ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 001376

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

--------------
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
--------------


1. Mideast


2. US-Israel Relations


3. Trial of Former Liberian President Charles Taylor

--------------
Key stories in the media:
--------------

The electronic media reported that today, President
Moshe Katsav invited Acting PM Ehud Olmert today to
form a government. Maariv quoted Olmert as saying at a
meeting with Kadima members that he will present his
government by the end of April. Israel Radio reported
that Kadima is striving to form a broad-based coalition
of 84 Knesset members that would include Kadima, the
Labor Party, Shas, Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael
Beiteinu, the Gil Pensioners' Party, and United Torah
Judaism. Should such a government be created, there
would be one cabinet minister for three-and-a-half
Knesset members, and the government would comprise 23
to 25 ministers. Israel Radio quoted senior Kadima
member Haim Ramon as saying that the word "convergence"
does not appear on the government's guidelines, but
that Olmert's convergence plan did. Ha'aretz reported
that a senior Labor Party official warned on Wednesday
that the emerging Ehud Olmert government, with the
Yisrael Beiteinu faction, "will crumble the moment the
convergence [Olmert's political plan] begins."
Ha'aretz wrote that the warning came despite a
statement made Tuesday by Labor head Amir Peretz at a
joint press conference with Olmert that the government
could last four years.

Ha'aretz and Israel Radio reported that Olmert will
convene a meeting on Israel-PA ties early next week.
Ha'aretz quoted senior GOI officials in Jerusalem as
saying on Wednesday that Israel will cut off all ties
with the PA that are not essential for preventing an
immediate humanitarian disaster, and that any contact
would take place only through those channels intended
to prevent a crisis -- which they said was not in the
offing. Major media reported that Palestinian PM
Ismail Haniyeh told the first meeting of his cabinet on
Wednesday that his government is broke and may not be
able to pay tens of thousands of public workers this
month, which Ha'aretz said was the first admission by
Hamas that it will have difficulty running the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip without massive foreign aid.
The Jerusalem Post reported that a source close to
Haniyeh told the newspaper that Haniyeh told his
ministers on Wednesday that they would be allowed to
maintain contacts with Israeli officials to discuss the
day-to-day affairs of the Palestinian population.
Israel Radio and other electronic media reported that
this morning, the Shin Bet detained Hamas Minister for
Jerusalem Affairs Khaled Abu Arfa while he was on his
way to Azzariyeh near East Jerusalem, where he was
planned to inaugurate a new office. His bodyguard was
detained as well. Ha'aretz's web site quoted Israeli
security sources as saying that Abu Arfa was detained
because he was trying to enter the Palestinian
territories with an Israeli ID card, which he holds as
an East Jerusalem resident.

The Jerusalem Post reported that a member of the IDF
General Staff told the newspaper this week that Hamas's
refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist and its
continued support for terror activity have granted the
IDF the legal right to target and strike the Hamas
Palestinian leadership.

Ha'aretz reported that in the letter he sent UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday, Palestinian PM

SIPDIS
Mahmoud Zahar wrote that Israel's actions are
undermining hopes of achieving an agreement and peace
based on the two-state solution. Yediot quoted EU
foreign policy chief Javier Solana as saying Wednesday
before the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the
EU does not want the Hamas government to fail, and that
it should be allowed to modify its approach to Israel.
The Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Mark Regev as saying that Israel "welcomed"
Solana's statement that Hamas had clearly not met the
benchmarks established by the international community.
The Jerusalem Post reported that responding to Solana's
call for Israel to transfer revenue payments to the PA,
Regev asked, "Can anyone guarantee that money that is
transferred today to the Hamas-controlled treasury will
not come back to haunt us in the future in the form of
suicide bombings?" Israel Radio cited a statement by
the Chinese Foreign Ministry that China has no
intention of hosting Zahar and the delegation he will
lead on a tour of Asian countries. The Jerusalem Post
reported that France is considering issuing a visa to a
Hamas representative invited to attend a meeting of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
in Strasbourg on April 10.

The Jerusalem Post reported that on Wednesday, various
Palestinian organizations and individuals filed a
petition with the High Court of Justice demanding an
immediate opening of the Karni crossing "for regular,
sufficient, and predictable hours" to enable orderly
and proper passage of goods to and from the Gaza Strip.
The Jerusalem Post reported that UN officials warned
Wednesday that poultry supplies, the primary source of
protein in the Gaza Strip, were being severely affected
by measures implemented to contain the spread of the
H5N1 bird flu virus, including recent closures of the
Karni crossing by Israel.

The Jerusalem Post reported that on Wednesday, Peace
Now petitioned the High Court of Justice to force the
government to evacuate five illegal outposts within the
next two months, as well a sixth outpost by August.

Ha'aretz printed a dispatch by the Israeli news agency
Itim that The High Court of Justice has decided not to
interfere with Beersheva Mayor Yaakov Turner's decision
last week to ban a Machsom Watch photo exhibit at the
Teacher's Center in the city. Machsom Watch is a
women's group that monitors the behavior of soldiers
toward Palestinians at checkpoints. The pictures in
question depict interactions at the Qalandya and Hawara
checkpoints in the West Bank. Turner announced the ban
last Thursday, claiming that the contents of the
exhibit are harmful to the sensitivities of the public.

Yediot reported that the national water company Mekorot
has removed from its installations in the Ashkelon area
large amounts of chlorine that is used in the water
purification process. Any damage to the chlorine
containers could result in a severe ecological
disaster. There are a number of strategic
installations situated in the greater Ashkelon area
that are within Qassam and Katyusha rocket range.

Yediot bannered a remark made by former FM Silvan
Shalom in an interview with the newspaper that Likud
head Binyamin Netanyahu "destroyed" his party. Israel
Radio reported that there is no majority within the
Likud leadership to depose Netanyahu.

Yediot and Ha'aretz reported that IAF Commander Maj.
Gen. Eliezer Shkedy decided to dismiss the commander of
the Arrow missile program when it was revealed that a
"private bank" was operating within his unit. The
dismissed officer was a lieutenant colonel. Yediot
first uncovered the affair.

Ha'aretz reported that lawyers on behalf of Israel have
spoken in a Federal Court in New York in defense of US
jurist Prof. Burt Neuborne's demand for a fee for
handling claims submitted by Holocaust survivors.
Prof. Burt Neuborne is seeking payment of USD 4.1
million, at a rate of USD 700 per hour.

All media reported that on Wednesday, doctors
successfully operated on PM Sharon to replace a portion
of his skull that was removed during brain surgery
following his stroke three months ago.

Maariv reported that on Wednesday, 60 Palestinians from
Al-Quds University attended "Imagine - Music and the
Media," a conference that took place at Tel Aviv's
Hilton Hotel. The renowned musicians Zubin Mehta,
Pinchas Zuckerman, and Israeli Arab pianist Salim
Abboud-Ashkar also took part in the event.

Maariv reported that on Wednesday, the Municipality of
Acre forbade a local association to screen the
Palestinian film "Paradise Now," whose subject is
suicide bombers. The municipality claimed that the
screening would cause unnecessary provocations and harm
Jewish-Arab relations in the city.

Israel Radio reported that during his visit to the
Vatican today, Shimon Peres, No. 2 in Kadima, is
expected to invite Pope Benedict XVI to visit Israel.

All media (lead story in Maariv) reported that State
Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss drafted a severe report
on considerable wage excesses at the Bank of Israel.
The media reported that AG Menachem Mazuz might
investigate the matter.
The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio cited a report
issued today by the Anti-Defamation League, according
to which the rate of anti-Semitic incidents in the US
decreased by 3 percent over the last year.

--------------

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

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

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized:
"[Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor] Lieberman ...
has no place in the government."

Palestinian columnist Daoud Kuttab wrote in the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "Despite the
appearance of political stalemate on the Palestinian-
Israeli front, a possible breakthrough seems closer
than in the past."

Yossi Ben-Aharon, who was director-general of the Prime
Minister's Office under former prime minister Yitzhak
Shamir, argued in popular, pluralist Maariv: "In the
war against suicide-bombing terrorists, it is not only
inventiveness that is needed, but also the breaking of
conventions.... The answer is the expulsion of
[terrorists'] families."

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


I. "When Silence Is Deceit"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (April
6): "Ehud Olmert's announcement Monday that the
chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu faction, Avigdor
Lieberman, will be a minister in the government is
astounding. Moreover, the silence of Labor Party
chairman Amir Peretz -- who heard about the future
appointment while conducting covert negotiations with
Olmert -- is strange. This silence is akin to consent,
and it is outrageous. Before the elections, Peretz
explicitly stated that he would not agree to sit in a
government with Lieberman. Now a few days after he
failed in his confused and misguided attempt to
establish a right-wing coalition, with National Union
as its spine and the settlement rabbis as its
enthusiastic supporters, he appears to be someone whose
desire to govern spurs him to turn his back on all his
principles.... Denouncing Lieberman's platform does not
mean ignoring immigrants. On the contrary, it is a
call to this extensive population to give up on
sectorial voting. Such a call, if accompanied by
improved treatment of immigrants based on their needs,
is liable to break open sectorial voting in the future.
Lieberman, therefore, has no place in the government.
What is right for Olmert to do is 10 times more right
for Peretz to do. If these two establish an all-
inclusive coalition that completely ignores the will of
the voter, that government will be forlorn and its days
may be numbered."

II. "Prospects For Negotiations"

Palestinian columnist Daoud Kuttab wrote in the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (April 6):
"Despite the appearance of political stalemate on the
Palestinian-Israeli front, a possible breakthrough
seems closer than in the past. Various pieces of the
puzzle appear to be falling in place following both the
Palestinian and Israel elections.... The key issue will
continue to be how the Israelis will want to handle the
upcoming talks. If they will act as in the past, the
real negotiations will be within Israel or between
Israel and Washington. In many ways the threat of
turning to the unilateral plan by Ehud Olmert and the
threat of turning to Hamas by President Abbas might be
just the right formula to get both parties to try and
work for an acceptable solution. For the negotiations
to work, however, a serious cease-fire agreement (or an
understanding like the understanding with Hizbullah) is
needed to be followed by confidence-building measures
and then serious talks, preferably away from the camera
and press leaks."

III. "Expulsions Can't Be Avoided"

Yossi Ben-Aharon, who was director-general of the Prime
Minister's Office under former prime minister Yitzhak
Shamir, argued in popular, pluralist Maariv (April 6):
"In the war against suicide-bombing terrorists, it is
not only inventiveness that is needed, but also the
breaking of conventions.... The answer is the expulsion
of [terrorists'] families. True, we tried this in the
past, took in harsh criticism from the world, and
desisted. [But] circumstances have changed since then.
Suicide bombing has become a contagious disease, for
which its victims in the West have found no
solution.... [Yet], the US is deporting terrorists and
suspects to the Guantanamo, Cuba, detention center....
Families [of terrorists held by Israel] would be sent
aboard Israel Navy ships ... to the shores of Saudi
Arabia, Sudan, or Syria. Those countries are notorious
for their financial and political support for Hamas."

--------------

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

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

Prof. Uzi Arad, the Director of the Institute of Policy
and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center, who was a
senior advisor to former prime minister Binyamin
Netanyahu, wrote in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot: "In coordinating the next foreign policy
moves with the US, including a possible evacuation of
territories, the challenge that faces Israel is to
further upgrade the relations, including the strategic
relations."

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

"Processes and Leveraging Them"

Prof. Uzi Arad, the Director of the Institute of Policy
and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center, who was a
senior advisor to former prime minister Binyamin
Netanyahu, wrote in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot (April 6): "The foremost instrument that
served to upgrade [US-Israeli] relations was leveraging
power.... In return for the disengagement from Gaza,
Sharon extricated declarative diplomatic achievements
from the US. Now, in coordinating the next foreign
policy moves with the US, including a possible
evacuation of territories, the challenge that faces
Israel is to further upgrade the relations, including
the strategic relations. After all, the US has always
supported safe, defensible and recognized borders for
Israel, but these were based on the 1967 borders with
slight revisions, which are now also required by the
Clinton and Bush formulae. If Israel gradually pulls
back to these lines, then the understanding with the US
should not only be expressed in giving these lines a
seal of approval, but something essential should also
be given in return. This is not a simple objective,
particularly since there are those in the US who ...
are pushing in the opposite direction -- to minimize
Israel's standing and distance Washington from it. The
agenda between the two countries is also complex, and
focuses on the joint effort to cope with the Iranian
threat. But in the upcoming timeframe, with a friendly
president like George Bush serving in Washington, as
well as the existing infrastructure of the relations
and broad support in public opinion (Jewish and
Christian) -- all these afford Israel a basis for
leveraging that could upgrade the relations,
institutionalize them and their content, perhaps to the
highest level. This is the challenge to which [Israel]
should aspire, despite the opposing currents."







-------------- --------------

3. Trial of Former Liberian President Charles Taylor:
-------------- --------------

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

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized: "It is encouraging to see international
law being applied as it should be ... rather than
seeing it manipulated as in the unwarranted hounding of
Israeli officers in a double-standards witch-hunt."

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

"Courting Justice"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized (April 6): "It is encouraging to see
international law being applied as it should be -- when
there actually are reasonable grounds on which to
prosecute suspects -- rather than seeing it manipulated
as in the unwarranted hounding of Israeli officers in a
double-standards witch-hunt. Beyond the moral
imperative to bring Milosevic, Saddam and Taylor to
justice, and for each to bear the consequences of his
actions, there is the equally essential element of
deterrence.... Ultimately, the goal is to see justice
served in the broadest sense possible, and that means
balancing the benefits and strains of a local process
versus a trial in a neutral setting. If local
officials feel a war crimes trial could destabilize
society then, as in the case of Taylor, the trial
should be held elsewhere. Doing so will not change the
evidence but should result in justice being done, and
being seen to be done."

JONES