ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 TEL AVIV 004262 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 CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL FOR POLAD/USIA ADVISOR COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD COMSIXTHFLT FOR 019 JERUSALEM ALSO ICD LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL PARIS ALSO FOR POL ROME FOR MFO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: IS KMDR SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION -------------- SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: -------------- ¶1. Mideast ¶2. US Israel Relations ¶3. UNIFIL in Lebanon -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- Ha'aretz reported estimations of military sources indicating the Defense Minister Peretz does not intend to evacuate whole settlements. According to the sources Peretz intends to demolish 86 illegal structures in the West Bank: 47 built by settlements and 39 by Palestinians. Yediot reported that Syria is increasing pressure on Hamas's political chief, Khaled Mashal to release Israeli abducted soldier corporal Gilad Shalit. The paper also cited officials in Jerusalem as saying that there is some progress towards a deal but that nothing is finalized yet. All media reported of an incident between IDF war planes and a German naval vessel in the northern part of Israel. The Germans claimed that Israeli F-16 planes fired missiles towards their ship. Israel claims that after a helicopter took off from the ship without identifying itself. Israeli jets were scrambled but the IDF announced that no missiles were fired, only flares. Defense Minister Peretz called his German counterpart, Franz Josef Jung, to clarify the details of the incident he also added that cooperation between Israel and UNIFIL in the area should be upgraded. All media reported that following the agreement between Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, MK Ephraim Sneh, would be appointed deputy defense minister, and Peretz would head a ministerial committee for the non-Jewish communities. The media reported that in a nightly meeting, Labor party ministers decided to adopt the decision and to support Lieberman's entrance to the coalition. The decision will now be moved to the Labor party's central committee that will gather on Sunday. Leading media cited Peretz as saying that he estimates that the government [with Lieberman] can survive a year. Ha'aretz's territories correspondents estimated that the conflict between Israel and Hamas will most probably escalate due to a decision in the IDF to try to thwart the establishment of a Hamas security service in the West Bank. Leading media cited the Qatari newspaper "Al-Watan" as reporting that Syria has raised its army's alert level following IDF training exercises on the Golan Heights. Ha'aretz reported that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has instructed the police and the State Prosecutor's Office to expedite the six-year investigation against MK Avigdor Lieberman. Lieberman is suspected of party-funding infractions in the 1999 elections. All media reported that European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana met MK and designated minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday. The media quoted Solana as saying before the meeting that he disagreed with Lieberman his whole life. -------------- ¶1. Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Settler leader Israel Harel wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Lieberman's entry into the government will not turn Israel into an adventurer. Perhaps the opposite is true.... Once the principal inciter is domesticated, his rhetoric will be domesticated along with him. Nevertheless, his entry into the government underscores our key governmental problem: For the last half year, the prime minister's chair has been occupied by a man who makes bizarre and even irresponsible decisions, in the political and security realms alike." Block Quotes: -------------- "Days of Decline" Settler leader Israel Harel wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (10/26): "Iran's race to develop a nuclear bomb, alongside its president's calls for the destruction of Israel, have caught us at one of our worst moments. The public has no confidence in senior government ministers, who proved their lack of wisdom and their haplessness in the Lebanon war.... This crisis of civilian leadership is occurring simultaneously with a no less fateful crisis of military leadership.... Even worse, it is also difficult to point to any suitable candidates for the post of chief of staff among the army's top ranks.... Fear should strike us in light of the possibility that those responsible for the inconceivable results in Lebanon, among both the political and the military leadership, will be manning the top civilian and military posts if the worst of all happens, and we are forced to repel an attack by the Iranians, or the Syrians, or a coalition of both (with the possible additions of Hezbollah and an all-out Palestinian offensive). But instead of the public debate focusing on these fateful issues, it has been focused -- despite the fact that it is clear to everyone that it is not his rhetoric that will embroil us with the Iranians -- on Avigdor Lieberman.... Lieberman, despite his fighting rhetoric, is not a monster.... Lieberman's entry into the government will not turn Israel into an adventurer. Perhaps the opposite is true.... Once the principal inciter is domesticated, his rhetoric will be domesticated along with him. Nevertheless, his entry into the government underscores our key governmental problem: For the last half year, the prime minister's chair has been occupied by a man who makes bizarre and even irresponsible decisions, in the political and security realms alike. -------------- ¶2. US Israel Relations: -------------- Summary: -------------- Washington based correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "It's hard to predict the force of the wave threatening to wash over the Republican Party, but at the moment, it seems likely to be a big one -- the kind that will be remembered for years to come.... Bush will be left on his own.... On the other hand, Bush will also be released from the bonds of the party, and while it is busy with politics, he will attend to posterity. He will find refuge in projects aimed at carving out his place in history.... Lebanon and Palestine are likely candidates. Difficult cases, but ones that seem worthy of further examination." Block Quotes: -------------- "Alone during the final stretch" Washington based correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (10/26): "It's hard to predict the force of the wave threatening to wash over the Republican Party, but at the moment, it seems likely to be a big one -- the kind that will be remembered for years to come.... Bush will be left on his own. He will be cut off from the party leadership, which will be scrambling to reorganize in anticipation of the next battle and to repair the damage to its image caused by Bush. On the other hand, Bush will also be released from the bonds of the party, and while it is busy with politics, he will attend to posterity. He will find refuge in projects aimed at carving out his place in history.... Bush will find refuge in foreign policy.... Lebanon and Palestine are likely candidates. Difficult cases, but ones that seem worthy of further examination.... Bush will not find it easy to succeed in these arenas either, however. The facts on the ground are deceptive, and his rivals in Congress also will make trouble for him. Some Israeli observers believe that the Democrats may actually run a right-wing, end run around Bush regarding issues affecting Israel. The Democratic leadership will try to prove that it is not too soft to rule: some will be as tough as Bush, if not tougher, when it comes to Iran. They will criticize insufficient implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on Lebanon, and they could very well block Bush on the question of Palestine if he or Rice start looking for achievements that could be interpreted as coming at Israel's expense." -------------- ¶3. UNIFIL in Lebanon: -------------- Summary: -------------- Military correspondent Amir Rappaport wrote in popular, pluralist Maariv: "This is the time to understand, for those who still don't understand that from their perspective, neither the French nor the Germans nor any other force came to do the work of the IDF. They came as a UN force, whose purpose is to ascertain that both sides are maintaining the cease-fire agreement. Yes, both sides, including Israel." Block Quotes: -------------- "This is Just the Beginning" Military correspondent Amir Rappaport wrote in popular, pluralist Maariv (10/26): "For ten years, one of Israel's basic principles was to prevent by any means the involvement of forces from the international community in the dispute with the Palestinians or the Arab countries. We certainly had no interest in having forces from European countries that are not overly fond of us, right under our noses.... It was not the wet dream of any one in the security establishment to see a huge international force immediately over Israel's northern border, but as we did not succeed in getting rid of Hizbullah in battle we were left with no alternative. Because of internal considerations, the government and the IDF marketed the partial achievement of the arrival of the multi-national force as good news. But now we are beginning to pay the anticipated price for internationalization. This is the time to understand, for those who still don't understand, that from their perspective, neither the French nor the Germans nor any other force came to do the work of the IDF. They came as a UN force, whose purpose is to ascertain that both sides are maintaining the cease-fire agreement. Yes, both sides, including Israel.... The gap between the way in which the role of the multi-national force is perceived in Israel in contrast to the way it is viewed in Europe is the source of many problems." JONES