US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI2472

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 002472 
 
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 ZEYA 
LONDON PASS TO MOC 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION:  THE AQSA MOSQUE/DARFOUR 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE DETERIORATING SITUATION IN DARFOUR AND THE 
THREATS AGAINST THE AQSA MOSQUE IN JERUSALEM DOMINATED COVERAGE 
IN LOCAL PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  AN EDITORIAL IN "AL BAYAN" 
NOTED THAT THESE THREATS AGAINST THE AQSA MOSQUE ARE NOT ONLY 
AGAINST PALESTINIANS BUT ALSO AGAINST ALL MUSLIMS.  ANOTHER 
EDITORIAL IN "AL BAYAN" NOTED THAT THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT SHOULD 
BE GIVEN TIME TO SOLVE THE DARFOUR CRISIS AND THAT THERE SHOULD 
NOT BE ANY FOREIGN MILITARY INTERFERENCE.  END SUMMARY 
 
2.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "IT'S THE AQSA'S TURN," SHARJAH-BASED 
ARABIC DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 07/26:(CIRCULATION 
85,000) 
 
"WHOEVER COMMITS THESE GROUP MASSACRES AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS 
ON THEIR OWN LANDS AND WITH ALL THE WORLD WATCHING WILL NOT 
REFRAIN FROM TARGETING THE AQSA MOSQUE. AND SINCE THE ARABS DO 
NOT ACT AGAINST WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE PALESTINIANS AND THE 
ENEMIES ARE PROTECTED AND BACKED UP BY THE U.S., THEN THE ZIONIST 
ENTITY WILL JUST CONTINUE ITS ATTACK PLANS AGAINST PALESTINE. 
THERE IS ZIONIST DANGER APPROACHING NOT ONLY THE AQSA BUT OTHER 
PLACES TOO." 
 
3.  NOTING THAT THE THREATS AGAINST THE AQSA MOSQUE ARE NOT ONLY 
AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS BUT ALSO AGAINST ALL MUSLIMS, DUBAI- 
BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 
07/26:(CIRCULATION 40,000) 
 
". IT IS NOT FAR FROM THE TRUTH THAT THE ISRAELI WARNINGS ARE 
PREPARATIONS FOR AN ATTACK OF THE AQSA MOSQUE. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE 
THAT THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT THAT IS COMMITTING DAILY TERRORIST 
ATTACKS AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE FIRST 
KIBLAH AND THE THIRD HARAM. THE AQSA MOSQUE IS A RED LINE AND 
WHOEVER TRIES TO JUMP OVER IT WILL BE PUNISHED AND THIS IS NOT 
ONLY A MUSLIM WARNING BUT IT IS ALSO A WARNING FROM SOME OF THE 
RATIONAL PEOPLE IN THE ZIONIST GOVERNMENT WHO THINK THAT IF 
TERRORISTS DESTROY THE AQSA MOSQUE THEN THAT WILL BE THE END OF 
ISRAEL BECAUSE MUSLIMS IN ALL THE WORLD WILL NOT ACCEPT IT." 
 
4.  NOTING THAT OUR REGION WILL NOT BEAR ANOTHER CRISIS LIKE THE 
ONE IN IRAQ, "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 07/25: 
 
". WILL OUR REGION BE ABLE TO BEAR ANOTHER CRISIS LIKE THE ONE IN 
IRAQ?  THE SITUATION IN DARFOUR NEEDS TO BE SOLVED WITH PATIENCE 
AND WISDOM NOT WITH HASTINESS. WE WISH THAT DARFOUR'S SITUATION 
WOULD NOT BE AN EXCUSE FOR FOREIGN MILITARY INTERFERENCE IN 
SUDAN. THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO BE GIVEN TIME TO SOLVE 
THIS PROBLEM SO IT WON'T TURN INTO A CRISIS SITUATION." 
 
5.  CRITICIZING THE DOUBLE STANDARDS OF THE U.S. IN DEALING WITH 
THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT AND IN DEALING WITH THE ISRAELI 
GOVERNMENT, "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 07/24: 
 
". THE U.S.'S INSISTENCE ON LEGITIMIZING THE ZIONIST ATTACKS, 
KEEPING ISRAEL ABOVE ALL SCRUTINY AND MAKING SURE THAT IT IS 
NEVER PUNISHED, COMPARED WITH ITS (U.S.) INSISTENCE ON PUNISHING 
SUDAN REVEALS THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT'S DOUBLE STANDARDS, WHICH 
WILL MAKE THE WORLD MORE AND MORE CHAOTIC AND THE `LAW OF THE 
JUNGLE' WILL RULE AT THE EXPENSE OF EVERYTHING THAT HAS TO DO 
WITH HUMANITY." 
 
ALBRIGHT