which they could attend in
lieu of the Arab League Summit to serve as a cover for lower
level attendance. Jordan is also carefully monitoring
Egypt's planning. If Egypt decides to downgrade its
delegation or not attend at all for reasons unrelated to
Haykal, Jordan will likely follow with a similar course. A
decision on the Arab League summit will probably be announced
at the last minute to minimize the ability of Qatar to
respond critically. End Comment.

Visit Embassy Amman's Website
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/
Beecroft