US embassy cable - 02AMMAN5719

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005719 
 
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 U.S. DECISION REGARDING 
JERUSALEM 
 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead stories in all Arabic dailies today, October 
2, carry wire service reports highlighting President 
Bush's signature of the Foreign Relations 
Authorization Act for FY03, which includes a 
"Jerusalem provision" that calls on the United States 
to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided and 
eternal capital".  One paper's headline announced "New 
American Balfour Declaration" (Al-Aswaq); while the 
headline in high-circulation, semi-official Al Ra'i's 
read: "Bush signs Congressional decision to consider 
Jerusalem as Israel's capital".   Mass-appeal, 
independent daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm characterized the 
signing as being the result of "a deal between the 
Congress and the White House that opens the door for a 
decision to strike Iraq."  Majority of editorial 
commentaries today strongly criticize the U.S. action 
as "extremely  provocative" and as a "blow" to 
international legitimacy and "disrespect" to the 
Muslim and Arab world. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "A very provocative American law" 
 
Center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(10/02) editorializes:  "The law that was submitted by 
Congress and signed by the President considering 
Jerusalem as Israel's capital represents the biggest 
and most dangerous defiance of the Arab and Muslim 
world.  This law is, without a doubt, a huge blow to 
the already fledgling peace process.  It also weakens 
even more the credibility of the American mediator, 
who is well known for his blind bias in favor of the 
Israeli viewpoint.  Most of all, it is a sign of 
disrespect and humiliation to all Muslims around the 
world.  We urge the Arab and Muslim world, on all 
levels, to express their anger at this law that is a 
stab in the back of more than one billion Muslims." 
 
-- "America hates the Arabs and not the other way 
around" 
 
Daily columnist Musa Hawamdeh writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(10/02):  "The latest American decision that considers 
Jerusalem as Israel's capital completely destroys U.S. 
credibility as far as the Arab-Israeli conflict is 
concerned.  The American decision is a reward for the 
occupation and for Sharon's massacres and bloodshed. 
America has exposed its true nature of its intentions 
towards the Palestinians and the Arabs.  This poses 
the question: why do they (the Americans) hate us 
(Arabs)?" 
 
-- "The U.S. is a party in the religious struggle over 
Jerusalem" 
 
Daily columnist Bater Wardam writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(10/02):  "It is clear that the Zionistic U.S. 
Congress wants to get the U.S. administration involved 
in a long struggle with the Muslim world by imposing 
the Jerusalem provision in the Foreign Relations 
Authorization Act.  The requirement now is an Arab and 
Muslim political campaign that rises up to the level 
of this provocation.  It is the responsibility of the 
Arab and Muslim official authorities to respond to 
this defiance, otherwise, the Muslim people and the 
non-official organizations will respond, and we all 
know how their response would be.  Before Arab and 
Muslim regimes start to criticize terrorism and 
declare their readiness to combat it, they should 
adopt a stand against this rude American provocation 
that shows, once more, the America's insolence towards 
the Muslim world." 
 
-- "The American Knesset" 
 
Columnist Rashad Abu Daoud writes on the back page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(10/02):  "Politically speaking, the law recognizing 
Jerusalem as Israel capital is a declaration changing 
the Palestinian and Middle East issue as a whole from 
a regional military and political struggle into a 
religious cause.  It also changes the issue from being 
an issue that has to do with three million 
Palestinians to a declaration of war against a billion 
Muslim around the world." 
GNEHM