AKEED, Wasfi Khushman

News sites and social interactive platforms reported heavily on the visit of persons described as "Jordanian tribal sheikhs" to Israel last Wednesday and their meeting with Israeli President   Reuven Rivlin at his residence in occupied Jerusalem. Local, regional, and international sites hastened to publish the news, almost as reported on Israeli sites, while other sites preferred to edit and rephrase the story.

An Israeli Arabic-language site was the first to publish the news about the Israeli president receiving those described as "Jordanian tribal sheikhs." Afterward, Ofir Gendelman, the Israeli prime minister"s spokesman to the Arab media, broke the news in Arabic as well.

Later, two Israeli websites published the news in English. Then, the news spread to Jordanian, regional, and international sites.

The Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (AKEED) noticed that Hebrew-language newspapers, sites, and media ignored the story. The Monitor failed to find the news in Hebrew after a long search on the Internet.

Barhum Jaraisi, a political researcher in Israeli affairs, confirmed that the story "was not published in the main Israeli media since it has no weight, in the Israeli opinion." He added that the Israeli president has "little" visibility in the media.

The AKEED Monitor asked Nawaf Al Zaru, a writer who is specialized in Israeli affairs, about the reason for the Hebrew press neglecting this news and why it was only published in the Arabic-language and English-language Israeli press. He attributed this to the fact that the news "carries a message to Arab public opinion." This is despite the fact that it has transpired that the four persons who took part in the meeting represent no one other than themselves.

Ayman Huneiti, a journalist and expert on Israeli affairs in the Jordanian News Agency (Petra), agreed with Al Zaru in that directing the news to the Arab, specifically Jordanian, public is a type of "propaganda." He referred, in this respect, to Israel"s displeasure with the Jordanian position toward the killing of Mohammad al-Kasaji.

On his page on an interactive platform, Huneiti urged extreme caution and good understanding of all dimensions when handling news about the Israeli president receiving "Jordanian tribal sheikhs." He said that the news "is destructive material that targets the national unity and societal security of Jordan" in light of the circumstances around the Kingdom.

The AKEED Monitor observed that the original news, as published by Israeli sources and others reporting it, did not contain the names of the "four sheikhs." Press reporting avoided mentioning any of their names. This has caused social interactive platforms to turn into an arena for circulating names of those who are believed to have taken part in the visit or coordinated it.

The circulation of names of "the four sheikhs and the coordinator of the visit" made a number of personalities publish video clips or statements denying their participation in the visit and threatening people who promote such "rumors," considering them as one form of "character assassination." Also, at least one MP has accused the government of standing behind the visit. The government has remained silent on this and has not issued any comment.

In the end, there was agreement on four names. The AKEED Monitor tried to contact one of them, but there was no answer.

The Monitor asked Sheikh Abdul Kareem Huwayan, a well-known tribal chief in the central region, about his opinion of the news. He denounced the visit and confirmed that he personally knew only one of the four people who appeared in the meeting with the Israeli president.

He added that the four are not well-known tribal sheikhs and that their action only represented themselves. He thought that a statement would most probably be issued in the name of all Jordanian tribes denouncing their action.

Afterward, local press coverage was content with following the news or following the reaction of the Jordanian street to this story. This is what external media outlets also did.

The Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (AKEED) views positively the fact that sites and interactive platforms were not lured by the news and by attempts to undermine national unity. It also stresses the importance of taking one"s time before carrying reports that come from external media outlets and the need for depending on reliable sources that have a history of credibility and then attributing information to its sources.