ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TEL AVIV 000535

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. Muhammad Cartoon Controversy


3. Iran: Nuclear Program

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Key stories in the media:
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Israel Radio reported that FM Tzipi Livni, who leaves
for the U.S. today, will meet with Vice President Dick
Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and
National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. The radio
reported that Livni will also meet with King Abdullah
II of Jordan and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The
station noted that The New York Times called her a
"most unusual Israeli politician."

Israel Radio quoted Acting PM Ehud Olmert as saying
this morning at a conference organized by The Marker,
Ha'aretz's business section, that it is not in Israel's
interest to harm PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas
as long as he refrains from collaborating with Hamas
and as long as the PA does not have a Hamas government.
Olmert was quoted as saying that Israel will cooperate
with Abbas in order to strengthen elements that
recognize Israel's right to exist within secure
borders. Olmert was also quoted as saying that Israel
will not play into the hands of extremists who want a
never-ending war and terror. Ha'aretz led with a
report that Abbas told Israel recently that he will
continue to be responsible for diplomatic contacts with
Jerusalem despite Hamas's victory in the PA's
parliamentary elections, and that he requested that
Israel continue this dialogue rather than ignoring him
as "irrelevant." Ha'aretz wrote that Olmert responded
that in that case, Israel will continue talking with
Abbas for the time being. The newspaper reported that
Abbas's envoys stressed that the PLO, and not the PA,
is the body that has signed all previous agreements
with Israel and is officially responsible for
conducting diplomatic negotiations, and that since
Abbas is also chairman of the PLO, he intends to
continue negotiating with Israel in this capacity.
Abbas was also quoted as saying said that he intends to
try to regain control over both the PA's security
services and its budget. Both responsibilities were
taken away from Abbas's predecessor, Yasser Arafat, and
transferred to other Palestinian officials under
pressure from Israel and the U.S.

The media reported that on Sunday, Olmert ordered the
Finance Ministry to give the PA 249.7 million shekels
(around USD 53 million) in indirect taxes that Israel
collects on the PA's behalf. Olmert had delayed the
transfer for a few days in response to Hamas's
electoral victory. However, Olmert was quoted as
saying that from now on, the monthly transfers will not
be made automatically; instead, the government will
reexamine the situation each month and make a decision.
He assigned Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz to conduct the
monthly assessment on whether to transfer the tax
money, but Mofaz will consult with Olmert before making
a final decision.

Israel Radio quoted Mousa Abu Marzuk, the deputy head
of Hamas's political bureau, as saying in Cairo that
Hamas will abide by the agreements signed between the
PA and Israel, except for those that harm the interests
of the Palestinian people. Abu Marzuk was also quoted
as saying that his organization does not intend to
recognize Israel. The Jerusalem Post quoted PA Acting
Finance Minister Jihad Wazir as saying that if Hamas
did not change its ideology, the PA would collapse for
lack of funds.

All media reported that a 22-year-old Palestinian man
from the Nablus area stabbed a woman to death and
wounded four people on Sunday morning in an attack on
passengers of a Petah Tikva minibus taxi service. The
assailant was arrested. During the weekend, all media
reported that on Friday afternoon, a Qassam rocket
landed outside a trailer-villa occupied by Gush Katif
evacuees in Kibbutz Carmiya, injuring a seven-month-old
baby and his father while they were napping. The IDF
responded with artillery fire into the Gaza Strip.
Today, all media quoted Palestinian officials as saying
that Israeli missiles hit two cars carrying Islamic
Jihad militants in Gaza City last night, killing two
senior militants and badly injuring several others.
Media reported that the IAF also hit and killed three
Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades activists in Gaza on Sunday
morning. The media reported that the IDF confirmed
carrying out the double air strike.
On Sunday, all media reported that the International
Atomic Energy Agency decided on Saturday to refer
Iran's nuclear program to the UN Security Council.

All media reported that tens of thousands of right-wing
demonstrators rallied in Jerusalem Sunday night,
calling for a state commission of inquiry into the
excessive use of force by police at the Arnona
settlement outpost last week. The theme of the rally
was "Olmert is bad for the Jews." In its lead story,
Yediot quoted Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin as saying at
Sunday's cabinet meeting that a settler is bound to
fire at the security forces. Yediot reported that the
popular right-leaning Internet web site rotter.net
published a montage of Police Superintendent Moshe
Karadi with a Nazi flag in the background.

In its lead story, Maariv reported that last week FM
Tzipi Livni dispatched two of her senior aides to
London to meet with senior Afghan officials.

Leading media reported that a Belgian-Islamic political
organization, the Arab-European League, posted anti-
Semitic cartoons on its web site on Saturday in
response to the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that
appeared in a Danish newspaper last September. Leading
media cited claims in Lebanon that the arson of the
Danish Embassy in Beirut was directed from Damascus,
and noted the apathy of the Syrian forces in Damascus
during the attack on the Danish Embassy there.

During the weekend, all media reported on Sunday's
capsizing in the Red Sea of the Egyptian ferry As-
Salaam 98, which carried around 1,400 passengers, in
which 1,000 people disappeared. Ha'aretz reported that
Egypt turned down an aid offer from Israel.

All media reported that A-G Menachem Mazuz recently
ordered the Interior Ministry to recognize the marriage
of Yitzhak Rabin's assassin, Yigal Amir and Larissa
Trimbovler, despite the fact that the Justice Ministry
had defined the marriage as "problematic."

Maariv quoted Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as
saying in an interview with the German newspaper
Handelsblatt that the U.S. is not ruling a military
response against Iran. Over the weekend, major media
cited a call for unity in the fight against terrorism
made by Rumsfeld on Saturday at the annual Munich
security conference.

During the weekend, leading media reported that
Hizbullah fired dozens of mortar shells and anti-tank
missiles at anti-tank missiles at IDF posts in the
Sheba Farms area. An IDF soldier was lightly wounded
in the clashes. Leading media reported that in
retaliation, the IAF hit Hizbullah positions in
Lebanon.

Yediot reported that Israel's National Council for
Planning and Construction is expected to approve on
Tuesday the construction of a desalination plant in
Hadera that will supply water to the PA.

Ha'aretz cited an announcement released by the Israeli
Health Ministry on Sunday, according to which the
ministry and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
recently signed a first-of-its-kind memorandum of
understanding on the exchange of information between
the two bodies. The newspaper said that the agreement
related to pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

The Jerusalem Post cited the U.S. publication Defense
News as saying over the weekend that Israel has signed
a secret USD 350-million deal with India to develop and
manufacture the long-range Barak anti-missile air
defense system for both countries' militaries. The
Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli defense sources
refused to confirm the report but that they said Israel
had signed several "large-scale" deals with various
countries during the DEFEXPO arms exhibition in New
Delhi last week.

Ha'aretz reported that Russia and Turkey announced last
weekend that they are advancing plans to extend a
Russian-Turkish gas pipeline to Israel.

On Sunday, The Jerusalem Post printed a Jewish
Telegraphic Agency dispatch according to which American
Jewish leaders are fighting lobbying reform efforts in
the U.S. Congress.
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1. Mideast:
--------------

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

Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "[The U.S.
administration] is responding to long-term issues --
such as the fate of the Roadmap -- with a shrug."


Columnist Amos Gilboa wrote in popular, pluralist
Maariv: "Palestinian society has the potential for a
counter-reaction against Hamas."

Conservative columnist Prof. Efraim Inbar, Director of
the Begin-Sadat Strategic Center at Bar-Ilan
University, wrote in the conservative, independent
Jerusalem Post: "The Hamas ascendancy in Palestinian
politics ... further calls into question the wisdom of
the two-state paradigm."







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


I. "It's Currently Convenient For the U.S.
Administration Not To Look For Answers"

Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (February 6): "Like
everybody else, the {U.S.] administration was surprised
by the results of the PA elections. But it continues
to say that it isn't sorry about their having taken
place. It is responding to long-term issues -- such as
the fate of the Roadmap -- with a shrug. It says that
it is clear that the Roadmap is based on a situation in
which both sides can communicate and are interested in
its progress. If it turns out that this is the
situation, [the Roadmap] will have to be reassessed.
'Altogether,' says a senior U.S. official, 'I don't
feel the need to hurry. One can wait and see. The
time for new ideas and sophisticated proposals will
come. What's important for the Americans is to present
a united international front.' A senior administration
official says that this is what the U.S. has been able
to do."

II. "Still Not Hamastan"

Columnist Amos Gilboa wrote in popular, pluralist
Maariv (February 6): "The Palestinian Authority and
Palestinian society are still not Hamastan; there is
still a strong secular-national element in Palestinian
society. In other words, Palestinian society has the
potential for a counter-reaction against Hamas. It is
impossible to conjecture how the situation will
develop, but it is quite clear that if Fatah does not
engage in real soul searching -- and it needs to do so
-- and if Hamas is granted freedom of action (by the
internal arena and the international community),then
it will truly turn the PA into Hamastan in the future."


III. "Fatah-Hamas Cohabitation"

Conservative columnist Prof. Efraim Inbar, Director of
the Begin-Sadat Strategic Center at Bar-Ilan
University, wrote in the conservative, independent
Jerusalem Post (February 5): "The Hamas ascendancy in
Palestinian politics ... further calls into question
the wisdom of the two-state paradigm -- a bad idea that
is gradually losing its appeal. The exercise of
Palestinian self-determination has put the Palestinians
on a path of self-destruction by empowering Hamas, and
also endangering their neighbors. It is empathy for
the Palestinians that should ring the warning bells
against a Palestinian state and encourage a serious
search for alternative ways to manage the situation."

--------------

2. Muhammad Cartoon Controversy:
--------------

Summary:
--------------
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized:
"Neither European countries' fears of their Muslim
minorities, the fear of terrorism by Al-Qaida zealots
nor the anti-Jewish publications of the Arab states
suffice to justify hurtful assaults on religion."

Veteran columnist Yaron London wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "While the
West, after the wars of the Reformation, matured into
the 'age of Enlightenment,' the Muslim world is still a
backwards child."

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized: "Must 'understanding' invariably result
in the abdication of Western values?"

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


I. "The Muslim Protest"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized
(February 6): "The violence that has accompanied the
outbreaks of protest in the Arab and Muslim world
against European countries in which caricatures of the
prophet Muhammad were published deserves harsh
denunciation. The torching of embassies, the
commercial boycotts, the kidnappings, the beatings and
certainly the calls for murdering the desecrators of
Islam must be condemned. Nevertheless, it is
impossible not to understand the feelings of insult
among Muslims worldwide, including in the territories
and in Israel. The West's preaching of the value of
multiculturalism cannot be taken seriously if it does
not include both religious and secular people, members
of different communities, religious minorities and
Muslims and Christians alike.... The Arab media,
including the Palestinian press, publish an endless
stream of cartoons, television series and books whose
anti-Jewish character falls little short of the
infamous caricatures and publications of the Nazi Der
Sturmer. These publications should be unequivocally
condemned. But neither European countries' fears of
their Muslim minorities, the fear of terrorism by Al-
Qaida zealots nor the anti-Jewish publications of the
Arab states suffice to justify hurtful assaults on
religion."

II. "Artistic Terror"

Veteran columnist Yaron London wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (February 6):
"Why are other ideals, whatever they might be, not
immune to debasement, whereas religious beliefs, all of
which are part of the stupidest and most murderous set
of beliefs devised by the human spirit, enjoys
different treatment. The reason lies in their nature:
the precepts of religion need no proof, and in the eyes
of its adherents, there is no other truth. The
moderation of a moderate religious person does not stem
from his religion, but rather from the acceptance of
the principles of secular humanism. While the West,
after the wars of the Reformation, matured into the
'age of Enlightenment,' the Muslim world is still a
backwards child. It is very frightening to quarrel
with an overgrown, violent child, who attacks everyone
around him whenever he is offended."

III. "The Prophet's Honor"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized (February 6): "There are those who would
argue that the controversy does not reflect a clash of
civilizations. Yet it is precisely this persistent
refusal to acknowledge the obvious that weakens the
cause of tolerance and liberty. Must 'understanding'
invariably result in the abdication of Western values?
If anyone wants to appreciate why the West views with
such suspicion the weapons programs of Muslim states
such as Iran, they need look no further than the
intolerance Muslim regimes exhibit to these cartoons,
and what this portends.... Globalism demands that
points of contact between Islam and the West be multi-
cultural havens, not flashpoints. For that to happen,
tolerance must be a two-way street."

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3. Iran: Nuclear Program:
--------------

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

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized:
"Tehran will now have to pay the price of its partial
and mendacious reports to the IAEA."

Bar-Ilan University Communications and Political
Science Professor Eytan Gilboa, currently on sabbatical
at the University of Southern California, wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The United
States, the world's only superpower, has no tools to
prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons."

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


I. "The Price of the Lie"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized
(February 5): "The resolution by the Board of Governors
of the International Atomic Energy Agency to report on
Iran to the United Nations Security Council is an
important step in the right direction. It is the most
resolute step to be taken thus far in the effort to
curb the Iranian nuclear threat.... Tehran will now
have to pay the price of its partial and mendacious
reports to the IAEA while breaking the international
agreements it signed, and to be punished for throwing
off the agreement with the European powers to delay its
uranium enrichment activities. It is reasonable to
assume that the threatening anti-Semitic declarations
by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad illustrated
for the international community the aggressive nature
of the Iranian regime and its refusal to respect
acceptable norms of behavior between nations.... Israel
conducted a responsible policy that preferred
international mobilization led by the U.S. to
presenting the Iranian threat as purely an Israeli
concern.... The wording that was agreed on, 'The
solution to the Iranian issue would contribute to
global nonproliferation efforts and to realizing the
objective of a Middle East free of weapons of mass
destruction,' does not immediately endanger the
deterrent capability Israel has, which hinges on its
nuclear image. It is a reminder that the international
community is aware of the exceptional status of Israel
as an 'ambiguous power,' and will not agree to it
forever. However as long as Israel is exposed to
threats and numerous regional sources negating its
right to exist, it is clear -- obviously to the
international community as well -- that Israel will not
give up its deterrent capability."

II. "Without Teeth"

Bar-Ilan University Communications and Political
Science Professor Eytan Gilboa, currently on sabbatical
at the University of Southern California, wrote in mass-
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (February 5):
"The United States, the world's only superpower, has no
tools to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear
weapons.... The naive Europeans believe that every
conflict in the world, including the one between
Saddam's regime and the U.S. and the one that continues
between the Arabs and Israel, can be resolved by
negotiations. The European attempt failed, and Bush
can say 'I told you so' to his allies. The problem is
that he has no better alternatives. Bush wants the
Security Council to impose sanctions on Iran.... In any
case, it will be a long time before sanctions are
imposed, and during this time Iran can accelerate its
nuclear program. A diplomatic failure in the UN ...
leaves two problematic options: putting up with the
nuclearization of Iran, with all that implies, or
taking military action. The United States' trouble in
Iraq, the lack of support at home for additional
military measures in the Middle East, doubts regarding
the ability to destroy all Iranian nuclear
installations and fear of violent responses reduce the
probability that America will use military force in
Iran.... It is very doubtful whether America and the
West will be able to cope with a nuclear Iran, which
they themselves describe as the most prominent threat
to world peace."

JONES