ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 000448 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. Israel-U.S. Relations -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- Israel Radio reported that on Monday, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and UNSC member Germany decided to transfer the issue of Iran's nuclear program to the UNSC. Major media reported that on Monday, senior Quartet representatives met at the residence of British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in London. Ha'aretz, Israel SIPDIS Radio, and other media cited a statement read by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after the meeting, SIPDIS which warned that "all members of the future Palestinian government must be committed to non- violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap." The Jerusalem Post reported that PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas is expected to hold talks in Cairo later this week with Hamas leader Khaled Mashal about the formation of a new PA cabinet. The newspaper quoted Abbas as saying Monday that he would meet with Hamas leaders within two weeks to ask them to form a new government. In its lead story, Maariv quoted Abbas as saying in private meetings and conversations with his associates that he is determined to remain in office and stabilize the PA. Maariv quoted him as saying: "Israelis have nothing to panic about. The Palestinian people has not changed. We want peace and believe in an arrangement with Israel. This is the mandate I received from the Palestinian people and I intend to implement it. Negotiations should be resumed; the contacts should not be interrupted -- this would be a surrender to the extremists and terrorism." Leading media cited relatively moderate statements made by various Hamas spokesmen over the last few days. Maariv wrote that it would be hard to ignore those utterances, even if they are meant for American and European ears. The Jerusalem Post quoted senior Israeli officials as saying this week that internal strife and in-house fighting between Fatah and Hamas has created a "terror vacuum" among the various Palestinian groups that Islamic Jihad is trying to fill. The Jerusalem Post reported that a top official of The Third Way Party led by former PA finance minister Salam Fayed told the newspaper Monday that the party will not join a coalition government led by Hamas. The Jerusalem Post said that the official's clarification puts an end to speculation that Fayed could become the next Palestinian PM. The newspaper noted that it was previously thought that the popular Fayed, who, like Hamas, ran on an anticorruption platform, could serve as premier to provide experience and a moderate face for the new PA government. However, the newspaper quoted Hanan Ashrawi, the No. 2 on the party's list as saying that the similarities between The Third Way and Hamas, ended with a desire to eliminate corruption in the PA, and that her party could not join a government led by Hamas. Except Maariv and The Jerusalem Post, all major dailies bannered the issue of the illegal Amona settler outpost. The media reported that the IDF and police are proceeding with their preparations to demolish nine permanent houses in Amona tomorrow. Some 6,000 security troops will take part in the operation. Ha'aretz reported that on Monday, Acting PM Ehud Olmert met with leaders of the Yesha Council of Jewish Settlements in the Territories and informed them that the evacuation would be carried out as planned. The media reported that several hundred activists (according to some newspapers, up to 1,500) have managed to reach Amona despite the army's efforts. Ha'aretz cited the belief of Amona's action committee chair Avihai Baron that some 10,000 people would help the resistance. All media cited a statement issued by the Justice Ministry, according to which A-G Menachem Mazuz denied that an agreement had been reached with Hebron settlers that the state would consider a legal arrangement that would enable Jews to return to live in the city's wholesale marketplace within a short time. Yediot and Israel Radio repotted that last night, the Hebron settlers voluntarily vacated the market. Ha'aretz quoted Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz as saying that Hamas's election victory gives Israel an incentive to decide in favor of a unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank. The newspaper cited his belief that such a decision will be made within a year, and that the diplomatic picture will become clear by the end of the year. Ha'aretz cited Mofaz's view that if it seems certain that there is no Palestinian negotiating partner, then Israel would have to set new, defensible borders for itself. Ha'aretz wrote that these positions, which have not been made public, bring Mofaz closer to the line taken by Kadima, his party. All media reported that Olmert intends to kick off Kadima's election campaign tonight in Jerusalem, when he will present the party's 50 Knesset candidates. Leading media wrote that the list reflects a balance among the sectors of Israeli society. The Jerusalem Post quoted Meretz-Yahad party head Yossi Beilin as saying Monday: "Nobody will talk with them [Hamas] until they meet two conditions: renunciation of terrorism and recognition of Israel." The newspaper reported that other Meretz politicians, as well as members of the Labor Party and independent left-wing politicians all said that Hamas, in its present state, was not a partner for peace. The newspaper also quoted Beilin as saying, "A unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank would be like wrapping a present for Hamas." Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post featured an interview with Iranian emigre Hossein Derakhshan, who lives in Canada and is currently visiting Israel in order to present Israel to his Iranian readers through his moderate eyes. Ha'aretz reported that Derakhshan's Internet blogs in English and Farsi are read by 11,000 people. Yediot reported that the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) might shut off the PA's electricity supply, as the PA's outstanding debt to the IEC has reached a record high of 220 million shekels (around USD 47.5 million),out of which 50 million shekels alone comes from the Gaza Strip. The newspaper reported that the IEC recently asked the Finance Ministry to intervene. The Jerusalem Post quoted MK Yuri Shtern (Yisrael Beiteinu),the head of the Knesset's Christian Allies Caucus, as saying on Monday at the group's monthly meeting that Hamas's victory is a declaration of holy war against both Judaism and Christianity. Leading media reported that left-wing activist Haim Hanegbi claimed on Monday that he is the rightful owner of the land on which the Hebron Municipality built its wholesale market. In a letter to A-G Mazuz, Hanegbi said he must be consulted on any future decision regarding whether to stop leasing the land to the Hebron Municipality and rent it out to Israeli settlers, and that he wants Palestinians to occupy the market compound. Citing news agencies, Yediot reported that a federal court in Chicago will decide this week whether to allow Shin Bet agents to testify behind closed doors and under an assumed identity against three Hamas activists accused of money-laundering for the organization. Israel Radio cited the results of a poll published in the Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, according to which 75 percent of Palestinians who voted for Hamas in the January 25 elections oppose calls to destroy Israel; 84 percent of Palestinians support a peace agreement with Israel; and more than three quarters of Palestinians who support peace with Israel voted for Hamas in the elections. Erratum: A sentence in Monday's morning media review should have read: "On Sunday, Maariv chose to highlight remarks by Hamas's political leader Khaled Mashal that Palestine extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, while Ha'aretz cited Mashal's comment that Hamas will treat the existing agreements practically." -------------- ¶1. Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "We will go on living and flourishing even without the recognition of Hamas. We don't need any favors." Veteran columnist Yaron London wrote in the lead editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "We would do well ... to listen attentively to ... words ... uttered by Khaled Mashal, the most important Hamas leader ... 'Resistance is a strategic option, until the last inch of Palestine is liberated and the last of the refugees returns.'" Columnist Shaul Schiff wrote in nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe: "Those who pushed for democratic elections in the territories cannot now elude the consequences." The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "The genocidal threats from Iran and Hamas can be met, provided the West stops trying to let its sworn enemies off the hook." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "We Don't Need Any Favors" Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (January 31): "Hamas's surprise electoral victory is a kick in the teeth to all who were hoping for a peace agreement.... The very idea that the whole world is down on its knees, begging a Koran-centric organization whose goals are achieved by murdering Jews to recognize Israel's right to exist, is insulting.... The victory of Hamas is, first and foremost, the problem of the Palestinians themselves. Precisely now, when a political system is taking shape in Israel that has enough electoral clout to reach an agreement, it would be foolish for the Palestinians to wreck their chances again because of the rise of some fanatic party that is not prepared to accept Israel's existence, let alone speak to it. Swayed by fundamentalism in one guise or another, the Palestinians have been paying for their obstinacy, their extremist policies and their mistakes for many decades. We will go on living and flourishing even without the recognition of Hamas. We don't need any favors." II. "The Truth in Their Hearts" Veteran columnist Yaron London wrote in the lead editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (January 31): "Arab leaders are perceived as sworn deceivers, but the years we have spent in the midst of Ishmael should have taught us that they are tactical liars and strategic truth-tellers. This refers to when they present to their peoples a distant goal that is based on a fundamental premise that does not change with time: Israel is a foreign body and it is destined to be destroyed. Until that day arrives and in order to hasten it they allow themselves the liberty of saying things that can be understood in a few ways, they wink to deceive us into believing that there is a difference between fulminating platforms and practical politics. Alternatively, we are strategic liars and tactical truth-tellers. We have never set ourselves an agreed-upon vision, but we do tend to enslave ourselves to paradigms that are shattered to pieces after a short number of years.... We would do well were we to listen attentively to the words being spoken, such as those uttered by Khaled Mashal, the most important Hamas leader, at a rally marking the anniversary of Hamas's establishment: 'Resistance is a strategic option, until the last inch of Palestine is liberated and the last of the refugees returns.' Those are not mere tactics that are geared to enflame the passions of Hamas's ardent followers, but a strategy in light of which we need to weigh our course of action. Mashal speaks the voice of truth." III. "America's Erroneous Forecasts" Columnist Shaul Schiff wrote in nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe (January 31): "The United States pushed for democratic elections in Judea and Samaria and in the Gaza Strip [i.e. the territories]. The U.S. was told time and again of the perils inherent in public support for Hamas. But Bush apparently believed that the Palestinians are alumni of the U.S. constitutional system. Those who pushed for democratic elections in the territories cannot now elude the consequences. Indeed, in a short while, the Jewish liberals in the U.S. will demand to talk with Hamas -- especially when in Israel proper there already are politicians who claim, 'As we talked with Fatah we must talk with Hamas, which will eventually become moderate as Abu Mazen has.' The U.S. is good at manufacturing Cruise missiles but very far from understanding the mentality of its Muslim enemies." IV. "Iran and Hamas Can Be Checked" The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (January 31): "With regard to Iran and 'Hamastan,' the U.S. and Europe are facing a classic choice between confrontation and appeasement. Neither is a case where radical tactics and objectives -- such as racing to obtain nuclear weapons, support for terrorism, and seeking the destruction of Israel and the proliferation of Islamist regimes -- can be negotiated away or assuaged through partial fulfillment. The wider jihad against the West, of which the war against Israel is a part, will either gather momentum and succeed, or it will be confronted and defeated.... The genocidal threats from Iran and Hamas can be met, provided the West stops trying to let its sworn enemies off the hook." -------------- ¶2. Iran: Nuclear Program: -------------- Summary: -------------- Senior columnist Dan Margalit wrote in popular, pluralist Maariv: "There is cause for concern that a Nazi regime has been growing in the east ever since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election as the president of Iran.... We should all contemplate again to what extent the flames of hatred would have been lowered had Hitler been assassinated before the fall of the Nazi regime a few years later." Block Quotes: -------------- "Hitler to the East" Senior columnist Dan Margalit wrote in popular, pluralist Maariv (January 31): "I have never drawn a comparison between even the worst of Israel's enemies in the Middle East and the Nazis.... [But] there is cause for concern that a Nazi regime has been growing in the east ever since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election as the president of Iran -- against the democratic world, and principally against Judaism.... Senior [American] officials, such as Senator John McCain and other conservatives say that the situation reminds them of Nazi Germany in 1933.... The problem is that, just like in the 1930s, there is always someone who will say that things are not as bad as they look. One important American columnist, William Pfaff, who never misses an opportunity to take an anti-Israel position, said that everything would be resolved were Israel to end its conflict with the Palestinians. Moreover, he says, if America and Israel are allowed to possess weapons of mass destruction -- why isn't Iran? Like Pfaff, there were people who wrote similar things when Hitler put troops in the demilitarized Rhineland in April 1936.... Ahmadinejad, like Hitler, is not alone. He is planted in a dangerous fundamentalist quagmire, just as his German precursor was wrapped in the armor of evil Nazis. The West -- and Israel as a part of it -- must ask itself if ousting him from the presidential palace might alleviate the distress of Jews and humanity at large. As the West devotes itself to that question we should all contemplate again to what extent the flames of hatred would have been lowered had Hitler been assassinated before the fall of the Nazi regime a few years later." -------------- ¶3. Israel-U.S. Relations: -------------- Summary: -------------- Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "If the American Jewish community wishes to mitigate the damage this episode has already done to its good name and reputation, it must unify behind [former AIPAC officials Steven] Rosen and [Keith] Weissman and insist that the charges against them be dropped." Block Quotes: -------------- "The Trial of American Jewry" Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (January 31): "Whether it realizes it or not, American Jewry today stands before a precipice.... It is unclear what motivated the FBI to pursue the AIPAC officials. What is clear enough, however, is that [the] effect of the prosecution has not only weakened AIPAC but has made all American Jews who lobby the U.S. Congress and executive branch on behalf of Israel the objects of suspicion and has empowered the anti-Semitic forces in the U.S. government who insist that all Jewish activists are somehow stained with questionable patriotism. If the American Jewish community wishes to mitigate the damage this episode has already done to its good name and reputation, it must unify behind [former AIPAC officials Steven] Rosen and [Keith] Weissman and insist that the charges against them be dropped. And if AIPAC wishes to continue to be viewed as the main American Jewish lobbying organization in the U.S. capital, it should be advised by its members and by its colleagues to lead the charge." JONES