ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 TEL AVIV 002185

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD

WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM
NSC FOR NEA STAFF

JERUSALEM ALSO FOR ICD
LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL
PARIS ALSO FOR POL
ROME FOR MFO
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: IS KMDR MEDIA REACTION REPORT
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION


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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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1. Upcoming Bush-Sharon Meeting


2. Mideast

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Key stories in the media:
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Maariv headlined: "Iran Is Approaching Nuclear Bomb."
The paper cited a senior military source as saying that
it is a matter of months.

Yediot headlined that the U.S. plans to forward to
Israel a disengagement grant in the sum of NIS 2
billion in order to build IDF bases.

Yediot reported that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
yesterday toured the areas of the western Negev
intended for resettlement of evacuees from the Gaza
Strip disengagement. During the tour, Sharon, who was
accompanied by Disengagement Administration (Sela) head
Yonatan Bassi, was quoted as telling those involved in
the resettlement project to "start working."

Maariv reported that Mahmoud Abbas has delayed his
planned tour to the U.S. and that there is no new date
for his visit. The paper noted that the delay is due
to lack of performance by the PA. Citing political
sources in Jerusalem, Ha'aretz says the U.S.
Administration is pressuring the PA to coordinate with
Israel the handover of territories to be evacuated as
part of the disengagement plan. The report goes on to
say that Shimon Peres met PA's Muhammad Dahlan in
Washington yesterday and the latter, speaking on behalf
of PA Chairman Abu-Mazen, said the PA is willing to
coordinate the disengagement. Peres later met Vice
President Cheney and reported Dahlan's remarks to him.
Foreign Minister Shalom met in Rome yesterday with his
Italian counterpart who promised to raise the
coordination issue in his meeting today with PA Prime
Minister Ahmed Qureia.

Ha'aretz noted that Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz plans
to recommend to the government that it should revoke
its earlier decision to destroy homes belonging to the
settlers after the evacuation of the Gaza Strip.
Maariv added that the settlers were furious to learn
that their houses would not be destroyed and they are
quoted as saying: "We will leave the Palestinians
scorched land."

All leading media report that a Qassam rocket fired by
Palestinian militants hit a cemetery in the Negev town
of Sderot yesterday evening, causing no damage or
injuries. Ha'aretz cites Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz
as saying the incident was "severe" and added that
"Israel will not accept it." He demanded that PA
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) do all he could to
prevent further rocket attacks.

Israel Radio this morning reported that the U.S. has
issued a new travel warning that urges its citizens to
carefully consider future visits to Israel since they
may serve as targets for terror attacks.
Ha'aretz says the Israel Defense Forces and Israel
Police have recently set up a special command to
coordinate the activities of the select units that will
take part in implementing the disengagement plan. The
special command will be headed by Brigadier General
Amos Ben-Avraham, who has extensive experience in
overseeing the operations of small, elite forces and
currently heads the IDF's Leadership and High Command
School.

Several media related that the Rabbis' Union for the
People and Land of Israel, headed by former chief
rabbis Mordechai Eliyahu and Avraham Shapira, yesterday
reiterated its call to security forces to non-violently
refuse orders to evacuate settlements under the
disengagement plan.

Maariv carries an interview with PA's Jibril Rajub, who
says that the Israelis "must understand that the era of
exploding busses, restaurants, and cinemas is over. I
am telling you, it is over and it's final."

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1. Upcoming Bush-Sharon Meeting:
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Summary:
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Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote in popular,
pluralist Maariv: "In Israel, behind closed doors,
officials are starting to take into account the 'day
after' Iran becomes nuclear. The new deterrence
policy, the nuclear Middle East. Unless the U.S.
decides to take action."

Washington-based correspondent Orli Azulay-Katz writes
in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The
President feels that the Israeli Government is trying
to fool him by offering an exaggerated commentary of
his famous letter.... Yet, at the end of the day, after
the cows go to sleep, both sides will be clear that
America is committed to Israel, but Israel is committed
not to build in the settlements."

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in left-
leaning, independent Ha'aretz: "The well-publicized
smiles at the President's ranch will cover up a growing
problem in relations between Israel and the United
States. Senior officials in Jerusalem warned this week
of what they described as 'clogging of the arteries'
between the two countries."
Block Quotes:
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1. "Iran"

Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote in popular,
pluralist Maariv (April 8): "Sharon will be treated in
the presidential ranch with royal care. The hug will
be sticky and strong. The real issues will be raised
behind the curtains in Laura and George Bush's private
house.... As of now, Ariel Sharon is on the right
side.... The subjects that will be raised in the
conversation are well known. Disengagement,
coordinating it with the PA, Abu Mazen's situation (not
good. The presidential envoy General Ward forwards
pessimistic reports),the situation in Syria-Lebanon.
The settlement issue will be concealed.... And then
Bush and Sharon will reach the real issue. Iran. This
is the truly important subject of the meeting next week
in Texas.... And here are the news: updated
intelligence estimations have shortened the schedule
for an Iranian bomb. As of now, it is not a matter of
years but of months.... in this pace, this upcoming
fall someone will have to do something. That someone
will not be Israel.... In Israel, behind closed doors,
officials are starting to take into account the 'day
after' Iran becomes nuclear. The new deterrence
policy, the nuclear Middle East. Unless the U.S.
decides to take action."


2. "Together, for the Cows"

Washington-based correspondent Orli Azulay-Katz writes
in mass-circulation, pluralist Yedi'ot Aharonot (April
8): "The President feels that the Israeli Government
is trying to fool him by offering an embellished
commentary of his famous letter. 'Talk in the GOI
about building in the settlements pushed the
President's back against the wall,' one of his aides
explained last week, 'and when his back is against the
wall, Bush draws.' Indeed, in mid-last week, Bush made
a dramatic statement that there would be no expansion
of settlements because this conflicts with the road
map. He thus signaled to Sharon that he better come to
Texas with unequivocal data on the issue..
Furthermore, White House representatives and the
Secretary of State made it repeatedly clear recently

SIPDIS
that there are major differences between Israel and the
U.S. concerning the fence route.. Even if the U.S.
President pressures Sharon in their upcoming meeting,
it would not be an Israeli-type of pressure. Bush will
not let the dialogue deteriorate into a crisis, but the
words will be spoken even if accompanied by a hearty
smile. U.S. Presidential pressure on a friendly state
is a pleasant act: silent, moderate, and pleasing to
the ear. Yet, at the end of the day, after the cows go
to sleep, both sides will be clear that America is
committed to Israel, but Israel is committed not to
build in the settlements."


3. "Clogging of the Arteries"

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn oined in left-
leaning, independent Ha'aretz (April 8): "The well-
publicized smiles at the president's ranch will cover
up a growing problem in relations between Israel and
the United States. Senior officials in Jerusalem
warned this week of what they described as 'clogging of
the arteries' between the two countries.... The
strategic dialogue at a senior level, which had been
one of Sharon's achievements during his previous term,
has not been held for two years now.... The channels
for security communication are stuck because of the
disagreement about the sale of Israeli weapons to
China, which is casting a shadow on relations between
the Pentagon and the Defense Ministry.... The senior
officials warn that good dialogue between leaders is
not enough, ... that it is important to hold frequent
meetings at the working level as well, in order to
create personal chemistry and understanding, the
importance of which is crucial in crisis situations.
But Sharon will not have time to deal with this on the
upcoming visit. Perhaps he will find the time after
the disengagement."

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2. Mideast:
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Summary:
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Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized:
"Failure to thwart an act of Jewish terror or a mass
provocation at this critical stage will show that
Israel's democratic regime has not learned a lesson
from the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, or from the
affair of the Jewish underground that also had plans
'to cleanse the Temple Mount.' Meanwhile there are no
signs in the conduct of the army or the police
indicating that they are taking the Jewish
troublemakers with sufficient seriousness."

Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev
Schiff wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz:
"The state of the settlers has only one goal,
perpetuation of the occupation and domination of the
Palestinian people; in other words, the war with the
Palestinians will continue."
Nationalist Hatzofe editorialized: "As of now,
Washington is the one to dictate Jerusalem's policy,
even if 'for internal matters', Sharon tries to act
differently."


Block Quotes:
--------------


1. "Who Will Light the Match"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (April
8): "As most of the residents of Gush Katif are not
violent and will apparently agree to leave their homes,
the Shin Bet is extremely apprehensive about the
possibility that extremists in that camp will take
pains to disrupt the agreement. Extreme right-wing
circles assume that it will still be possible to
prevent the pullout through an act or acts that will
shock the entire region. There are people like that all
over the country, and their strength lies in their
morally unmitigated determination. All the security
experience and know-how that Israel has accumulated,
and in which it has invested billions, now has to be
mobilized to prevent this scenario from coming to
fruition. Failure to thwart an act of Jewish terror or
a mass provocation at this critical stage will show
that Israel's democratic regime has not learned a
lesson from the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, or from
the affair of the Jewish underground that also had
plans 'to cleanse the Temple Mount.' Meanwhile there
are no signs in the conduct of the army or the police
indicating that they are taking the Jewish
troublemakers with sufficient seriousness. Ten-year-
olds are able to interfere with the activities of army
and police detachments, to break the limbs of policemen
and to make the lives of Palestinians miserable - and
other than brief revolving-door arrests, the attitude
toward them has been one merely of inexplicable
leniency rather than a firmer-than-usual hand."


2. "Two States, One Nation"

Diplomatic pundit Ze'ev Schiff writes in independent,
left-leaning Ha'aretz (April 8): "The events in the
Gaza Strip are liable to deteriorate into an overall
violent conflict between two Jewish states with
different goals. One is the State of Israel, and the
other is the state of the settlers. Despite the
profound ties between them, each of them feels
threatened by the other.. For a long time, the
settlers have been behaving as though the State of
Israel were a foreign government, as was the British
Mandate in its day. They take what they can from the
government, take over property and lands insofar as
possible, and ignore what is inconvenient for them.
The fear of those in charge of Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon's security today vis--vis the right-wing
extremists is greater than their fear of Palestinian
assassins.. The argument that, in their struggle
against the disengagement, the settlers are trying to
save democracy in Israel by means of a national
referendum is false. The state of the settlers has
only one goal, perpetuation of the occupation and
domination of the Palestinian people; in other words,
the war with the Palestinians will continue, and if the
settlers actually harm Islamic holy sites it will be a
world war with the Islamic world, and an irreparable
rift with the Arab community in Israel."


3. "Two Voices"

Nationalist Hatzofe editorialized (April 8): "The Prime
Minister, as always, speaks in two voices -- one for
internal needs ... and the other for the U.S., the
State Department and the White House. This fact was
obvious one more time following his statement relating
to the territorial contiguity between Ma'ale Edumim and
Jerusalem.... This could be a blessed plan, if the PM
did not hurry to clarify to Washington that his
declaration ... 'was only for internal needs.'.... As
of now, Washington is the one to dictate Jerusalem's
policy, even if 'for internal matters', Sharon tries to
act differently."
CRETZ