ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TEL AVIV 000087

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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. Iraq


3. Israel-Turkey Relations

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Key stories in the media:
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Maariv and Yediot highlighted issues related to the
opposition to the disengagement plan. Maariv bannered
a call by PM Sharon on IDF soldiers to resist
protesters and not to let them "slap you in the face."
Sharon was visiting a paratrooper battalion that had
participated in the evacuation of two caravans in a
settler outpost near Yitzhar on Monday. (All media
reported that an IDF conscript from Yitzhar who
disrupted the evacuation was tried on disciplinary
charges Wednesday and sentenced to 28 days in a
military stockade.) Yediot reported that four
battalion commanders and 30 commanders in an IDF
reserves unit have signed a letter calling for massive
refusal to enlist in the evacuation of settlements.
Israel Radio and leading Israeli web sites reported
that Thursday IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon
summoned the members of group, saying he will summarily
kick them out of the military if they do not rescind
their threats. Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post and Israel
Radio reported that Wednesday A-G Menachem Mazuz
ordered police to launch an investigation against the
head of the West Bank's Kedumim Regional Council,
Daniella Weiss, as well as the founder of the far-right
Defensive Shield organization, Noam Livnat (the brother
of Education Minister Limor Livnat, who told Israel
Radio that although she opposes the evacuation of
settlements, she does not support disobedience by
soldiers),who are suspected of inciting soldiers to
evade their duty and disobey orders. Israel Radio says
that they are not likely to be indicted.

All media (banners in Ha'aretz and Jerusalem Post)
reported that United Torah Judaism (UTJ) has decided
that it will join the coalition for a three-month trial
period, after Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the
spiritual leader of Degel Hatorah, a key faction of the
party, gave his consent to the deal on Wednesday.
According to Israel Radio, the new government is likely
to be sworn in on Monday.

Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen),the leading contender for PA
chairmanship, was quoted as saying in an interview with
Maariv, whose tone was conciliatory, that he will "make
order" in the PA after being elected. Abbas was quoted
as saying that he is not afraid of Hamas, only of
Allah, that now is an excellent time for peace, and
that he will move the road map forward. A senior PA
official in Ramallah was quoted in an interview with
Jerusalem Post as saying that the PA could launch a
"Fallujah-style" operation against Hamas and its
supporters if the movement continues its verbal
offensive against Abbas. Leading media reported that
Wednesday the Fatah Central Committee officially called
on Hamas to stop firing rockets and cease the
incitement against Abbas, saying that the rocket
attacks provide an excuse for continued IDF activity in
the Gaza Strip.

Ha'aretz cited an announcement by the State Department
Wednesday that Senators John Sununu (R-NH) and Joe
Biden (D-DE) will head the official U.S. observer team
monitoring the Palestinian elections. The delegation
will also include a number of U.S. representatives and
American public figures of Palestinian origin, such as
George Salem and Ziad Assali, and will be accompanied
by U.S. Consul-General in Jerusalem David Pearce.
Michel Rocard, head of the EU's 260-person election
monitoring team, was quoted as saying in an interview
with Jerusalem Post that one properly run election may
not make a democracy, but that is a good place to
begin.

Israel Radio reported that this morning IDF troops
killed a terrorist who infiltrated the greenhouses of
the Ganei Tal settlement in the Gaza Strip's Katif
Bloc.

All media reported that Wednesday the State Department
released a new report to Congress -- the "Report on
Global Anti-Semitism" mandated by President Bush in
October. Jerusalem Post notes that the report says
that a combination of traditional anti-Jewish
prejudice, strong anti-Israel sentiment, and Europe's
growing Muslim population has contributed to a recent
rise in global anti-Semitism. Leading media write that
the report adopts the position that demonization of
Israel or comparison of Israeli leaders to Nazis is not
legitimate criticism but rather anti-Semitism.

Ha'aretz quoted GOI sources as saying that a "highly
classified problem" was the reason for a special
meeting Sharon convened earlier this week on the crisis
in Israel's relations with Russia, with the
participation of FM Silvan Shalom, Defense Minister
Shaul Mofaz, the heads of the intelligence agencies,
and a few civil servants. The newspaper quoted the
sources as saying that the information given to the
media after the meeting -- that Israel is worried by
recent statements of an anti-Semitic nature made by
President Vladimir Putin-- was partial and tendentious,
and that it was aimed at concealing the real reason for
the crisis, which Sharon insisted be kept secret.

Ha'aretz reported that Education Ministry D-G Ronit
Tirosh has announced that the position held by a Shin
Bet representative charged with carrying out background
checks on teachers and principals in the Israeli Arab
education system is being done way with.

Akiva Eldar of Ha'aretz describes Israeli-Palestinian
talks that took place at various Israeli locations from
February 2004 until the end of the year, at which point
they ended with a concluding document that was released
after Arafat's death. IPCRI (the Israeli/Palestine
Center for Research and Information) participated in
the talks.

Leading media reported that National Union MK Aryeh
Eldad has demanded that the A-G bar Abbas from entering
Jerusalem because the Palestinian leader published a
book in 1984 denying the Holocaust. Eldad said that a
recent amendment to the penal code allowed putting
Holocaust deniers on trial.

Yediot reported that the Knesset has passed, 43-16, a
decision memorializing the heritage of Rehavam Zeevi
(a.k.a. Gandhi),the minister assassinated by PFLP
gunmen in October 2001, who had advocated the idea of
transfers of Arabs from Israel. The newspaper cited
the response of former Labor Party leader, MK Amram
Mitzna, that the vote represented a cheapening of the
concept of commemoration.

Ha'aretz noted that Israel is ranked 33rd in that Wall
Street Journal-Heritage Foundation Worldwide Index of
Economic Freedom, which evaluated 155 countries.

Ha'aretz reported that 82 UN member states have so far
responded to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's appeal
to hold a special session in the General Assembly to
mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of
Auschwitz.

Citing statements by police that there is a huge
improvement in the enforcement of IPR-related laws in
Israel, Yediot ran a feature on the distribution of
counterfeit products in Israel. The newspaper notes
that punishing measures are ineffective.

Erratum: Ha'aretz printed corrected graphics of poll
results from Tel Aviv University's December Peace
Index, which appeared in the newspaper on Wednesday.
The figures should read:
-"Do right-wing soldiers have the right to refuse
service in the territories?" No: 68 percent; yes: 27
percent; 5 percent are undecided.
-"Do left-wing soldiers have the right to refuse
service in the territories?" No: 76 percent; yes: 18
percent; 5 percent are undecided.





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1. Mideast:
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Summary:
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Chief Economic Editor and senior columnist Sever
Plotker wrote in the editorial of mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (January 6): "The basic
premise of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's latest
political move, i.e. that the ultra-Orthodox circles
will lend a hand to his disengagement initiative ...
has proven itself."

Liberal columnist Yehuda Litani wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "All sides --
Israelis, Palestinians, Americans, and others -- expect
significant changes to happen in the Palestinian
Authority in the wake of the elections... [But Mahmoud
Abbas] is likely to fail."

Block Quotes:
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I. "Ultra-Orthodox Part From Greater Israel"

Chief Economic Editor and senior columnist Sever
Plotker wrote in the editorial of mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (January 6): "The basic
premise of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's latest
political move, i.e. that the ultra-Orthodox circles
will lend a hand to his disengagement initiative -- if
they only receive in return Shinui's removal from the
government -- has proven itself. Rabbi Yosef Shalom
Elyashiv permitted the United Torah Judaism (UTJ)
faction last night to join Sharon's new disengagement
coalition.... From a foreign policy standpoint, the
position taken by the leaders of ultra-Orthodox Jewry
is clear: in favor of the withdrawal from Gaza and
evacuation of all its settlements.... In the last
generation ... nationalistic opinions have [actually]
heightened among the young ultra-Orthodox
generation.... After the PA elections and the beginning
of negotiations between Sharon and Abu Mazen, [Shas
party mentor] Rabbi Ovadia [Yosef] will also find
reasons to cancel the ruling against the withdrawal,
since this will no longer be a 'unilateral' move but
rather a 'consensual' one. In the space of less than a
year, then, Sharon has succeeded in causing an
earthquake in the Israeli right wing.... The government
that stands to be presented to the Knesset next week is
far from perfect.... Sharon does not have all the time
in the world. In the coming months, which will be
critical for his plan, his vision and the country's
future, he must focus on one sole issue:
disengagement.... Sharon is now a prime minister
leading a government made up of parties with no love
lost between them, and the only adhesive binding them
together is the faith they have in his withdrawal
vision. Any move that may jeopardize this coalition
can and must be deferred."

II. "There's No Void Around Abu Mazen"

Liberal columnist Yehuda Litani wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (January 6):
"All sides -- Israelis, Palestinians, Americans, and
others -- expect significant changes to happen in the
Palestinian Authority in the wake of the elections.
Even for a charismatic leader such as Arafat, who, as
PA chairman, earned support -- albeit reserved -- from
all factions of the Palestinian people, this had been
an arduous task. Abu Mazen does not enjoy such
support.... He is likely to fail. How can he put an
end to the violence when various factions of the Fatah
organization he heads are disobedient and refuse to
dismantle their weapons?.... Regarding the presence of
the IDF in Palestinian population centers, and the
continuation of the settlements, Abu Mazen will be
totally dependent on Israel -- at this stage, there's
no sign of willingness for a change. As regards
corruption, Mahmoud Abbas is part and parcel of the PLO-
Tunisia establishment that is now working to have him
elected.... It looks as though the optimism currently
surrounding the election campaign will dissipate
quickly: Palestinian violence will go on, the IDF will
continue to rule the Palestinians heavy-handedly, and
the situation of corruption won't improve. An accusing
finger will be pointed at Abu Mazen, who believes he
can rescue his nation from the impasse in which it find
itself. He is not aware that that he will actually be
elected as a sacrificial lamb."

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2. Iraq:
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Summary:
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Middle East affairs commentator Guy Bechor, a lecturer
at the Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "It is time for
the Americans to understand that in the Syrian case,
severe reprimands will not be enough. Even sanctions
will not do."
Block Quotes:
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"It Is Time for the Americans to Understand"

Middle East affairs commentator Guy Bechor, a lecturer
at the Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (January 6):
"The Americans are slowly losing their illusions
regarding Syrian President Bashar Assad. After four
years, he appears in their eyes not as a great hope but
as a bitter disappointment and even a threat.... Just
as Hafez Assad undermined Lebanon's internal stability
from the outside and encouraged terror and violence to
the point of civil war there, the Syrians are now
trying to do the same in their eastern neighbor,
formerly their fierce contender for regional
hegemony.... In light of Iraq's historical standing in
the Middle East, elections in this country are expected
to have a dramatic effect on the future of democracy
and the regimes in the entire Middle East. For the
sake of this critically important experiment, for the
sake of unfortunate Iraq, and what is no less important
for the Americans, for the sake of their downtrodden
soldiers, it is time for the Americans to understand
that in the Syrian case, severe reprimands will not be
enough. Even sanctions will not do."





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3. Israel-Turkey Relations:
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Summary:
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Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "The
erroneous approach that has thus far guided Jerusalem
is that Turkey needs Israel, due to the latter's ties
with Washington, more than Israel needs Turkey."

Block Quotes:
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"A Test of Friendly Relations"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized
(January 6): "The chill that has characterized Turkey's
official relations with Israel thawed this week when,
for the first time in two years, Turkish Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul agreed to visit here. It is hoped
that in the wake of this visit, Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's promise to visit Israel will
also be fulfilled.... Turkey is the only Muslim state
whose relationship with Israel has popular, economic
and security dimensions.... The bilateral relationship
is therefore a mutual strategic asset that requires
continuous mutual nurturing, and Turkey can cushion the
path of diplomatic talks if Israel allows it to do so.
Israel, however, has taken this relationship for
granted. The erroneous approach that has thus far
guided Jerusalem is that Turkey needs Israel, due to
the latter's ties with Washington, more than Israel
needs Turkey. This distorted approach has led Israel
to spurn Turkey's efforts to sell it water or to
increase the number of Turkish workers in the country.
Israel has also refrained from proposing Turkish
participation in major projects here, yet at the same
time it seeks to participate in major projects in
Turkey. This approach needs a shake-up, just as the
Turkish prime minister's views on Israeli policy need
correction."

CRETZ