Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TELAVIV1473
2006-04-14 10:30:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:  

ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

Tags:  IS KMDR MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 001473 

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:
--------------------------------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 001473

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. Iran: Nuclear Program


3. US-Israel Relations

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

Leading media cited President Bush's Passover message,
which was issued on Wednesday and centered on the
notion of freedom.

Major media reported that for the first time since the
withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, IDF troops entered the
Strip openly, in order to examine the place where two
armed Palestinians were killed on Wednesday and to
ensure that no bombs had been planted there. The two
Palestinians had planned to attack either an Israeli
community or a military patrol on Wednesday evening.
Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky was
quoted as saying in an interview bannered by Yediot
that if necessary, the IDF might reoccupy the Strip.
The media interviewed several other senior officers who
advocated strong military actions in the Gaza Strip.
Israel Radio and other media reported that at the UN
Security Council (UNSC),the US blocked a proposed
statement that would have expressed grave concern about
the recent escalation of Israeli military operations,
especially in the occupied territories. It called on
Israel to refrain from excessive use of force that
endangers the Palestinian civilian population. Israel
Radio said that the UNSC will hold a debate on the
situation in the Middle East, which will be open to all
UN member states.

In its lead story, Maariv cited an Al Jazeera-TV report
broadcast on Thursday that quoted an associate of
Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh as saying anonymously
that Hamas might recognize Israel's existence in
exchange for a full withdrawal to the 1967 lines.
Maariv reported that in an interview with The
Washington Post, Haniyeh warned against the
consequences of the American-European decision to
freeze economic assistance to the Palestinian
government. Haniyeh was quoted as saying that the
decision would put at risk American interests in the

Arab and Muslim worlds. The Jerusalem Post reported
that Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashal recently
met in Yemen with Sheikh Abd al-Majid al-Zindani, an Al-
Qaida representative who is wanted in the US for his
involvement in supporting and funding global terror.
Yediot reported that Mahdi Akif, the spiritual leader
of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, is expected to
release in the near future a religious edict that will
allow the Hamas leadership in the territories to
recognize Israel. Yediot cited "secret" information
that reached Jerusalem, according to which senior
Egyptian officials initiated Akif's move.

The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that
today, Palestinian FM Mahmoud Zahar will begin a five-
day fundraising trip to Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain, and Kuwait.

Ha'aretz (Hebrew Ed.) bannered a comment made on
Thursday by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "Our
situation has changed completely. We are a nuclear
country and speak to others from [that] position."
Major media reported that Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice urged members of the UNSC to take
action on the issue of Iranian uranium enrichment,
though she did not specifically ask them to impose
sanctions on Tehran or to change the previously-set
timetable that gave it 30 days to respond to the
demands of the international community. Yediot
reported that a spy satellite that Israel intends to
launch next month is already at its launching site in
Russia. The newspaper wrote that the "Adom-B" (Red-B)
satellite will improve the Israeli defense
establishment's monitoring capability of the Iranian
threat. Yediot also reported that Arrow missile
batteries have been upgraded so that they are able to
intercept long-range Iranian missiles. Yediot reported
that IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shkedy has named
Lt. Col. Ran Kochav as the new commander of the Arrow
unit.

All media reported that the body of Muhammad Abu al-
Hawa, from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of A-Tur,
was found in his burned-out car in Jericho on Thursday
morning. The media cited the police's belief that the
murder was motivated by al-Hawa's recent sale of a four-
story apartment building to Jews. Israel Radio
reported that the police are investigating whether the
PA was involved in the murder.

Israel Radio and other media reported that the US
administration extended a six-month waiver of
restrictions on the PLO's Washington office, saying it
remained a useful channel for ties with Palestinian
Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas. Israel Radio noted
that the office formally belongs to the Hamas-led PA
government.

Maariv reported that in a letter to Interim PM Ehud
Olmert, the jailed convicted spy Jonathan Pollard
threatened to divulge sensitive information about the
Gil Pensioners' Party's leader Rafi Eitan -- who was
Pollard's control officer -- if Eitan is appointed
minister in the new Israeli government. Ha'aretz
reported that the Committee to Free Jonathan Pollard
asked Olmert and the leaders of other Knesset parties
on the eve of Passover to submit an additional formal
request asking the USG to grant the jailed convicted
spy clemency.

Ha'aretz reported that in a statement released
Thursday, Hamas intimated that the office of PA
Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas, "along with
familiar symbols of the previous PA," is emptying the
coffers of the new Palestinian government.

Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post printed an AP story
that Al-Qaida deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri said in a
video, dated with the Islamic month corresponding to
November 2005, that the elimination of Israel is the
duty of every believer.

Yediot quoted Romano Prodi, the apparent winner of the
Italian elections, as saying that he will act to make
the EU change its position vis-a-vis the new
Palestinian government, and that he shows interest
about the openness that Hamas is demonstrating.

Ha'aretz reported that Indonesian FM Nur Hassan
Wirajuda denied on Wednesday that two Israeli diplomats
met with senior Indonesian government officials in
Jakarta on Tuesday, for the first time in six years.
The Jerusalem Post quoted Ambassador Jim Jeffrey, the
senior adviser to Secretary Rice on Iraq, as saying
this week that a decline in the number of insurgents
entering Iraq through the Syrian border can be
attributed partly to the Syrian decision to impose a
visa regime that limits the ability of foreign fighters
to enter Iraq, which Jeffrey said "is something that we
pressed them to do."

Yediot devoted the cover story of its weekly news
supplement to the expected contest between Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice and US Senator Hillary Rodham
Clinton in the 2008 presidential race.

Ha'aretz reported that last week in San Remo, Italy,
IDF officers took first place in a competition on
international and humanitarian law.

Ha'aretz reported that Israel may soon be included on
the blacklist of countries allowing human trafficking
for purposes of servitude -- through employment of
laborers from developing countries.

Israel Radio reported that the American pop singer
Madonna is considering performing in Israel.





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

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

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

Senior editor Rafi Mann wrote in an editorial of
popular, pluralist Maariv: "Israel must free itself
from the fetters of President Bush's Roadmap, which
allows Israel to sit apathetically as long as the PA
doesn't act against terror."

Columnist Doron Rosenblum wrote in left-leaning,
independent Ha'aretz: "[Defense Minister Shaul] Mofaz
lists the threats, terror warnings and dangers like
they were his achievements, as though the solutions he
is offering -- more and more escalation, crushing and
killing -- are not among the very acts that brought us
to this situation."

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


I. "A Double-Edged Sword"

Senior editor Rafi Mann wrote in an editorial of
popular, pluralist Maariv (April 14): "When will
Israel, according to international law and in the eyes
of the entire world, cease to be an occupying power?
Only when it allows the Palestinian Authority to
function and negotiates with it. This is true
regarding the improvement of economic conditions in the
Gaza Strip, and by and large true regarding the chances
of defeating internal anarchy in Gaza and reducing
Qassam rocket fire. For this purpose, Israel must free
itself from the fetters of President Bush's Roadmap,
which allows Israel to sit apathetically as long as the
PA doesn't act against terror. Dov Weisglass defined
this with unconcealed satisfaction in an October 2004
interview with Ha'aretz: The disengagement plan was
akin to 'formaldehyde' that would freeze for many years
President Bush's plan -- 'two states for two nations.'
The problem is that formaldehyde is a dangerous
chemical that could cause burns and other trouble to
the people using it. The boycott imposed by Israel on
the Palestinian people's elected government is a double-
edge sword, too: The chances of it bringing forth
usefulness are doubtful, but we'll soon see the damage
it has produced. We'll eventually talk to Hamas; but,
as usual, it'll be too late and after we pay a hefty
and pointless price."

II. "The Future Is Not Mofaz"

Columnist Doron Rosenblum wrote in left-leaning,
independent Ha'aretz (April 14): "The separation of
Ariel Sharon from the title 'prime minister' brings to
an end the long vacation from political life as we knew
it that Israel has been on since 2000. The five years
of Prime Minister Sharon were indeed packed with action
and misdeeds, blood, victims and political intrigue,
way beyond the regular dosage. They were a time of a
weird, hyper-realistic and somewhat smug atmosphere.
One could even call it post-political. One man ...
filled the whole stage, while our entire political
life, regardless of party, took a seat in the
gallery.... Confusion and disarray are everywhere,
except in the one department and one player where shame
and reassessment should be paramount -- the security
policy and the defense minister who led it. Five years
of all-out war against Hamas ended with Hamas in power,
and this actually surprised the intelligence service.
Likewise, the vow 'to sear Palestinian consciousness'
ended just where it began -- with dozens of terrorist
alerts. Thus, one might expect a modicum of hesitation
and humility from this quarter during the change of
government.... Mofaz lists the threats, terror warnings
and dangers like they were his achievements, as though
the solutions he is offering -- more and more
escalation, crushing and killing -- are not among the
very acts that brought us to this situation."

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

2. Iran: Nuclear Program:
--------------

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

Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "Israel ...
finds itself in an awkward position.... It is now
careful not to be seen as the one pushing for an
aggressive approach which might derail the diplomatic
process."

Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist
Caroline B. Glick wrote in The Jerusalem Post: "This
week Tehran threw down the gauntlet.... The moment has
arrived for President George W. Bush to make clear if
he is, in the final analysis, the leader of the free
world or its undertaker."

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


I. "In Denial?"

Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (April 14):
"Israel ... finds itself in an awkward position.
Though, for the past decade, the main voice calling for
international attention to the Iranian nuclear issue,
it is now careful not to be seen as the one pushing for
an aggressive approach which might derail the
diplomatic process. Israeli officials rejected claims
made in the New Yorker article that Israel was pressing
the American administration to take military steps
against Iran's nuclear sites, and stressed that what
Israel would like to see now is a completion of the
diplomatic process that should lead to the end of the
Iranian project.... An interesting result of this
week's rumor-mill is that after the dust settles -- and
when all the official spokespeople are done denying
military plans against Iran -- one thing that can be
said that wasn't state outright before: The US can
attack Iran."

II. "The Fateful Hour Has Arrived"

Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist
Caroline B. Glick wrote in The Jerusalem Post (April
14): "By seeking Security Council action on Iran, the
US has delegated the power for contending with the
Iranian nuclear threat to China and Russia which have
both assisted Iran in developing its nuclear and
ballistic missile programs. Like its policy towards
North Korea, the United States' policy toward Iran
serves not to thwart Tehran's nuclear aspirations but
to facilitate them. It serves not to expand America's
options for contending with this grave and gathering
threat to its national security and global interests,
but to limit them.... America is the greatest nation on
Earth and it does have the ability to defend the world
against regimes like Iran and its allies.... But
America cannot, and it will not accomplish any of these
goals if it continues to abide by strategies and
frameworks that serve only to strengthen its enemies
and permit its 'allies' to behave perfidiously.... This
week Tehran threw down the gauntlet. The greatest
battle of this war -- the battle to prevent the world's
most dangerous regime from attaining the most dangerous
weapons known to man -- has begun. The moment has
arrived for President George W. Bush to make clear if
he is, in the final analysis, the leader of the free
world or its undertaker."
--------------

3. US-Israel Relations:
--------------

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

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in left-
leaning, independent Ha'aretz: "Israel has nothing to
be ashamed of when it comes to what it has to offer
America, especially when compared to its Arab
neighbors.... Olmert should think about this, and not
only about the list of handouts he'll ask for from
Bush, when he goes to America next month."

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

"Enough Handouts"

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in left-
leaning, independent Ha'aretz (April 14): "America's
friendship is Israel's most important political asset.
The Jewish state's security and prosperity, and maybe
even its survival, depend on American support. The
problem is that the relationship between the two
countries is based on a narrow foundation. Nobody has
any doubt that George Bush is sympathetic to Israel but
he won't serve forever, his popularity is in free fall
and America is not only run from the White House.
That's the view prevalent among those in the Israeli
establishment who deal with ties to the US.... Now Ehud
Olmert wants to outdo his master [Ariel Sharon] and go
to Washington with a ravenous 'shipping basket':
recognition of the separation fence as a permanent
border, economic support, improved strategic relations
with the US, [and] defense against Iran. Common to all
those ideas, are that they continue the tradition of
'gimme, gimme,' toward America. More aid, more
weapons, another letter from the president. The
Israeli establishment is completely petrified into that
'gimme' tradition and doesn't stop to ask what the
Americans get out of it.... Israel has nothing to be
ashamed of when it comes to what it has to offer
America, especially when compared to its Arab
neighbors. And it will benefit from the closer ties to
the most developed economy and educational system in
the world. Olmert should think about this, and not
only about the list of handouts he'll ask for from
Bush, when he goes to America next month."

JONES