Cablegate: Revenge, Revenge, Revenge! Expel the American Ambassador!

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Brooke F Adams 08/06/2006 02:05:13 PM From DB/Inbox: Brooke F Adams

Cable
Text:

UNCLAS CAIRO 04675

SIPDIS
CXCAIRO:
ACTION: PA
INFO: POL ECON DCM AMB MGT IPS

DISSEMINATION: PA
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: PA:HMAHONEY
DRAFTED: PA:RLERNER
CLEARED: ECPO:CHILL-HERNDON

VZCZCCRI485
RR RUEHXK
DE RUEHEG #4675 2121422
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 311422Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS CAIRO 004675

SIPDIS

NEA/PPD FOR ROBIN SMITH AND DAVID BENZE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PREL PREL IS LE EG
SUBJECT: REVENGE, REVENGE, REVENGE! EXPEL THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR!
EGYPT MEDIA TRENDS: JULY 31, 2006

1. Summary. Egyptian media was overwhelmingly focused on the July
30 Qana bombing. Most headlines, television talk shows and
commentaries expressed rage toward the US for the deaths of women
and children, perceiving the US as, having planned the military
campaign with Israel in order to pursue its "greater Middle East
project" and, subsequently, preventing the possibility of a
ceasefire during the Rome conference last week. In response to the
Qana bombing, Egyptian state television and the main pro-government
daily, Al-Ahram, diverted from their usual less inflammatory editing
and programming, to exploiting images of dead children and babies.
In an unusual practice, President Mubarak went live on television to
deliver a strong statement in support of the Lebanese people and in
condemnation of the Qana bombing. Opposition commentators spared
no anger toward the US or Arab regimes, with fresh praise for
Hezbollah from opposition columnists. End summary.

2. Breaking news. President Mubarak went live on television this
afternoon to deliver a statement condemning the Qana bombing. Of
note, Mubarak declared Israel as "going beyond all red lines" and
called the Qana bombing a "horrible massacre against innocent
civilians (and) a witness to Israel's serious violation of
international law." He expressed "sorrow for failing to reach an
immediate ceasefire" and recalled his "warning of the serious
repercussions on the security and stability of the Middle East and
the world." He blamed the failure of a ceasefire on
"procrastination and incapability (which) reflect substantial
international imbalances in the collective security system."

3. In the headlines. The Qana bombing pushed already-raging emotions
even higher, as reflected in all of the day's headlines. All papers
showed photos of dead children and babies being carried from the
rubble. Most had several photos, many in color, prominently placed
on front and inside pages. Leading pro-government daily, Al Ahram's
banner headline, "A Horrifying Israeli War Crime in the 'Qana 2006'
Massacre" was accompanied by a quarter-page, color photo of two dead
girls lying side-by-side on a stretcher. The use of these photos
represented a change from Al-Ahram's usual method of focusing on
military operations and setting a more neutral tone. Like Al-Ahram,
pro-government daily, Al-Gomhouriya, headlined, "The World
Conscience Is on Vacation" with the same photo of the two girls.
From the independent and opposition papers, headlines shouted,
"Revenge, Revenge, Revenge" (opposition daily Al-Wafd), "The
Bush-Olmert Massacre in Qana" (Al-Wafd), and "The Murderers"
(opposition daily, Al-Ahrar). Well-respected, independent daily,
Al-Masry Al-Yom, headlined on the front page, "Dozens of Civilians
Martyred including 38 Children in Brutal Shelling, Hizbullah
Threatens a Harsh Response" and inside, promoted to "Expel the
Israeli Ambassador, Expel the American Ambassador."

4. In the commentaries. Most of the day's commentaries repeated
the same anger toward Israel, the US and Arab rulers for the Qana
bombing. For example, from Al-Masry Al-Yom, one senior columnist
left his column blank, with a single sentence at the bottom, "After
the Qana massacre what will the Arab traitors say?" Other columns
lamented that "the Arab nation is empty, lacking pride, honor and
courageous men... while leaving its children to die. ... Hezbollah
will expose Israel's brutal appetite and will encourage Arab nations
to push their succumbing rulers in history's trash." Comments
expressing anger toward the US varied in extreme from pro-government
to opposition. An Al-Masry Al-Yom columnist accused the US of
"working against its own people ... and (losing) all the sound
qualifications of a member of the international community." A
columnist in pro-government daily, Rose Al-Youssef, accused the US
of "committing this massacre which it plotted in order to force the
international community to accept its ceasefire conditions..." and
"history will always link Israel's massacres ... with US
criminality." An Al-Ahram columnist condemned "Secretary Rice for
announcing her new Middle East among the ruins" and "reject(s) the
new model that Rice represents...." As for Hezbollah, columns were
mostly silent regarding Hezbollah, other than opposition daily,
Al-Wafd columnists who wrote in praise of "the mufti who ended the
confusion by saying that Hezbollah is not a terrorist group" and
"Hezbollah for incurring fear and shock on the Zionist occupation."
RICCIARDONE

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