VZCZCXRO4141
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHAM #0079/01 0111342
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111342Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4141
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 000079 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/PPD, IIP/GNEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KPAO KMDR JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: JANUARY 11 MEDIA REACTION TO GAZA 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  Major media in Jordan went into overdrive during the 
local weekend and Sunday with news coverage of developments in 
connection with the conflict in Gaza.  The major themes of the 
coverage were Israel's determination to continue its offensive 
despite the passage of UNSCR 1860 and mounting civilian casualties, 
and large-scale demonstrations and other public protests around 
Jordan.  Secondary themes included public statements by HAMAS 
officials.  Editorials and op-ed commentary demanded additional 
punitive measures on Israel and its allies.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. Major newspapers published in Jordan today and over the local 
weekend covered developments related to the conflict in Gaza with 
banner headlines, vivid photos, and countless details in their 
inside pages.  Front-page reports in all papers highlighted Israel's 
determination to continue its offensive, detailed the casualties 
among Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and reported on the "heroism" 
of militants in response.  Papers also covered ongoing international 
efforts to end the conflict, including the new UN Security Council 
resolution and its rejection by Israel and Hamas.  Public 
demonstrations Friday and Saturday within Jordan also received 
expansive treatment. 
 
¶3. Sunday's newspapers featured extensive coverage of Saturday's 
demonstrations throughout Jordan to express public anger over Gaza. 
Lengthy coverage with photos was given to the sit-in organized by 
the Jordan Press Association, during which participants called for 
the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador.  JPA President Abdulwahab 
Zgheilat stated that "this silence will not last and we will 
continue to struggle in favor of the people of Gaza."  There was 
also specific coverage of a candlelight vigil organized by the 
Council of Churches in Jordan, as well as the sit-in held by the 
doctors and nurses of Al-Hussein Cancer Center.  Some newspapers 
reported on a statement issued Thursday by the Shura Council of 
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood which called for closing the Israeli 
embassy and expelling its ambassador on the grounds that it was "the 
least we can do." 
 
¶4. Sunday's editions of Jordan's two independent dailies, Al-Ghad 
and Al-Arab Al-Yawm, featured wire service accounts of HAMAS 
political supremo Misha'al's televised speech from Damascus on 
Saturday in which he stressed his rejection of a truce with Israel 
and the deployment of international forces because "they would 
protect Israel's security."  Commenting on UNSCR 1860, Misha'al said 
that "the one required to implement the resolution is the one that 
committed the aggression." 
 
¶5. All major newspapers on Saturday covered the passage of UN 
Security Council Resolution 1860 calling for an immediate ceasefire 
in Gaza.  The focus of the coverage, however, was almost entirely on 
Israel's rejection of the resolution in favor of continuing its 
offensive.  Coverage of the ceasefire resolution was secondary to 
reports on the massive demonstration organized in Amman's Rabiah 
district on Friday which drew "tens of thousands" of participants. 
The demonstration ended with violent confrontations between riot 
police and individual demonstrators seeking to approach the Israeli 
embassy.  Large-scale demonstrations were reportedly conducted 
throughout Jordan on Friday following prayers. 
 
¶6. Saturday's newspapers reported that Al-Jazeera Amman bureau chief 
and Al-Ghad columnist Yaser Abu Hilala was hospitalized for injuries 
to his head and face from blows he received from security personnel 
while covering the Rabiah demonstration.  King Abdullah reportedly 
telephoned Abu Hilala to inquire about his health.  Abu Hilala's 
crew members also received medical treatment for similar injuries. 
Prime Minister Dahabi, Royal Court adviser Safadi, Interior Minister 
Fayez, and Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications 
Joudeh paid visits to the television journalist and his crew at the 
hospital.  Al-Jazeera Television covered the demonstrations in Amman 
and in Ma'an, reporting that Ma'an protestors waved photos of Osama 
bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, and former Jordanian Prime Minister Wasfi 
al-Tal.  Video footage also showed some masked demonstrators 
carrying guns. 
 
¶7. On Saturday, the online news outlet Ammoun News posted a story 
citing the Israeli online news outlet Ynetnews as reporting that 
Jordan had recalled its ambassador to Israel.  The Israeli outlet 
quoted GOI Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy as commenting on 
Saturday about rumors of Jordan's recall.  Levy said, "Ambassador 
Ali al-Ayed left for Amman prior to the launching of Operation Cast 
Lead, in order to attend a conference held by the Jordanian Foreign 
Ministry.  We have learned from the media that he has decided to 
extend his stay in Jordan and has yet to return to Israel."  The 
original Ynetnews report states that "an Arab official told Ynet 
that Jordan recalled the ambassador as an act of protest, even 
though it had initially claimed that he was asked to return to Amman 
over an 'internal matter'.... and that "a diplomatic source told 
Ynet that Ambassador Ali al-Ayed will return to Tel Aviv only after 
Hamas and Israel sign a ceasefire agreement to end the fighting." 
No other Jordanian news outlet has published the story. 
 
¶8. Saturday's Al-Ghad published a full-page article based on its 
 
AMMAN 00000079  002 OF 003 
 
 
interview in Damascus with HAMAS deputy political chief Abu Marzouq. 
 He criticized Israel, Palestinian President Abbas, and Egypt in 
unequivocal terms for breaking the truce.  Abu Marzouq stated that 
HAMAS' final position on the French-Egyptian ceasefire initiative 
had not yet been determined, but would be communicated directly to 
Egypt.  He commended King Abdullah for his statements on "a 
conspiracy" against the Palestinian people, and warned that 
unidentified U.S. officials were proposing to create an alternative 
homeland for Palestinians in Jordan.  Abu Marzouq also stated that 
talks to reconcile the Palestinian factions were not a priority 
pending an end to the situation in Gaza. 
 
¶9. Editorial Commentary 
 
-- ""Resolution 1860 Ignored Elements That Could Impede Its 
Implementation" 
 
Columnist Nasouh Al-Majali in the January 11 edition of the 
government-aligned, pro-Palestinian Arabic daily Ad-Dustour opines, 
"The UN Resolution on the Israeli aggression against Gaza reflects 
the power struggle inside the UN Security Council and not the 
situation on the ground in Gaza.  The resolution also ignored many 
important aspects which has led the two parties involved in the 
conflict to refrain from implementing the resolution....  The 
problem with reaching a solution in Gaza and achieving a political 
settlement lies in reforming and solidifying the Arab stance and in 
achieving Palestinian political reconciliation on the basis of a 
political vision that meets the demands of those who resist peace 
and the demands and efforts of those who call for it." 
 
-- "U.S. Support For The War Of Annihilation" 
 
Chief editor Taher Odwan in the January 11 edition of the 
independent, opposition Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm comments, "The 
Pentagon has announced a process of shipping military equipment to 
Israel as soon as possible.  Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress made a 
majority decision that supports the war of annihilation Israel is 
waging against the Gaza Strip.  Those decisions and stances carry a 
big load of provocation of Arab and Palestinian sentiments, not to 
mention that they constitute an expression of animosity against the 
Arabs and a blind bias towards the Zionist entity....  Now, amidst 
questions being raised about the next required Arab step to confront 
the continuation of the war of annihilation and Israel's rejection 
of the UNSC resolution, the most useful way to confront the 
aggression is for Arab officials to completely turn around and face 
the United States and exert pressure on its 'incoming and outgoing' 
leaderships to stop their disdain of Palestinian blood and their 
exaggerated expressions of support for the gang of criminals in Tel 
Aviv....  Unless there are official escalatory Arab stances against 
the U.S. policy - stances which threaten to withdraw the Arab 
initiative, sever all forms of ties with the Zionist entity, and 
stop security cooperation with the United States and its armies that 
are positioned in bases on Arab territories from the ocean to the 
gulf - the status quo will prompt Israel to unleash its hands and 
war machinery across the region so as to burn the interests and 
legitimacy of the Arab order before it burns the mosques, schools, 
and the steadfast and patient people of Gaza." 
 
-- "Israel Is A Renegade Terrorist Entity" 
 
The main editorial (January 11) in Ad-Dustour fulminates, "Reality 
and events have proven that the support provided by Washington, 
Paris, and London for the Zionist entity - throughout its black 
history until now - are the reason behind the latter's excessive 
perpetration of its crimes and war of annihilation against the 
Palestinians.  The continuation of the holocaust those steadfast 
people are being subjected to for fifteen days is attributable to 
the stance of those countries, which have equated the victim with 
the executioner.  Those countries sought to postpone the UN Security 
Council's session for the longest time possible and finally 
formulated a resolution that uses vague language....  The massacres 
being committed by the gangs of the Israeli occupation in Gaza 
affirm that Israel is a renegade terrorist entity and that 
Washington, Paris, and London have contributed and continue to 
contribute to this entity's overstepping international law and its 
refusal to abide by the resolutions of international legitimacy. 
This makes it incumbent on the Arab order to take a unanimous 
decision to sever relations with those gangs and offer support for 
the fraternal Palestinian people to save them from the Zionist 
holocaust." 
 
-- "Good Arab Performance that Wrenched a UNSC Resolution" 
 
Columnist Jamil Nimri in the January 10 edition of the independent 
Arabic daily Al-Ghad opines, "The Arab delegation came out 
satisfied. It is one of the few times in which it has succeeded in 
wrenching the resolution it wants, maybe not in full; Arab media 
correspondents unanimously agreed that the Arab performance this 
time was good and strong....  What comes after this resolution? The 
criminal war continues until Israel decides to stop it!  This is 
true, but the resolution remains as a frame of reference for the 
 
AMMAN 00000079  003 OF 003 
 
 
subsequent negotiations that will determine the shape and details of 
the settlement of each portfolio.  Meanwhile, the enormous popular 
campaign that condemns the Zionist crime must continue.  Every 
additional day that passes without Israel's adherence to a 
cease-fire justifies the escalation of punitive measures against the 
aggressors....  The fact is that prosecuting Israel and its leaders 
as war criminals should continue to be pursued by international and 
social institutions after a cease-fire is realized.  Is there any 
thing more horrific than what was discovered in Al-Zaytoun district 
yesterday!?  Children on the verge of death after being terrorized 
and left without food and water for four days near their dead 
mothers' bodies and many injured people who died because ambulances 
were banned from reaching them for four days running!?" 
 
-- "What Comes After The Political Vacuum?" 
 
Columnist Fahed Fanek in the January 10 edition of the leading, 
government-owned Arabic daily Al-Rai writes, "The interim period in 
Washington has provided Bush's administration with a chance to avoid 
doing anything that would be binding on the incoming administration 
or that would put it before a fait accompli, hence, leaving the 
decision to Obama's administration.  By doing so, Bush's 
administration has relieved itself from the duty of intervening to 
stop the aggression and has given Israel enough time to finish its 
aggressive mission....  For his part, Obama did not intervene and he 
did not even express an opinion about the issue - other than voicing 
concern over the lives of innocent civilians on both sides - under 
the pretext that America is always under the administration of one 
president with full authority, who in this case is Bush.  As for the 
president-elect, he has no right to take action before he becomes 
the actual president and takes office....  The threads of the 
conspiracy, the way for which the Israeli aggression is trying to 
pave, are becoming clearer and clearer.  The requirement is to wipe 
Palestine out of the map by putting Gaza under Egypt's 
administration, just as was the case until 1967, and putting 
whatever Israel has conceded from the West Bank under Jordan's 
administration.  Even if the process is so hard to fathom, 
sprinkling it with some money would make it acceptable....  If such 
a scheme is announced by the new U.S. administration and if Obama 
lays his weight in that direction, then Jordan's and Egypt's 
rejection of and objection to this scheme will become more difficult 
and very costly.  Hence, what is required now is an official and 
public rejection of the scheme to cut the road on a rejected 
solution so that Obama would not get involved in an attempt to 
impose a solution on parties that have previously announced their 
rejection of it." 
 
-- "From January 9 to 20!" 
 
Columnist Jamil Nimri in the January 11 Al-Ghad observes, "The 
ongoing war has passed the January 9th due date [when Abbas' 
presidential term ended] and moves us to the January 20th due date 
when new American President Obama takes office....  This may mean 
the involvement of the new administration from the start and in 
direct conflict with final status negotiations and the interests of 
the current Israeli leadership - headed by Barak and Livni.... 
President-elect Obama had stated that the incoming administration 
intends to embark on a new peace process, which suggests bypassing 
the bogus format via which Bush's administration had tackled the 
Annapolis track without making a single step towards the 'vision' of 
a two-state solution....  The new administration has offered signs 
of a different approach to conflicts in the region based on serious 
search for solutions, which presumably includes opening channels of 
dialogue with 'the enemies' vis-`-vis Taliban and Iran.  Indeed, 
based on other statements, there is this idea of opening indirect 
channels of dialogue with Hamas." 
 
BEECROFT