ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 TEL AVIV 000670 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 ¶3. President Bush State of the Union Address -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- Yediot (Shimon Shiffer) quoted a senior Israeli source as saying that Sharon and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will disagree on the definition of contiguity for the Palestinian sate, on the extent of the expected prisoner release, and the continuation of the IDF pullout. Shiffer quoted Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Danny Ayalon as saying that Secretary Rice's move to State will not influence her basic perception of Israel's high-ranking place as a reliable U.S. ally. The extent of prisoner release as part of Israel's gestures to the PA dominated the major media. Leading media quoted PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) as saying Thursday that the PA will announce a formal cease-fire with Israel at the summit, and that Israel must do the same thing. Leading media cited Israeli officials as saying that what counts are gestures, not declarations. Ha'aretz and Jerusalem Post printed medium-length reports about President Bush's State of the Union address. Both newspapers highlighted the President's remarks on his pledge to contribute USD 350 million to the PA, the advancement of democracy in the Middle East, and criticism of Syria and Iran. Ha'aretz noted that Bush made a "surprising" demand of Egypt for democratic reforms. Both newspapers mention Bush's remark that the U.S. would "not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq." Leading media reported that last night, during talks headed by top Sharon aide Dov Weisglass and PA Negotiations Minister Saeb Erekat, Palestinian negotiators rejected a decision by the restricted cabinet Thursday to release "only" 900 prisoners. Ha'aretz and other media detailed the cabinet's decision: the prisoner release; the transfer of responsibility over five West Bank cities; the PA will pledge to gather the weapons of wanted Palestinians and to supervise them, as Israel will refrain from pursuing them; Israel will refrain from offensive activity in the territories, except in cases of "ticking bombs"; the Karni Crossing will reopen within 48 hours, conditional upon security measures by the Palestinians; the main road in the Gaza Strip will be fully reopened, and the closure of Gaza City lifted; and the PA might be authorized to build a seaport in Gaza; Gaza Airport will remain closed. Maariv quoted PM Sharon as saying that this could be an opportunity he did not want to lose without having tried it. Ha'aretz and other media reported that cabinet ministers Shimon Peres and Haim Ramon (Labor),and Shaul Mofaz (Likud) had advocated more generous concessions to the Palestinians. Yediot and Maariv led with a controversy between the IDF and the Shin Bet. Yediot bannered IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon as saying that even prisoners who have murdered Israelis must be released. Maariv bannered a remark by Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter that Israel is making concessions too early. Maariv reported that Marwan Barghouti's son is expected to be released, but not Barghouti himself. Israel Radio quoted Jordanian FM Hani Fawzi al-Mulki as saying that his country will send an ambassador to Tel Aviv only if Israel releases the Jordanian prisoners it detains. Israel Radio reported that Hamas leader Khaled Mashal told the Israeli-Arab newspaper Kul-el-Arab that he supports the Sharm el-Sheikh summit as a gauge of Israel's intentions. Leading media reported that a 16-year-old Palestinian boy was caught at a Nablus checkpoint with a bomb belt on Thursday. Four IDF soldiers were wounded last night when Palestinian gunmen opened fire on their jeep southwest of Hebron. Two others were wounded in a Gaza Strip attack. Israel Radio reported that an unspecified terrorist attack was thwarted Thursday in Jerusalem. In an interview with Jerusalem Post, Pinchas Wallerstein, an influential member of the Yesha Council of Jewish Settlements in the Territories, blasted an initiative by some settler leaders to move communities from the Gaza Strip's Katif Bloc to Israel. Ha'aretz reported that a special committee set up to review the issue of civilian national service will submit its conclusions to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz on Sunday, and the government is expected to adopt the panel's proposal to make voluntary civilian service open to all Israelis who do not serve in the IDF. Ha'aretz reported that on Thursday, President Bush hosted Mikhail Brudno and Vladimir Dubov, two Israeli- Russian businessmen who are wanted by Russia for alleged tax offenses. The two men, who are shareholders in the giant Russian oil enterprise Yukos, were invited to a White House breakfast as guests of Congressmen Tom Lantos and Christopher Cox. Ha'aretz quoted A-G Menachem Mazuz as saying Thursday that he intends to allow the use of administrative detentions for Jews, as part of the public struggle over disengagement. Jerusalem Post reported that a national referendum could be introduced into the Disengagement Plan Implementation bill now being debated by the two Knesset committees in advance of a plenum vote set to take place within the next two weeks. Leading media reported that the High Court of Justice on Thursday rejected a petition by Palestinian local councils against the paving of a by-pass road from Jerusalem to Rachel's Tomb (on the outskirts of Bethlehem). The petitioners claimed that the road could impede their freedom of movement. Ha'aretz reported on a joint, German-funded project of the Israeli local council of Emek Hefer and the Municipality of Tulkarm, to clean up the polluted Alexander River (between Netanya and Hadera). A Maariv/Teleseker poll: -"Do you believe Sharon will be able to implement his disengagement plan?" 68 percent: yes; 24: no; 8 percent are undecided. The poll found that right-wing supporters also believe that the disengagement move will be carried out. -"Do you believe that following the implementation of the disengagement, Israel will evacuate additional settlements in the coming years?" 59 percent: yes; 29 percent: no; 12 percent are undecided. -" Do you believe that following the implementation of the disengagement, terror will weaken, increase or remain at the same level?" 38 percent: it will weaken; 30 percent: it will remain the same; 24 percent: it will increase; 8 percent are undecided. -"What is the risk of violence erupting between disengagement opponents and the police and IDF?" 51 percent: the risk is great, but not to the point of a civil war; 26 percent: the risk is great -- to the point of a civil war; 18 percent: there is no great risk; talk about violence is meant to frighten; 5 percent are undecided. -------------- ¶1. Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "The turnabout that Sharon has proclaimed opens a real door to regional change. And it must be hoped that everyone who seeks a solution will support him." Washington correspondent Orly Azolai wrote in mass- circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "Rice would very much like to grant him a gift -- a significant diplomatic achievement that is not painted with the colors of war." Extreme right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick wrote in conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "Here we are again, at the dawn of a new peace process which ... will engender scorn for America and faith in Israel's eventual destruction in the hearts of millions of people who today waver between support for freedom and support for terror." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "Sharon Is Effecting Regional Change" Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (February 4): "The summit meeting that will take place in Sharm al-Sheikh on Tuesday between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak may not be a historic event, but it must be viewed in the context of the optimistic atmosphere that currently pervades the three parties' relations, and as a catalyst that will move the region's leaders in the right direction.... The Americans may be more interested in the next stage of the process, and view a commitment to implementation of the road map as the most important thing. But from the standpoint of Israelis and Palestinians, who have endured more than four years of blood and fire, even the success of the disengagement is no small matter.... The turnabout that Sharon has proclaimed opens a real door to regional change. And it must be hoped that everyone who seeks a solution will support him." II. "A Gift From Condoleezza" Washington correspondent Orly Azolai wrote in mass- circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (February 4): "Rice is arriving in Ramallah and Jerusalem as the level of expectations on both sides climbs to new heights.... Her primary mission is to allow Bush to turn into a president of peace. The low ratings he earns among the American public prove how much he needs an impressive ceremony on the White House lawn. Rice would very much like to grant him a gift -- a significant diplomatic achievement that is not painted with the colors of war. Even his associates admit that he would very much like to enter history as a Nobel Peace Prizewinner." III. "The Peacemongers Are Back" Extreme right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick wrote in conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (February 4): "American supporters of both Bush and Israel are now backing Sharon's plan to withdraw from Gaza and northern Samaria [i.e. the northernmost part of the West Bank], claiming the world has changed since Oslo.... What they don't seem to remember is that the world had also changed after the fall of the Soviet Union and the 1991 Gulf War. Then, as now, there was an expectation that the Arabs would be forced to change the way they treated Israel and America. Then, as now, the reactionary forces in the region were saved by one thing -- the peace process with Israel.... So, here we are again, at the dawn of a new peace process which will bring no peace; will legitimize terrorists and the authoritarian regimes that support them; will weaken Israel's democratic institutions while endangering its citizenry; and will engender scorn for America and faith in Israel's eventual destruction in the hearts of millions of people who today waver between support for freedom and support for terror." -------------- ¶2. Iraq: -------------- Summary: -------------- Editor-in-Chief David Horovitz wrote in conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "Trouble is that none of these forthcoming ostensible steps toward democracy will genuinely enable the citizens of such countries [Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Egypt] to fully determine who governs them and how." Block Quotes: -------------- "Inspiration From Iraq" Editor-in-Chief David Horovitz wrote in conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (February 4): "What a blow those millions of resolute Iraqi citizens struck on Sunday against terrorism. What a confounding of the doomsayers' bleak expectations. And what a challenge to our region's Arab dictatorships. In what might be ascribed to a rash of regional euphoria, I've read article this week rather fancifully placing the Iraqi vote in a wider Middle Eastern context, as a purported mere second among many indications of burgeoning democracy in the Arab world, the first having been the January 9 vote that confirmed Mahmoud Abbas as Arafat's successor.... The trouble is that none of these forthcoming ostensible steps toward democracy will genuinely enable the citizens of such countries [Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Egypt] to fully determine who governs them and how." -------------- - ¶3. President Bush State of the Union Address: -------------- - Summary: -------------- Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The elections in Iraq, at which Bush pointed [in the State of the Union address] ... serve the President as evidence of the rightness of his international policy." Block Quotes: -------------- "What the Iraqi Elections Allow Bush To Do" Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (February 4): "The elections in Iraq, at which Bush pointed [in the State of the Union address], as well as to democratic moves in the Palestinian Authority, Afghanistan and Ukraine, serve the President as evidence of the rightness of his international policy. They have also given him the political resource that allows him to point, for the first time, an accusing finger at Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- among the most important U.S. allies in the Middle East, and to demand that they do something in the field of democracy." KURTZER