Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05TELAVIV5641
2005-09-14 09:56:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:  

ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

Tags:  IS KMDR MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

140956Z Sep 05
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 005641 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD

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

SECDEF WASHDC FOR USDP/ASD-PA/ASD-ISA
HQ USAF FOR XOXX
DA WASHDC FOR SASA
JOINT STAFF WASHDC FOR PA
USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL FOR POLAD/USIA ADVISOR
COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD
COMSIXTHFLT FOR 019

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:
--------------------------------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 005641

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD

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

SECDEF WASHDC FOR USDP/ASD-PA/ASD-ISA
HQ USAF FOR XOXX
DA WASHDC FOR SASA
JOINT STAFF WASHDC FOR PA
USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL FOR POLAD/USIA ADVISOR
COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD
COMSIXTHFLT FOR 019

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:
--------------


1. Mideast


2. Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

--------------
Key stories in the media:
--------------

All media led with the disorder in the PA and along the
Philadelphi route. While some media, like Jerusalem
Post (banner: "Egypt, PA Vow to Stop Gaza
Infiltrators") and Ha'aretz (banner: "Abbas Plans to
Dismantle Armed PA Factions, End Chaos"),cite Egyptian
and PA efforts to establish law and order in the Gaza
Strip, other media (like Maariv, Yediot, and Israel
Radio) emphasize GOI demands that the PA and Egypt
restore order along the Philadelphi route. Israel
Radio reported that Israeli security officials told PA
Civilian Affairs Minister Muhammad Dahlan that if the
PA does not act in the matter, this would have an
influence on the implementation of agreements between
Israel and the PA. Leading media cited the IDF's
concern that terrorists from Gaza could infiltrate
Israel though the Sinai Peninsula. Hatzofe reported
that on Monday, Palestinians plundered greenhouses in
the former settlement of Ganei Tal. The hothouses were
transferred to the Palestinians with funding from the
World Bank.

Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that Defense
Minister Shaul Mofaz called on U.S. Ambassador to
Israel Dan Kurtzer to apply his influence in order to
restore order along the Philadelphi route. Israel
Radio reported that Mofaz also turned to U.S. security
coordinator Lt. Gen. William Ward. Speaking on Israel
Radio from New York this morning, FM Silvan Shalom
expressed his belief that the U.S. understands that PA
Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas apparently does not
intend to abide by his commitments -- according to the
road map and at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit -- to
eliminate the terrorist infrastructure.

Yediot and Israel Radio quoted Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice as saying Tuesday, at a meeting with
editors of The New York Times, that the U.S. will act
to preserve the momentum in Israeli-Palestinian

relations and expects to press Israel and the
Palestinians to make progress. Under the headline,
"Praise Is Over; After the Evacuation: American
Pressure on Israel," Yediot quoted Secretary Rice as
saying that the U.S. administration will press the
sides to implement the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings,
including an Israeli pullout from the West Bank cities
and the release of Palestinian prisoners. The media
reported that Secretary Rice praised Israel-PA
cooperation, which she said the sides do not recount
for political reasons.

The media reported that PM Sharon is expected to meet
with U.S. President George W. Bush, Russian President
Vladimir Putin, and Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan
today, and with the PMs of Australia, Britain, and
Canada on Thursday. Maariv reported that, at his
meeting with President Bush, Sharon will raise his
demand that Hamas be dismantled. Israel Radio reported
that FM Shalom met with Algerian Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs Mohamed Bedjaoui and with Indonesian FM
Noer Hassan Wirajuda. The radio, which cited denials
by Shalom's supposed interlocutors, says that he is
scheduled to meet with the FMs of Morocco, Egypt,
Jordan, among others.

Yediot reported that on Saturday night, under the
motto: "We Have to Continue Toward Peace -- From Gaza
to a Final-Status Agreement," the Israeli and
Palestinian peace camps will hold two simultaneous
demonstrations -- outside Sharon's Jerusalem residence,
and in Ramallah. Abbas will lead the Palestinian
rally.

Jerusalem Post reported that U.S. Ambassador Dan
Kurtzer and his wife Sheila bid farewell to President
Moshe Katsav on Monday. The newspaper cited Katsav's
expression of high praise for the Kurtzers, who, he
said, served U.S. interests in Israel during one of the
most difficult and stormy periods in the nation's
history. Katsav was quoted as saying that the
Ambassador had shown great responsibility, and
professionalism. Ambassador Kurtzer reportedly
expressed appreciation for Katsav's wise counsel each
time it was requested. Jerusalem Post reported that
next week Katsav is due to receive the credentials of
Kurtzer's successor, Richard Jones.
Ha'aretz reported that on Tuesday, Yuval Steinitz,
chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, submitted a bill that would prohibit Israeli
citizens from filing lawsuits and criminal complaints
in foreign countries against members of Israel's
security forces or anyone who was involved in anti-
terror activities on behalf of Israel. The move comes
in the wake of complaints filed in Britain by the
Israeli group Yesh Gvul against the current and former
IDF chiefs of staff over their role in the targeted
killing of senior Hamas leader Salah Shehadeh in July

2002.

Israel Radio reported that President Bush is trying to
convince the Russian and Chinese leaders, with whom he
is holding meetings in current days in Washington, to
support steps that would ensure that Iran does not
procure nuclear weapons. The station quoted Bush as
saying, after a meeting with Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani, that Iran with a nuclear weapon would be
destabilizing.

Yediot quoted President Bush as saying that "all
options are on the table" regarding possible U.S.
action against Syria. Jerusalem Post reported that on
Tuesday, the President reiterated his goal to achieve
international agreement to put pressure on President
Bashar Assad's regime.

Israel Radio reported that over 100 people were killed
and dozens of others were wounded in bombings in
central Iraq this morning.

Israel Radio reported that at a meeting to be held
today in Egypt, the tourism ministers of Israel, the
PA, Jordan, and Egypt will discuss the state of tourism
in the region.

Angela Merkel, the candidate of the German opposition
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the race for
chancellor, was quoted as saying in an interview with
Ha'aretz that if she wins, Germany would be more
involved in the Middle East and fight anti-Semitism in
her country. Still, Merkel recognizes the role of the
U.S. in the Middle East.

Ha'aretz reported on a meeting held Tuesday in the
Israeli Arab city of Umm el-Fahm between guests from
the American Jewish Committee, and Mayor Sheikh Hashem
Abd al-Rahman, who is identified with the northern
branch of the Islamic Movement and known for boycotting
Knesset elections. The meeting was organized by
Sikkuy, an Arab-Jewish non-profit organization working
for equality for Israeli Arabs. The newspaper reported
that African-American Wisconsin State Senator Lena
Taylor (D),a member of the delegation, "did not hide
her identification with the Israeli Arabs' condition."
The newspaper cited criticism of the meeting among
American Jewish leaders.

Ha'aretz details increasing threats of divestment of
Israel by the Presbyterian Church and other American
religious congregations, and writes that American
Jewish leaders are divided over the gravity of those
steps.

Yediot reported that Likud MK Ayoob Kara has proposed
to turn September 11 into a national day of mourning in
Israel -- in memory of the burning of the Gaza Strip
synagogues.

Yediot reported that a directive the U.S. Homeland
Security Department has recently conveyed to the U.S.
Embassy in Tel Aviv stipulates that an Israeli child,
one of whose parents is an AmCit, will not
automatically acquire U.S. citizenship.

Yediot reported that former New York City mayor Rudolph
Giuliani will come to Israel next Wednesday for a one-
day visit, during which he will explain his crime-
fighting methods.

All media reported that President Bush took
responsibility on Tuesday for federal government
failures in handling the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina. Maariv reported that affluent residents of
New Orleans have turned to Israeli guards for the
protection of their property.

--------------

1. Mideast:
--------------

Summary:
--------------
Veteran op-ed writer and the late prime minister
Yitzhak Rabin's assistant Eytan Haber opined in the
lead editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot: "The successive Israeli cabinet ministers --
from Labor and Likud -- were those who made the
historical mistake whose price was paid in blood."

Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized:
"Besides purely selfish interests, democracies ought to
consider the debt of gratitude they owe Israel as a
bulwark against international terrorism."

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "An
unbalanced and disproportionate use of universal
authority to bring individuals to trial may sometimes
be excessive and unjust, but the abrogation of the
option to pursue war criminals wherever they may be
could bring the wheels of justice grinding to a halt."

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


I. "The March of Folly"

Veteran op-ed writer and the late prime minister
Yitzhak Rabin's assistant Eytan Haber opined in the
lead editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot (September 14): "The [Israeli cabinet's]
decision regarding the [Gaza Strip's] synagogues and
its immediate consequences are undoubtedly worthy of
being cited ... in historian Barbara Tuchman's book,
'The March of Folly'.... We wouldn't mention this, had
Shimon Peres not honestly declared Monday that
'settling Gush Katif was a historical mistake.' A
historical mistake? This wasn't about an academic
exercise. Soldiers and civilians paid with their lives
for that historical mistake; others became handicapped,
to say nothing of the billions [of dollars] that went
up in smoke. A historical mistake? Who erred? The
Holy Ghost?.... Absolutely not. The successive Israeli
cabinet ministers -- from Labor and Likud -- were those
who made the historical mistake whose price was paid in
blood."

II. "A Limit to Sedition"

Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized
(September 14): "The thought of an Israeli general
unable to enter the capital of another democracy for
fear of being detained on trumped-up 'war crimes'
charges is insufferable enough. The realization that
the screeching chorus of Arabs and Muslims out to get
him was actually conducted by Israelis is maddening.
Yet this is precisely what happened this week.... What
Britain's courts were prepared to countenance against
Israel could well come back to haunt Britons abroad.
Israel's generals are harassed about a single bomb; the
allies dumped untold tons of explosives, killing untold
numbers of Iraqis and Afghans.... Besides purely
selfish interests, democracies ought to consider the
debt of gratitude they owe Israel as a bulwark against
international terrorism. Had other nations followed
Israel's consistent example, the world would be a safer
place to live in. But whatever bones we have to pick
with friends overseas, the danger of in-house sedition
is far more alarming.... The pretext is [the Israeli
group] Yesh Gvul's failure to get the local judiciary
to take punitive action against the two. Thus Israelis
who can't win their day in Israel's courts, attempt to
enlist outside help.... Knesset Member Yuval Steinitz's
move to outlaw Yesh Gvul might in other circumstances
be dismissed as excessive, especially considering the
significant inroads the group has made into normative
mainstream opinion and its undoubted popularity with
left-wing opinion-molders. But this time Yesh Gvul
seems to have crossed all red lines.... As a society
faced with existential threats, we cannot afford to
have those who defend us become our fall guys."

III. "In the Dock"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized
(September 14): "The courts in Israel turned their
heads when asked to address the demolition of hundreds
of houses in Gaza, the expropriation of private lands
for the use of the occupying country, and the expulsion
of 25,000 Palestinians from their homes in Hebron to
expand the Jewish quarter. None of these constitutes
valid means in the war on terror. The vacuum created
by judges in Israel in dealing with these issues is
what led to the appeal to the legal authorities in
Europe. One can complain about the hypocrisy of legal
authorities that are tough on Israel and easy on other
countries. One can ascribe political and anti-Semitic
motives to plaintiffs and judges. But it is hard to
claim that our hands are clean. Every officer who
carries out an order involving serious human rights
violations must take into consideration that he will
find himself in the dock. An unbalanced and
disproportionate use of universal authority to bring
individuals to trial may sometimes be excessive and
unjust, but the abrogation of the option to pursue war
criminals wherever they may be could bring the wheels
of justice grinding to a halt."

--------------

2. Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:
--------------

Summary:
--------------

Columnist Tom Segev wrote in independent, left-leaning
Ha'aretz: "There's no disputing Israel is defining its
own place somewhere on the edges of the American
empire. That's why there's something so troubling
about what now appear to be signs of the sinking of
that empire."




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

"What's Happening To You, America?"

Columnist Tom Segev wrote in independent, left-leaning
Ha'aretz (September 14): "One can appreciate all the
positive brought about by the Americanization [of
Israel] without ignoring the negative, but there's no
disputing Israel is defining its own place somewhere on
the edges of the American empire. That's why there's
something so troubling about what now appear to be
signs of the sinking of that empire -- the intelligence
failures that preceded the attacks on the Twin Towers,
the crash of the Columbia. How could it happen, in a
country like America? The failed occupation of Iraq --
to find out just how easy it is to conquer a country
and how difficult to end its occupation, the U.S.
didn't even need National Geographic. All they had to
do was follow the news from the territories Israel
occupied in the Six-Day War. And now, the catastrophe
in New Orleans. It is impossible to avoid thinking
that it reflects a very sick society.... What is
happening to you, America? Because what happens to you
seems to happen to us as well."

KURTZER