US embassy cable - 04AMMAN9210

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 009210 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2014 
TAGS: ASEC, PREL, KPAL, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: SUBDUED JORDANIAN REACTION TO ARAFAT'S DEATH 
 
REF: AMMAN 09095 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (U)   The drawn-out nature of Yasser Arafat's demise, as 
well as the long Eid al-Fitr holiday weekend, ensured that 
there was a subdued response in Jordan to the Palestinian 
leader's death.  Jordan's official reaction was correct: the 
PM declared a three-day mourning period nationwide and King 
Abdullah attended Arafat's funeral in Cairo.  Public 
gatherings to honor Arafat, mainly in Palestinian refugee 
camps, were small and peaceful.  A public demand by Arafat's 
Jordanian doctor for an autopsy cemented for many Jordanians 
a belief that Arafat was poisoned.  End Summary. 
 
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GOJ OFFERS CONDOLENCES 
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2.  (C)  Upon receiving the official word of Arafat's death 
early on November 11, the GOJ set in motion its obviously 
well-thought out reaction: three days of mourning for the 
country (closing schools and government offices) and forty 
days for the Royal Court (otherwise a hardly mournful place, 
as the King in fact kept a busy public schedule, including 
avoidable ceremonial events).  The King joined other heads of 
state at Arafat's Cairo funeral, and all Jordanian flags were 
lowered to half-mast (although unlike the marking of the 
death of the UAE's Sheikh Zayed, the enormous flag flying 
above the Royal Palace compound -- visible from most of Amman 
-- was at half mast for only a day, a truer indication of 
Hashemite sentiment toward the man who tried to take Jordan 
from them just over thirty years ago).  The King designated 
Foreign Minister al-Mulki to represent Jordan at Arafat's 
burial in Ramallah; Amman MP, and gadfly, Mamdouh Abbadi 
headed a Lower House delegation to Ramallah as well. 
 
3.  (U)  The GOJ issued numerous public statements of 
sympathy.  King Abdullah sent a condolence cable to interim 
Palestinian President Rawhi Fattouh, and offered a special 
prayer for Arafat after he and the Queen shared iftar with a 
group of orphans on November 11.  The Royal Court issued a 
statement expressing Jordan's sympathy to the Palestinian 
people, describing Arafat as "a man who dedicated his life in 
defending the rights of the Palestinian people to establish 
their own state."  The King told press that Jordan would 
continue to support the cause by supporting "fresh peace 
efforts," emphasizing that Jordan will always support the 
Palestinians in restoring their legitimate rights. "We are 
sure that the Palestinian brothers, who realize the current 
challenges, will maintain their unity to serve their cause 
and overcome such an ordeal," he added.  Meanwhile, Deputy PM 
Muasher pledged Jordan's full support to the Palestinians to 
ensure a "smooth transition" and help revive the peace 
process.  Muasher made the remarks at Marka Airport in Amman 
as he saw Abu Mazen and Fattouh off for Cairo. 
 
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SUBDUED PUBLIC REACTION 
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4.  (U)  The protracted drama surrounding Arafat's demise 
appeared to take the steam out of any motivation for public 
gatherings in Jordan after his death.  Unlike large (and 
sometimes violent) demonstrations after Sheikh Yassin's 
assassination, Jordanian security sources reported only a few 
small, peaceful gatherings in refugee camps after Friday 
prayers on November 12.  Camp representatives received 
condolences for three days, as did the Palestinian mission in 
Amman.  Approximately 100 university students gathered at the 
Palestinian mission briefly to express their sympathy on 
November 12.  Participants in a small sit-in on November 11 
at the Professional Associations complex, ostensibly to 
express solidarity with the Iraqi resistance and opposition 
to the Fallujah operation, carried portraits of Arafat. 
 
5.  (U)  Press coverage of Arafat's death was heavy, and many 
are expected to have tuned in to satellite television 
stations for live broadcasts of Arafat's funeral and burial 
on November 12 (notably, Jordan TV did not carry the funeral 
live, despite the King's attendance).  Other Jordanians 
skipped watching the event, preoccupied with preparations for 
Eid al-Fitr, which began officially in Jordan on November 14. 
 In several "man on the street" interviews, Jordanians 
expressed their sadness at Arafat's passing, but quite a few 
also commented it was just another day for them, and that 
Arafat's death made no difference in their personal lives. 
 
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CALLS FOR PALESTINIAN UNITY 
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6.  (U)  Members of Parliament issued statements of respect 
for Arafat and called on the Palestinian factions to come 
together for the sake of national unity.  Amman MP Mamdouh 
Abbadi said: "No one can take President Arafat's place but if 
the Palestinian factions come together, they may fill the gap 
left by his death."  MP Bassam Haddadin from Zarqa predicted 
that the Palestinians would now take a "more 
institutionalized approach in leadership," although this 
would take time.  Worried that Arafat's death would 
exacerbate a rift between the PLO and HAMAS, Abbadi said he 
feared that an Islamist leadership "would mean an extreme 
leadership that may lead the Palestinian people down a 
different path."  Islamic Action Front Deputy Hayat Massimi 
disagreed: "HAMAS's main concern is not attaining leadership 
but liberation," she said. 
 
7.  (U)  Former PM Abdul Salam Majali, who signed the 
Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty with Rabin in 1994, told local 
press that he hoped that the Palestinians would "look to the 
future as they learn lessons from the past."  He added: 
"Israel has no excuse now to keep saying we do not have a 
partner to establish peace with.  However, I hope Israel will 
not create a new enemy to hinder future peace efforts." 
 
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LOOKING FOR MORE FROM THE U.S. 
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8.  (U)  An editorial in the English-language Jordan Times 
daily criticized President Bush's remark that he hoped to see 
a Palestinian state by the end of his new term.  "When Bush 
says that he envisions...a Palestinian state in four years, 
he not only negates the roadmap's critical timetable, which 
set 2005 as the time frame for that most important goal, but 
he again delays the process of peace-making.  By doing so, he 
sentences the Palestinians to four more years of Israeli 
occupation and four more years in which Israel can continue 
its policy of establishing "facts on the ground," thereby 
making withdrawal from Palestinian territories a 
non-starter." 
 
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RUMORS OF ARAFAT'S POISONING PERSIST 
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9.  (C)  Persistent rumors that Arafat was poisoned 
intensified in Jordan after Arafat's personal doctor, the 
highly-respected Jordanian physician Ashraf al-Kurdi, 
publicly called for an autopsy and full investigation into 
the cause of his death.  Unsurprisingly, Israel is the main 
suspect, but several Palestinian-Jordanians shared their 
suspicion with emboffs about the culpability of certain 
senior PA officials in the "plot."  In their minds, in this 
area of conspiracy-driven thinking, the fact that  the 
officials (including Nabil Sha'ath) strongly dismissed the 
possibility of poisoning only further implicated them. 
 
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COMMENT 
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10.  (C)  The timing of Arafat's death -- just before the 
holidays ending Ramadan -- and the extensive coverage of his 
deteriorating health tempered any potential negative 
reactions in Jordan.  The public expressions of sympathy 
belie almost certain relief among some Jordanians 
(particularly among East Bankers, including Jordanian 
officialdom) that Arafat has finally gone, creating an 
opening for new leaders and an opportunity for progress 
toward a two-state solution.  Some old-timers are doubtless 
glad, having never forgiven Arafat for his role in Jordan's 
1970 war.  However, Jordanians will remain skeptical of the 
new leaders' ability to change much on the ground and are 
hoping for strong, tangible support from Israel and the 
United States in order to bolster moderate Palestinian 
leaders' ability to deliver on the needs of their 
constituents. 
 
11.  (U)  Baghdad minimize considered. 
 
Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at 
http://www.state.sgov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through 
the Department of State's SIPRNET home page. 
HALE