Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05TELAVIV631
2005-02-02 11:27:00
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.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TEL AVIV 000631 

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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TEL AVIV 000631

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


1. Mideast


2. Iraq

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

Israel Radio reported that Egyptian intelligence chief
Omar Suleiman met this morning with PM Sharon, who
updated him on current security contacts with the
Palestinians and the upcoming Sharon-Abbas meeting.
The radio reported that Suleiman handed over to Sharon
an invitation from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to
a summit with him and Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) next
Tuesday in Sharm el-Sheikh. Sharon accepted Mubarak's
invitation.

Israel Radio quoted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
as saying Tuesday [in an interview with Reuters and
AFP] that the U.S. could help equip and train PA
security forces, and that the U.S. views the issue of
reforms in the PA as very important. Secretary Rice
also said that Israel has responsibility toward the
Palestinians, notably as regards their mobility.
Ha'aretz reported that senior GOI officials are feeling
less than enthusiastic about Secretary Rice's upcoming
visit to Israel, fearing that the American involvement
might "raise the price" the Palestinians will demand of
Israel. The newspaper quoted a GOI source as saying
that "Rice knows this and won't let it happen."
Jerusalem Post quoted a diplomatic official as saying
that Secretary Rice is not expected to lay a wreath at
Yasser Arafat's grave.

Ha'aretz reported that Israel and the Palestinians have
agreed to set up a joint committee to deal with the
cases of wanted men after a cease-fire is formally
announced. The committee is to meet for the first time
next week. According to the emerging agreements on
both Gaza and the West Bank, Israel will agree not to
harm wanted men who hand in their weapons to the PA,
sign a commitment not to get involved any more in
terror, remain in their home towns, and agree to
monitoring by the PA security apparatus. Ha'aretz
recommends that those "with blood on their hands" not
be included. Leading media reported that Egypt will
likely host a high-level meeting in Cairo in the coming
days with Palestinian officials and Hamas heads to
finalize a cease-fire agreement. Yediot quoted Abbas
as saying in Moscow on Tuesday that there were flaws in

Arafat's policy. Jerusalem Post quoted senior PA
officials in Ramallah as saying Tuesday that a sharp
dispute between Abbas and Palestinian PM Ahmed Qurei
(Abu Ala) is preventing the formation of a new cabinet.
Leading media reported that the government coalition
does not have a majority in the Knesset's Finance
Committee this week for the evacuation-compensation
bill, which enables the planned disengagement. Hatzofe
(lead story) expects the government to allow evacuees
to move to existing settlements in the West Bank, but
not to encourage them to do so. Ha'aretz reported that
38 families from two Gaza Strip settlements signed an
agreement in principle on Tuesday that will see them
move to a farming community near Ashkelon. Jerusalem
Post reported that Zvi Hendel, chairman of the National
Union Party and the only Knesset member living in the
Gaza Strip's Katif Bloc, has quietly appointed a legal
team to investigate the feasibility of moving several
settlements, including his own, to beachfront property
inside the Green Line.

Yediot reported that FM Silvan Shalom met with Turkish
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Davos, Switzerland, over the
weekend. Erdogan offered to host an Israeli-
Palestinian summit in Istanbul. Leading media reported
that both Abbas and IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon
arrived in Ankara on Tuesday for separate talks

Maariv (Ben Caspit) reported that Iran has invited
Abbas to Tehran. The newspaper says that it is unclear
whether the Iranian leaders have changed their minds
regarding the Palestinians' moderation, or if they
intend to pressure Abbas to cool down his relations
with Israel. All media quoted IDF Intelligence chief
Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash as saying Tuesday before
the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
that the "axis of evil" consisting of Hizbullah, Hamas,
and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards is determined to
prevent Abbas from achieving calm in the territories.
Zeevi-Farkash also said that Russia could supply Syria
with ground-to-air "Puncher" (phon.) missiles within
two years.

All media reported that Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz
has canceled a June 2004 government decision made by
two ministers to apply the absentee property law to
sizeable tracts of Palestinian property in East
Jerusalem.

Leading media reported that the Palestinians have
started investigating the possible involvement of a
Palestinian gunman in the death of a 10-year-old
Palestinian girl in Rafah on Monday. This is the first
probe of this kind.

Ha'aretz cited the IDF's Civil Administration that the
settlers are proceeding with construction in illegal
outposts in the West Bank, even those earmarked for
evacuation. According to the IDF, the settlers have
built new structures in four outposts awaiting
evacuation.
Israel Radio reported that the State Department has
asked the Knesset's Committee for Foreign Workers for
information on possible trafficking in persons.

Leading media reported that Tuesday the Rafah border
crossing with Egypt was re-opened for business.

Yediot cited Israel's concern that the EU could remove
Hamas from its list of terrorist organizations.

All media reported on German President Horst Koehler's
visit to Israel.

Ha'aretz notes that Israel was not invited to the Cairo
Book Fair that opened last week, and that religious
censorship in Egypt has been on the rise.

All media reported that on Tuesday, Minister-Without
Portfolio Matan Vilnai, calling himself the late
Yitzhak Rabin's successor, announced his candidacy for
Labor Party chairmanship. Vilnai criticized former PM
Ehud Barak, saying that he had destroyed the party.

Jerusalem Post reported that, holding banners reading
"Never Again" and "Israel Must Condemn," over 100
people gathered in front of the Foreign Ministry in
Jerusalem Tuesday to protest the use of gas chambers on
political prisoners in North Korea.

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

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

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

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote on page one of
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Rice will go to
Israel and the PA Sunday, and two days later, Abbas and
Sharon will meet. Now's the time for the 'half-full
glass,' to highlight the relative quiet and not
endanger it with a 'half-empty glass' approach."

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: "Ariel Sharon currently has a massive
majority in the people, a real mandate to implement his
disengagement plan. So where are Sharon's supporters?"

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in Ha'aretz:
"One can only hope that the calmer atmosphere Mahmoud
Abbas has brought will also moderate the domestic
debate [on demography] in Israel and at least prevent
its deterioration into even worse forms of racism."
Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized: "Sharon
will be obligated to accede to [Secretary Rice's]
demands; the production line of rockets in Gaza cellars
will increase and improve under the auspices of 'poor
Abu Mazen's' mask."
Extreme right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick wrote in
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "What
[Attorney-General Menachem] Mazuz is agreeing to is the
acceptance of a discriminatory principle whereby Jews
have no right to collectively own land for the benefit
of Jews in the Jewish state."

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


I. "Now's the Time for a 'Glass Half-Full' Approach"

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote on page one of
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (February 2): "A
source in [Israel's] defense establishment described
the dilemma now facing Israel following mortar fire in
Gaza: On the one hand, the public wants quiet and is
ready to close 'half an eye' to give the cease-fire a
chance. On the other hand, Israel cannot give up the
principle that the PA prevent attacks. The solution to
the dilemma is also split into two: verbal pressure on
the PA and restraint on the ground.... Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon, meanwhile, is as suspicious as ever....
[Secretary] Rice heard [from senior Sharon aide Dov
Weisglass] that Hamas could break the quiet any moment,
but has been badly hurt by IDF actions, and is
attentive to the public mood in the Palestinian street,
which wants quiet. In other words, Hamas faces the
same dilemma as Israel. The Palestinians also are
tired of the fighting, want domestic and international
legitimacy, and understand now is the time for some
quiet. Thus the two sides continue their delicate
dance. Sharon now needs pubic support ahead of the
votes on the disengagement and the budget, and he needs
American support ahead of the renewal of diplomatic
talks with the Palestinians. The quiet is important
for him to make goodwill gestures to the Palestinians,
like freeing prisoners and dropping the list of wanted
men. Rice will go to Israel and the PA Sunday, and two
days later, Abbas and Sharon will meet. Now's the time
for the 'half-full glass,' to highlight the relative
quiet and not endanger it with a 'half-empty glass'
approach."

II. "Why Does the Silent Majority Keep Still?"

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 (February 2): "The residents of Judea, Samaria
and Gaza [i.e. the settlers] did not succeed in
'settling in the hearts' over the years, and appear to
be paying the price for their behavior and high handed
attitude now in spades.... Along with many voters of
Likud, the Labor Party, Meretz and other parties, Ariel
Sharon currently has a massive majority in the people,
a real mandate to implement his disengagement plan. So
where are Sharon's supporters? Where is the silent
majority that wishes for the implementation of
disengagement? Experts will say that it is always
easier to gather a crowd against something. People do
not come to the square to support, only to oppose.
True or untrue, this large public, silent and still, is
leaving the floor open to intensive activity and
growing influence by the settlers. This silent public
does not budge from its easy chairs."

III. "Demographic Politics"

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in Ha'aretz
(February 2): "'Demography,' meaning anxiety about an
Arab majority, has lately taken over the shaping of
national policy.... The disciples of the 'demographic
rationale' enjoy all possible worlds. They support
withdrawal from the territories like the Left, and
appear to be Arab haters like the Right. The
'security' Left turned into the "demographic' Left
during the Intifada. Between the suicide bombings and
Arafat's speeches about millions more marching to
Jerusalem, it was difficult to talk about the moral
burden of the occupation and much easier to hope the
Arabs simply would disappear. One can only hope that
the calmer atmosphere Mahmoud Abbas has brought will
also moderate the domestic debate in Israel and at
least prevent its deterioration into even worse forms
of racism."

IV. "In the Service of Words"

Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized (February
2): "Elected PA leader Abu Mazen has nurtured great
hopes following this statements against violence and
terror. For the time being, beyond words, words and
more words, he does not intend to do anything at all
that would fill those words with tangible contents....
The problem is the necessity for the government to make
several gestures to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice. Rice, who will be arriving in the region, will
demand that Sharon accede to Abu Mazen's demands,
including a prisoner release, in order to please the
post-Arafat Palestinian street, and to ease Abu Mazen's
control of the complex environment in which he
operates. Sharon will be obligated to accede to those
demands; the production line of rockets in Gaza cellars
will increase and improve under the auspices of 'poor
Abu Mazen's' mask."


V. "Mazuz Vs. the Jewish People"

Extreme right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick wrote in
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (February 1):
"Last Wednesday Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz did
something unpardonable. He decided that the state can
no longer abide by the law of the land. That law, the
Basic Law for the Israel Lands Authority [ILA] from
1960 provides the legal basis for the ILA's
administration of both state-owned lands and lands
owned by the JNF [Jewish National Fund].... The JNF was
founded at the dawn of modern Zionism for the purpose
of raising money from Jews in the Diaspora and in
Israel to buy lands in the Land of Israel for Jewish
settlement. Its charter stipulates that JNF lands are
to be used specifically for Jewish settlement.... What
[the Israeli-Arab human rights organization] Adalah is
demanding in its petition and what Mazuz is agreeing to
is the acceptance of a discriminatory principle whereby
Jews have no right to collectively own land for the
benefit of Jews in the Jewish state.... In making this
decision, Mazuz has not merely overstepped his
authority. He has effectively seized the property of
the entire Jewish people -- in Israel and throughout
the world -- who have for the last 120 years been
putting their dollars, rubles, francs and pounds into
the blue [collection] boxes of the JNF. It is the
responsibility of all Jews to protest against this
discriminatory expropriation of our property."









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

2. Iraq:
--------------

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

Liberal columnist Tallie Lipkin-Shahak wrote in
popular, pluralist Maariv: "America wishes to go
through re-education in Iraq, to finally succeed ... to
win [the war], but it is doubtful whether it can do
so."

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

"Too Late"

Liberal columnist Tallie Lipkin-Shahak wrote in
popular, pluralist Maariv (February 2): "On the day
when Iraq went to vote, President George W. Bush was
unable to hide smiles of contentment that were subdued
by concern of hard days to come. But the U.S. citizens
weren't really excited. The number of dead, the
economic cost, and the lies on the way to that
celebration are heavier on their hearts. It looks as
if, through its re-elected President, America wishes to
go through re-education in Iraq, to finally succeed in
merging its good intentions join its wider and even
darker interests, or in other words, to win [the war],
but it is doubtful whether it can do so."

KURTZER