ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 001331

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. US-Israel Relations

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Key stories in the media:
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The media continued to highlight Acting PM Ehud
Olmert's efforts to form a government coalition.
Yediot and Israel Radio quoted Olmert as saying Monday
that it can be assumed that if the Labor Party joins
the coalition, Kadima will have to give up one of the
two important portfolios -- finance or defense.
However, Israel Radio and other media quoted senior
Kadima members as saying that the likelihood of the
finance portfolio being transferred to a coalition
partner is very slim. Israel Radio quoted Olmert as
saying that he is not ruling out any coalition partners
provided they back his political plan. Ha'aretz
reported that Olmert's advisers are divided over
whether to bring the Labor Party into the coalition.
Maariv, which wrote that Kadima is prepared to hand the
Defense Ministry and apparently the Education Ministry,
to the Labor Party, quoted senior Kadima members as
saying that if Labor declines to renounce the finance
portfolio, Kadima could form a coalition with the
Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu, the ultra-Orthodox parties
(Shas and United Torah Judaism),and the Gil
pensioners' party. The Jerusalem Post reported that in
the coalition taking shape, Olmert would offer Peretz
the defense portfolio and a senior portfolio to Yisrael
Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman. Major media
reported that Shas intends to recommend that President
Moshe Katsav choose Olmert as the politician who will
form the next government.

Israel Radio reported that Olmert and Peretz will hold
a joint conference this afternoon. The radioreported
that the two leaders will apparently report on
preliminary coalition talks between their two parties,
and that Peretz will subsequently convene party members
to update them on coalition talks.

In its lead story, Ha'aretz reported that UN aid
organizations are warning that the Gaza Strip is on the
verge of a humanitarian disaster due to lack of money
and food.
The Jerusalem Post quoted a senior EU official as
saying Monday that if Olmert consults the international
community before implementing his "convergence" plan,
one suggestion he is likely to hear is that Israel
should lease the settlements blocs from the PA rather
than annex them outright.

Major media reported that on Monday, Raed Abayat, a
senior Fatah-Tanzim militant, was killed in an exchange
of fire with IDF soldiers near Bethlehem.

Ha'aretz cited AP that on Monday in Amman, Jordanian PM
Marouf Al-Bakhit told Assistant Secretary of State for
Near East Affairs David Welch that the US must
intensify efforts to restart Mideast negotiations.

Maariv reported that Israeli political and security
officials have drafted a blacklist of countries that
hold -- or will hold -- contacts with Hamas. The
newspaper reported that on Monday, IDF Radio detailed
the countries in question. Maariv reported that
Russia, India, and possibly France have already
conducted talks with Hamas. The newspaper reported
that China is secretly considering holding contacts
with Hamas. The newspaper cited Israel's concern that
Venezuela and other Latin American countries could open
a dialogue channel with Hamas as part of their effort
to fight US policy. Maariv also cited Israel's concern
that the UN has unofficially conveyed messages to Hamas
members. This morning, Israel Radio quoted Egyptian FM
Ahmed Ali Abu al-Gheit as saying that Palestinian FM
Mahmoud Zahar has arrived in Cairo for talks.

Israel Radio and The Jerusalem Post's web site cited
the London-based Al-Hayat as saying that an Al-Qaida
affiliated group operating in Gaza is planning
terrorist attacks against sensitive targets in the
area. Al-Hayat was also cited as saying that Al-Qaida
recently appointed a chief for the region of Jordan,
Israel, Syria and Lebanon.

The Jerusalem Post reported that an Israeli defense
source told the newspaper on Monday that the high-speed
underwater missile recently launched by Iran was not
operational and that Iran had conducted the test "to
flex its muscles" in the face of international pressure
to suspend its nuclear program.

Hatzofe reported that PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud
Abbas is the only senior Palestinian who still holds a
valid VIP document issued by the Israeli defense
establishment.

Yediot reported that Finance Ministry officials are
preparing drastic cuts in the defense budget, as it is
proposed that 2 billion shekels (around USD 430
million) be moved to social issues. Yediot wrote that
Olmert is expected to support the plan.

Ha'aretz quoted several senior PA officials as saying
this week that Hamas plans to rebuild the Palestinian
police force in an effort to restore law and order to
the Palestinian street.

Ha'aretz reported that MK Silvan Shalom intends, in the
near future, to call for a leadership showdown to
replace Binyamin Netanyahu as Likud chairman.

Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel is
to host an international conference on the threat to
civil air traffic by shoulder-launched missiles. The
conference, to take place this week, is being organized
by the Foreign Ministry's departments for weapons
monitoring and will bring together delegates from 25
countries, among them the US, the EU, Russia, China,
India, Brazil, and Argentina. The Jerusalem Post wrote
that the seminar will take place on Wednesday.

Yediot quoted Prince Turki al-Faysal, the Saudi
Ambassador to the US, as saying last week in San
Francisco before the Council on Foreign Relations that
the destruction of Iraq's nuclear reactor by Israel was
a positive step.

Leading media reported that PM Sharon was to undergo an
operation this afternoon, to reattach a bone in his
skull that was removed during the first surgery he
underwent when he was hospitalized three months ago.
Ha'aretz reported that the operation is intended to
prepare Sharon for a move to a chronic care facility,
or following special preparations, to his home at
Sycamore Ranch. This morning, Ha'aretz's web site
reported that the surgery was postponed due to a mild
respiratory infection.

Hatzofe reported that the Committee to Release Jonathan
Pollard has asked the Shas party to demand that the new
government decide upon its establishment to ask the US
to release the convicted spy. Hatzofe cited the
committee's assertion that the Gil pensioners' party,
headed by Pollard's control officer Rafi Eitan, should
include in its coalition negotiations a "minimal"
demand to have Pollard released.

All media (banners in The Jerusalem Post and Hatzofe)
reported that on Monday, AG Menachem Mazuz strongly
urged Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger to resign
voluntarily because he appeared to lack the necessary
qualities for such high office. The media quoted Mazuz
as saying that if he does not resign, he will recommend
that the Justice Minister begin proceedings to remove
him from his post. The police had investigated Rabbi
Metzger on suspicion of having stayed at a major
Jerusalem hotel over the 2004 Passover holiday without
paying for room or board. The media cited Metzger's
intention to petition the High Court of Justice.






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1. Mideast:
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Summary:
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Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "If
Peretz the moderate and dovish politician overcomes
Peretz the suspicious and power-hungry one, and accepts
the defense portfolio, the evacuation of the
settlements will go ahead in the good and reasonable
spirit that he proposes in his platform."

Senior columnist Dan Margalit wrote in popular,
pluralist Maariv: "The Labor Party shouldn't be the
coalition-maker's first target. Kadima had actually
better foster the dialogue with potential partners on
the Right."

Liberal columnist Dr. Gadi Taub wrote in Maariv: "These
elections were a decision over an ideology of
principle, and not voting was also a decision. The
decision was that Israel will continue to separate from
the Palestinians."

Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist
Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative,
independent Jerusalem Post: "As Hamas prepares for war
on all levels, Israel is about to form a government led
either by Kadima or Labor whose politicians insist on
pretending that there is no problem here."

MJ Rosenberg, Director of Policy Analysis for the
Israel Policy Forum, wrote in The Jerusalem Post: "We
are at a moment of equilibrium. We have a new
Palestinian government, democratically elected, and a
new Israeli government, democratically elected."

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


I. "Dangerous Liaisons"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (April
4): "Just a week has gone by since the elections, and
already the political establishment is caught up in a
logic-defying whirlwind that has at least a hint of the
malodorous about it. [Labor Party Chairman] Amir
Peretz's efforts to form a government under his
leadership and in partnership with the right wing raise
harsh questions.... Olmert could have prevented the
aggressive and confusing ongoings had he told Peretz
the day after the elections that he views him as a
senior partner in the government, with all that such a
position entails.... The impression created is that
Kadima is accepting Labor under duress, and wishes to
weaken it.... Peretz, for his part, must get down from
his high horse and make his demands clear. From
numerous points of view, he would be better off, in
fact, going for the defense portfolio and not the
treasury. As defense minister, Peretz would be the
Prime Minister's most senior partner when it comes to
all the political decisions Israel faces.... Contrary
to its image, the Defense Ministry is a distinctly
social-oriented one, which has a sway over important
organizations and a broad population. If Peretz the
moderate and dovish politician overcomes Peretz the
suspicious and power-hungry one, and accepts the
defense portfolio, the evacuation of the settlements
will go ahead in the good and reasonable spirit that he
proposes in his platform, and he will pave himself a
wide road for the furthering of his political career.
If not, he will be remembered by the voter as the man
who in the throes of the coalition talks lost his
world."

II. "Look Rightwards"

Senior columnist Dan Margalit wrote in popular,
pluralist Maariv (April 4): "The Labor Party shouldn't
be the coalition-maker's first target. Kadima had
actually better foster the dialogue with potential
partners on the Right. Olmert has presented a clear
political program. He honored the Roadmap, but he
believes that there's no one to talk to in Ramallah....
The government must dispatch authorized, erudite, and
reliable spokesmen to the settlements -- not in order
to argue and annoy, but to present its view and
convince. There is a reasonable chance that some of
the 'orange' people change their minds; I dare say that
many of them will support 'convergence'.... The 23
Knesset seats garnered by Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu
are more important that Labor and Meretz's 24 Knesset
members."

III. "Decision Despite Apathy"

Liberal columnist Dr. Gadi Taub wrote in Maariv (April
4): "Despite everything that can be said about apathy,
these elections were a decision over an ideology of
principle, and not voting was also a decision. The
decision was that Israel will continue to separate from
the Palestinians.... A decision about another
disengagement is not necessarily a happy matter,
therefore these elections were without enthusiasm and
passion. Disengagement is more than the breaking of a
dream (both on the Right as well as the Left); it is
more of a medical procedure than of an attractive
vision. It is healthy and even necessary, but like
surgery, it isn't something you look forward to with
anticipation."
IV. "'Let's Ignore Hamas'"

Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist
Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative,
independent Jerusalem Post (April 4): "Last Thursday
the first jihadist government since the Taliban
ascended to power. The induction of the Hamas
government in the Palestinian Authority has created a
new dynamic in the Middle East.... Hamas's rise to
power renders it all but impossible to deny the
connection between the insurgency in Iraq and the
global jihad in general and the Palestinian war with
Israel. Indeed, in his first statement as foreign
minister, Mahmoud Zahar attacked the US claiming,
'America is committing big crimes against the Arab and
Islamic countries.' Yet as Hamas prepares for war on
all levels, Israel is about to form a government led
either by Kadima or Labor whose politicians insist on
pretending that there is no problem here.... The
Taliban's rise to power was greeted by indifference
from the international community. Every once in
awhile, Mullah Omar and his buddies would be caught
stoning women to death or blowing up Buddhist monuments
and would receive global reprimands for a few days.
Although it was shunned by all countries except Saudi
Arabia and Pakistan, the Taliban's global isolation did
not seem to inhibit its commitment to jihad. In the
end, the Taliban were only forced to change the way
they did business when the US military brought down
their regime after they enabled the September 11
attacks. Is there anyone willing to draw any lesson
from the last jihadist government in their dealings
with the newest one?"


V. "Let's Seize the Opportunity"

MJ Rosenberg, Director of Policy Analysis for the
Israel Policy Forum, wrote in The Jerusalem Post (April
4): "Olmert may be eager to end the occupation, but
Hamas can very easily make that almost impossible. The
ball is in Hamas's court. Its response to last week's
killing of four Israelis in the West Bank (although not
perpetrated by Hamas or its affiliates) could indicate
whether, just possibly, Israel and the new Palestinian
Authority can reach some form of accommodation, or if
Israelis and Palestinians are both going to be
subjected to the resumption of deadly violence that
will, once again, not only take innocent lives but kill
off economic growth, tourism and hopes for a better
future for both peoples. We are at a moment of
equilibrium. We have a new Palestinian government,
democratically elected, and a new Israeli government,
democratically elected. Those anxious to disturb that
equilibrium had better understand precisely what they
are doing and how their actions will affect those they
profess to care about. "

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2. US-Israel Relations:
--------------

Summary:
--------------

Jonathan S. Tobin, Executive Editor of The Jewish
Exponent in Philadelphia, wrote in the conservative,
independent Jerusalem Post: "Rather than worrying so
much about the popularity of Israel on the Right,
liberals need to start worrying about how unpopular it
is on the Left."




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

"The Paranoid Style of American Anti-Israel Politics"

Jonathan S. Tobin, Executive Editor of The Jewish
Exponent in Philadelphia, wrote in the conservative,
independent Jerusalem Post (April 4): "While Pat
Buchanan of the troglodyte Right once falsely referred
to Congress as 'Israeli-occupied territory,' it is the
American university that has become more and more a
place where pro-Israel students and teachers often feel
unable to speak their minds publicly.... Rather than
worrying so much about the popularity of Israel on the
Right, liberals need to start worrying about how
unpopular it is on the Left. The point that so
perplexes [Americans professors John] Mearsheimer and
[Stephen] Walt -- the pro-Israel consensus -- ought to
remind us that support for Israel is neither the
property of the Left or the Right. It would be just as
illogical to reject liberals who love Israel, as it is
to condemn conservatives who do so. It would be a
mistake to conclude that the authors of 'The Lobby' are
the only people with glittering credentials and the
ability to influence students who feel as they do.
Rather than laugh at them, we should be thinking hard
about just how deep the roots of hatred for Israel run
in our most prestigious schools. And that is a variety
of academic politics where the stakes are very high
indeed."

JONES