US embassy cable - 02AMMAN4286

UNCLAS AMMAN 004286 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, 
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
USCINCCENT/CCPA, USCENTCOM REAR MACDILL AFB FL 
NICOSIA FOR ILMG 
STATE PASS TO AID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN: MEDIA REACTION ON KING'S U.S. VISIT, 
EXPLOSION AT HEBREW UNIVERSITY 
 
 
SUMMARY 
 
TWO THEMES DOMINATED JORDANIAN DAILIES ON AUGUST 1: THE 
FIRST WAS KING ABDULLAH'S OPEN DISCUSSION WITH 
PARTICIPANTS IN ET FORTUNE INSTITUTE, AND THE OTHER WAS 
THE EXPLOSION AT THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY, WHICH DAILIES 
DESCRIBED AS "THE FIRST PALESTINIAN RESPONSE TO THE 
GAZA MASSACRE." 
 
EDITORIAL WRITERS COMMENTED ON THE FORTHCOMING MEETING 
BETWEEN KING ABDULLAH AND PRESIDENT BUSH, AND ON U.S. 
POLICY IN THE REGION, WHICH IS NOW INCREASINGLY 
REFERRED TO AS U.S.-ISRAELI POLICY. 
 
 
NEWS REPORTS 
 
ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES ON AUGUST 1 LED WITH REPORTS ON 
KING ABDULLAH'S OPEN DISCUSSION WITH PARTICIPANTS IN 
FORTUNE INSTITUTE CONFERENCE.  NEWSPAPERS HIGHLIGHTED 
TWO ELEMENTS FROM THE DISCOURSE: THE NEED TO ESTABLISH 
A PALESTINIAN STATE WITHIN THREE YEARS, THIS BEING THE 
KEY TO STABILITY AND PROSPERITY IN THE REGION, AND THAT 
THERE IS NO BALANCE IN THE U.S. VISION OF THE MIDDLE 
EAST. 
 
ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES REPORTED THE PALESTINIAN 
"COMMANDO" OPERATION, WHICH THEY DESCRIBED AS "THE 
FIRST PALESTINIAN RESPONSE TO THE MASSACRE OF GAZA." 
 
 
EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES 
 
-- THE JORDANIAN-AMERICAN SUMMIT: ANOTHER LINK IN A 
CONTINUOUS EFFORT 
DAILY COLUMNIST MAHMOUD AL-RIMAWI WROTE IN SEMI- 
OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON AUGUST 1: 
"THE JORDANIAN-AMERICAN SUMMIT SCHEDULED FOR TODAY, 
THURSDAY, IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND [THE U.S. 
ADMINISTRATION] OF THE CONSTANTS OF JORDAN'S POSITION 
REGARDING THE [ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT] AND THE 
SETTLEMENT IN THE REGION.  THE U.S. SHOULD BE REMINDED 
OF ITS RESPONSIBILITY ON THIS ISSUE, SINCE THE AMERICAN 
PERFORMANCE SO FAR HAS ONLY EXACERBATED THE SITUATION 
INSTEAD OF CALMING IT." 
 
-- BORN TO KILL 
OCCASIONAL COLUMNIST KHALIL AL-SAWAHRI WROTE IN CENTER- 
LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON AUGUST 1: 
"DURING SHARON'S BLACK RULE, ISRAEL HAS SURPASSED 
ITSELF IN COINING EUPHEMISMS FOR THE ITS CRIMES AGAINST 
THE PALESTINIANS.  ASSASSINATION IS NOW TERMED TARGETED 
KILLING, MASSACRES ARE TERMED PREEMPTIVE SELF-DEFENSE, 
AND KILLING ARAB CHILDREN IS PERMISSIBLE SINCE THEY ARE 
TOMORROW'S TERRORISTS.  MEANWHILE, PALESTINIAN SELF- 
DEFENSE IS TERMED TERRORISM.  IT IS STRANGE AND 
REGRETTABLE THAT THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA QUICKLY LAP UP 
THESE ZIONIST TERMS, AND ACCEPT THAT SELF-DEFENSE IS 
TERRORISM, WHILE STATE TERRORISM IS A LEGITIMATE RIGHT. 
MEANWHILE, ISRAELIS PRACTICE COLD-BLOODED MURDER AND 
PROUDLY WRITE ON THEIR CLOTHES: `BORN TO KILL.'" 
 
-- SUBJUGATING THE ARAB MIND 
TAHER AL-ADWAN, CHIEF EDITOR OF INDEPENDENT, MASS- 
APPEAL ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM WROTE ON AUGUST 1: 
"ARAFAT'S DICTATORSHIP IS NOT THE MAIN PROBLEM FACING 
THE PALESTINIANS.  THEIR MAIN PROBLEMS ARE THE 
OCCUPATION AND THE PRACTICES OF THE WAR CRIMINAL 
SHARON.  NOR IS SADDAM'S DICTATORSHIP THE MAIN PROBLEM 
OF THE IRAQIS.  THEY SUFFER FROM SIEGE AND THE DAILY 
AIR RAIDS.  MOREOVER, WHAT ISRAEL AND THE U.S. PLAN IS 
NOT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PALESTINIANS AND IRAQIS, BUT 
TO CONVERT THEM INTO DEAD BODIES.  THIS IS A VERY 
DANGEROUS TURNING POINT BECAUSE IF THE PLAN IS CARRIED 
OUT, THERE WILL BE A LONG PERIOD OF SUBJUGATION, NOT 
ONLY OF OUR NATIONS, BUT ALSO OF OUR MINDS AND OUR 
WILLS."   GNEHM