ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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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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Mideast

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Key stories in the media:
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In their lead stories, all media reported that the
doctors treating PM Sharon plan to try to rouse him
from his induced coma today. To do so, they will
gradually reduce the intravenous doses of sedatives
that Sharon is receiving. Once he is awake, the
doctors will examine his responses to light, sound, and
pain, and try to determine the amount of damage he
suffered as a result of his cerebral hemorrhage. This
morning, the media reported that Sharon appears to be
able to breathe independently even before he is
awakened. Ha'aretz and other media quoted Dr. Jose
Cohen, one of the neurosurgeons who operated on Sharon,
as saying on Sunday: "His chances of survival are very
high, but his ability to think and draw conclusion will
be impaired." Ha'aretz and other media cited criticism
by senior physicians on the treatment received by
Sharon.

On Sunday, Yediot quoted White House officials as
saying that President Bush would prefer Ehud Olmert to
be the prime minister of Israel in the post-Sharon
period because he is the only one of the candidates who
is committed to Sharon's legacy and to making progress
on the Roadmap. On Sunday, Yediot reported that Bush
is among the world leaders who have made plans to come
to Israel in an emergency.

Leading media reported that Vice Premier Shimon Peres
will not run for the leadership of Kadima, but that he
plans to present himself in Kadima's Knesset list.
Ha'aretz reported that Kadima officials predicted last
night that Justice Minister Tzipi Livni will win the
No.2 spot on the party's list. The officials also
predicted that Peres will not be appointed foreign
minister in the next government.

Hatzofe quoted FM Silvan Shalom as saying Sunday at the
weekly cabinet meeting that East Jerusalem residents
will be allowed to vote in the Palestinian legislative
elections, but that they will have to do so outside the
city limits, probably in Abu Dis. Israel Radio quoted
Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra as saying that
police will allow limited propaganda for the elections
to be conducted in East Jerusalem. Ha'aretz reported
that on Sunday, Hamas signed an accord together with
all Palestinian factions that will serve as a code of
conduct in the period leading up to the elections.
Israel Radio cited the Jordanian newspaper Al-Dustour
as saying that PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas is
considering resigning if Fatah loses the elections.

Ha'aretz quoted a senior Israeli security official as
saying on Sunday that weapons experts in Palestinian
terror groups who have received underground training in
Lebanon, Syria, and possibly Iran have recently
infiltrated the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, leading media reported that Jirias Jirias, a
former local council head of the Western Galilee Arab
village of Fassuta, was to be indicted today on
espionage charges. Jirias was arrested last month.
Citing the German press agency DPA, Ha'aretz reported
today on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's denial on
Sunday that it had an agent in Israel who aimed to
infiltrate the Israeli political system. This morning,
Israel Radio cited the Iranian daily Jomhuri Islami as
saying that an Israeli spy was arrested in Iran.

Yediot quoted FM Silvan Shalom as saying Sunday at the
weekly cabinet meeting that the U.S. Congress has
approved USD 2.28 billion in military assistance and
USD 240 million in civilian aid to Israel in FY 2006 --
as well as USD 40 million in assistance for immigrant
absorption. Shalom was also quoted as saying that the
U.S. Congress will maintain its budget for joint
security projects, which will amount to USD 600 million
this year (in addition to security assistance).

The Jerusalem Post reported that the periodic meeting
of the U.S.-Israeli strategic cooperation forum, the
Joint Political Military Group (JPMG),will convene in
Tel Aviv Wednesday, for the first time since the two
countries resolved their crisis in defense relations
over arms sales to China. The newspaper quoted
security officials as saying that the two-day,
intensive sessions are expected to focus on strategic
regional and global issues, as well as bilateral
topics, and that Iran's effort to acquire nuclear
weapons and the future of Syria are likely topics. The
talks will take place in Tel Aviv and will be co-
chaired by Defense Ministry Director-General Jacob
Toren and A/S for Political-Military Affairs John
Hillen. IDF brass and senior defense officials are
expected to attend. In a related development, The
Jerusalem Post reported that Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kohler,
head of the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation
Agency, is visiting the Defense Ministry for a first-
hand look at Israeli defense projects.

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi was quoted as saying in a
special article published by Ha'aretz on Sunday that
Sharon recognized the best path for this country.

Leading media reported that AG Menachem Mazuz told the
cabinet on Sunday that the state should pay financial
compensation to Palestinians whose olive trees have
been cut down, and then sue the vandals to recoup the
costs. Acting PM Ehud Olmert called the destruction of
the trees a "criminal act" that needed to be treated
with "full force."

On Sunday, Yediot quoted a Sharon associate as saying
that by attacking Sharon in a media interview on the
evening before his planned angioplasty and demanding
investigation of his role in his possible receipt of
USD 3 million from Austrian businessman Martin Schlaff,
Education Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) served as an
"accessory to murder" ... "in the metaphorical sense."

On Sunday, leading media reported that Norwegian
Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen, who is also the
leader of Norway's Socialist Left Party, apologized to
her prime minister and foreign minister over having
publicly backed a consumer boycott of Israel in
solidarity with the Palestinians.

Ha'aretz reported that on Sunday, police raided the
offices of the extreme right-wing organization known as
the Jewish Battalion, in the settlement of Tapuah and
in Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the High Court of
Justice is due to hand down on Monday its ruling on the
Defense Ministry's proposal for the route of the
security fence in the area separating Maccabim-Reut
from the Palestinian village of Beit Sira.
During the weekend, media reported that a lawsuit has
been filed in New York's Federal Court by a group of
American victims of Palestinian terror against National
Westminster Bank, a major British bank accused of
permitting a recognized Hamas charity fund to open
accounts and transfer funds.

Yediot reported that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
and Saudi Arabian King Abdullah have clarified to
Syrian President Bashar Assad that if he does not
cooperate with the UN on the matter of the
investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese
PM Rafiq Hariri, they would stop supporting him, thus
causing his regime to collapse. The newspaper also
quoted former Syrian Vice-President Abdul-Halim Khaddam
as saying in an interview with the influential Saudi
web site Ilaf that he has further revelations to make
about Assad.

Ha'aretz quoted a Mekorot Water Company official as
saying that the company has stopped injecting chlorine
gas at a facility near Ashkelon for fear that
Palestinian-fired rockets will hit tanks holding the
potentially deadly chemical.

Leading media quoted Afghan President Hamid Karzai as
saying that his government would forge diplomatic ties
with Israel if the Palestinians can form a state of
their own. Karzai was also quoted as saying: "May God
give [PM Sharon] a longer life."

Hatzofe quoted German Chancellor Angela Merkel as
saying that she will not postpone her visit to Israel.
She is expected to come to the country at the end of
this month.

On Sunday, Maariv and The Jerusalem Post quoted U.S.
televangelist Pat Robertson as saying in his 700 Club
program on Thursday that Sharon's stroke was a
punishment from heaven for the disengagement. The
Jerusalem Post reported that the White House and major
Jewish organizations condemned Robertson over his
remarks.

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Mideast:
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Summary:
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Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized:
"[Acting Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert must carry out
Sharon's promise and meet with Abbas. That would
impart a positive dimension to his newly acquired
leadership among many sectors of the Israeli public, as
well as among the U.S. administration and international
public opinion."

Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "The U.S. is
left without a practical strategy for the Middle East
and needs to redefine its priorities."

The Director of the Interdisciplinary Center's Global
Research in International Affairs Center, columnist
Barry Rubin, wrote in the Jerusalem Post: "Sharon moved
Israel even further toward moderation ... while the
Palestinians have gone in the opposite direction....
The two sides are going to continue moving further
apart in future."

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized: "We see this Hajj season as a good time
to remind ourselves of the need to welcome voices of
reason and encourage Muslim theologians willing to
engage Westerners in a spirit of mutual respect."

Block Quotes:
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I. "Meeting Abbas"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized
(January 9): "In the months before Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon fell ill, his spokesmen said that he intended to
meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu
Mazen). In practice, however, nothing came of these
pronouncements. Abbas met with U.S. President George
Bush, but did not manage to meet with the Prime
Minister of Israel.... [Acting Prime Minister Ehud]
Olmert must carry out Sharon's promise and meet with
Abbas. That would impart a positive dimension to his
newly acquired leadership among many sectors of the
Israeli public, as well as among the U.S.
administration and international public opinion. Such
a meeting should not be viewed as an occasion for
negotiations between the two peoples. Not every
meeting must yield immediate fruit or major positive
results. What is important here is personal contact
between the two leaders -- a human 'hotline' that is
liable to contribute to the development of mutual
understanding, even if it does not immediately bridge
the deep gaps between Israel and the Palestinians.
Such a meeting has become even more important in light
of the wave of Palestinian violence and terror, and
Israel's prompt responses.... There are those who fear
that a meeting between Olmert and Abbas would play into
the hands of Hamas, which would try to claim that Abbas
is a captive of the new Zionist leader. But it seems
that the benefits likely to ensue from such a meeting
immeasurably outweigh the harm, which, it must be
hoped, will not ensue at all."

II. "The Unites States' Sharon-Focused Mideast
Strategy Needs To Be Redefined"

Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (January 8):
"What Sharon's plans really were is now a guessing
matter. The U.S. is left without a practical strategy
for the Middle East and needs to redefine its
priorities. On the Israeli side, the U.S.
administration will have to forge a meaningful
relationship with Olmert and the new Israeli
leadership, trying on the one hand to lend them support
and backing, but at the same time ensuring that
Sharon's legacy, which in American eyes meant moving
forward to a two-state solution, will continue. On the
Palestinian side things are even more delicate. The
U.S. would like to help Abbas in light of the upcoming
elections, but cannot put any pressure on Israel....
This balancing act is now in the hands of Rice and
Bush. In the coming weeks and months it is likely they
will try to gently embrace Olmert without harming
Abbas's standing, and at the same time will try to
support the Palestinian leadership without putting
Olmert in a difficult political situation. For the
Bush administration, which isn't known for mastering
the skill of subtle diplomacy, the near future poses a
great challenge. Not only will they have to work hard
to preserve Sharon's legacy, they will have to first
ensure that all sides agree on what this legacy really
was."

III. "Moving Apart"

The Director of the Interdisciplinary Center's Global
Research in International Affairs Center, columnist
Barry Rubin, wrote in the Jerusalem Post (January 9):
"The world is about to rethink its views of the whole
Arab-Israeli conflict, due to Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon's past policy shift, his evident departure from
politics, and Palestinian developments. The critical
variable here is not what has happened to Sharon but a
Palestinian political situation which makes any
progress toward peace impossible for years to come.
Sharon's illness may be distracting attention from the
Palestinian crisis, but it is ultimately much less
important in shaping the region's future.... There is
no group or leader on the [Palestinian] horizon who
could impose order; at any rate, doing so would require
an even higher level of violence.... It is getting time
to face the facts. Sharon moved Israel even further
toward moderation and a readiness for compromise while
the Palestinians have gone in the opposite direction,
increasing hatred of Israel, intransigence, terrorism
and the goal of total victory. The two sides are going
to continue moving further apart in the future."

IV. "Message of the Hajj"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized (January 8): "The West's war against
'terrorism' is really a war against Muslim extremism
and not against Islam. With every violent outrage --
from New York and London to Baghdad and Jerusalem --
the Islamists are struggling not just to defeat Judeo-
Christian civilization but to determine which of
Islam's multitude of beliefs emerges paramount. It is
for Muslims themselves to determine whether their
faith, in this century, will be shaped by the likes of
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and al-Qaida's
fanaticism, or whether moderate views gain a
hearing.... Such voices may still be faint and their
influence limited, but we ignore their positive
potential to our own detriment.... Which is why we see
this Hajj season as a good time to remind ourselves of
the need to welcome voices of reason and encourage
Muslim theologians willing to engage Westerners in a
spirit of mutual respect."

JONES