Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TELAVIV1611
2006-04-25 12:11:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:  

ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

Tags:  IS KMDR MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 001611 

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 08 TEL AVIV 001611

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

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

All media bannered the triple explosion that took place
last night in the Sinai resort town of Dahab. Up to 30
people were reported killed and more than 100 wounded.
Israel Radio quoted Egyptian officials as saying that
at least two of the bombings were caused by suicide
bombers. The media said that none of the approximately
5,000 Israelis staying in Sinai were wounded. Although
no group claimed responsibility, the media deduced that
Al Qaida was apparently behind the attack. Israel
Radio reported that Interim PM Ehud Olmert called
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to convey Israel's
sympathy, and that the two leaders agreed on the need
to cooperate against terrorism. The radio reported
that FM Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz
offered assistance to Egypt, which thanked Israel but
declined. Israel Radio reported that President Bush
and PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas condemned the
bombings. The station reported that French Foreign
Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy praised Hamas for
condemning the bombings.

Major media quoted Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad as saying Monday in a televised press
conference: "Some 60 years have passed since the end of
World War II, and why should the people of Germany and
Palestine pay now for a war in which the current
generation was not involved? We say that this fake
regime [Israel] cannot logically continue to exist."
Hatzofe quoted Israel's Ambassador to the US as saying
Monday in Washington at the annual conference of the
Anti-Defamation League -- which the newspaper said was
also attended by Egyptian Ambassador to the US Nabil
Fahmy and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern
Affairs David Welch -- that more should be done and
less said on the Iranian nuclear program issue.
Hatzofe cited Ayalon's hope the UN Security Council
will make use of Chapter 7 of the UN Charter or that

other ways will be found to solve the problem. Leading
media quoted Israeli President Moshe Katsav as saying
last night at the central Holocaust Remembrance Day
ceremony at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem: "I call on the
Western world not to stand silently in the face of the
nations that are trying to acquire nuclear weapons and
preach the destruction of Israel." The Jerusalem Post
printed an AP dispatch quoting US Representative at the
UN Ambassador John Bolton as saying at a Holocaust
memorial service in New York: "the "prospect of the
proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass
destruction weighs so heavily on the President as he
contemplates the risk to the US and all of its friends
and allies but in particular the risk of a second, a
nuclear, holocaust." The Jerusalem Post quoted Mofaz
as saying at the inauguration ceremony for the Center
for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University that Iran
has given close to USD 10 million to Palestinian
terrorist groups since the beginning of the year.

The Jerusalem Post quoted A/S Welch as saying Monday at
the ADL conference that the US has not ruled out
providing financial assistance directly to Abbas and
the offices of which he is in charge, while making sure
the money does not reach Hamas. Ha'aretz reported that
Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and
Financial Intelligence in the US Treasury will arrive
in Israel today to discuss economic measures against
Iran and the Hamas-led Palestinian government.
Ha'aretz quoted FM Livni as saying during a meeting
with Spanish FM Miguel Moratinos on Monday that Hamas
leaders would make seemingly moderate statements to
obtain legitimacy and financing. The Jerusalem Post
cited a new report by the UN that the humanitarian
situation in the Palestinian territories will likely
worsen in the coming months if Israel and the
international community continue the policy of
withholding funding from the PA.

Leading media reported that during his visit to Turkey,
Abbas launched an unprecedented attack against Hamas in
interviews with Jordanian, Lebanese, and Turkish media.
Israeli media quoted Abbas as saying in an interview
with CNN-Turk that Hamas political leader Khaled Mashal
is a "civil war monger" and that the "constitution
gives me clear and definitive authority to remove a
government from power, but I don't want to use this
authority. Everyone should know that by law this power
is in my hands." Israel Radio quoted various Hamas
officials as saying that Abbas would pay a hefty price
if he tried to disband the new Palestinian government.
Maariv reported that Hamas legislator Salah Mohammed el-
Bardawil will visit European countries in mid-May.

The Jerusalem Post reported that on Monday, in what the
newspaper said could be the prelude of a High Court
petition, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel
demanded that AG Menachem Mazuz instruct the government
not to strip three Hamas parliamentarians for East
Jerusalem of their Israeli residency status.

All media reported harsh criticism in various parties
slated to become partners in Olmert's government over
the decision by Kadima and the Labor Party to give up
the nomination of deputy ministers, following the
public's disapproval of the expected size of the new
cabinet. Ha'aretz reported that Minister-Without-
Portfolio Tzachi Hanegbi (Kadima) is expected to be the
next chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee, instead of MK Yuval Steinitz
(Likud). Maariv reported that Yisrael Beiteinu leader
Avigdor Lieberman would get an expanded transportation
portfolio that would include the Israel Lands
Administration.

The Jerusalem Post reported that on Monday, Internal
Security Minister Gideon Ezra and Israel Police
Inspector General Moshe Karadi discussed recent police
data, according to which recent efforts to combat the
phenomenon of illegal Palestinian workers in Israel are
paying off.

The Jerusalem Post quoted the chief pastor of the
Anglican community in Israel as saying Monday that
nuclear whistleblower Mordecai Vanunu is going to leave
the Anglican church in Jerusalem where he has spent the
last two years and that he will be moving into an
apartment in East Jerusalem.

Ha'aretz quoted Jorge Bustamante, a UN expert on the
human rights of migrant workers, as saying that Israel
is ignoring UN queries on issues regarding migrant
workers. Maariv reported that a UN report placed
Israel at the highest level of countries that are
targets of trafficking in persons.
The Jerusalem Post reported that President Bush
nominated Joel Kaplan, a Jew, to serve as the deputy of
Joshua Bolten, who was appointed to be the White House
chief of staff. The newspaper wrote that the fact that
White House policy is now in the hands of two Jews is
not seen as significant by activists in the American
Jewish community.

Maariv reported that Israelis who have acquired the
citizenship of an Eastern European country can open a
business and live in the US by using an indefinite E-2
investor visa.

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

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

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

Military correspondent Amir Rappaport wrote in popular,
pluralist Maariv: "Israel must prepare as soon as
possible to prevent Al Qaida from carrying out the next
bombing in Israeli territory."

Senior Arab affairs writer Zvi Bar'el opined in
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Al-Qaida's
'branch' in Sinai, which relies on the Bedouins, enjoys
geographical conditions and the socio-economic
motivation to use terrorism."

Guy Ma'ayan, a history lecturer at the Hebrew
University, wrote in Maariv: "Even bin Laden himself
doesn't pretend to bring Islamic redemption to the
world."

Arab affairs correspondent Danny Rubinstein wrote in
Ha'aretz: "Is a clash between them inevitable? At
first sight -- absolutely.... [But] signs of the
possibility of a compromise in the spirit of a work
division between the two sides were already seen in the
past."

Ha'aretz editorialized: "Interim Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert must place the completion of the [separation]
fence at the top of his agenda."
Block Quotes:
--------------


I. "Al Qaida Closer Than Ever"

Military correspondent Amir Rappaport wrote in popular,
pluralist Maariv (4/25): "A bombing such as the one
that occurred Monday in Dahab should not light up a
warning light in Israel, but a flare: Al Qaida's
terrorism is getting closer to us. Sooner or later, it
will cross the Egypt-Israel border. The main lesson
[to drawn from the attack] is that Israel must prepare
as soon as possible to prevent Al Qaida from carrying
out the next bombing in Israeli territory.... Al Qaida
is increasingly directing its statements to Israel and
marked it as a key target, rather than a secondary
target after the United States and the West in general.
That change should be attributed to the line espoused
by bin Laden's deputy, the ... Egyptian Ayman Al-
Zawahiri and the Jordanian Abu-Mussab Al-Zarqawi. Both
view Israel as a primary enemy."

II. "Terror Feels at Home"

Senior Arab affairs writer Zvi Bar'el opined in
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (4/25): "Al-Qaida's
'branch' in Sinai, which relies on the Bedouins, enjoys
geographical conditions and the socio-economic
motivation to use terrorism against the second most
important economic domain in Egypt -- tourism.... Many
of Sinai's Bedouin residents seriously suffered from
the Egyptian government's decision to transfer Egyptian
citizens from Cairo and the Nile Delta villages to earn
a livelihood in Sinai.... The Egyptians suspect that
some of the Bedouins enjoy economic assistance from Al
Qaida, thus ensuring their loyalty and cooperation with
the organization. As a result, the penetration of the
Bedouin community is becoming increasingly difficult
for Egyptian intelligence, which finds it hard to
obtain real-time warnings.

III. "Islamism Isn't Nazism"

Guy Ma'ayan, a history lecturer at the Hebrew
University, wrote in Maariv (4/25): "It is no secret
that classical Islam wanted to conquer the entire
universe. But this isn't the view of Al-Qaida's
leaders.... Even bin Laden himself doesn't pretend to
bring Islamic redemption to the world.... Contrary to
the Nazis, bin Laden didn't create a racist ideology to
scientifically justify the cleaning of foreign
influence ... and of course lacks the well-oiled
propaganda machine that washed the Germans' brains....
Contrary to the Weimar Republic, the regimes of the
Muslim states are quite stable and the national elites
enjoy a great amount of legitimacy.... This doesn't
diminish the threat of Islamic terror.... But in order
to put Jewish-Christian civilization at risk, one needs
more than a few thousands of fighters armed with
primitive weapons and a fistful of cassettes."

IV. "On a Collision Course"

Arab affairs correspondent Danny Rubinstein wrote in
Ha'aretz (4/25): "Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen),the
Chairman of the Palestinian Authority and of Fatah, and
Khaled Mashal and the Hamas movement now appear to be
on a clear collision path.... Is a clash between them
inevitable? At first sight -- absolutely.... [But]
signs of the possibility of a compromise in the spirit
of a work division between the two sides were seen in
the past. Hamas spokesmen have often said that they
are prepared to let Abu Mazen continue to conduct
political negotiations. Even [Khaled] Mashal, in his
latest speech, did not rule out the option of peace
with Israel following a withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
Senior Fatah officials have also said the same thing --
that assistance should be given to the new government
that was elected to manage the PA's ministries.
Theoretically, this is a reasonable compromise -- an
acceptable work division. In reality this is very hard
to implement."


V. "Top Priority For the Fence"

Ha'aretz editorialized (4/25): "Interim Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert must place the completion of the
[separation] fence at the top of his agenda -- first,
in order to maintain security and save civilian
lives.... Second, completion of the fence is a
prerequisite for implementing the convergence plan vis-
a-vis the West Bank. It is difficult to conceive a
withdrawal to a new security line and the evacuation of
tens of thousands of settlers from their homes without
a physical barrier between Israel and the territories -
- just as the fence around the Gaza Strip facilitated
the withdrawal from there. If Olmert wants to
implement the redeployment in the near future, he must
accelerate the fence's construction. Unlike his
predecessor Ariel Sharon, who viewed the fence as
'another measure against terror,' Olmert speaks about
it, explicitly, as the basis for a political border....
Olmert and [designated defense minister Amir] Peretz
must join forces and take advantage of the momentum of
their new government in order to hastily complete the
huge enterprise started by their predecessors. Their
success will pave the way toward vital implementation
of the convergence plan."

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

2. Iran:
--------------

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

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized: "If the West fails to defeat Tehran's
death-loving Islamo-fascists before it is too late,
they will have nuclear weapons. 'Never again' is now
an imperative, perhaps more than anytime in 60 years."

Chief Economic Editor Sever Plotker wrote in the
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot: "The Iranian President ... binds Holocaust
denial with the elimination of Israel."

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


I. "Never Again"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized (4/25): "The world today is threatened by
a new form of fascism no less potent than the one that
swept through Europe and culminated in the Holocaust.
As an article by German political scientist Matthias
Kuntzel in The New Republic reminds us this week,
during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, Iran employed
thousands of its own children as human minesweepers....
Kuntzel reports that since that war ended in 1988 these
brainwashed youth, the Basiji, 'have grown both in
numbers and influence' and become the shock troops of
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who himself reportedly
trained Basiji.... A new report from a committee
chaired by [former Israeli minister] Dan Meridor warns
that if Iran is allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, a
number of Arab states are likely to seek such weapons
as well. In the 1930s, when Hitler was on the rise but
still could have been easily stopped, Winston Churchill
warned that restrictions on German rearmament -- in
place since the previous World War -- had to be
enforced or else war would break out again. Today,
Iran is testing the will of the world just as Germany
did then. In the current instance, however, if the West
fails to defeat Tehran's death-loving Islamo-fascists
before it is too late, they will have nuclear weapons.
'Never again' is now an imperative, perhaps more than
anytime in 60 years."

II. "Deniers and Those Who Cause to Forget"

Chief Economic Editor Sever Plotker wrote in the
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot (4/25): "Most Muslims are convinced that the
Holocaust of the Jewish people didn't happen at all, or
that its importance was inflated by a Jewish-Western
conspiracy (for instance, in Hamas's Charter),to serve
as the Zionists' PR tool. When the remarks made by the
Iranian President, who binds Holocaust denial with the
elimination of Israel, fall on this fertile soil, they
are well absorbed in popular consciousness and swiftly
take root in the daily discourse. It no longer is an
embarrassment in the Muslim world to deny the
Holocaust. It is even a privilege. It is allowed to
bellow publicly that the Jews faked history and
invented the atrocities of the Holocaust in order to
steal an Arab land."

JONES