ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 001261

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. Iraq

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Key stories in the media:
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The major media bannered the killing of four Israelis
in a suicide bombing last night in the West Bank. A
Palestinian who was apparently disguised as an ultra-
Orthodox Jew hitchhiked a ride with an Israeli car and
blew himself up at the entrance to the settlement of
Kedumim. Israel Radio reported that Fatah's Al Aqsa
Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the
bombing. A Brigades operative speaking to Maariv's
online service, NRG, identified the bomber as Hebron-
born Ahmed Masharka, and threatened many more suicide
bombers. Leading media reported that the IDF responded
with air, land, and sea assaults against targets in the
areas from which Qassam rockets were launched on
Thursday. Yediot reported that on Thursday, Mofaz
instructed the IDF to boost targeted assassinations.
This morning, Israel Radio reported on an assassination
attempt in Gaza against Abu Yusuf Guga, a senior leader
of the Popular Resistance Committees. It was unclear
who stood behind the operation.

Major media reported that Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice hinted during her visit to Berlin
Thursday that the US would consider Israel's plans for
additional territorial withdrawals. Ha'aretz quoted
Secretary Rice as saying: "I wouldn't on the face of it

SIPDIS
just say absolutely we don't think there's any value in
what the Israelis are talking about." Ha'aretz quoted
Israeli and American officials as saying Thursday that
Rice's statements seemed prepared in advance and
crafted to avoid committing the U.S. to supporting
unilateral Israeli measures, but also to put pressure
on Hamas and the new Palestinian government.

The media reported that Acting PM Ehud Olmert met
Thursday with Assistant Secretary of State for Near
Eastern Affairs David Welch and Deputy US National
Security Advisor Elliott Abrams, who invited him to
Washington in May. Ha'aretz, which said that most of
the talks focused on the Israeli elections results,
reported that Olmert told the American officials: "Some
[government] coalitions are more comfortable from a
foreign-affairs perspective, while others are more
comfortable in the area of economics." Ha'aretz wrote
that Welch and Abrams agreed during their talks in
Jerusalem that there would be no contact with Hamas
members in the PA. They announced that the U.S. would
not transfer money to the Hamas government or other
Hamas agents, reiterating the government's commitment
to the three conditions for Washington's recognition of
the new Palestinian government: the renunciation of
violence, the recognition of Israel and the commitment
to previous agreements signed between Israel and the
PA. Ha'aretz reported that the American emissaries
emphasized the importance to Washington of preventing a
humanitarian crisis in the PA, hinting that pressure on
Israel would intensify if conditions in the territories
worsened. Israel Radio quoted FM Tzipi Livni as saying
on Thursday during a meeting with Welch and Abrams that
the day the Hamas government was sworn in, Israel cut
all ties with the PA, except humanitarian aid. Leading
media quoted FM Livni and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz
as saying during meetings with the senior US officials
that Israel views the PA as responsible for acts of
terror, and it is clear that the Hamas government is
not prepared to fight terrorism. Mofaz and Livni were
also quoted as saying that Israel intends to leave the
passages with the Gaza Strip open. Israel Radio quoted
Mofaz as saying that this would not happen at the price
of the lives of Israelis. Hatzofe reported that
information has reached Jerusalem that the US will soon
"resume" humanitarian aid to the Palestinians through
USAID and the UN Development Program. Hatzofe cited
the concern of Israeli officials that the funds would
reach the Hamas government.

All media reported that on Thursday, the Central
Elections Committee (CEC) published the results of the
elections, after the special votes (from soldiers,
diplomats, and others) were counted -- in brackets,
number of seats as made public on the day after the
election:
Kadima: 29 (28); Labor: 20; Shas: 12 (13); Likud: 12
(11); Yisrael Beiteinu: 11 (12); National Union-
National Religious Party 9: Pensioners' Party: 7;
United Torah Judaism: 6; Meretz: 5 (4); Arab parties: 9
(10) (Balad -- National Democratic Assembly: 3; Hadash:
3; and United Arab List: 3 (4)). The CEC will release
its official announcement on April 5th. Yediot quoted
Olmert associates as saying that the two seats that
Kadima and Meretz gained "increase the chance of
withdrawals in the West Bank." Hatzofe reported that
the 17th Knesset will be sworn in on April 17, during
Passover week. Ha'aretz quoted Olmert as saying behind
closed doors that he is leaning toward bringing Avigdor
Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu into the coalition instead
of Shas. Ha'aretz noted that Olmert can form a 61-MK
majority coalition without Shas that would support his
convergence plan: Kadima-Labor-Pensioners' Party-
Meretz.

Ha'aretz reported that former Mossad chief Ephraim
Halevy reveals, in a soon to be published book, "Man in
the Shadows," that a few days before the failed
assassination attempt on Hamas leader Khaled Mashal in
Jordan in 1997, the late King Hussein conveyed an offer
from the Hamas leadership to reach an understanding on
a cease-fire for 30 years. Halevy claims that the
offer, intended for then-PM Binyamin Netanyahu and
conveyed by a Mossad representative, reached Netanyahu
only after the botched hit.

Yediot and The Jerusalem Post reported that on
Thursday, PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas called
Olmert from South Africa and congratulated him on
winning the elections. The newspapers quoted Abbas as
saying he hoped that Olmert would succeed in forming a
coalition as soon as possible. Both newspapers wrote
that the call was not followed by an announcement of
any plans for a meeting. Israel Radio reported that
Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh wrote in the British
daily The Guardian that Olmert's unilateralism is a
recipe for conflict.

Ha'aretz reported that Kadima Knesset Member-designate
and former Shin Bet head Avi Dichter wrote in an
analysis paper released in Washington and co-authored
with American researcher Daniel Byman under the
auspices of the Saban Center for Middle East policy-
Brookings Institution, that in its fight against
Palestinian terrorism, Israeli intelligence is
especially interested in couriers -- the envoys who
convey messages between underground cells.
The Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli archaeologists as
saying that the main road that ran from Jerusalem's
City of David to the Temple Mount during the time of
the Second Temple has been uncovered.

Yediot reported that PM Sharon is expected to be
transferred in two weeks from Hadassah University
Hospital, Ein Karem, in Jerusalem, to the
rehabilitation hospital in the Sheba Medical Center at
Tel Hashomer, in the Tel Aviv area.

Ha'aretz (English Ed.) reported that results from the
mock Israeli elections that took place among 8,500
students on campuses across the US last week gave the
Likud Party control of the government with 44 Knesset
seats -- about four times what the Israeli electorate
gave that party. The newspaper wrote that with an
estimated 400,000 Jewish college students in the US,
the number of online voted reflects only a very small
percentage of the student body.

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

Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "However
regrettable it may be, the Americans have no answers
that extend beyond the range of immediate events."

Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "The US
opposes unilateral moves and supports the bilateral
approach based on the Roadmap. But this should be
seen, at most, as an opening position."

Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in
Ha'aretz: "[Olmert's] national leadership skills will
be tested by how well he keeps his promises to end the
occupation."

Senior columnist Nahum Barnea and diplomatic
correspondent Shimon Shiffer wrote in mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The Labor Party is [Ehud
Olmert's] preferred partner. From this standpoint, at
least, he is following in Sharon's footsteps."

Editorial Page Editor Saul Singer wrote in The
Jerusalem Post: "If there is sadness to this election,
it is because of the sense of impotence that Israel's
news strategy brings when stripped of its global
context."

Columnist Khaled Abu Toameh wrote in The Jerusalem
Post: "Olmert, like the rest of the world, will have to
decide which authority he must deal with -- the
'irrelevant' one led by Abbas or the 'video-conference'
Hamas government."

Block Quotes:
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I. "March Madness"

Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (March 31): "The
question now on the agenda is how to deal with
Hamas.... However regrettable it may be, the Americans
have no answers that extend beyond the range of
immediate events. During Ehud Olmert's visit to the
United States -- he has already been invited by the
President, but probably no date will be set before some
progress is made in forming the new coalition -- the
sides will discuss seriously, and in fact for the first
time, the long-term options that are available. The
talks will go beyond trying to resolve current problems
and extinguishing the small fires that distract the
leaders' attention from the greater vision."

II. "Keep Steady Now"

Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (March 31):
"The US opposes unilateral moves and supports the
bilateral approach based on the Roadmap. But this
should be seen, at most, as an opening position....
Only after a mechanism of assisting the Palestinians is
put in place and the PA's economy is stabilized will
the US begin to deal with the greater question of
whether there is any way to revive the Roadmap and push
for bilateral negotiations, or whether that phase is
gone forever and it is time to examine Olmert's
unilateral ideas."

III. "Go Olmert Go -- Part II"

Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in
Ha'aretz (March 31): "Kadima didn't get what it wanted,
but it is still Israel's No. 1 party.... Olmert has a
majority for putting together a peace government and
continuing Sharon's legacy. I see all these gloomy
faces around me, and I don't understand why. Kadima
is a party that came out of nowhere.... But this party
has made history.... As someone who has never been in a
front-line leadership position at any stage in his
political career, now is the time for Olmert to show
what he's made of.... Olmert is a smart, intelligent
guy, and an experienced Knesset member, minister,
mayor, and political activist. As the stand-in for a
comatose prime minister, he played it low-key and
cautious. From now on, things will not be easy. His
national leadership skills will be tested by how well
he keeps his promises to end the occupation. I said it
last week, and there's not much more I can do but say
it again: Go, Olmert, go."

IV. "The First Olmert Government"

Senior columnist Nahum Barnea and diplomatic
correspondent Shimon Shiffer wrote in mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (March 31): "The Labor Party
is [Ehud Olmert's] preferred partner. From this
standpoint, at least, he is following in Sharon's
footsteps. He is convinced that the Labor Party is
closest to his foreign policy plan (Peretz agrees with
him on this point),and be believes that its senior
members are also close to him in their economic and
social views.... [Foreign Minister Tzipi] Livni truly
believes in disengagement.... Israel's governmental
culture is based on rivalry: Everyone barricades
himself in his own territory. This is particularly
prominent in the relations with the US: The Prime
Minister on his own, the Foreign Ministry on its own,
the Defense Ministry and the army on their own. Livni
hopes to break this circle of folly."


V. "Converging on Containment"
Editorial Page Editor Saul Singer wrote in The
Jerusalem Post (March 31): "Neither a containment
strategy nor a more realistic victory strategy makes
sense outside the context of the West's global war to
defeat the Islamist Jihad. If America is losing its
war, our containment won't work; if America is winning,
containment is not ambitious enough. If there is
sadness to this election, it is because of the sense of
impotence that Israel's news strategy brings when
stripped of its global context.... Our challenge now is
to work to integrate our private containment approach
with a global victory strategy that provides a
realistic basis for hope and peace."


V. "Burning Issues"

Columnist Khaled Abu Toameh wrote in The Jerusalem Post
(March 31): "Abbas and some Fatah officials may be
sincere about their desire to return to the negotiating
table, but the sounds emerging from the parliament
chamber on Tuesday, during the vote of confidence, do
not seem to offer any hope, at least not in the
foreseeable future. 'Jihad is our path and the Koran
is our constitution, Allah akbar!' was only one of the
battle cries sounded by dozens of defiant Hamas
legislators and ministers. Abbas did appear, earlier
in the week, to stand firm against the new Hamas
cabinet's political program.... Olmert, like the rest
of the world, will have to decide which authority he
must deal with -- the 'irrelevant' one led by Abbas or
the 'video-conference' Hamas government, whose West
Bank ministers and leaders are, for the time being,
using public transportation to commute between cities
and villages."

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2. Iraq:
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Summary:
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Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev
Schiff wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz:
"The strategic problem turns into the question of the
cheapest way to withdraw."
Block Quotes:
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"The Wrong War"

Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev
Schiff wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz
(March 31): "Are the Americans winning the war in Iraq,
or losing? From the Six-Day War we learned that even a
sweeping military victory does not always end the
military confrontation, when the victorious forces
remain as occupation forces. From the Lebanon War we
learned that a prolonged stay in the field turns
yesterday's supporters into enemies, and the strategic
problem turns into the question of the cheapest way to
withdraw.... An important test will be whether the
disintegration of Iraq into three entities, and an
ensuing civil war, will be prevented.... [However,] the
Iraqi government is on a democratic path. Saddam
Hussein has been overthrown, and weapons of mass
destruction were eliminated even before the war. One
of these days, Iraq will once again be a regional power
-- on condition that it does not fall under the
influence of Shi'ite Iran."

JONES