US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI3876

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003876 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; 
INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION:  ISRAEL PALESTINE IRAQ 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE SITUATION IN THE WEST BANK AND IRAQ DOMINATED 
COVERAGE IN THE UAE MEDIA.  IN "AL ITTIHAD," KUWAITI COLUMNIST 
DR. SHAMLAN AL EISSA CRITICIZED THE ARABIC SATELLITE TV NETWORKS 
AND OTHERS FOR LABELING THE ATTACKS ON THE UN HEADQUARTERS IN 
IRAQ AN ACT OF LIBERATION.  AN "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIAL BLAMES BOTH 
PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS FOR THE "DETERIORATING" SITUATION.  AN 
"AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIAL CRITICIZED THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY'S 
CRACK DOWN ON THE "RESISTANCE."  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "TERRORISM OR RESISTANCE?," DR. SHAMLAN AL 
EISSA WROTE IN ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" ON 
8/24: 
 
"... THE OPERATION WAS CONDEMNED BY ALL WORLD LEADERS, THE ARAB 
LEAGUE, THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UN, AND THE TEMPORARY 
(IRAQI) GOVERNING COUNCIL, BUT NOT BY ANY OF THE ARABIC SATELLITE 
TV CHANNELS, WHO SUPPORT THE PREVIOUS (IRAQI) REGIME AND ANTI- 
AMERICAN POWERS.  THEY LABELED THIS ACT AN ACT OF NATIONALISM IN 
ORDER TO LIBERATE IRAQ FROM FOREIGN OCCUPATION.  IS WHAT IS 
HAPPENING IN IRAQ TODAY REALLY AN ACT OF NATIONAL LIBERATION FROM 
A FOREIGN ENEMY?  OR IS IT A SERIES OF DISORGANIZED TERRORIST 
ATTACKS THAT AIM TO EXPEL COALITION FORCES AND RETURN THE 
PREVIOUS REGIME? ... THE GOAL OR AIM OF WHOEVER PERFORMS THESE 
ACTS OF TERRORISM IS DEFINITELY NOT THE LIBERATION OF THE LAND, 
BUT TO BURN IRAQ AND ALL ITS PEOPLE, ANIMALS, AND ENVIRONMENT. 
THESE ACTS ARE ONLY DONE BY GANGSTERS, LIKE THE TALIBAN IN 
AFGHANISTAN OR AL QAEDA SUPPORTERS, OR THE GANGS OF THE PREVIOUS 
BA'ATH PARTY ...  WHOEVER WANTS TO LIBERATE A LAND WOULD FOCUS ON 
COALITION FORCES DIRECTLY AND NOT KILL TRANSLATORS AND 
HUMANITARIAN WORKERS OF THE UN, RED CRESCENT, AND OTHER 
HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE COME TO REBUILD IRAQ AND TO 
BUILD DEMOCRATIC ORGANIZATIONS ON NEW FOUNDATIONS UNFAMILIAR TO 
THE ARAB WORLD." 
 
3.  BLAMING BOTH PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS FOR RECENT EVENTS, "AL 
ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 8/24: 
 
"THE REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO SAVE THE ROADMAP FROM 
A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO ERASE IT, EITHER THROUGH APACHE MISSILES 
KILLING PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS OR THE SUICIDE BOMBS THAT TAKE 
PALESTINIAN LIVES AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS, WILL NOT DO ANY GOOD 
AS SOME OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONFLICT HAVE DIFFERENT FACES THAT 
REVEAL KINDNESS WHILE HIDING ACTS OF TORTURE AND PUNISHMENT ... 
ISRAEL SHOULD END THEIR DELUSIONS OF POWER AND DOMINATION, AND 
PALESTINIANS SHOULD STAND IN SUPPORT OF THEIR GOVERNMENT.  THAT 
IS, IF EVERYONE WANTS TO SAVE THE ROADMAP." 
 
4.  CRITICIZING THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY'S ACTS TOWARDS THE 
PALESTINIAN "RESISTANCE," SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB "AL KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED 8/25: 
 
"... THEY (THE US ADMINISTRATION) WANT THE PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT 
TO BECOME AN OBEDIENT TOOL IN THE HANDS OF THE OCCUPATION AND 
ALLOW BUSH AND SHARON TO APPROVE THIS GOVERNMENT, SO IT DOES NOT 
FACE THE SAME FATE OF THE PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT, CURRENTLY UNDER 
SIEGE IN THE (GAZA) STRIP.  THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY DOES NOT 
WANT TO FACE THE CURSE OF BEING CALLED A TERRORIST OR HELPING 
TERRORISM, AND THIS WILL LEAD TO ITS ELIMINATION.  ASSERTING ITS 
EXISTENCE SHOULD NOT COME AT THE EXPENSE OF THE WEAPON OF 
RESISTANCE, WHATEVER THE GOAL THAT ABU MAZEN'S GOVERNMENT IS 
TRYING TO PROMOTE IN ORDER TO PLEASE THE U.S. AND WHOEVER THE 
U.S. WANTS TO PLEASE ..." 
 
RALBRIGHT