This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 AMMAN 000888 
 
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 TSOU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS AND 
DANISH CARTOONS 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead stories in all papers over the past three 
days, February 5-7, focus on the situation in the 
aftermath of the Palestinian elections and the victory 
of Hamas and on the fallout from the Danish cartoons. 
 
 
     Editorial Commentary on Palestinian Elections 
 
-- "Agreements must be complied with" 
 
Center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(02/07) editorializes:  "The rhetoric of Hamas 
movement in these times is calm and shows a great deal 
of awareness about the nature of the game and the 
players.  It also knows that it is facing a big test, 
not just by foreign parties, but also by the 
Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nation.. 
If Hamas manages to show political capability and 
presence by choosing a prime minister who can stand by 
and support President Abbas, distributing ministerial 
portfolios with the same level of responsibility and 
awareness, and pushing towards the reformation of 
Palestinian institutions after holding accountable 
corrupt people who stole the Palestinian people's 
money, then it will be salvaging the Palestinian 
situation and preventing it from slipping into the 
abyss.  As important as peace negotiations are, the 
Palestinian people need to put their house in order 
more than they need to have a withdrawal here and 
redeployment there.  Indeed, what is the use of an 
independent but corrupt state?  The priority is to 
establish a clean leadership, and then it will be easy 
for the Palestinian people to regain their rights 
completely and without any losses." 
 
-- "About the corruption in the Authority" 
 
Daily columnist Oraib Rantawi writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(02/07):  "If there one advantage of holding the 
Palestinian elections and Hamas' victory, it is the 
increasing ability for accountability and liability.. 
We are sad to hear the news about the corruption and 
the corrupt people.  We are sorry to know that a 
financial, administrative and political system would 
allow `worth-for-nothing' employees to embezzle over a 
quarter of a million dollars.  Yet we are happy that 
these files have been opened and thrilled that this 
dirty laundry is being hung out before it starts to 
affect the entire regime and we wake up one day to see 
a corrupt authority rather than corruption in the 
authority.  We are pleased that the Palestinian 
democracy can be the launch pad for fighting 
corruption.  It is yet another lesson that the 
Palestinians are giving to us:  corruption is a 
disease that cannot be fought except with democracy 
and more of it." 
 
-- "To shoulder responsibility" 
 
Centrist, elite English daily Jordan Times (02/06) 
editorializes:  "The decisive victory in the January 
25 polls have exposed and exacerbated long-standing 
internal divisions between hawks and doves within 
Hamas.  Having two souls - one pragmatic and one 
stubbornly inflexible - might have served Hamas well 
as an opposition movement.  But now that the movement 
shoulders new, huge responsibilities, as the majority 
party in the Palestinian legislature and the leading 
force in a future Palestinian government, it must 
speak in one voice..  It is of paramount importance 
that Hamas opens the door to other Palestinian 
factions and independents, and tries to reshape 
Palestinian political life on the basis of national 
consensus, and not merely on the basis of the 
political platform upheld by its most hardline wing. 
Continuing to voice empty and unrealistic slogans 
about ignoring all signed agreements and not 
negotiating with Israel under circumstances could very 
well mean political suicide for Hamas.  Only through 
soul-searching, political integration and a policy of 
inclusion will Hamas be able to shoulder its new 
responsibilities." 
 
-- "Immoral and unrealistic" 
Daily columnist Nahed Hattar writes on the back-page 
of independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al- 
Yawm (02/05):  "The statement issued by the Security 
Council about the need for the upcoming Palestinian 
government to respect agreements with Israel and 
international parties is disgusting.  The Security 
Council, which supposedly congratulated the 
Palestinian people on the free, safe and honest 
elections, refuses to acknowledge their political 
outcome and is asking the upcoming Palestinian 
government to go against the voters who made Hamas win 
specifically because it opposed the compromising 
political and negotiating approach of Fatah.  In other 
words, the Council is asking Hamas to betray the turn 
of its own electors.  This is what is so disgusting 
and contemptuous.  It forces us to look with contempt 
at the American democracy propaganda that does not 
hide its lies and moral bankruptcy which is 
represented by its use of democratic values to impose 
the exact opposite and to prevent the people from 
exercising their political, economic, social and 
cultural options." 
 
-- "Let Hamas form its government" 
 
Daily columnist Oraib Rantawi writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(02/05):  "Hamas ought to claim its constitutional 
right of forming a new government, be it alone or in 
coalition with others who agree with its own vision 
and proposals, and this is because the Movement has 
the right to try out its programs and practices in a 
ruling position as it did in opposition..  The 
Palestinian elections provided us with the opportunity 
to test the Brotherhood Islamic trend in authority 
after we have tested it in the opposition.  While some 
people in Hamas do not want to enter this test, it is 
in the interest of all national, leftist, democratic 
and pan-Arab faction that it does enter this test, so 
that, in the future, the debate is set straight and 
rhetoric is toned down." 
 
        Editorial Commentary on Danish Cartoons 
 
-- "Let's be careful of dissention" 
 
Chief Editor Osama Sharif writes on the back-page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(02/07):  "The Danish pitfall interacted dangerously 
and worryingly and exposed the expanded cultural gap 
between the two civilizations.  It also opened the 
door wide for moral and intellectual challenges that 
have to do with the absolute freedom of expression in 
the secular civilization and the crossing of this 
right with the sanctity of religious beliefs in other 
civilizations.  Before all that has happened and 
continues to happen, the world stands confused facing 
one of the most serious challenges posed by 
globalization:  culture is part of the identity and 
religion is a major problem to culture, particularly 
in the Islamic world..  It is sad to see a major 
newspaper like the French Le Monde republish the 
harmful cartoons and justify this as the sanctity of 
the right to freedom of expression, as if offending 
Muslims and defaming their image strengthen this 
right.  The angry Arab and Muslim reaction was 
expected.  Yet, what is required is not burning 
embassies and threatening others, because this only 
serves to stoke the fire of dissention and emphasizes 
the stereotypical ugly image of Islam and Muslims. 
There should not be any room or opportunity for 
extremists on all sides to push the people towards 
entrenchment and isolationism.  Defending the Prophet 
and Islam is not done through mobs and chaos.  Islam 
is a religion of moderation, dialogue and openness to 
the world and a noble message to all people.  Muslim 
thinkers and scientists must work hard to tell the 
world that we refuse insults to our Prophet, 
defamation of our image and attacks against our 
beliefs, and at the same time we are not closing the 
door in the face dialogue and understanding for anyone 
interested.  Let us be careful of dissention in all 
its forms, because the enemy is watching and it will 
not do him any harm if we decide to isolate 
ourselves." 
-- "Facing up to the offensiveness" 
 
Chief Editor Ayman Safadi writes on the back-page of 
independent, centrist Arabic daily Al-Ghad (02/07): 
"Over long decades, Arabs and Muslims were subjected 
to injustice and usurpation from the west that 
colonized the countries of the Arabs, usurped their 
resources and violated their rights.  The Arabs had no 
tools to defend themselves, because the west had 
military, economic and scientific superiority, while 
the Arabs were divided and suffering from 
backwardness, oppression and lack of vision.  The Arab 
weakness gave birth to western offensiveness, and the 
racist and condescending perspective of Arabs and 
Muslims became entrenched in the minds of some 
influential parts of the western societies.  The 
publishing of the harmful cartoons reflects the 
growing recklessness with Arab and Muslim feelings 
amidst western societies.  Freedom of expression does 
not justify offending religious sanctity, and the west 
has not right to impose its cultural values on others 
who are proud of their own.  The Muslims have the 
right to rise to the defense of their Prophet, and it 
is in the interest of the west to read carefully the 
depth of the people's anger..  The west must realize 
that the injustice suffered by the Arabs in Palestine 
and Iraq and the overboard offensiveness against the 
Arab culture and Islamic sanctities will yield 
explosive reactions from which the entire world will 
suffer." 
 
-- "The culture of hate" 
 
Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back-page of 
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm 
(02/05):  "What makes elite European newspapers 
express solidarity with a Danish newspaper that 
intentionally published cartoons offensive to the 
Prophet despite their knowledge that this re- 
publishing is going to stir the anger of over one 
billion human beings known as Muslims?  This confusing 
question may have more than one answer, but they all 
lead up to one thing, namely the exposure of the 
culture of hatred that is currently being rooted in 
the west against Arabs and Muslims..  This media 
solidarity running from Europe to New Zealand with the 
Danish newspaper's cartoons cannot be seen as freedom 
of the press, but rather as an attack by western media 
groups against the religion and culture of another and 
as contempt for the feelings of more than one billion 
Muslims.  More importantly, it seeks to link between 
the Prophet and terrorism, when the west has been 
claiming right from the beginning of the war on terror 
that it is keen not to link between Islam and 
terrorism.  The offense is worse than that to be 
rectified with a statement of apology..  This 
solidarity and insistence on the offense is a blatant 
call to stoke the fire of conflict and hatred at the 
rhythm of the neo-conservatives' statements related to 
the clash of civilizations..  Justifying the 
publication of the cartoons as being freedom of the 
press is worse than the guilt of the publication 
itself.  It is also a failed attempt to force the 
world to overlook the offense to Islam by starting an 
international dialogue about the freedom of the press. 
Since when is libel, slander and swearing freedom of 
the press?" 
 
-- "A cartoon that ignited a world war!" 
 
Columnist Yaser Abu Hilaleh writes on the op-ed page 
of independent, centrist Arabic daily Al-Ghad (02/05): 
"All this war was caused by miserable drawings for a 
cartoonist in a humble newspaper?  The issue has to do 
with anger.  The hearts of Muslims around the world 
are filled with anger and they found a weak point from 
which the anger exploded..  True, internal and 
external disasters have entrenched the oppression 
complex amidst the Muslim masses.  However, expressing 
this complex does not take place unless the factor is 
external.  Internally, lives were lost and sanctities 
were soiled, but dealing with that was always done 
according to the rule of 'bite your anger', but this 
rule was ignored when it came to the Danish issue.. 
What happened was considered an offense and contempt 
by millions of Muslims.  Had this happened with Jews, 
Sikhs or devil worshipers, an apology would have been 
expressed.  Respect for minorities and fighting racism 
are foundations of democracy, just as is freedom of 
expression.  Amidst these anti-Islam feelings, the 
Danes opted for confrontation, so let them pay the 
price.  It will not harm the Arab and Muslim world if 
it severed all its ties with Denmark.  Yet, the thing 
that is harmed the most in this is the value of 
accepting others, dialogue, co-existence, 
understanding and partnership..  The U.S. stand, as 
well as the British stand, that rejected the cartoons 
is noteworthy.  The Department of State considered the 
publication of the cartoons in European newspapers to 
be an 'unacceptable' instigation of religious or 
ethnic hatred..  But the masses do not want to hear 
this.  They would have liked the two countries [US and 
Britain] to have been supportive of the cartoons so 
that the portrayal of the enemy is complete and the 
confrontation arena is expanded." 
 
-- "The clash of civilizations" 
 
Chief Editor Ayman Safadi writes on the back-page of 
independent, centrist Arabic daily Al-Ghad (02/05): 
"The clash of civilizations has begun.  Whoever denies 
that chooses to overlook a fact whose repercussions 
will impact humanity for decades to come.  The gap 
between the east and the west is widening.  Rejecting 
'the other' has become a major aspect of the mass 
culture of the Arabs and Muslim on one hand and the 
west on the other..  The anger that was expressed by 
hundreds of thousands of Muslims over a Danish 
newspaper's publication of cartoons that offend the 
Prophet is, in some aspect, an expression of imbedded 
and accumulated anger resulting from continuing 
western actions that are seen by Arabs as being 
scornful of their rights and transgressing against 
their identity.  Moreover, the growing anti-Arab 
stance amidst western parties is caused by the Arabs 
and Muslims' failure to communicate with those 
societies that saw only terrorism from Arabs and 
Muslims."  RUBINSTEIN