Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
94AMMAN12970
1994-10-24 11:28:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

THE PUBLIC FACE OF HAMAS IN JORDAN

Tags:  PTER PGOV KPAL KISL JO XF KWBG 
pdf how-to read a cable
O 241128Z OCT 94
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7171
INFO AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 012970 


STATE FOR NEA/ARN, S/CT

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PTER PGOV KPAL KISL KWBGXF JO
SUBJECT: THE PUBLIC FACE OF HAMAS IN JORDAN

REF: A) AMMAN 12819, B) JERUSALEM 3647, C) AMMAN
12624, D) JERUSALEM 3626, E) AMMAN 10029, AND
PREVIOUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 012970


STATE FOR NEA/ARN, S/CT

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PTER PGOV KPAL KISL KWBGXF JO
SUBJECT: THE PUBLIC FACE OF HAMAS IN JORDAN

REF: A) AMMAN 12819, B) JERUSALEM 3647, C) AMMAN
12624, D) JERUSALEM 3626, E) AMMAN 10029, AND
PREVIOUS


1. (C) SUMMARY HAMAS SPOKESMAN IN JORDAN IBRAHIM
GHAWSHAH REFRAINED FROM PRAISING THE OCTOBER 19 TEL
AVIV BOMBING BUT HAS PREDICTED THAT HAMAS WILL
CONTINUE TO UNDERTAKE SUCH OPERATIONS. DESPITE HIS
WILLINGNESS TO OBLIGE THE MEDIA WITH THE KIND OF
FLAMBOYANT RHETORIC THAT MAKES A GOOD STORY,
GHAWSHAH HAS CONSISTENTLY MAINTAINED THAT HAMAS IN
JORDAN IS NOT LINKED TO HAMAS IN THE OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES EXCEPT IN THE MOST SUPERFICIAL WAYS.
PLO "POLITICAL COUNSELOR" OMAR SHAKAA SEPARATELY
REEMPHASIZED HIS BELIEF THAT WHILE THE MUSLIM
BROTHERHOOD AND HAMAS IN JORDAN ARE ESSENTIALLY THE
SAME ORGANIZATION, THEY DO NOT CALL THE SHOTS IN THE
TERRITORIES. OTHER REJECTIONIST GROUPS IN JORDAN
HAVE REAFFIRMED THEIR SUPPORT OF JIHAD AS A METHOD
OF RETAKING PALESTINE AND HAVE CALLED ON JORDANIANS
AS WELL AS PALESTINIANS TO RESIST THE PEACE TREATY
WITH ISRAEL.


2. (C) IN THE ABSENCE OF FIRM EVIDENCE OF A LINK
BETWEEN GHAWSHAH AND HAMAS' MILITARY WING, THE
JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT SEEMS PREPARED TO TOLERATE
RHETORIC THAT DOES NOT EXCEED THAT OF OTHER
REJECTIONISTS HERE. ARAFAT'S RECENT ALLEGATIONS
THAT HAMAS IN JORDAN IS SUPPORTING AND IN SOME CASES
DIRECTING EVENTS IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES ARE
FLIMSY AND IGNORE THE FACT THAT KING HUSSEIN STANDS
TO LOSE AS MUCH, IF NOT MORE, THAN ARAFAT IF THE
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY IS OVERWHELMED BY ISLAMIC
RADICALS. END SUMMARY.

--------------
HAMAS IN JORDAN RESPONDS TO RECENT ATTACKS...
--------------


3. (U) HAMAS SPOKESMAN IN JORDAN IBRAHIM GHAWSHAH
HAS NOT PRAISED THE OCTOBER 19 BOMBING IN TEL AVIV,
BUT HE HAS DEFENDED RECENT HAMAS ATTACKS BY
ASSERTING THAT RESISTANCE OPERATIONS WILL CONTINUE
AGAINST THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION. GHAWSHAH MADE THE
FOLLOWING POINTS TO THE LATEST EDITION OF ENGLISH-
LANGUAGE WEEKLY "THE STAR" (FULL TEXT IN FBIS AMMAN
JN2310100694) AND REITERATED THEM IN STATEMENTS TO
OTHER MEDIA, INCLUDING CNN:

-- "THE OBJECTIVE OF THE WEST JERUSALEM SHOOTING
LAST WEEK WAS TO SHOW THAT PALESTINIAN
OPPOSITION TO THE PEACE PROCESS IS ALIVE AND
KICKING."

-- "THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS OPERATION (THE WEST

JERUSALEM SHOOTING) WAS THAT IT TOOK PLACE IN
THE HEART OF THE SO-CALLED ISRAELI ENTITY IN
WEST JERUSALEM, NOT IN EAST JERUSALEM.
ISLAMISTS ARE NOT ONLY DEMANDING THE RETURN OF
EAST JERUSALEM BUT ALSO WEST JERUSALEM."

-- "THIS OPERATION PROVED THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF
COMPETITION BETWEEN JORDAN AND THE PLO OVER THE
HOLY PLACES IN JERUSALEM. THE CAUSE IS NOT WHO
CONTROLS THE HOLY PLACES, BUT HOW TO REDEEM THE
CITY OF JERUSALEM, THE CAPITAL OF PALESTINE."

-- "THE KIDNAPPING OF ISRAELI CORPORAL WACHSMAN
WAS A POLITICAL ACT HAMAS WANTED TO BRING TO
THE FOREFRONT THE ISSUE OF 5000 PALESTINIAN
DETAINEES STILL HELD IN ISRAELI JAILS."

-------------- ---
...AND TO ARAFAT'S EFFORTS TO RESTRICT THE GROUP
-------------- ---


4. (U) GHAWSHAH ALSO HARSHLY CRITICIZED ARAFAT IN
THE "STAR" INTERVIEW FOR ATTEMPTING TO CRACK DOWN ON
HAMAS IN GAZ:

-- "MR. ARAFAT DOES NOT WANT THE RELEASE OF THE
PRISONERS BECAUSE 3,000 OF THOSE DETAINED ARE
HAMAS SUPPORTERS."

-- "ARAFAT HAS CROSSED THE RED LINES BY
SANCTIONING SWEEPING DETENTIONS, COLLECTIONS OF
WEAPONS, THE PERSECUTION OF HAMAS ACTIVISTS AND
THE CLOSURE OF THE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY."

-- "ARAFAT MUST NOW FACE HIS PEOPLE, WHICH IS WHAT
PERES AND RABIN WANTED ALL ALONG: AN INTRA-
PALESTINIAN STRUGGLE."

-- "THE PEOPLE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT ARAFAT IS
ACTING AS A COLLABORATOR FOR ISRAEL. THE
PEOPLE'S ANGER INCREASED EVEN MORE WHEN THEY
DISCOVERED THERE WAS COLLUSION BETWEEN
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (PA) INTELLIGENCE AND ITS
ISRAELI COUNTERPARTS DURING THE DIR NABALA (THE
KIDNAPPING OF CORPORAL NASHON WACHSMAN)
OPERATION.

--------------
GHAWSHAH'S POSITION AS SPOKESMAN
--------------


5. (C) DESPITE JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS
PLACED ON GHAWSHAH AND HIS COLLEAGUE MUHAMMAD AL-
NAZZAL LAST APRIL, LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
CONTINUE TO SEEK OUT GHAWSHAH AS AN ACCESSIBLE
SPOKESMAN OF THE HAMAS MOVEMENT AND BECAUSE OF HIS
DEMONSTRATED WILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE SENSATIONAL
COMMENTARY AND REACTION TO EVENTS IN THE OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES. NEVERTHELESS, JOURNALISTIC SOURCES
REPORT THAT GHAWSHAH CONSISTENTLY DENIES THAT HAMAS
IN JORDAN HAS ANY CONTROL OVER OR DIRECT CONNECTION
TO EVENTS IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, THOUGH THESE
DISCLAIMERS RARELY APPEAR IN PRINT.


6. (C) ON THE DAY OF THE TEL AVIV BOMBING, GHAWSHAH
WAS BESIEGED BY REPORTERS LOOKING FOR STATEMENTS.
SOURCES STRESSED THAT GHAWSHAH FIRMLY REFUSED TO
ISSUE A WRITTEN STATEMENT ON THIS OCCASION AND STUCK
TO HIS USUAL PRACTICE OF COMMENTING VERBALLY. THEY
POINTED OUT THAT IN THE RARE INSTANCES HE DOES
COMMIT A STATEMENT TO PAPER, HE PREFERS TO RELEASE
THEM IN LEBANON OR SYRIA. (COMMENT: EMBASSY HAS
NOTED OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS THAT FORMAL HAMAS
COMMUNIQUES RARELY ORIGINATE IN AMMAN. HOWEVER,
THIS DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE HAMAS STATEMENT FAXED TO
THE "JORDAN TIMES" THAT WAS CITED IN REF D. THE
"TIMES" ARTICLE NOTED THAT THE STATEMENT HAS "NO
DATELINE."

--------------
VIEW FROM THE PLO IN JORDAN
--------------


7. (C) PLO "POLITICAL COUNSELOR" IN AMMAN OMAR
SHAKAA ON OCTOBER 19 RESTATED TO POLOFF HIS BELIEF
THAT HAMAS IN JORDAN EXISTS AS A WING OF THE
JORDANIAN MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD. HE ASSERTED THAT
NEITHER HAMAS NOR THE BROTHERHOOD HERE EXERT ANY
CONTROL OVER HAMAS IN THE TERRITORIES. HAMAS ALSO
DOES NOT RECEIVE TRAINING OR MATERIAL FROM JORDAN.
JORDAN'S HAMAS MOVEMENT THUS PRIMARILY MAKES RADICAL
STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF OPERATIONS PLANNED AND
CARRIED OUT BY HAMAS IN THE TERRITORIES WITHOUT
REFERENCE TO THE OFFICE HERE, SHAKAA DECLARED.


8. (C) AS HE HAS BEFORE, SHAKAA MADE IT CLEAR THAT
HE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT KING HUSSEIN OR ANY ELEMENT
OF THE JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT IS INVOLVED IN
SUPPORTING HAMAS OPERATIONS IN THE TERRITORIES.
SHAKAA BELIEVES THAT THE KING AND THE GOJ HAVE A
TACIT AGREEMENT WITH THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD THAT
ALLOWS HAMAS TO OPERATE HERE UNDER THE BROTHERHOOD'S
UMBRELLA IN EXCHANGE FOR ASSURANCES THAT THE GROUP
WILL NOT SUPPORT OR UNDERTAKE VIOLENCE IN JORDAN.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


9. (C) ALTHOUGH GHAWSHAH'S WORDS TAKE ON ADDED
SIGNIFICANCE BECAUSE HE ACTS AS HAMAS' "OFFICIAL
SPOKESMAN," THE SENTIMENTS HE EXPRESSES ARE SIMILAR
TO THOSE OF OTHER REJECTIONIST GROUPS IN JORDAN
WHICH HAVE ATTACKED THE JORDANIAN-ISRAELI ACCORD AND
LENT VERBAL SUPPORT TO ATTACKS IN THE OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES BY HAMAS' MILITARY WING. THE PRACTICAL
EFFECT OF THE JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT'S HANDLING OF
GHAWSHAH, IN THE ABSENCE OF COMPELLING EVIDENCE OF A
MORE DIRECT CONNECTION TO HAMAS' MILITARY CELLS, IS
TO TOLERATE GHAWSHAH'S STATEMENTS AS LONG AS THEY DO
NOT EXCEED STANDARD REJECTIONIST RHETORIC.


10. (C) ALLEGATIONS THAT THE KING AND JORDANIAN
SECURITY SERVICES HAVE HAD A ROLE IN THESE ATTACKS
ARE EVENLESS CREDIBLE AND WERE DEALT WITH IN REF C.
THE SUGGESTION THAT THE KING WOULD PLAY A DANGEROUS
GAME WITH HAMAS TO EMBARRASS ARAFAT AND DESTABILIZE
THE PA IGNORES THE FACT THAT THE KING HAS JUST AS
UC TO LOSE AS ARAFAT IF HAMAS BRINGS DOWN THE PA.
BOMBINGS AND ARRESTS INSIDE JORDAN THIS YEAR (SEE
REF E AND PREVIOUS REPORTING ON THE "ARAB AFGHANS")
BROUGHT HOME THE POINT THAT JORDAN HAS ITS OWN
RADICAL ISLAMIST UNDERGROUND, PART OF WHICH MANY
THINK IS A CLANDESTINE EXTENSION OF HAMAS.

EGAN