KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION -- UPDATE ON KUWAITI MEDIA COVERAGE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000011 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, NEA/PI, INR/NESA, R/MR, I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA, EEB LONDON FOR NEA WATCHER PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EINO EPET OPRC KMDR KPAO XF KU MEDIA REACTION SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION -- UPDATE ON KUWAITI MEDIA COVERAGE OF VIOLENCE IN GAZA REF: 1253 KUWAIT 08 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- Monday, January 5, 2009 ¶1. (U) Summary and Comment. As of Monday, January 5, all Kuwaiti Arabic and English language print dailies continued to publish headlines and pictures related to the ongoing situation in Gaza. In addition to the continued front page news updates, a number of Editors-in-Chief offered editorials on the subject, championing the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza. At the same time some of the same Editors-in-Chief criticized the activities of Hamas before and during the conflict. End Summary and Comment. ¶2. (U) Block quotes: --Carrying the headline 'Oh people of Gaza: Do we cry at your sorrow or ours?' Shi'ite columnist Khalifa Al-Kharafi opined in moderate Arabic daily the Al-Qabas (01/05/09): "We hope that Hamas is not a tool or a card in the hands of others, which they could use to their advantage. We also wish that our MP's would find ways other than promising to throw the shoe to support the people of Gaza. We hope that they would use reasoning more than passion, and that they would follow the footsteps of the Jews in their rational planning to reach the desired goals. The Jews have surpassed us for a century in their ability to engage in rational planning. The Arab nation has lost enough by using passionate slogans to charge peoples' emotions. Arabs are still in a state of shock because they go from one defeat to another. We urge our governments and people to support Gaza and its people." --In an editorial entitled 'Gaza: Good Bye Peace and Justice' that appeared in conservative Arabic daily the Al-Watan, Political Science Professor at Kuwait University Dr. Shamlan Al-Issa criticized the U.S. position in regards to Gaza (01/05): "The U.S. Administration has erred when it announced that Hamas is solely responsible for the escalation in Gaza. The Administration would err again if it believed that Hamas and the resistance in Gaza would be defeated through violence, killing, and incursions against innocent civilians. Peace negotiations under the auspices of the United States and the Quartet have proved ineffective because Israel ;does not want peace, and does not believe in peace. To the contrary, Israel encourages radicalism, fanaticism, and terrorism in the region. Israel has expanded its settlements in the territories, fueled by U.S. approval and international silence!" --Under the headline 'The Steadfast Position of Musicians,' Nabil Al-Fadhel, a liberal writer in the conservative Arabic daily Al-Watan, opined (01/05): "Israel betrayed neither Hamas nor Gaza. Time and time again it had sent alerts regarding its destructive intentions. However, the fools covered their ears and refused to listen to these warnings. Now when they were hit with fire they ridiculously say that Israel's treacherous bullets are hitting them. We believe that Arab leaders did not abandon the people in Gaza, when they thought that they could help them stand firm and fight back. But when they realized their real weakness, they opted to keep silent or pretended that they would come out victorious." --With the headline 'Follow them with your Initiative,' Editor-in-Chief of Al-Watan Daily English language newspaper wrote in the sister company daily conservative Arabic language Al-Watan (01/04): "I have my differences with Hamas and its announced goals. But I believe that this war is a war against Palestine. Wisdom is a virtue, and the events of Gaza have revealed how fragile our state of mind is. To those who believe that the Prophet's armies are coming I say, 'The Prophet's army is not coming back because we are living in different time. We had better think deeply of the reasons for our past defeats. Reason says that today's world is not controlled by speeches but by knowledge, military power, and the power to make decisions. However, we own nothing of those. Let us wake up from our dream.'" --Headlined, 'Hamas's Special Agenda,' daily liberal columnist Saud Al-Samaka wrote in the moderate Arabic daily Al-Qabas (01/04): "What is happening in Gaza today is exactly the same as what happened in Lebanon in 2006. The only difference is the cause. In Lebanon, it was so-called Hezbollah, and in Gaza it is Hamas. The style is the same. Both organizations own home-made rockets that they threaten to launch at Israel. We still have to see the real effects of these rockets, other than their noise. Hamas's leadership is executing an agenda of their own, which has nothing to KUWAIT 00000011 002 OF 002 do with the Palestinian cause, or the Palestinian people. That is why there is not a trace of them in the battle fields. They have left the fighting fields to women, children and the elderly, instead taking refuge in underground bunkers." --Editor-in-Chief of the newly established Assawt Arabic daily opined on the last page of his paper (01/04): "What we need in these circumstances is serious effort at all levels to encourage effective countries to exert real efforts to stop the aggression. The true and real core of Kuwaitis was made obvious through the demonstrations, charity donations, and prayers to our brothers in Gaza." ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * JONES