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

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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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1. Mideast


2. Iran: Nuclear Program


3. Israel-U.S. Relations

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Key stories in the media:
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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,

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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."

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1. Mideast:
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Summary:
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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:
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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."





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2. Iran: Nuclear Program:
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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:
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"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."

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3. Israel-U.S. Relations:
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Summary:
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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:
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"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