ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 000236

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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. Iran: Nuclear Program

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Key stories in the media:
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Leading media reported that the IDF is taking steps to
restore law and order in Hebron, following rioting by
Jews against security forces in the city Friday through
Sunday, which dominated the headlines over the weekend.
Leading media reported that Israelis who are not Hebron
residents were ordered to leave the city by 10:00 a.m.
Israel Time today. Ha'aretz quoted a senior Israeli
security source as saying that the dismantling of three
outposts in the northern West Bank, which have been
served with evacuation orders, has been delayed.

Israel Radio reported that last night IDF forces shot
dead Thabet Salah a Din, the Hamas commander in
Tulkarm. The station quoted a source in the Hamas
leadership as saying that the group would avenge the
militant's killing.

Yediot and Israel Radio reported that Acting PM Ehud
Olmert is dispatching a delegation headed by Israel's
National Security Adviser Giora Eiland and Israel
Atomic Energy DG Gideon Frank to Russian President
Vladimir Putin to ask him to help stop Iran from
acquiring nuclear capability. Yediot wrote that this
is Olmert's first diplomatic move. The Jerusalem Post
noted that the U.S. administration is expecting a UN
Security Council resolution concerning Iran by the end
of next month and that it is pushing for a decision
that would mention the possibility of future sanctions
against Iran if it does not obey the demands by the
international community regarding its nuclear program.
On Sunday, The Jerusalem Post quoted President Bush as
saying after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela
Merkel in Washington on Friday that Israel was in the
greatest danger from Iran's nuclear developments.

On Sunday, The Jerusalem Post led with statements
reportedly made by Israeli diplomatic officials on
Sunday, citing a warning by the U.S. to the PA that a
Hamas victory in Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC)
elections could imperil continued U.S. aid. Major
media cited the alleged warning. On Monday, Hatzofe
cited the concern of GOI officials in Jerusalem that
the U.S. may be resigned to Hamas representatives being
elected to the PLC. On Sunday, Hatzofe reported that
officials in the security and political establishments
in Jerusalem agree that Hamas is likely to win the
Palestinian parliamentary elections in Jerusalem, and
to have all of its candidates from Jerusalem enter the
Palestinian parliament. Israel Radio quoted U.S.
Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones as saying in Haifa
this morning, following a meeting with the city's
Mayor, Yona Yahav, that the U.S. views Hamas as a
terrorist organization and that it has not intention to
engage in dialogue with it. The Ambassador was quoted
as saying that the existence of Hamas and its
supporters cannot be denied, and that the U.S. does not
intend to intervene in the PA elections. On the issue
of Iran's nuclear program, the Ambassador was quoted as
saying that the U.S. fully supports Europe's efforts to
find a way to respond to the Tehran government's
attempts to develop its nuclear program.

On Monday, all media reported that the cabinet decided
on Sunday to allow 5,000 East Jerusalem Arabs to vote
in the upcoming PLC elections. The Jerusalem Post
quoted PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas as saying
Monday that he will resign if he fails to implement his
political platform, and that he has no plans to run for
a second term.

Leading media reported that on Monday, PM Sharon opened
his eyes for the first time since his hospitalization.
Media quoted senior physicians as saying that Sharon's
blinking is insignificant.

The media reported that over the weekend, Qassam
rockets were fired at Israel from the northern Gaza
Strip.

On Monday, Ha'aretz reported that AG Menachem Mazuz
informed Olmert on Sunday that he cannot appoint Shimon
Peres, Dalia Itzik, and Haim Ramon to the transition
government before the elections.

All media reported that the Labor Party is holding its
primaries today. Israel Radio reported that Knesset
Member Haim Oron was the big winner in Monday's Meretz-
Yahad primaries. The Jerusalem Post reported that
sources close to Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu told
the newspaper on Monday that the Likud is expected to
adopt a diplomatic platform that calls for negotiating
a peace agreement with the Palestinians that would
ensure that Israel will maintain secure and defensible
borders. The Jerusalem Post quoted Yuval Steinitz
(Likud),Chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee, as saying that a Palestinian state
would not be ruled out in the plan, but that there
would be no talk of a final-status agreement until the
Palestinians stopped terrorism, violence, and
incitement. On Sunday, Yediot also noted a possible
change of attitude in the Likud on the issue of
Palestinian statehood.

On Sunday, Maariv wrote that Olmert is considering
attending the annual convention of the Davos Economic
Forum in Switzerland, which will take place next week.
The newspaper reported that the directors of the forum
are interested in having Olmert meet for the first time
with the rulers of several Arab states, including King
Abdullah of Jordan and the prime ministers of Egypt and
the United Arab Emirates.

Ha'aretz reported that one of the last things that
Sharon did before his stroke was to appoint former
Justice Minister Dan Meridor as sole arbitrator in the
dispute between IDF Intelligence, the Mossad, and the
Shin Bet. The newspaper wrote that the dispute between
the three branches of the security services is, on the
whole, a professional dispute, but that occasionally it
has descended into vicious personal rivalries.

All media reported that Transportation Minister Abraham
Hirchson announced on Monday that he would grant the
Israeli airline Israir a license to operate regular
flights on the Tel Aviv-New York route. The media
quoted Israir CEO Sabina Biran as saying Monday that
competition on the line should reduce prices "by up to
10 percent compared to the prices charged by El Al."
The media reported that El Al and the Israeli airline
Arkia are expected to appeal Hirchson's decision.

Ha'aretz cited statistics presented at a Jewish Policy
Planning Institute conference this week, according to
which this year will mark the first time in history
that there will be as many Jews living in Israel as in
the U.S. The newspaper wrote that the greater Tel Aviv
area has already replaced New York as the city with the
most Jews.

On Sunday, Maariv reported that State Comptroller Micha
Lindenstrauss is examining allegations that Peres
received hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal
contributions which helped him during the Labor party
primary in which he was elected chairman.

Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that on
Monday, the High Court of Justice rejected a petition
by convicted spy Jonathan Pollard seeking Prisoner of
Zion recognition. (A Prisoner of Zion is a Jew
officially recognized by Israel for having been
prevented from immigrating to Israel.)

Maariv reported that the U.S. intends to ban imports of
poultry from Israel beginning Wednesday. The newspaper
reported that a delegation from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service
visited Israel a month ago and found that Israeli
poultry slaughtering facilities do not comply with U.S.
standards and are unhygienic. Saying that the USDA had
suggested that Israel suspend its poultry exports to
the U.S. on its own initiative, Maariv quoted an
American source as saying: "We want to prevent
unpleasantness from Israel."

Israel Radio reported that last night in Los Angeles,
Paradise Now won the Golden Globe Award for Best
Foreign Award Film. The movie, directed by Palestinian
filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad and co-produced by Israel,
among other countries, tells the story of two childhood
friends from Nablus who are about to undertake a
suicide mission in Tel Aviv.

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1. Mideast:
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Summary:
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Terrorism expert Dr. Boaz Ganor wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The social and
economic agenda that flashed into the Israeli public's
consciousness, and rightfully so, several weeks ago ...
gives way to a security agenda."

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized:
"Someone who, like Olmert, supported the disengagement
and sees himself as Ariel Sharon's heir cannot explain
away his weakness on [rioting by settlers in Hebron]
when confronted by a group of hooligans."

Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized: "There is
no justification for removing [the Jewish community of
Hebron] from its land that, as everyone knows, is an
indivisible part of the Jewish People's heritage."

Very liberal columnist Gideon Levy wrote in Ha'aretz:
"Still at hand is the Israeli occupation in its full
cruelty and hopelessness, and apparently only America
is capable of announcing its denouement.... The bad
news is that there is no way George Bush will be this
bold president."

Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist
Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative,
independent Jerusalem Post: "What American interest is
served by the exacerbation of the Arab-Israeli conflict
and the establishment of operational bases for
international terrorism in the Middle East?"

Hebrew University Political Science Prof. Shlomo
Avineri, a former Foreign Ministry director-general,
wrote in Yediot Aharonot: "[A majority of Israelis]
have expressed the need to cope with the fact that both
the Left and the Right have failed so far to find a
solution in our relations with the Palestinians."

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


I. "On a Powder Keg "

Terrorism expert Dr. Boaz Ganor wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (January 16):
"The calm on the Palestinian front is making it
possible for Israel, on the eve of elections, to behave
like a normal country and place urgent economic and
social issues at the top of the political agenda. But
we must not be deluded: the relative security calm is
no more than a lull, which will not last for long. In
fact, Israel is simultaneously facing three strategic
security threats that are among the most severe that it
has known in the past decade -- chaos in the
Palestinian Authority with an increase in Hamass
strength, infiltration of the activity of global Jihad
organizations into the boundaries of Israel and the
territories, and Iranian acquisition of nuclear
capability, accompanied by explicit threats against
Israel.... The social and economic agenda that flashed
into the Israeli public's consciousness, and rightfully
so, several weeks ago, therefore gives way to a
security agenda."

II. "Challenge of the Hebron Hooligans"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized
(January 16): "There is no doubt that Sunday's rioting
[in Hebron] was intended to present Acting Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert with the demand that the settlers
in general, and the settlers of Hebron in particular,
present to every prime minister, and in effect to every
government: Leave the extremist enclave in Hebron
outside the realm of any law.... This is the moment for
Olmert and his government, however temporary, to do
away with protests and denunciations, and to make it
clear which is the government of Israel.... Someone
who, like Olmert, supported the disengagement and sees
himself as Ariel Sharon's heir cannot explain away his
weakness on this matter when confronted by a group of
hooligans."

III. "The Jews' Right in Hebron"

Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized (January
17): "The [Hebron] settlers' outcry that resounds in
the ears of the Prime Minister [sic]: 'We won't be
deported like sheep,' must make him reconsider his
erroneous decision. He must avoid harming the Jewish
community in Hebron, the City of the Patriarchs. There
is no justification for removing it from its land that,
as everyone knows, is an indivisible part of the Jewish
People 's heritage. The Prime Minister [sic] must view
the City of Patriarchs with Jewish eyes."
IV. "One Little Telephone Call"
Very liberal columnist Gideon Levy wrote in Ha'aretz
(January 15): "The dismantling of several 'illegal'
outposts in the West Bank, and even the exalted
disengagement, were modest steps compared to what is
really required. Still at hand is the Israeli
occupation in its full cruelty and hopelessness, and
apparently only America is capable of announcing its
denouement. In light of the absolute dependence of the
Israeli economy and army on the U.S., this is a
possible mission -- were it not for the fact that the
last president one could expect to do this is sitting
in the White House.... It only remains to hope for a
bold American president who will know how to overcome
pressures from the powerful Jewish and Christian
lobbies, who will understand that a true friend,
concerned for the future of Israel, is only one who
brings about the dismantling of all settlements, and
that a fearless warrior against international terror,
who truly wants to strike a blow against one of its
important infrastructures, is only one who puts an end
to the Israeli occupation of 38 years. The good news
is that this is possible. The bad news is that there
is no way George Bush will be this bold president. He
has already fulfilled his role in this region: he
commended Ehud Olmert for his 'courage.'"




V. "A Question For President Bush"

Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist
Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative,
independent Jerusalem Post (January 17): "To date, by
ostentatiously inviting Ehud Olmert to Washington ahead
of the general elections, the Bush administration has
made clear that it hopes to see him form the next
government. By pressuring Israel to allow Arab
residents of its capital city to vote in the
Palestinian elections next week -- notwithstanding
Hamas's participation in the elections and a Fatah
slate dominated by terrorists and led by convicted
murderer Marwan Barghouti -- the Bush administration
has made clear that it supports maximalist Palestinian
territorial demands regarding Jerusalem and backs a
Palestinian proto-state governed and dominated by
active terrorist groups. As Israelis ask just how far
the Bush administration is planning to go in making
itself an actor in our electoral process, the White
House would be well advised to ask itself some hard
questions of its own. It could start with this one:
what American interest is served by the exacerbation of
the Arab-Israeli conflict and the establishment of
operational bases for international terrorism in the
Middle East?"

VI. "The Way, Not the Man"

Hebrew University Political Science Prof. Shlomo
Avineri, a former Foreign Ministry director-general,
wrote in Yediot Aharonot (January 17): "The majority of
Israel's citizens -- between 65 and 70 percent -- who
supported the disengagement were not homogeneous: there
were people from the Right, who worried about Israel's
fate as a Jewish state; and there were people from the
Left, who supported any move that would put an end to
at least part of the Israeli occupation. Whatever the
case may be -- and as there was a reasonable
expectation that this was the beginning of a
[diplomatic] path in the absence of a partner on the
Palestinian side -- this is a public that has expressed
the need to cope with the fact that both the Left and
the Right have failed so far to find a solution in our
relations with the Palestinians. One can learn much
from the fact, which surprised many people, that
support for Kadima has not diminished despite Sharon's
disappearance from the political scene. This is a
substantial makeover on Israel's political map; as
Gaullism survived De Gaulle in France, the same will
apparently happen to Sharon."

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

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

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized: "Cutting off diplomatic ties ... in
addition to the menu of sanctions that were imposed on
Libya, would deal a devastating blow to the legitimacy
of the Iranian regime."

Block Quotes:
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"Time For 'Libya-Plus' Sanctions on Iran"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized (January 17): "Iran is not Libya, Iraq,
or North Korea. It does not consider itself a pariah
state, nor is it as self-isolated from the world.
Though an oil exporter, Iran must import 40 percent of
its refined fuel from abroad. Cutting off diplomatic
ties, scientific exchanges, and the right to
participate in sports events, such as the 2006 World
Cup, in addition to the menu of sanctions that were
imposed on Libya, would deal a devastating blow to the
legitimacy of the Iranian regime. What matters most
now is speed and seriousness. Weak, lowest common
denominator sanctions could be worse than nothing. If
China or Russia are unwilling to allow the Security
Council to impose a 'Libya-plus' sanctions package, the
U.S., UK, France, and Germany should impose such
sanctions as a group, and encourage all free nations to
join them. Iran is betting, even though it much weaker
than the democracies it confronts, that the West will
not have the will to stand up to its threats. The UN
may continue fail its own Charter by proving an
obstacle to, rather than a vehicle for, such collective
action. But this is not a reason for free nations to
allow a single rogue state to usher in a future of
increasing terrorism and nuclear blackmail -- at best."

JONES