US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT1136

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001136 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD, NEA/P, INR/R/MR 
 
LONDON FOR TSOU 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
USCENTCOM FOR PLUSH 
FOREIGN PRESS CENTER FOR ASILAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, KMDR, OIIP, XF, MU, Public Affairs 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: ISRAEL/PALESTINE; INFLUENCE AND 
TECHNOLOGY 
 
 
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One Man's "Bombing" Is Another Man's "Operation" 
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1. "Al-Watan," a privately-owned Arabic daily, carried an 
editorial on July 15 under the headline "The Palestinian Conflict 
And Urgent Questions": 
 
"We are now witnessing an elected Palestinian political authority 
making successful decisions to peacefully fulfill the goals of 
its people.  However, the civilian operations [read: Palestinian 
suicide bombers] do not advance this process.  These civilians 
use violence to achieve their goals, but genuine peace will only 
result from the actions of the politicians.  The timing of these 
operations is particularly bad, because they seem to occur just 
when the wheels of the political process begin to move forward." 
 
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Wills (And Won'ts) 
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2. The government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" featured an editorial 
on July 15 entitled "Peace Needs A Strong Political Will": 
 
"If one closely tracks Israeli behavior, one realizes that Ariel 
Sharon does not really want peace.  He claims that Israel will 
withdraw from Gaza, while simultaneously continuing to build a 
racist separation wall...  True peace requires a strong political 
will, accompanied by the desire to end the bloodshed between 
Israelis and Palestinians.  However, Sharon and his generals want 
the instability and insecurity to continue.  Haven't the 
Palestinians suffered enough from the Israeli chaos?" 
 
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Big Brother Is Watching 
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3. "Oman" also published an op-ed by Abdullah al-Alyan on July 12 
entitled "To Influence, Or To Be Influenced": 
 
"There is no doubt that we are living in an age in which economic 
forces have opened up cultures to one another.  The Internet, the 
revolutions in information technology, and the omnipresent media 
have created a global society, and the resulting connections have 
profound implications for the upbringing of today's youth. 
Technology will shape the identity of youngsters around the 
world; it will affect cultures and states on many levels. 
Indeed, there is a danger that strong cultures will interfere 
with other societies, and foreign influences will try to control 
our lives.  This interference will lead to larger problems that 
will endanger the process of cooperation between cultures." 
 
BALTIMORE