US embassy cable - 04AMMAN409

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000409 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2014 
TAGS: ASEC, PREL, KISL, IS, IZ, JO, KTER 
SUBJECT: JORDANIANS PROTEST AGAINST ISRAEL AND U.S. IRAQ 
POLICY; ISLAMIST ARRESTED FOR CALLING THE TRAINING OF 
IRAQIS IN JORDAN "TRAITOROUS" 
 
REF: AMMAN 389 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for Reasons 1.5 (b), (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) A non-violent demonstration held January 16 in Amman 
garnered several hundred Jordanians who protested against 
Israeli policies and the U.S. presence in Iraq.  In 
contravention of parameters pre-arranged with the GOJ, 
several demonstrators held up pictures of Saddam Hussein and 
Iraqi flags, while the Muslim Brotherhood Deputy Controller 
General, Hammam Sa'id, accused the GOJ of a "traitorous act" 
for allowing the training of Iraqi police and military units 
in Jordan.  Prime Minister Fayez told Ambassador that Sa'id, 
whose comments do not reflect popular opinion, would be 
charged in a civilian court with defaming the King and the 
government, and that the GOJ would continue its strong 
support for Iraq-related training programs.  End Summary. 
 
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TAKING TO THE STREETS 
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2.  (C) On January 16, a government-sanctioned march took 
place in Amman to show support for the Palestinian intifada 
and to condemn U.S. occupation of Iraq.  The march began 
outside the complex of the Jordanian Professional 
Associations, the primary organizers of the demonstration, 
and made its way to the main United Nations facility in 
Jordan, a commonly-used rally route.  While some press 
reports put the number of demonstrators at 2,000, local 
police numbered the participants at no more than "several 
hundred." 
 
3.  (U) The demonstrators loudly condemned Israel for its 
treatment of Palestinians, pledged their support for the 
intifada, and called for the expulsion of the Israeli 
ambassador from Jordan.  The crowd also chanted anti-U.S. 
slogans and demanded that American troops withdraw from Iraq, 
while at the same time praising the "Iraqi resistance."  In 
his address to the demonstrators, the head of the 
Professional Associations, Dr. Mohammad Oran, stressed that 
Arabs do not consider the American people as an enemy, but 
called on Americans to object to the U.S. administration's 
policies in the region. 
 
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STEPPING OVER THE LINE 
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4.  (C) In granting permission for the march, the GOJ laid 
down several rules and made clear to organizers that 
demonstrators were to confine their protests to the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the U.S. presence in Iraq. 
Several demonstrators strayed outside these "red lines," 
however, by showing support for former Iraqi dictator Saddam 
Hussein by prominently displaying his picture.  More notably, 
as the Deputy Controller General of the Muslim Brotherhood, 
Hammam Sa'id, performed Friday prayers for the crowd, he 
accused the GOJ of committing a "traitorous act" by allowing 
the training of Iraqi police and military units on Jordanian 
soil.  Sa'id also denounced the Iraqi Governing Council as a 
tool of the U.S. occupation and rejected any dealings with 
it. 
 
5.  (C) Commenting on Sa'id's speech, Prime Minister Faisal 
al-Fayez told the Ambassador and PolCouns January 19 that 
Sa'id had stepped over the line.  Fayez said that Sa'id had 
been arrested, released, and would be charged with defaming 
the King and government by accusing them of treason.  Fayez 
stated that he had asked the Muslim Brotherhood in 
discussions last fall what he should do if they stepped over 
the line in their public actions or statements.  They had 
replied "take us to civilian court," and that is exactly what 
Fayez said he intended to do with Sa'id.  Fayez reaffirmed 
the GOJ's commitment to continue training of Iraqi police and 
military personnel as the best way to help Iraqis govern 
themselves. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6.  (C) The government-sanctioned march is another example of 
the new "political openness" in Jordan (see reftel), but at 
the same time shows that this openness has definite limits. 
In line with pledges for greater political expression, the 
GOJ allowed Jordanians an opportunity to express condemnation 
of Israeli policies affecting Palestinians and, to a lesser 
extent, public opposition to the U.S. presence in Iraq. 
Sa'id's scathing attack against official GOJ policy on Iraq, 
and by extension the decisions of King Abdullah, went too 
far, however, and does not reflect popular opinion. 
 
7.  (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
Visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman or access the site 
through the State Department's SIPRNET home page. 
GNEHM