ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TEL AVIV 002988 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 -------------- SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: -------------- Iran: Nuclear Program -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- The media reported that a Katyusha rocket was launched on the western Galilee town of Shlomi Wednesday night, the eve of Independence Day, and that Israel subsequently complained to the UN. Jerusalem Post and Maariv cited a condemnation of the event by UN Secretary General's Kofi Annan Thursday. A strong SIPDIS explosion was heard last night in the Sheba farms area. Yediot and Israel Radio quoted Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz as saying Thursday that Israel will not be dragged into a military response in Lebanon, but that he views that country as responsible for the rocket launches. Israel Radio reported that this morning in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a guard at the Israeli Embassy shot and killed a suspect who was approaching the building. The station cited the Foreign Ministry as saying that the man wore a fake explosives belt. Ha'aretz reported that PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas has begun to implement his promise to collect weapons from Palestinians on Israel's wanted list. According to the newspaper, in Jericho, the suspects have handed their weapons in to the PA and pledged in writing not to return to terrorism, and in Tulkarm, implementation is at an advanced stage. On the other hand, Israel Radio quoted Palestinian security sources as saying that those weapons have not been handed over to the PA. Leading media quoted FM Silvan Shalom as saying Thursday that there is no justification for Iran's attempts to obtain nuclear weapons. Shalom also said that Iran's announcement that that it would resume its production of enriched uranium is dangerous, and that nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran would be a nightmare for the entire world. Leading media reported that tens of thousands of people spent Independence Day in the Katif Bloc (Gush Katif), to show solidarity with the residents and protest the disengagement plan. Ha'aretz and Maariv reported that on Thursday, dozens of settlers invaded Palestinian villages in the Nablus and Tulkarm areas, and that the IDF had to deploy large numbers of troops, including special forces, to drive them out. Israel Radio reported that the U.S. is trying to soothe a storm that has arisen in the Muslim world following rumors that copies of the Koran have been desecrated in the Guantanamo Bay prison. The station quoted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as saying that if SIPDIS the rumors turn out to be true, those responsible will be brought to trial. In an interview with Maariv, Professor Rashid Khalidi, the director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University, apologizes for some anti-Israeli utterances at his university, but says that pro-Israeli students who feel uncomfortable about having been silenced during classes should take other courses. Maariv's headline: "The Faculty in Anti-Semitic Sciences." Jerusalem Post quoted Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) Executive Director Wayne Firestone as saying that anti- Israel activity on U.S. campuses this spring has been at its highest level since the outbreak of the second Intifada and has successfully pushed through three divest-from-Israel resolutions. The newspaper quoted Firestone as saying that pro-Palestinian groups are targeting U.S. campuses with a low Jewish population. Featuring the Larry Franklin/AIPAC affair, Hatzofe says that it could bring down AIPAC's status. Ha'aretz (English Ed.) reported that the U.S. Consulate- General in Jerusalem has launched an Arabic-language web site meant to ease communications between American officials and the Palestinian-American community based largely around Ramallah. -------------- Iran: Nuclear Program: -------------- Summary: -------------- Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote on page one of independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Israel believes that, despite its radical, zealous image, Iran is very sensitive to international pressure and is reluctant to become a pariah state." Extreme right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick wrote in conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "Today it would seem that what is really necessary is a diplomatic campaign aimed not at convincing the Iranians and the North Koreans to cease their nuclear programs, but to pave the way both internationally for military assaults against the counties' nuclear programs." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "The Iranian Game" Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote on page one of independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (May 13): "Iran may postpone resumption of uranium reprocessing, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, the head of Iran's Atomic Organization, told Tehran state-run television on Thursday. Israeli experts monitoring Iran's 'nuclear diplomacy' assume the Iranians are playing a game of nerves. Tehran continually explores the limits of patience in Europe and Washington, but is careful not to cross any red lines that would propel the Iranian nuclear issue into the UN Security Council.... Israel believes that, despite its radical, zealous image, Iran is very sensitive to international pressure and is reluctant to become a pariah state. This reluctance has been holding back Iran's effort to built a nuclear bomb, so far. Israel believes that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his comrades in Iran's leadership want to be part of the international community, rather than a boycotted, isolated state like North Korea.... The Security Council is not a magic wand.... [But] the Iranians understand that no good can come for them by having their case transferred to the Security Council. Even a long process full of delays could end with sanctions and painful restrictions." II. "Diplomatic Dead Ends" Extreme right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick wrote in conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (May 13): "There is a strong sense in Washington these days that a large part of the reason that the Bush administration has yet to construct a coherent policy for dealing with Iran's nuclear program is that it is hoping Israel will launch a military strike against the Iranian nuclear sites, thus obviating the need for any real action. And yet, if these officials are even mildly aware of what is happening today in Israel -- with the government completely obsessed with the Palestinians and the Gaza and northern Samaria [northernmost part of the West Bank] withdrawal programs -- they would take little comfort in that hope.... Many opponents of the Bush administration have been eager to accuse the President and his advisers of being responsible for the failure of their diplomatic attempts to deal with the issue. But the truth is, given the fact that anti- Americanism is second to anti-Zionism as the popular course in the world today for countries seeking to augment their international standing on the cheap, it is unclear what the Americans could have done differently. Today it would seem that what is really necessary is a diplomatic campaign aimed not at convincing the Iranians and the North Koreans to cease their nuclear programs, but to pave the way both internationally for military assaults against the counties' nuclear programs. Such a campaign should highlight North Korea's policy of starving its people to death and gassing them in death camps. It should also highlight Iran's abysmal human rights record, the regime's lack of legitimacy, and its support for terrorism throughout the world." KURTZER