ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 004699 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. Iran -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- Major media reported on, and Ha'aretz (English Ed.) led with, praise lavished on Thursday by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on PM Ehud Olmert for his address on Monday at a memorial event for Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion. Ha'aretz cited sources in Olmert's bureau quoting Secretary Rice as saying: "The speech will contribute to calm and will further the peace process in the region." Ha'aretz reported that during their meeting on Thursday, Olmert updated Rice on the talks held a day earlier with visiting Egyptian Chief of Intelligence Omar Suleiman, regarding efforts to gain the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier, Gilad Shalit. Ha'aretz wrote that the Secretary informed Olmert of the content of her talks earlier in the day with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Following her meeting with Olmert, Rice met with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Ha'aretz said that the Secretary expressed her appreciation for the restraint Israel has exercised in recent days in the face of continued rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. Rice added that the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip needs to be bolstered with further measures. Yediot reported that Olmert and Livni conveyed to Rice their concerns about Hamas's arming. Ha'aretz quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev as telling reporters that Olmert wants to extend the cease-fire to the West Bank once it has proven effective in the Gaza Strip. Israel Radio reported that defense sources will oppose this trend. In a headline above a picture of the Bush-Rice meeting, Hatzofe wrote that Olmert was "receiving orders." Leading media quoted Rice as saying following her meeting with Abbas earlier that Israel and the Palestinians should step up efforts to revive peace talks and move toward a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Hopefully we can take this moment to accelerate our efforts and intensify our efforts toward the two-state solution that we all desire," Rice said at a news conference with Abbas. Yediot reported that, after the GOI instructed the IDF to discuss the stabilization of the truce with Palestinian organizations, Israel is coordinating the cease-fire with Hamas. Yediot quoted Noam Shalit, Gilad Shalit's father, as saying during a press conference on Thursday that he has sent messages to Khaled Mashal, the head of Hamas's political bureau. Ha'aretz (Hebrew Ed.),The Jerusalem Post, and Maariv led with Lebanon-related issues. Ha'aretz cited fears in Lebanon that Hizbullah-initiated demonstrations against the regime in that country might provoke riots today. The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli defense officials expressed extreme concern on Thursday over Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah's call for a massive protest to being down the Lebanese government. The Israeli officials warned that UNIFIL might be expelled from Lebanon if PM Fouad Siniora were forced to leave office. Maariv quoted Olmert as saying during a closed meeting on Tuesday with the ambassadors of the EU that Israel does not intend to "give Hizbullah what it wants in exchange for caskets." Maariv quoted the PM as saying that he does not intend to reach any agreement with Hizbullah before he obtains evidence that the captured IDF soldiers are alive. Maariv said that Olmert clearly hinted that IDF soldiers Eldar Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, who were kidnapped by Hizbullah, might not be alive. Last night Channel 10-TV told the story of "Avi," an Israeli residing in the US, who came in possession of current documents and photographic material related to one of America's most wanted men, Hizbullah's chief operations officer Imad Mughniyeh, whose latest known pictures were published decades ago. According to the station, "Avi" gave the materials free of charge to Israel's three intelligence agencies, which invited him to Israel. Channel 10-TV reported that the agencies reneged on their promises to "Avi," including granting Israeli citizenship to his companion "Anat," a national of an Eastern European country, which would have allowed her to live in the US. Israel Radio reported that a Hebron Palestinian youth was killed by Border Policemen after he threw a firebomb at the forces. Citing Reuters, Ha'aretz reported that IDF soldiers shot dead a Palestinian youth in Nablus on Thursday. The radio said that a Qassam rocket was fired at the western Negev, and that the IDF arrested 29 Palestinians -- mostly Hamas militants -- in the West Bank. All media quoted Abbas as saying at the joint press conference with Secretary Rice that the talks with Hamas on the establishment of a SIPDIS government of national unity have reached a "dead end." The Jerusalem Post reported that Abbas is expected to make a "dramatic announcement" this weekend regarding the ongoing crisis with Hamas over the formation of a Palestinian unity government. The Jerusalem Post reported that PA officials told the newspaper that Abbas was considering the possibility of firing the Hamas-led government and holding a national referendum on early parliamentary elections. Yediot and Israel Radio reported that last night the High Court of Justice rejected, 4-3, petitions that demanded the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the second Lebanon War. Israel Radio reported that the Movement for Quality Government will appeal the ruling. Israel Radio reported that the US might demand that the UN Security Council impose sanctions on Iran even without Russia and China's assent. Former Israeli Ambassador to Tehran Uri Lubrani, an advisor to the Defense Minister on Iran, was quoted as saying in an interview with Ha'aretz that instead of launching a military operation against Iran, he favors fomenting a popular regime change and paralysis of the Iranian oil industry, suggesting that the US foot the bill for the operation. Maariv reported that this week Defense Minister Amir Peretz decided to adopt the defense establishment's view that a fence be built in the middle of the village of Barta'a, which straddles the Israel/West Bank border. Israel Radio reported that the Baker/Hamilton committee recommends the creation of a conference, in which Iran and Syria would also participate, in which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would also be discussed. The radio reported that senior members of the Republican Party could object to some recommendations of the committee, principally a pullback of US forces from Iraq. The radio hinted that those officials might also object to the committee's advice on the Middle East. British Ambassador to Israel Tom Phillips was quoted as saying on Wednesday in an interview with Ha'aretz (English Ed.) that Britain's policy toward Israel will not change when British PM Tony Blair steps down. Media reported that on Thursday an Egyptian state security court confirmed death sentenced against three men found responsible for the October 2004 Sinai bombings in which 34 civilians, including 13 Israelis, were killed. All media reported that former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon left New Zealand earlier this week, after an arrest warrant was issued against him there as a suspect of war crimes. After the retired general, who had been on a private visit in New Zealand, departed the country, the warrant was canceled. Yediot said that the Israeli-Palestinian radio station Kol Hashalom serves as a "rare meeting place" between bereaved people on both sides. -------------- ¶1. Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The US President is trying to strengthen [Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri] Al-Maliki, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. But how will the battered and bruised Bush summon the resources to help them?" Senior columnist Nahum Barnea wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "In order to promote an initiative, there is need for a different Palestinian government." Political parties correspondent Yossi Verter wrote in Ha'aretz: "Olmert apparently realized that he had to go back to the sources, and the sources of Kadima are, simply stated: a diplomatic process." Senior columnist Dan Margalit wrote in the popular, pluralist Maariv: "Olmert has recognized the Hamas government de facto.... [But its] infrastructure is crippled." Meretz Party Chairman, Knesset Member Yossi Beilin wrote in The Jerusalem Post: "[Olmert] understood that US President George Bush will demand that Olmert address the Palestinian issue." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "Triple Trouble" Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (12/1): "The US President is trying to strengthen [Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri] Al-Maliki, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. But how will the battered and bruised Bush summon the resources to help them? The three leaders are similar, but there are also substantial differences between them. The Bush administration sees Al-Maliki as being insufficiently resolute to act in accordance with the interests that will calm his country. The White House is concerned that he is sometimes motivated by impulses that do not correspond with the objective.... The American position is different regarding Siniora: The Bush administration does not have a shadow of a doubt regarding his motives and intentions, but they understand full well that the weakness of his government doesn't allow him to do more. In other words, Siniora is the right person in the right place. As for Abbas, the Americans are not worried about the purity of his intentions, but they think he too has difficulty understanding how to carry them out. And unlike with Siniora, they are not convinced that he will ever reach this understanding, even when he is handed the means and the resources. Perhaps, as a Bush administration official put it a few months ago, he has the will, but not the personality." II. "Respect Him but Suspect Him" Senior columnist Nahum Barnea wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (12/1): "When a prime minister declares, as Olmert declared, that he has no need for an agenda, the agenda pursues him.... There are no free lunches. The cease-fire enables Hamas to gain strength in Gaza, and what is even more severe in the eyes of Minister Avi Dichter: it enables it to build an infrastructure in the West Bank as well. If Hamas builds up its strength in the West Bank, the entire center of the country will be exposed to rockets and suicide bombings. The next stop in the journey is the prisoners' agreement.... [Foreign Minister] Tzipi Livni will support the release of prisoners with blood on their hands, if the release is part of a comprehensive initiative. When Israel gives the Palestinians a gesture here and a gesture there, it weakens Abu Mazen and strengthens Hamas. Only when the gestures are part of an initiative, a plan, are they beneficial, believes Livni. This is also the opinion of the leaders of the moderate, diplomatic camp on the Palestinian side. But in order to promote an initiative, there is need for a different Palestinian government. And terror must be battled against, in keeping with the Roadmap. All the plans, including Olmert's plan and the plan put forth by Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos, speak first about a war on terror and only then about an Israeli withdrawal. It is difficult to see how Abu Mazen can overcome this obstacle." III. "Back on Track" Political parties correspondent Yossi Verter wrote in Ha'aretz (12/1): "Two [close associates of Ehud Olmert] said that [his November 27 speech] was nothing but an aggregation of speeches and statements that had already been delivered and stated: in the Knesset, in his victory speech on election night, and in the 'convergence' interviews. This is how one rebuilds the image of the leader whose status has been eroded and who has been mortally wounded because of the war. But even without all the surrounding brouhaha, it can be said that Olmert's speech put his government on its natural track again. Since the Lebanon War, this government had lost its sense of direction. After all the declarations, all the spin, the cross-eyed glances to the right, and the foaming at the mouth on the Iranian issue, Olmert apparently realized that he had to go back to the sources, and the sources of Kadima are, simply stated: a diplomatic process." IV. "Bacteria Hunters" Senior columnist Dan Margalit wrote in the popular, pluralist Maariv (12/1): "Calm came to pass for various reasons. The first, obvious one is that Hamas in Gaza became entangled due to the IDF's shrewd fighting and the West's refusal to recognize its war-mongering government. The cease-fire saved the remainder of its rule. IDF Chief of Staff was right in saying that the [Israeli] government consulted the IDF only partially before it implemented the cease-fire. It did not want a truly professional opinion before exacting a success. There are less transparent reasons [for the cease-fire]: Olmert has recognized the Hamas government de facto. It is an organization whose main purpose is to rehabilitate the infrastructure of terrorism in Judea and Samaria [i.e. the West Bank]. This infrastructure is crippled." ¶V. "Is Olmert Serious This Time?" Meretz Party Chairman, Knesset Member Yossi Beilin wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (12/1): "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's speech Monday at Sde Boker was the third of three major orations he has lately given on matters of war and peace.... He understood that US President George Bush will demand that Olmert address the Palestinian issue just as he understands that the Quartet's demands of the nascent Palestinian government will be much more moderate than the demands placed on PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's government these past months.... If only he is serious this time. If only he would move, as I recently suggested, toward a final agreement that follows the Geneva Accords, or would find another way to reach an historic deal, the members of Meretz-Yahad will raise their hands in favor, even from our modest place in the opposition." -------------- ¶2. Iran: -------------- Summary: -------------- The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "There is a huge gap between Bush's description of the [Iranian] problem and US actions." Meretz Knesset Member Avshalom Vilan, a founding member of Peace Now, wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Can we really afford populism when dealing with what may be the most important question for Israel's security?" Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "Beyond Alarms" The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (12/1): "There is a huge gap between Bush's description of the [Iranian] problem and US actions. If the world is facing a 'mortal threat' from Iran, why does the US seem to be so actively contemplating asking Iran to help with Iraq? It is ironic that the Bush speech in Riga was made to NATO leaders. NATO, after all, is supposed to be a body of collective self-defense, a forum for action -- as in the case of the joint forces now operating in Afghanistan that Bush praised. NATO could also be a forum for imposing sanctions, backed by the threat of military action. Russian and Chinese foot-dragging cannot be allowed to become an excuse for collective Western suicide. In Riga, Bush came over like a fire chief sounding the alarm who, instead of organizing his trucks to put out the fire, pens a letter 'to whom it may concern.' The US needs to lead the world in confronting Iran. This means spelling out what economic, diplomatic, and if necessary, military measures must be taken to do so. If Bush does not, the historic indictment of which he speaks will be of his own term of office, during which a global threat which could have been stopped was allowed to reach its most critical stage." II. "Populism Instead of Foreign Policy" Meretz Knesset Member Avshalom Vilan, a founding member of Peace Now, wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (12/1): "Israeli interests suggest the formation of a wide coalition of the international community, thus portraying Iran as a challenge to the world, rather than a risk to regional stability, important as that may be. Only a global coalition could apply an effective economic pressure leading to significant political pressure.... Instead of creating an atmosphere of fear and panic, the Israeli Prime Minister and his cabinet would do better to create coalitions between possible allies. The coalition should be undoubtedly be led by the United States, but it cannot rely on American power and readiness for action alone.... Olmert and Netanyahu are continuing the line, drafted by first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion that 'it does not matter what the gentiles do but what the Jews do.' Both policymakers fall short of grasping that the world has changed, and in an era where globalization prevails, threats and public policy should not be coordinated solely from Jerusalem. Henry Kissinger was quick to comprehend this -- 'Israel has no foreign policy but only domestic politics.' But if in the past the truism of Kissinger's witty wording was enough to carry a comprehensive foreign policy, we may now have reached the point when this becomes a strategic threat. Can we really afford populism when dealing with what may be the most important question for Israel's security?" JONES