ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 007079

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


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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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1. Mideast


2. Iran: Nuclear Program

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Key stories in the media:
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All leading media, except The Jerusalem Post, led with
the firing from Lebanon of at least four Katyusha
rockets at Israeli communities -- particularly Kiryat
Shmona -- late last night. Two houses were hit but
there were no injuries. Israel Radio reported that the
IAF struck a PFLP training base south of Beirut and
cited a PFLP spokesman as saying that two of its
members were wounded in the raid. The radio cited the
IDF's belief that Palestinian groups in Lebanon are
behind the attacks, and denials by Hizbullah, Fatah,
and PFLP spokesmen in Lebanon of any responsibility for
the rocket launchings.

The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that on
Tuesday, State Department Spokesman J. Adam Ereli
justified Israel's firing at the northern Gaza Strip
areas from which rocket fire originated. Both media
quoted Ereli as saying: "What we would like to see is
effective measures against such acts so that the
measures Israel is taking are not necessary." Ereli
was also quoted as saying: "We see it [the Qassam
rocket barrage] in the context of failure to address
the security situation" by the Palestinians. The
station reported that Ereli regretted the creation of
buffer zones in the Gaza Strip. The Jerusalem Post
quoted Ereli as saying that Maj. Gen Keith Dayton, the
new U.S. security specialist in the region, arrived in
the area for talks with Israeli and PA officials.
Israel Radio reported that A/S David Welch is due to
arrive in the region ahead of the Palestinian
legislative elections.

The media reported that Qassam rockets were fired at
Sderot on Tuesday. Ha'aretz reported that on Tuesday,
the IAF fired missiles at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
offices in the northern Gaza Strip and attacked a
bridge near the Gaza town of Beit Hanun in response to
ongoing Qassam rocket fire. There were no injuries.
Ha'aretz and other media cited the IDF as saying that
the bridge had been used to reach the evacuated
settlements of Elei Sinai, Dugit, and Nisanit and fire
rockets toward Ashkelon. Today, Israel Radio reported
that Israel has informed the PA that anyone entering
the buffer zone after 6:00 P.M. is putting his life in
danger. Hatzofe reported that on Tuesday, an 18-year-
old Palestinian woman from Nablus, Nasrin Heshan, was
injured when a bomb blew up in the city. The bomb was
reportedly meant to explode near IDF forces. Hatzofe
quoted Palestinian sources as saying that terrorists
had planted dozens of bombs all over the old city of
Nablus as part of their preparations in anticipation of
an Israeli operation in the city.

All media (banner in The Jerusalem Post) quoted Mossad
chief Meir Dagan, who testified before the Knesset's
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, as
warning that Iran will not stop at making a single
nuclear bomb. Dagan was quoted as saying that Iran
will reach technological independence within a few
months, after which producing a nuclear bomb will only
be a matter of time.

Leading media reported that this morning, former Shin
Bet head Avi Dichter formally announced at a press
conference that he is entering politics and joining
Kadima. The Ha'aretz web site quoted him as saying
that he saw no possibility that Israel would be able to
unilaterally set its borders with the Palestinians. He
was quoted as saying that the Roadmap was the central
plan that will affect Israel's future steps, but that
"it seems that there is still a long way to go." Asked
about the ramifications of the Gaza disengagement,
Dichter, who the Ha'aretz web site writes has been
widely credited with Israel's success in beating down
terrorism., said: "The figures speak for themselves.
The disengagement was followed by a sharp decline in
the number of attacks." Asked if he had been promised
a position in a future government, Dichter said he had
not discussed the issue with Sharon. The media had
speculated that Sharon could offer him the defense or
internal security portfolio. Yediot reported that
Kadima will distribute financial bonuses to activists
who bring voters to the party.

Ha'aretz reported that Labor Party Chairman Amir
Peretz's diplomatic team is formulating a platform
calling for the long-term leasing of large West Bank
settlement blocs from the Palestinians, adopting the
model of Great Britain and China with regard to Hong
Kong. The media also pointed to flaws in Peretz's
electoral methods -- mostly his speaking solely about
socio-economic issues, and also the fact that he spoke
too pessimistically about Israel's future, and that he
failed to keep former Labor Party Chairman Shimon Peres
in the party, among other mistakes. The Jerusalem Post
quoted Peretz advisers who counted those failings.

Ha'aretz quoted Datya Yitzhaki, a spokeswoman for the
group Land of Israel Faithful, as saying that on
Tuesday, hundreds of settler youths erected 14 illegal
out posts in the West Bank as part of a campaign to
show their strength after Israel's withdrawal from the
Gaza Strip. Yitzhaki was quoted as saying that a total
of 25 new outposts, all of which would eventually
become permanent communities, would be standing by the
end of the Hanukkah holiday (January 1). Yediot,
Maariv, and Hatzofe also reported on this development.
Maariv reported that on Tuesday, Amir Peretz criticized
Sharon over the issue of illegal outposts.

Ha'aretz reported that Israel is seeking a solution
that will permit East Jerusalem residents to vote in
the elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council,
but allow the government to adhere to its opposition to
Hamas's participation in the ballot. The newspaper
reported that Israel also wants a solution that will
prevent the state from being accused of delaying the
elections. Ha'aretz quoted PM Sharon as saying on
Monday, in a meeting with Amir Peretz, that "an
arrangement will be found." Ha'aretz wrote that Sharon
refrained from elaborating.

Ha'aretz reported that on Tuesday, veterans of the
Fatah party threatened to break away from the movement
and from a competing list of candidates for upcoming
elections, sparking a new crisis for PA Chairman
[President] Mahmoud Abbas.

Ha'aretz reported that Likud Chairman MK Binyamin
Netanyahu is trying to reach a "quiet understanding"
with Moshe Feiglin, the leader of the party's far right
faction Jewish Leadership, so that he withdraws his
candidacy for the Likud's Knesset list.

Yediot reported that over the past few weeks, 1,000
olive trees in Palestinian villages have been uprooted,
supposedly by settlers. The newspaper quoted Defense
Minister as saying that if it is proven that Israelis
are responsible for the phenomenon, the state will
compensate the Palestinian farmers.

Leading media reported that the Education Ministry is
lowering its English-language requirements for
matriculation exams in order to increase the number of
university students.

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1. Mideast:
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Summary:
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Military correspondent Amir Rappaport wrote in popular,
pluralist Maariv: "The fact that Israel is willing to
live with a continuous drizzle of attacks in the south
and the north is perceived in the Arab world as a sign
of weakness, and only invites further attacks."

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized:
"Israel is concerned -- and justifiably so -- about
Hamas's participation in the PA elections, but imposing
a ban on East Jerusalem's Arabs is not an appropriate
response, because they must be allowed to exercise
their right to vote."

Conservative columnist Yosef Harif wrote in Maariv: "It
has been proven that with 'partners' such as the
Palestinians, unilateral withdrawals constitute a
recipe for the continuation of war, because not only do
evacuated territories not bring peace closer, but they
turn into launching areas for lethal Qassam rockets."

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized: "The front-running Kadima Party of Prime
Minister Sharon has a particular obligation to tell the
citizenry its policy on E-1 and how it proposes to
address Palestinian and international concerns over it.
And those parties that oppose E-1 need to explain how
they will nonetheless keep Jerusalem secure and vibrant
and Ma'aleh Adumim accessible."
Columnist and outgoing Meretz Knesset Member Yossi
Sarid wrote in Ha'aretz: "In America, it occasionally
happens that mistakes are admitted, apologies are
offered, and even such responsibility is accepted and
conclusions are drawn. Not here."

Block Quotes:
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I. "Because We Showed Restraint"

Military correspondent Amir Rappaport wrote in popular,
pluralist Maariv (December 28): "Israel, which
responded with a great deal of restraint to a long list
of attacks waged against it lately, has, by so doing,
been sending a message of weakness.... Had the Israeli
response to Hizbullah's attack in early December on a
number of targets along the northern border been firm
and aimed at targets in the general Beirut area,
Katyusha rockets would probably not have landed last
night in the heart of Kiryat Shmona. Had Israel broken
the rules of the game and responded with real severity
to the Qassam rocket fire out of the Gaza Strip -- and
not made do with dropping leaflets, manufacturing sonic
booms and deliberately shelling nothing -- the folks
firing the Qassam rockets out of Gaza would probably
have not dared continue to do so. The fact that Israel
is willing to live with a continuous drizzle of attacks
in the south and the north is perceived in the Arab
world as a sign of weakness, and only invites further
attacks. Israel has to reach the stage at which it
makes good on its threats. Otherwise the IDF's power
of deterrence will be completely eroded. Perhaps the
time has arrived for Israel to take a proactive
approach of checked escalation in order to put an end
to the intolerable attacks on it."

II. "Let Them Vote"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized
(December 28): "Israel must let East Jerusalem's Arabs
vote in the Palestinian Authority's legislative council
(parliament) elections. That is not only because it
undertook to do so in the Oslo Accords, but also
because it does not want them as citizens of the state,
and because it is the only way for the city's 250,000
Arabs to exercise their right to political
expression.... There is no reason to change election
arrangements in East Jerusalem. Israel is concerned --
and justifiably so -- about Hamas's participation in
the PA elections, but imposing a ban on East
Jerusalem's Arabs is not an appropriate response,
because they must be allowed to exercise their right to
vote."

III. "Unilateralism Is Doomed to Failure"

Conservative columnist Yosef Harif wrote in Maariv
(December 28): "When the Prime Minister first exposed
his unilateral withdrawal plan from Gush Katif and
several northern West Bank settlements, he conveyed a
double message: his step would strengthen security and
bring peace closer. It appears that both messages were
baseless. On Monday, Maariv published a version of
Kadima's diplomatic platform, in which [Sharon's party]
commits itself to act in every possible way to promote
the peace process and to lay the foundations for
shaping Israel's final borders. Indeed, it's
worthwhile to act in every possible way for the sake of
peace, except one -- unilateralism. The lessons drawn
from the disengagement from Gaza make necessary a
cautious and meticulous approach, should the time come
for discussions about the fate of Judea and Samaria
[i.e. the West Bank]. It has been proven that with
'partners' such as the Palestinians, unilateral
withdrawals constitute a recipe for the continuation of
war, because not only do evacuated territories not
bring peace closer, but they turn into launching areas
for lethal Qassam rockets."

IV. "Jerusalem's Dilemma"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized (December 28): "Israel's urban planners
have tended to stress short-term considerations at the
expense of long term environmental and historical
treasures. Now, Jerusalem is faced with a decision:
whether to expand the capital's limits westward toward
the forest and the [western] suburbs ... or eastward,
over the Green Line, toward the settlement city of
Ma'aleh Adumim.... American and European Union
pressure has to date dissuaded a succession of Israeli
governments, including that of Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon, from going ahead with linking Jerusalem to
Ma'aleh Adumim. Opponents of E-1 argue that it would
torpedo prospects for a viable Palestinian state by
making it impossible for Palestinians to travel from
Bethlehem to Ramallah. But surely a solution that
allows Palestinians a north-south transit, while
linking nearby Ma'aleh Adumim to Jerusalem, is hardly
beyond the creative capabilities of diplomats and
transportation planners.... The front-running Kadima
Party of Prime Minister Sharon has a particular
obligation to tell the citizenry its policy on E-1 and
how it proposes to address Palestinian and
international concerns over it. And those parties that
oppose E-1 need to explain how they will nonetheless
keep Jerusalem secure and vibrant and Ma'aleh Adumim
accessible."


V. "At Least the U.S. Admits Its Mistakes"

Columnist and outgoing Meretz Knesset Member Yossi
Sarid wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz
(December 28): "Despite the similarity between the
Israeli and American intelligence communities, there is
a difference, nevertheless: in America, it occasionally
happens that mistakes are admitted, apologies are
offered, and even such responsibility is accepted and
conclusions are drawn. Not here. They drove an entire
country crazy, they frayed its nerves, put it into a
state of hysteria, complete with gas masks and masking
tape, and no one bothered to apologize to us. [Former
CIA Director George] Tenet left, and [senior Israeli
defense official] Amos Gilad stayed, and continues to
explain 'the situation' to us. Gilad is but one
example among many. Will we be willing to buy a second
evaluation from the same people who sold us the Iraq
rattletrap?"

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2. Iran: Nuclear Program:
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Summary:
--------------

Ultra-Orthodox Hamodi'a editorialized: "Isolated
American activity against Iran isn't enough."

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

"The Iranian Threat"

Ultra-Orthodox Hamodi'a editorialized (December 28):
"Uniting forces in the international arena against the
Iranian threat could greatly contribute to thwarting
that crafty scheme. Iran still has something to lose
from a union of the world's nations against it.
Isolated American activity against Iran isn't enough.
A European front must also be set up, because European
states also stand to suffer if the Iranians reach
nuclear capability.... Every possible effort should be
applied on Russia so that it stops contributing from
its experience and capability to the Iranian reactor."

CRETZ