Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TELAVIV1692
2006-05-01 12:50:00
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.

011250Z May 06
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TEL AVIV 001692 

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 10 TEL AVIV 001692

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

On Sunday, Yediot reported that James Wolfensohn, the
special Quartet envoy, has decided to discontinue his
service after 11 months, and not to extend his term,
which is due to expire at the end of April.

All media reported that on Sunday, Shas and Kadima
signed a coalition agreement, after Interim PM Ehud
Olmert decided to let Shas join the coalition without
agreeing to the evacuation of settlements, even though
this is one of the government guidelines. Major media
reported that Olmert told Shas Chairman Eli Yishai that
Shas would be allowed to decide on the evacuation if
and when the issue becomes an item on the government's
agenda. The caveat was included in a letter attached
to the coalition agreement. Yishai was quoted as
saying that the letter commits his party to the
government guidelines "in the framework of Olmert's
victory speech only," which did not mention his
"convergence plan" or the evacuation of settlements.
Yediot wrote that Shas's entry into the coalition would
cost the state 2 billion shekels (around USD 440
million). Maariv reported that Olmert officially told
Israeli President Moshe Katsav Sunday that this
morning, he intends to present the coalition agreements
to the Knesset. This morning, Israel Radio was
covering the process Olmert's awarding of portfolios to
senior Kadima leaders. Major media reported that on
Sunday, by a slim majority, the Labor Party's Central
Committee authorized party chairman to pick the
ministers for the incoming coalition government. The
media reported that after the secret ballot, Peretz
presented his list of ministers: Knesset Members Yuli
Tamir, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Shalom Simhon.

Over the weekend, the media quoted Olmert as saying in
an interview with the German newspaper Bild that
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a "psychopath,
and 'Hitler'." Olmert fell short of calling for a

military strike on Iran, but did say: "The West under
the leadership of the United States is going to have to
make sure that Iran does not, under any circumstances,
acquire non-conventional weapons." On Sunday, Yediot
wrote that the newly launched Israeli satellite Eros B
began sending high-quality images to the ground station
in Israel of various sites around the world, including
the nuclear installations in Iran. On Sunday, The
Jerusalem Post and other media reported that the US and
Britain are behind the move to get the UN Security
Council more actively involved in the possibility of
imposing future sanctions on Iran if Ahmadinejad's
administration does not comply with the demand to stop
his country's nuclear program. The Jerusalem Post
quoted President Bush as saying: "I think that the
diplomatic options are just the beginning." On Sunday,
Yevgeni Primakov, former Russian PM and FM, was quoted
as saying over the weekend in an interview with The
Jerusalem Post: "Russia will do its utmost to prevent
the further escalation of tension in the Iranian
nuclear crisis."

On Sunday, Yediot reported that the Hamas leadership is
contemplating endorsing the Saudi initiative as a way
of breaking the ring of international isolation that
came to circumscribe the PA after Ismail Haniyeh formed
his government. On Sunday, The Jerusalem Post and
other media reported that French President Jacques
Chirac suggested over the weekend that the World Bank
funnel assistance, including the salaries of PA
employees, directly to Palestinians to stave off a
humanitarian crisis. The Jerusalem Post noted that
Chirac's proposal could put him in conflict with
Israeli and US positions. Today, The Jerusalem Post
reported that the PA is on the verge of bankruptcy and
civil war. On Sunday, Hatzofe also reported on a
worsening of the economic crisis in the PA. Yediot
reported that the Foreign Ministry has ordered all
Israeli representations not to hold talks with
Palestinian diplomatic representatives. Yediot said
that this means a return to the era preceding the Oslo
Agreement.

Major media reported that on Sunday, the cabinet
unanimously approved recommendations to change the
route of the separation fence around Ariel, Gush
Etzion, and the Hebron Hills. The Jerusalem Post wrote
that the changes would leave 40,000 Palestinians
outside the fence.
Major media reported that the Shin Bet revealed on
Sunday that senior Hamas figures in the Gaza Strip
funded and trained the terrorists who last week
launched an abortive strike at the Gaza Strip's Karni
crossing. The Jerusalem Post wrote that this was the
first time since winning the Palestinian Legislative
Council elections in January that Hamas has been
revealed as being directly involved in anti-Israeli
activity. On Sunday, The Jerusalem Post led with the
concern expressed by PA officials over the weekend
about reports that Al Qaida was planning to assassinate
top PA leaders.

Israel Radio and other media reported that a female
resident of Tulkarm was killed this morning by IDF
soldiers during a search for a wanted Islamic Jihad
militant.

Ha'aretz reported that the IDF and police have given
settlers 10 days to leave a house in Hebron, in the
latest chapter of an ongoing dispute. The newspaper
also reported that settlers from nearby Havat Maon
(Maon Farm) allegedly attacked Palestinian children.

On Sunday, Maariv reported that the Organization for
the Support of the Palestinian People's Resistance
would be holding a conference that day with the
participation of representatives of Palestinian terror
organizations at noon in a Paris suburb.

On Sunday, Yediot reported that the State Department is
establishing a department for Arab media, which will be
shaped along the lines of the Israeli Foreign
Ministry's model.

Yediot reported that it currently takes 57 days for
Israelis to get tourist visas to the US.

On Sunday, Ha'aretz reported that new revelations about
the circumstances under which Israel and the US reached
a secret understanding on the Israeli nuclear program,
and the Richard Nixon administration came to recognize
Israel's policy of "nuclear ambiguity," appear in an
article published this weekend in Washington. The
article, in the current issue of Bulletin of the Atomic
Scientists, was coauthored by Israeli historian Avner
Cohen, who wrote "Israel and the Bomb" (1998),and
William Burr, an expert on US nuclear weapons policy.

Maariv and Israel Radio reported that on Sunday,
Egyptian authorities arrested 10 Israelis who were
participating in a maritime rally. The media cited
Egypt's claim that they do not appear on the list of
rally participants and that the Israeli Foreign
Ministry is working to resolve the crisis.

Maariv reported that Olmert is on TIME Magazine's
current list of 100 most influential people.

All media extensively reported on events related to
Israel's Memorial Day, which will be observed tonight
and tomorrow. Major media cited the Defense Ministry
as saying that 138 soldiers have been killed since last
Memorial Day. The ministry also said that since 1860,
when the first Jewish settlers began establishing
Jewish neighborhoods outside the Jerusalem city walls,
22,123 soldiers have been killed. Ha'aretz reported
that the National Insurance Institute issued statistics
according to which 794 civilians, including 42 foreign
workers and tourists, have been killed and 7,748 have
been wounded in 945 terrorist attacks since the
beginning of the Intifada in October 2000.


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

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

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

Defense and foreign affairs columnist Amir Oren wrote
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Whoever the
next US president is, the overall impression ... is
that the government of Israel is deluding itself if it
believes that 'convergence' into 'settlement blocs,' as
opposed to a nearly total withdrawal from the Green
Line, will satisfy the next administration."

Ha'aretz editorialized: "The importance of the
guidelines takes second place to Ehud Olmert's repeated
declarations, which have become a pledge to the public
to work toward withdrawal from the territories"
The Director of the Interdisciplinary Center's Global
Research in International Affairs Center, columnist
Barry Rubin, wrote in the conservative, independent
Jerusalem Post: "We already knew there was little
likelihood of Hamas changing its ways. Now we know it
is not very good at even appearing to moderate."

Arab affairs commentator Danny Rubinstein wrote in
Ha'aretz: "If Hamas is pushed into a corner ... the
assertion that Hamas is tied to Al Qaida would become a
self-fulfilling prophecy."

Walid M. Awad, Director General of External Relations
at the Office of the Chairman [President] of the
Palestinian Authority, wrote in The Jerusalem Post:
"Abbas made his choice and opted for a negotiated, just
peace with Israel. It is now Israel's turn, either to
reciprocate ... or [to opt] for more long years of
conflict."

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


I. "After Bush, the Green Line"

Defense and foreign affairs columnist Amir Oren wrote
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (5/1): "As long
as [Senator John McCain] is not a declared
[presidential] candidate, his comments to Ha'aretz on
Saturday, during a weekend break from American politics
here in Brussels, reflect the personal opinion of a
senior and influential figure in the area of defense
policy in the United States Senate, rather than an
attempt to formulate policy guidelines for his
administration.... Whoever the next US president is,
the overall impression from a conversation with a
leading candidate like McCain is that the government of
Israel is deluding itself if it believes that
'convergence' into 'settlement blocs,' as opposed to a
nearly total withdrawal from the Green Line, will
satisfy the next administration. In 2009, it will be a
different show: Neither Bush nor settlement blocs."

II. "Reduction in Settlement Areas"
Ha'aretz editorialized (4/30): "Because of clear prior
agreements regarding diplomatic issues, it is difficult
to understand why the ambiguous formulation, "reduction
in areas of Israeli settlement in the territories of
Judea and Samaria [i.e. the West Bank]," was chosen
instead of the more precise 'withdrawal and
evacuation'.... This is the first time in almost forty
years of occupation that an Israeli government has
declared it is 'striving' for such a reduction not
because there is no choice, but because Israeli
interests require it.... The importance of the
guidelines takes second place to Ehud Olmert's repeated
declarations, which have become a pledge to the public
to work toward withdrawal from the territories --
either by agreement or unilaterally -- in this term of
office."

III. "Hamas Can't Even Fake Moderation"

The Director of the Interdisciplinary Center's Global
Research in International Affairs Center, columnist
Barry Rubin, wrote in the conservative, independent
Jerusalem Post (5/1): "Hamas can pretend to be a non-
terrorist group observing a cease-fire while financing
and helping both the [Popular Resistance] Committees
and Islamic Jihad to carry out terrorist attacks. It
would be nice to say no one would be stupid enough to
fall for this type of transparent trick. There are
still plenty of Western politicians and intellectuals
who belie that hope, but far less -- and certainly far
fewer national leaders -- than there might be had Hamas
taken lessons from Yasser Arafat on the cultivation of
useful idiots. We already knew there was little
likelihood of Hamas changing its ways. Now we know it
is not very good at even appearing to moderate."

IV. "Al Qaida? If Hamas Is Pushed Into a Corner"

Arab affairs commentator Danny Rubinstein wrote in
Ha'aretz (5/1): "Is there a danger that Hamas and Al
Qaida could be linked? Warnings to such an effect could
be heard last week, after the release of an Osama bin
Laden tape expressing support for Hamas, which, he
said, was defending itself against the 'Zionist-
Crusader offensive.' Even C. David Welch, the
Assistant US Secretary of State for Near Eastern
Affairs, discussed such a danger. Hamas is very angry
at these reports, and views them as attempts to muddy
the organization's name, as part of the repeated
efforts to topple the democratically elected government
of Ismail Haniyeh.... But if Hamas is pushed into a
corner and the distress and anarchy in the West Bank
and Gaza intensify, a comfortable backdrop for Al Qaida
activity in Palestine could develop -- and then, the
assertion that Hamas is tied to Al Qaida would become a
self-fulfilling prophecy."


V. "Israel Does Have a Partner For Peace"

Walid M. Awad, Director General of External Relations
at the Office of the Chairman [President] of the
Palestinian Authority, wrote in The Jerusalem Post
(5/1): "Hamas, considered by the US and the West as a
terrorist organization, is helping Israel achieve its
other objective, the complete devastation of the
Palestinian economy and reducing the Palestinian public
into a state of poverty and helplessness.... Chaos and
civil disorder may engulf the Palestinian territory and
perhaps beyond. This is not in the interest of anyone,
including Israel.... Let us consider the alternative
[to the boycott of the PA by Israel and the
international community]: negotiating with Abbas, in
his capacity as president of the Palestine Liberation
Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the
Palestinian people, and the elected president of the
Palestinian Authority. Abbas is ready to immediately
resume negotiations with the Israeli government,
bearing in mind that negotiating with Israel is still
the mandate of the PLO, which signed all previous
agreements with Israel.... Abbas made his choice and
opted for a negotiated, just peace with Israel. It is
now Israel's turn, either to reciprocate by extending
its hand to the president and the Palestinian people,
showing respect, acknowledging Palestinian rights, and
raising hopes for peace, or by opting for more long
years of conflict. "

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

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

Summary:
--------------
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "At a
time when the international community is being
recruited for a goal that is important to Israel, there
is no reason to spur Israeli-Iranian wrangling."

Chief Economic Editor Sever Plotker wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "Engaging in a
vociferous fight with Ahmadinejad is precisely what the
president of Iran wants."

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized: "It is the US, not Europe, that is now
taking the international system seriously and acting in
that system's best interest -- including when the US
threatens to form a 'coalition of the willing.'"

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


I. "A Race Against Time"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (5/1):
"Israel has a supreme interest in stopping the threat
of nuclear weapons in the hands of a country whose
president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, preaches the
destruction of Israel and the evacuation of its Jewish
residents. Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
addressed the matter in an interview with the German
newspaper, Bild, in which he called Ahmadinejad a
'psychopath' and compared him to Adolf Hitler. Olmert,
who will meet with Bush in three weeks, is hanging his
hopes on a West, 'led by the United States,' that, as
he said in the interview, 'will not under any
circumstances allow Iran to have nuclear weapons'....
At a time when the international community is being
recruited for a goal that is important to Israel, there
is no reason to spur Israeli-Iranian wrangling. This
is liable only to give European and other governments
an excuse to pull out, or could also lead to demands
that Israel, too, pay a price by diluting its
deterrence capabilities in exchange for Iranian
disarmament."

II. "Not Every Jew-Hater Is Hitler"

Chief Economic Editor Sever Plotker wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (4/30): "It was
neither correct nor wise to compare the president of
Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to Adolf Hitler. It was
particularly inappropriate to do so in an interview to
a German newspaper, which is what acting Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert did.... Those comments serve nothing and
promote nothing. They only attest to mounting
nervousness in Israel. Calumny and psychiatric
diagnoses are no substitute for firm policy; engaging
in a vociferous fight with Ahmadinejad is precisely
what the president of Iran wants. The Iranian test is
going to be the most difficult and complicated test in
the term of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and we need to
prepare for it diligently. The second Khomeinist
revolution that has been under way in Tehran for
approximately a year has cast its terror on the West,
the Middle East and us.... Jew-hatred, fierce and
diseased as it may be, is not enough to make someone
into a 'Hitler,' who had a fully cogent Nazi world
view: secular, racist, murderous and controlling.
Ahmadinejad is enclosed in his fanatical, apocalyptic
and sacrificing religious faith. Hitler wanted to
create a new German superhuman; Ahmadinejad believes in
the imminent appearance of the Shiite messiah, and has
already begun to hear voices. Ahmadinejad is prepared
to drown the Middle East in the blood of an all out war
of Armageddon because only as a result of it and in its
wake will the Shiite redemption come. That is the
timetable of his faith. Ahmadinejad's lunacy is not a
new form of either Nazism or Hitlerism. It is
something else. In order to stop it and even to do
away with it one needs to understand its world, faith,
symbols and weaknesses. Childishly calling him names
does not promote any operative goal; it only gets in
the way because it lays bare the blurring and confusion
in the Prime Minister's Bureau in Jerusalem."

III. "Make the System Work"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized (5/1): "Europe is acting as if preventing
the US from acting 'on its own' is even more important
than blocking an Iranian nuke. But Europe, by the
lights of its own belief in multilateralism, should
have another, no less important objective: proving that
the UN system can force a blatant aggressor to back
down and thereby remove a dire threat to the
international community. It is the US, not Europe,
that is now taking the international system seriously
and acting in that system's best interest -- including
when the US threatens to form a 'coalition of the
willing.' Europe should join the US in confronting
China and Russia with this stance, which would force
those countries to go along or risk shifting the action
away from where they enjoy veto power. The best way to
bolster the international system is to make it work."

JONES