US embassy cable - 03AMMAN2956

UNCLAS AMMAN 002956 
 
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 MIDDLE EAST 
 
                        Summary 
 
--Lead story in all papers today, May 20, focuses on 
the series of suicide bombings that took place 
yesterday in Israel.  Front-page stories continue to 
focus on preparations for the Jordanian parliamentary 
elections. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "Who is responsible for the bloodshed?" 
 
Center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(05/20) editorializes:  "No one has to look very hard 
for the real cause for this recent escalation of 
violence on both the Palestinian and the Israeli 
fronts.  It is Sharon and his extremist right-wing 
government.  They have closed off the road for peace 
and destroyed the accords and they continue their war 
of settlements, colonization and invasions..  It is 
truly sad that the world stands watching the Israeli 
arrogance.  The Israeli government commits crimes on 
daily basis against the Palestinians without any 
condemnation or denunciation..  We call on the United 
States and the international community to intervene 
strongly in order to salvage the peace plan and to put 
an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people.  We 
also look to the people in Palestine to pull in their 
ranks, to put their differences aside, and to 
formulate a unified strategy that would enable the 
people to confront the challenges leading to their 
freedom and independence." 
 
-- "The terrorism that serves the enemies" 
 
Columnist Yaqoub Jaber writes on the op-ed page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(05/20):  "It is probably too early to say that Al- 
Qa'eda organization was responsible for the bombings 
in Riyadh and Casablanca.  Yet, we can safely say that 
such bombings against targets related to the foreign 
and American presence marks a reaction against the war 
that the United States launched against Iraq.. 
According to these groups, terrorism is the only means 
of revenge, since armies have failed to protect 
national independence.  But they do not realize that 
their push for terrorist actions out of revenge is 
actually harming their own people and their own 
countries and the image of Arabs and Muslims in the 
world.  It is our duty to warn that terrorists may 
take advantage of the fall of Baghdad to spread death 
and destruction and to continue to defame Arabs and 
Muslims.  We would not blame the governments if they 
deal harshly with those who chose terrorism as a means 
of self-expression, a means that serves only the 
objectives of the enemies and the adversaries." 
GNEHM