US embassy cable - 05AMMAN217

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000217 
 
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 ON PALESTINIAN ELECTION, SUDAN 
PEACE SIGNING, 
 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead story in all papers published today, January 
10, focuses on the "landslide" victory of Mahmoud 
Abbas in the Palestinian presidential elections. 
Another lead story highlights the signing of a final 
peace agreement in Sudan. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "The Palestinian elections, Jerusalem and the 
refugee issue" 
 
Columnist Lamis Andoni writes on the op-ed page of 
independent Al-Ghad Arabic daily (01/10):  "The voting 
process [in the Palestinian presidential election] 
showed an Israeli-American determination to nullify 
(Palestinian rights in) Jerusalem and the right of 
return..  Yesterday was difficult for the Palestinians 
of the Diaspora who felt excluded from the Palestinian 
decision-making process and who see a possible loss of 
the right of return under the terms of Oslo, American- 
Israeli pressure and an Arab acquiescence of America's 
(terms for) peace.  Some analysts and politicians 
suggested that refugees of the Diaspora be given the 
opportunity to participate in legislative and 
presidential elections in order to give them a role in 
the Palestinian decision-making process.  I disagree 
with that for a number of reasons, particularly 
because the Oslo agreement gave the Palestinian 
Authority responsibility for all Palestinians, though 
not representation of them as  America and Israeli 
acknowledge the representative authority of the 
Palestinian Authority only when it comes to ending the 
Intifada and making concessions.  The most significant 
issue is that the participation of the Palestinians in 
the Diaspora in these conditional elections would have 
had serious repercussions later on when the time comes 
to negotiate  final-status issues.  That will be when 
America and Israel pressure the Authority to abandon 
the right of return.  So, participation of the 
refugees in this election would, in effect, nullify 
their rights, because this participation would be 
understood as providing a mandate for the elected 
president to make decisions that could harm their 
fate." 
 
-- "The future of Sudan in light of the recent 
agreement" 
 
Columnist Rana Sabbagh writes on the op-ed page of 
independent Arabic daily Al-Ghad (01/10):  "After a 
civil war that lasted 21 years, claiming the lives of 
1.5 million people at least and displacing another 4 
million, the Sudanese president and the People's Army 
leader signed a final peace agreement.  The agreement, 
signed in front of representatives from African 
countries and the United States, is hoped to put an 
end to the longest conflict in the African continent. 
Yet this agreement, like other developments expected 
to take place in Iraq and Palestine, will be the 
beginning of many long-term challenges that the 
Sudanese and those around them will have to deal with 
if peace, stability and justice are to reign.  The 
issues of human rights and political and economic 
reform constitute the beginning of those challenges.. 
Sudan needs to put in place a work plan  to meet these 
challenges while this atmosphere of optimism and hope 
is still alive." 
 
-- "Israel is everywhere" 
 
Columnist Samih Ma'aytah writes on the back-page of 
independent Arabic daily Al-Ghad 901/10):  "Day in and 
day out, Israel proves to be a major part in most of 
the crises and points of tension in the Arab Nation, 
not just in Palestine, but in all areas of the Arab 
world where killing and fighting is taking place. 
Recent news confirmed the Mosad's involvement in 
stirring the fires of war and killing in the Sudanese 
Darfur crisis, as well as the Israelis' recruitment 
and training of rebel parties and the smuggling of 
weapons to them..  More importantly, Israel and other 
international forces worked on providing political 
support for rebel forces, while turning these issues 
into international issues and forms of political, 
military and economic pressure on the Sudanese 
government..  Iraq is an arena turned by the American 
occupation into free land for the Zionist army and the 
Mosad.  Mosad experts are present in the American 
occupation forces' operations against Iraqi citizens, 
be it through the invasion of cities and homes or 
assassinations and bombing perpetrated by Israel in 
order to ignite the fire of dissension, plant fear and 
entrench sectarianism.  More importantly, there are 
within the U.S. administration people who view Iraq's 
future through Israeli eyes and from the viewpoint of 
Zionist interests..  Israel is an aggressive state, be 
it through direct military occupation or through 
security and economic maneuvering or the 
intensification and escalation of problems.  It has no 
qualms about taking advantage of wars or peace 
treaties in order to expand its circle of influence 
and inflict harm on all that is around it. 
Aggressiveness is part and parcel of this entity.." 
 
-- "Legitimacy is the starting point of freedom and 
dignity!" 
 
Daily columnist Tarek Masarweh writes on the back-page 
of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai 
(01/10):  "The problem today is not the elections. 
The problem is the occupation, as much in Palestine as 
it is in Iraq.  As for the search for legitimacy, the 
Israelis, the Americans or the British know that 
legitimacy in times of occupation is the legitimacy of 
resistance, and nothing else..  The stance of the 
Sunnis towards the American occupation is not much 
different from the roadmap's handling of the [Israeli] 
withdrawal.  What Washington and Tel Aviv want is 
elections first, leading the way for the rise of a 
`reasonable' government that would grant the 
occupation approval by portraying it as supporting 
liberation, independence and self-determination! 
America and Israel view legitimacy (in Iraq and 
Palestine) not as something that determines the 
national fate of the state; but rather the acceptance 
of air bases on Iraqi soil or security zones on the 
River Jordan; a legitimacy that accepts foreign 
dictations at the expense of the freedom, dignity and 
independence of the homeland!  Democracy must never be 
(used as) the starting point of national submission." 
HALE