US embassy cable - 02AMMAN4317

UNCLAS AMMAN 004317 
 
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 
USCINCCENT//CCPA, USCENTCOM REAR MACDILL AFB FL 
STATE PASS TO AID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON MIDDLE EAST 
 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead stories in all papers today, August 5, 
highlight yesterday's "wave" of Palestinian attacks 
against Israelis, including a suicide bus bombing in 
the north of Israel.  Headlines mark the attacks as a 
retaliation by the Palestinian resistance to Israel's 
brutality against the Palestinian people.  Stories 
also carry President Bush's "condemnation" of the 
attacks and the Palestinian and Israeli reactions. 
Editorial commentaries hold Israel responsible for the 
continuation of the violence 
 
      Editorial Commentary on Middle East Issues 
 
-- "The occupation and the suffering of the 
Palestinians" 
 
Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back page of 
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm 
(08/05):  "Israel's crimes go almost unnoticed by the 
international media and hardly receive any coverage if 
compared with the coverage given to a suicide bombing 
inside Israeli territories.  This international 
silence towards the Palestinians' incredible suffering 
under occupation is being used by Sharon and his 
government to continue his cycle of killings and 
destruction.  Meanwhile, the main and only reason for 
this tragedy continues to be overlooked, namely the 
occupation.  The return of the suicide bombings to 
what they used to be puts Sharon and even Bush in 
tight spot, simply because the Palestinian Authority 
no longer exists on the ground, and the only real 
presence of security in the West Bank is for the 
Israeli army.  This suggests their failure to bring 
the Palestinian people down to their knees and to 
strip them of their spirit and their resistance." 
 
-- "Israeli terrorism springs violence in Palestine" 
 
Daily columnist Rakan Majali writes on the back page 
of center-left, influential Arabic Al-Dustour (08/05): 
"Even Israeli newspapers are saying that Israeli 
confrontations, escalation and the use of its military 
machine will only lead to more suicide bombings. 
Whatever Israel decides to call these bombings, the 
outcome is the same, namely that the state of 
frustration and desperation, that results from the 
Hebrew State's exercise of humiliation and oppression 
against Palestinian people and denial of their rights, 
will only lead to more bloodshed. 
GNEHM