US embassy cable - 04AMMAN2197

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 002197 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, ASEC, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDANIANS UNITE TO PROTEST YASSIN KILLING 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 2164 
     B. AMMAN 2195 
     C. AMMAN 2165 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b and d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C)  Following harsh public condemnation from Jordan's 
King and Prime Minister, cabinet ministers and other 
government officials joined large and emotional 
demonstrations in Jordan against Israel's assassination of 
HAMAS leader Ahmad Yassin on March 22.  Protesters and the 
Islamic Action Front called on the government to abrogate its 
peace treaty with Israel.  The Palestinian Embassy in Amman 
announced it was receiving condolence calls for Sheikh Yassin 
from March 22-24, and the Education Minister directed all 
schools to observe a moment of silence in honor of Sheikh 
Yassin on March 23.  The media focused almost exclusively on 
the event, with special emphasis on alleged U.S. complicity 
in the killing: most Jordanians do not believe statements 
that the U.S. had no foreknowledge of the IDF attack.  During 
violent demonstrations in Palestinian refugee camps on the 
evening of March 22, protesters reportedly burned U.S. flags 
and denounced U.S. support for the "terrorist state."  The 
outpouring of anger over Yassin's assassination is the most 
significant we have seen in Jordan since Israel's operations 
on the West Bank in March 2002.  Jordanian officials continue 
to express concern about the negative repercussions the 
killing will have on Jordan and fear that it gives the 
opposition, primarily the Islamic Action Front, more 
ammunition for its anti-normalization campaign.  End Summary. 
 
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CABINET MEMBERS PARTICIPATE IN STREET PROTESTS 
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2.  (C)  Following official statements from King Abdullah and 
Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez condemning Israel's 
assassination of Sheikh Yassin (ref a), Jordanian cabinet 
ministers joined members of Parliament, Islamists, 
Palestinian refugees, political activists, students, and 
ordinary citizens in a large demonstration in response to 
Yassin's death.  Four cabinet ministers marched with 
thousands of protesters following afternoon prayers on March 
22 at al-Hussein mosque to Amman's city hall (press reports 
claimed anywhere from 7,000-10,000 marched; security sources 
put the number at between 2,500 and 5,000).  Protesters 
carried banners reading: "Sharon you are doomed," and "Yassin 
your death is a rebirth of this nation," and chanted: "We are 
all Ahmad Yassin." 
 
3.  (U)  Minister of Political Development and Parliamentary 
Affairs Mohammad Daoudiyeh told reporters: "Our message is 
that all of Jordan is united in denouncing this heinous crime 
and state terrorism."  Daoudiyeh was joined by Minister of 
Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Salah 
Bashir, Minister of Labor Amjad Majali and Minister of State 
and Government spokesperson Asma Khader.  Education Minister 
Khalid Touqan called for a moment of silence in Jordanian 
schools on March 23.  Reflecting Jordanians' preoccupation 
with the event, the local media focused almost exclusively on 
the killing and its aftermath (ref b). 
 
4.  (C)  Spontaneous rallies cropped up throughout Jordan, 
including Amman, Zarqa, Irbid, and Mafraq.  Members of 
Parliament reportedly called on the Interior Ministry not to 
interfere with them even though they were not licensed.  One 
of our local staff members witnessed a Jordanian Socialist 
Democratic party rally at their headquarters near her home. 
She estimated several thousand attended -- including women in 
hejab and the fashionably dressed -- to mourn Sheikh Yassin 
and listen to speeches condemning Israel and the U.S. 
occupation of Iraq.   Performers at the Royal Cultural Center 
on the night of March 22 also observed a moment of silence 
for Sheikh Yassin. 
 
5.  (C)  Schools, shops, and government offices in two of the 
largest Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan, al-Baqaa and 
al-Wihdat, were closed as thousands marched through the 
camps' narrow streets on March 22.  In al-Baqaa, press 
reported that 3,000 demonstrators, carrying a coffin 
symbolizing Yassin's death, called on HAMAS's military wing 
to avenge Yassin and condemned Israel's ongoing aggression 
against the Palestinians.  RSO cites unconfirmed reports that 
police used tear gas on demonstrators, and did not open roads 
surrounding the camp until the demonstrations petered out 
around 2000 local time. 
 
6.  (C)   Contacts reported on March 23 that as of 1700 local 
time, Amman remains quiet.  The Professional Association held 
a sit-in at its headquarters followed by a march to the 
al-Abdali area.  Approximately 1,000 protesters, carrying 
black flags as a sign of mourning, participated in the march. 
 Police reported no violence or arrests. 
 
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PROTESTERS, IAF DEMAND SEVERING OF TIES TO ISRAEL 
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7.  (U)  A common refrain during the protests was a demand 
upon the government to abrogate its peace treaty with Israel 
and expel its ambassador in retaliation for the 
assassination.  In response to a question during a press 
conference, Khader said that any move taken by the government 
will serve the interests of the Jordanian and Palestinian 
people, and that the Cabinet held an emergency session on 
Monday to discuss the repercussions of "Israel's heinous 
crime."  She said that FonMin Muasher will discuss the issue 
when meeting his Arab counterparts at the Arab League. 
Several Jordanian contacts believe the killing was in part 
intended to goad the Palestinians into retaliatory violence 
which would provide Israel with an excuse to continue 
occupation of the West Bank and construction of the barrier. 
 
8.  (U)  Islamic Action Front (IAF) Secretary General Hamzeh 
Mansour described the assassination as a "vile terrorist 
crime" that will not stop Palestinians from fighting for 
their rights.  He demanded an immediate end to all forms of 
normalization with Israel to avoid provoking public 
sentiment, according to press reports.  The IAF, which has 
close ties to HAMAS, said in a statement: "We've had enough 
and can no longer remain silent...The agreements signed, 
contacts and constant coordination (with Israel) amount to a 
smokescreen for the crimes of the enemy that is tantamount to 
complicity."  It added: "Those who establish contacts with 
the enemy are isolating themselves from their (Arab and 
Islamic) nation," promising that Yassin's killing "will shred 
all the evil agreements" between Arab countries and Israel. 
 
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ANGER AT U.S. PERMEATES EXPRESSIONS OF GRIEF 
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9.  (SBU)  Expressions of blame and anger directed at the 
United States for Yassin's assassination were evident during 
the outpouring of grief after the attack.  Post contacts and 
employees report that Jordanians do not believe U.S. 
statements that Washington had no foreknowledge of the 
attack.  Columnists are portraying the U.S. call for 
"restraint by all parties" as equivalent to asking the 
Palestinians to sit still while they get slaughtered. 
Al-Watan conducted a spot survey of U.S. television coverage, 
noting the avoidance of the term "assassination" and Fox 
News' statement calling Yassin "the Palestinian Bin Ladin." 
Denouncing the "hideous crime" that will only "foment the 
flame of revenge and increase enmity," the Muslim Brotherhood 
called on the U.S. to reconsider its policies in the Middle 
East. 
 
10.  (SBU)  Mass-circulation Arabic-language daily al-Arab 
al-Yawm ran a front-page, above-the-fold full-color cartoon 
in its March 23 edition showing an American bomb hitting an 
old man in a wheel chair.  There was no reference to Israel 
in the cartoon (although an adjacent headline announced, "The 
Terrorist Sharon Assassinates the Sheikh of the Martyrs"). 
 
11.  (SBU)  According to press reports, protesters in 
al-Baqaa camp condemned the U.S. for supporting the 
"terrorist state," and PolFSN reports that demonstrators 
burned the U.S. flag at Wihdat Camp.  According to an Amcit 
Fulbright scholar who teaches American Studies at Jordan 
University, the school is calm but has security people "every 
10 feet."  He reports that while very upset, his students 
distinguish between their outrage over U.S. policy and 
individual Americans.  In consultation with host 
organizations, Embassy-sponsored public events, including a 
dance performance and lectures by a visiting American 
academic, have been canceled.  University hosts have 
described the mood on campuses as "too hot" for visitors 
associated with the USG.  Jordanian public security measures 
at likely targets for retaliation or demonstrations remain 
exceptional. 
 
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COMMENT 
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12.  (C)   Whatever their personal views may be toward 
Yassin, HAMAS, or Palestinians in general, Jordanian 
officials and the public are inevitably forced to demonstrate 
united opposition to and outrage over Yassin's assassination. 
 The outpouring of anger at Israel over Yassin's killing -- 
and the U.S. refusal to condemn it explicitly -- is the most 
pronounced we have seen in Jordan since Israel's incursions 
into the West Bank in March 2002.  The perception that 
Yassin's killing was "made in the USA" adds a special problem 
for Jordan's officials, who are widely seen as U.S. agents in 
the region.  With the assassination providing fodder for the 
IAF, which is steadily assuming the mantle of prime defender 
of the Palestinian cause (and anti-normalization) in Jordan, 
supporters of sound Jordan-U.S. relations are on the 
defensive and finding little positive to work with to rebut 
extremists. 
 
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