US embassy cable - 03AMMAN2928

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002928 
 
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 SUICIDE BOMBINGS AND MIDDLE 
EAST 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- A major story in all papers today, May 19, 
highlights the suicide bus bombing that took place in 
Jerusalem yesterday, killing seven Israelis.  Lead 
stories today focus on preparations for the Jordanian 
parliamentary election scheduled for June 17.  Lead 
stories in all papers yesterday, May 18, focuses on 
the suicide bombings in Casablanca, Morocco and the 
international reaction of condemnation for these 
"terrorist" actions. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "Who let terror win?" 
 
Centrist, influential among the elite English daily 
Jordan Times (05/19) editorializes:  "It is extremely 
saddening and frustrating to see terrorists succeed 
once again, and peace hopes repeatedly dashed because 
of terror.  But it is also true that terrorists win 
when they are allowed to, when there is not enough 
political will to show them that they will not succeed 
in shaping history on their terms..  We absolutely 
condemn the Palestinian suicide bomber who killed 
seven people aboard a Jerusalem bus on Sunday.  But 
this terrorist and his group would not have achieved 
their goal had Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon not 
put off a trip to Washington for crucial talks with 
President George W. Bush on the roadmap..  The 
terrorists who blew themselves up . certainly wanted 
to derail whatever was left of the peace process.  But 
Sharon greatly helped them by putting off his peace 
talks in the United States..  How convenient for 
Sharon yesterday's suicide attacks were.  He himself 
could not have found a better excuse to once again 
avoid facing his responsibilities and the unanimous 
will of the international community.  Instead, these 
Jerusalem bombers handed over to him on a silver plate 
the perfect pretext to continue ignoring international 
and regional peace efforts." 
 
-- "Events and mysteries" 
 
Daily columnist Rakan Majali writes on the back page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(05/19):  "The world embarked on a new era after the 
9/11 attacks.  It did have something to do with 
America wanting to take advantage of this terrorist 
crime to launch new strategies and new policies and 
implement its plans for the Arab world and the Muslim 
world in order to affect its hegemony over the world. 
Worse than achieving these objectives by military 
force and aggression is this mystery, the sneakiness 
and all this mystery that envelops the events that 
started with the 9/11 attacks and continues until 
today..  Mysteries continue, including the bombings in 
Riyadh and Casablanca.  The bombings in Saudi occurred 
a few days after Saudi's agreement with the United 
States to get the latter's troops out of Saudi.  The 
bombings in Morocco occurred after the successful of 
the democratic experience there.  We must also note 
that these bombings occurred in two big countries, one 
in the east and one in the west.  The purpose is to 
weaken and confuse everyone..  We must therefore ask 
this legitimate question:  is what is happening in the 
Arab world now another form of and just another part 
of the war and pressures that aim to weaken and 
confuse everyone to pave the way for what the U.S. 
Secretary of State spoke of regarding a comprehensive 
 
SIPDIS 
change in the region within ten years, or is just pure 
coincidence?" 
 
-- "The Arab world between two fires" 
 
Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back page of 
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm 
(05/18):  "The fact that Al-Qa'eda moved its war 
against the Americans into Arab countries is an 
indication of the seriousness of this terrorism that 
is sending tens of young Arab people to blow 
themselves up in operations that, at the end of the 
day, serve only the warmongers within the U.S. 
administration and the policies of the Zionist Lobby 
that is trying to drag the American nation into a 
state of constant battle with the Arabs.  The Arab 
world is now caught between two fires: the fire of 
blind terrorism that wants to turn the domestic scene 
of Arab countries into arenas for destruction and 
sabotage, and the fire of Bush's war against the 
terrorism, the person who does not want to understand 
the reasons that serve terrorism and does not want to 
resolve the issues, without which terrorism cannot be 
eliminated..  The Arab world is destined to pay for 
the mistakes and sins of American policies in the form 
of blind terrorism destroying the security, stability 
and economy of Arab countries.  As much as the Bali 
bombings destroyed tourism in Indonesia in favor of 
tourism in Australia - an ally of the United States 
and took part in the Iraq war, the bombings in 
Casablanca will destroy tourism in Morocco in favor of 
tourism in Spain - one of the allies in the war on 
Iraq." 
GNEHM