US embassy cable - 03AMMAN6716

UNCLAS AMMAN 006716 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, I/GNEA, 
B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION 10/21/03 
                           Summary 
 
 
-- Lead story in all papers today, October 21, focuses on 
the anticipation of the Jordanian Cabinet change by the end 
of this week.  Reports quote informed sources as saying that 
Faisal Fayez, currently the Royal Court Minister, will 
replace Ali Abul Ragheb as Prime Minister, that the new 
Cabinet will be cut down from 29 portfolios to 20 with a 
number of women ministers and young technocrats, and that 
the Ministry of Information will be scrapped.  Another lead 
story highlights Israel's "massacre" in Gaza yesterday, with 
five air strikes, and the killing of 10 and the injury of 
over 70 Palestinians. 
 
                    Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "A new Peter the Great, this time from America" 
 
Daily columnist Khaled Mahadin writes on the op-ed page of 
semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai (10/21): 
"The Americans and Europeans did not stir at the remarks 
made by U.S. General Boyken.  No American or European 
official condemned these remarks and we did not hear anyone 
accuse the General of being anti-semitic.  The White House 
refused to comment on Boykin's remarks, which suggests 
implicit support, while Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld 
considered these remarks a personal viewpoint.  As for the 
Europeans, they ignored them totally, which in itself is a 
concurrence.  Yet, when the brave Malaysian Prime Minister 
said that the Jews employ others, the Americans and the 
Europeans, to fight their wars, all hell broke loose, and we 
had to listen to statements of hatred and racism condemning 
this brave Malaysian man..  With his remarks, General Boykin 
decided to wage war against God, against Islam and Muslims, 
and he tried to portray America's war against the Arabs and 
Muslims as a Christian war against Islam and the war of 
Christians against Muslims.  The truth is, however, is that 
Boykin, with his extremism, is waging a war against real 
Christianity and real Christians.  The General's stupidity 
reached the level of declaring that President Bush Jr. was 
not elected by Americans but by God.  Such talk is hard to 
comment on, because God cannot be on the side of an American 
president who has killed more than a million Afghani and 
Iraqi people in the first two years of his term in office." 
 
-- "The harmony between Bush and Bin Laden" 
 
Daily columnist Rakan Majali writes on the back-page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour (10/21): 
"President George Bush was very happy with the content of Al- 
Qa'eda leader Osama Bin Laden's audio message.  He was very 
happy because Bin Laden's threats confirm his repetitious 
statements that the threat of terrorism still exists and 
that America must be ready to face operations more horrible 
that the 9/11 attacks..  The funny thing is that the United 
States, which has turned Iraq into an open arena for all 
forms of chaos, claims that its mission in Iraq is to combat 
terrorism.  This terrorism did not exist in Iraq and the 
United States paved the way for it..  The United States 
knows that extremist organizations form only a small percent 
of the total of the Muslim world.  The United States knows 
that these organizations do not have any ruling power in any 
of the Muslim countries, but nevertheless continues to look 
at the Muslim world through Bin Laden and some other 
extremist figures.  These are figures who will give the 
United States the justification to continue its aggressive 
war under the pretext of combating terrorism".