ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 000693 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: -------------- Mideast -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- The Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz, and Israel Radio reported that Israeli officials who gathered at FM Tzipi Livni's office Wednesday agreed that Israel should not oppose humanitarian aid to Palestinians through organizations such as the Red Cross and the UN Relief and Works Agency. The radio reported that Livni also expressed this view. The Jerusalem Post wrote that the officials' idea is to create a distinction in the international arena between aid to the Palestinian people and its government. Ha'aretz and Israel Radio quoted a Jerusalem source as saying that Israel does not want to cause an economic crisis and see "hungry children." Ha'aretz and Israel Radio quoted Acting PM Ehud Olmert's adviser Dov Weisglass as saying: "It's like a meeting with a dietician. We have to make them much thinner, but not enough to die." In its lead story, Yediot reported that Israel will impose an "economic siege on the Hamas regime." The newspaper reported that on Friday, Olmert is expected to declare the beginning of sanctions against the PA: in a first stage, the transfer of USD 45 million to the PA would be frozen; in a second stage, legislation would be enacted to prevent international fund transfers; as a last resort, Israel would cut off power in the PA. Ha'aretz cited a statement issued Wednesday by Hamas that two Hamas moderates are slated to head the new Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and cabinet. The newspaper wrote that the decision to appoint Dr. Abed al-Aziz Duaik as head of the PLC and Ismail Haniyeh as PA prime minister is seen as capitulation to international pressure on the movement. Ha'aretz quoted Duaik as saying Wednesday that once the new government was formed, Hamas would formulate its own peace plan, with a long-term truce with Israel. Israel Radio reported that Duaik told the station that a siege on the PA is an anti-democratic act, and that Hamas members are the representatives of the Palestinian people and that Israel should recognize the new reality and the Palestinians' choice. Ha'aretz and Israel Radio reported that on Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives determined that U.S. aid should not be given to the PA if the party holding the majority of seats in the PLC calls for the destruction of Israel. Ha'aretz said that the resolution has symbolic, declarative importance. Israel Radio reported that the U.S. Senate passed a similar resolution. The Jerusalem Post quoted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as testifying Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that U.S. tax dollars would not be given to a Palestinian government in which Hamas plays a leading role. Ha'aretz and Israel Radio quoted Rice as testifying that the U.S. will step up its efforts to bring about democratization in Iran. Ha'aretz reported that James Wolfensohn, the Quartet's Mideast envoy, met in Moscow Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the tense situation in the Middle East following Hamas's electoral victory. Ha'aretz reported that Putin told Wolfensohn he was "very glad to have an opportunity to talk about the situation currently developing in the region." Citing AP, Ha'aretz quoted Jibril Rajoub, the PA's National Security Adviser, as saying in Cairo Wednesday that Hamas does not need to recognize Israel immediately as a condition for forming a government, hinting it could use recognition as a bargaining chip in the future. However, Rajoub underlined that Fatah would not join a Hamas-led government unless it recognizes peace agreements with Israel and drops Muslim fundamentalist elements from its political program. Rajoub was quoted as saying in an interview with Israel Radio this morning that the PA's security services currently under the control of the PA's Interior Ministry will be placed in the hands of Hamas, in accordance with the PA's Basic Law. The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that the IDF released Ahmed Haj Ali, 66, a Hamas member who was elected in the recent PLC elections, after serving five months in administrative detention. Ha'aretz, The Jerusalem Post, and Maariv reported that the Dalai Lama, who arrived in Israel on Wednesday, called for a renewed Middle East dialogue. Ha'aretz quoted him as saying it was "too early to say" whether Israel should talk to Hamas. He reportedly appealed to Hamas to turn away from violence and to approach the situation "more realistically." Ha'aretz and Yediot quoted Transportation Minister Meir Sheetrit as saying Wednesday that a number of countries in Europe and Asia have approved El Al planes outfitted with new anti-missile defense systems to enter their airspace. Ha'aretz quoted Sheetrit was as saying that a number of African countries are poised to approve Israeli planes equipped with the system. Yediot reported that the Mauritanian security services have thwarted an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Nouakchott. Citing the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Jerusalem Post reported that Palestinian political scientist Khalil Shikaki, who is affiliated with Brandeis University, dismissed allegations that he is linked to Islamic Jihad and that he said he is not worried about attempts to persuade Jewish groups to cut him off. The Jerusalem Post reported that this week, the Oxford University is holding an "Israeli Apartheid Week, hosted by the Palestinian Society. Leading media reported that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz decided on Wednesday that the criminal investigation of PM Sharon and his son Gilad regarding the "Cyril Kern affair" will continue despite Sharon's grave health condition. Mazuz was quoted as saying that the prosecution has gathered significant evidence in the matter. Leading media quoted Iran's Ambassador to Portugal Mohammed Taheri as saying Tuesday in an interview on Tuesday with Portuguese state radio RDP: "When I was ambassador in Warsaw, I visited Auschwitz and Birkenau twice and made my calculations. To incinerate 6 million people, 15 years would be necessary." The Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz reported that Amitai Sandy, a Tel Aviv artist, has launched the Israeli Anti- Semitic Cartoon Contest, a challenge, led by Jews, to find the best cartoons, caricatures, and short comic strips that demonize the Jewish people. The Jerusalem Post quoted Sandy as telling the newspaper that his intention was to challenge bigotry by using humor -- an approach that officials at Yad Vashem are not convinced is the best idea. Maariv disclosed that Israel's first nuclear accident took place at Rehovot's Weizmann Institute in 1956 or 1957 and that it was silenced. Maariv reported that a gang of young Muslims tortured and killed a young Jew near Paris. His body was found on Wednesday. A Yediot/Mina Zemach (Dahaf Institute) poll held late this week shows a decrease in support for Kadima and a rise in support for the far right: -"Were elections for the Knesset held today, for whom would you vote?" (Results in Knesset seats -- in brackets, results of previous poll.) -Kadima 41 (43); Labor Party 20 (20); Likud 15 (15); Shas 10 (11); National Union-National Religious Party 8 (6); Arab parties 9 (8); Yisrael Beiteinu 7 (8); United Torah Judaism 5 (6); Meretz 5 (5). Maariv printed the results of a TNS/Teleseker Polling Institute survey conducted Wednesday evening, which shows a decline in support for Kadima: -"Were elections for the Knesset held today, for whom would you vote?" (Results in Knesset seats -- in brackets, results of last week's poll.) -Kadima 39 (40); Labor Party 20 (21); Likud 15 (15); Shas 10 (9); United Torah Judaism 10 (9); National Union-National Religious Party 9 (9); Arab parties 8 (8); Yisrael Beiteinu 7 (7); Meretz 6 (6). Channel 10-TV and Ha'aretz published the results of a survey conducted Tuesday night by Prof. Camil Fuchs of the Amanet Group's Dialogue Institute: -"Were elections for the Knesset held today, for whom would you vote?" (Results in Knesset seats -- in brackets, results of poll conducted on February 9.) -Kadima 40 (40); Labor Party 19 (21); Likud 13 (15); Shas 10 (10); National Union-National Religious Party 10 (8); Arab parties 10 (9); United Torah Judaism 6 (7); Yisrael Beiteinu 7 (5); Meretz 5 (5). Yediot wrote that the recent Gallup poll about U.S. opinion towards Israel and the Palestinians found that 65 percent of Americans believe there is no chance for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. -------------- Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "As long as Israel controls the territory and its citizens settle there, it must not punish the Palestinians, even if it doesn't like how they voted." Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in Ha'aretz: "The next [Israeli] government must place the problem of Israel's legitimacy in the forefront and invest every possible effort to improve Israel's image in the world." Nationalist writer Uri Dan commented in popular, pluralist Maariv: "It looks as though Putin is prepared to use the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to bring back to Russia its place in the Middle East." Liberal columnist Yael Paz-Melamed wrote in Maariv: "Of all the annoying cliches spouted during an election period, the most annoying is the one that talks about the unity of the people." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "Go For the Political Approach" Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (February 16): "The Hamas victory in the elections, with all its drawbacks, does not free Israel of its responsibility for the welfare of the population. If it plans to disengage from the Palestinians, it must withdraw from the West Bank and evacuate the settlements. Then it can stop providing supplies, electricity, water and medication as a means of deterrence or punishment in its struggle against its hostile neighbor. But as long as Israel controls the territory and its citizens settle there, it must not punish the Palestinians, even if it doesn't like how they voted. The Gaza Strip, even after the disengagement, is considered to form a 'single territorial unit' with the West Bank, according to agreements that obligate Israel. Moreover, it's doubtful that there is political wisdom in pushing Hamas against the wall and shattering the cease-fire, which has led to relative calm over the past year. Olmert is subject to pressure: the Likud is accusing him of capitulating to Hamas and demanding that he cease transferring tax monies that belong to the Palestinians. But Olmert would do well to take the election considerations into account less and give greater thought to the political and ethical responsibility he bears." II. "Improve the Image" Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in Ha'aretz (February 16): "Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni says that today's UN would not pass the November 29, 1947, decision that called for the partition of the Land of Israel and the establishment of the State of Israel. Livni is pointing to a genuine problem: Israel is struggling to maintain its existential legitimacy as the Jewish state. The question is what the Foreign Minister and her colleagues in the government are doing in the face of the danger.... Israel is losing its grip on important, influential parts of public opinion in the West, and is being shoved into the corner with rightist, Christian groups that preach in favor of a war of civilizations with Islam. As a result, there is a growing gap between the Israeli interpretation of reality and the way Israel is perceived in the world.... Force is a necessary condition for the state's existence, but it is not a sufficient condition on its own. The time has come to change priorities, and to give some importance to Israel being just. That doesn't mean getting up and running out of all the territories. Even after such a withdrawal, there will be things that Israel will be blamed for and accused of. But the next government must place the problem of Israel's legitimacy in the forefront and invest every possible effort to improve Israel's image in the world." III. "Russian Double Game" Nationalist writer Uri Dan commented in popular, pluralist Maariv (February 16): "Putin's grave decision -- inviting the heads of Hamas to the Kremlin -- recalls the somber days of the former Soviet Union, when Moscow embraced the PLO and ARAFAT when their Palestinian Charter called for the elimination of Israel.... The Russian Foreign Ministry's cynical attempt to explain Putin's move as a step that would demand of Hamas the cessation of terrorism and the recognition of Israel is only lip service. It looks as though Putin is prepared to use the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to bring back to Russia its place in the Middle East. Reports from Russia have long indicated a change in Putin's policy vis-a-vis his 20 million Muslim citizens. The Russian President is trying to reassure the Muslim community by saying that the 'Russian people is multi-ethnic.' But he is simultaneously fighting Chechnyan terror and its supporters with all his might.... [In this context, it is worthwhile recalling that in early 1999, then foreign minister Ariel] Sharon and [then advisor to the prime minister in the fight against terror Meir] Dagan promised intelligence cooperation with the Kremlin in the war on terror -- with the knowledge of the U.S. administration." IV. "Forget Unity" Liberal columnist Yael Paz-Melamed wrote in Maariv (February 16): "Of all the annoying cliches spouted during an election period, the most annoying is the one that talks about the unity of the people.... As someone very familiar with the level of verbal violence that burns up the Internet every time an article appears condemning the settlers' behavior, I know how stupid and baseless is the desire that we all be brothers. The curses, the vilification, even the threats, and mainly the unwillingness to print even one convincing opposing argument, is the path chosen by these 'brothers' to react to a different world view.... All the soldiers, men and women, who took part in the evacuation of Gush Katif and were met by screams and cures, with the word Nazis not being the worst of them, know that we have to stay silent and move on. There is consolation from both sides: there will be no civil war [literally war of brothers in Hebrew] here. Not only because we are not brothers, but because those that are capable of starting such a war are so few, that the maximum they can do is to set up a few underground cells, burn a few cars, attack Arabs, but that's all. They don't have the power, they don't have the support and they don't have the means. To the same degree, looking from the other side, there will be no unity here. It is our fate to be part of the same Israeli people, part of the same Jewish faith. That is hard enough in itself. We also have to send our children to the army to defend us from radical settlers, to pay taxes so we can fund the illegal outposts in the heart of Palestinian towns. To ask for anything beyond would be wild exaggeration, and we should therefore drop it. Enough already, forget unity." JONES