ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 000851

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. Global War on Terror


2. Mideast


3. Iran: Nuclear Program

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Key stories in the media:
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Major media -- lead story in Ha'aretz (Hebrew Ed.) --
cited a report put out by the International Atomic
Energy Agency, which found that Iran is attempting to
expand its uranium enrichment program. The Jerusalem
Post and other media quoted Defense Minster Shaul Mofaz
as saying that he backs calls for the UN Security
Council to block Iran's nuclear program.

Maariv quoted Acting PM Ehud Olmert as saying on Monday
at a public meeting in Tel Aviv: "Hamas does not
frighten us and does not threaten Israel's existence."
Leading media cited Olmert's hope that PA Chairman
[President] Mahmoud Abbas will stay in office. Maariv,
Ha'aretz, and Israel Radio quoted Olmert as saying that
there is no disagreement between Israel and the US on
diplomatic issues. Olmert was quoted as saying: "The
US does not believe that aid should be given to those
who are not prepared to acknowledge the existence of
the State of Israel. We see eye-to-eye with the US
regarding all aspects of the conduct [to be held] vis-a-
vis Hamas, the PA and the Roadmap. There is not even a
smidgen of misunderstanding, or dust of disagreement.
The US insists on the fact that negotiations should not
be conducted with those who do not want to make peace."

The Jerusalem Post quoted Foreign Ministry officials as
saying that despite the EU's decision Monday to funnel
some USD 143 million to the PA, Israel and Europe
continue to have a common Hamas strategy.

Ha'aretz reported that Olmert will convene a special
meeting today on Israel's bilateral relations with
Russia. The newspaper quoted political sources in
Jerusalem as saying that the discussion had been
scheduled a long time ago and that it was a regular
event. Nevertheless, they were quoted as saying that
it now has added significance in light of Russia's
increased involvement in the region.
The Jerusalem Post reported that outgoing PA minister
Muhammad Dahlan has denied involvement in an alleged
plot -- reported in the Egyptian publication Radio & TV
Magazine -- to assassinate Khaled Mashal, the head of
Hamas's political bureau. The Jerusalem Post says that
the Egyptian magazine is normally described as being
reliable.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Ports, Customs,
and Free Zone Corporation, the parent company of Dubai
Ports World, a Dubai-based firm at the center of a
political storm in the US over the purchase of American
ports, participates in the Arab boycott against Israel.

Israel Radio reported that today the Central Elections
Committee will discuss a request from right-wing
parties that the United Arab-List/Arab Movement for
Renewal be barred from participating in the upcoming
Knesset elections. The plaintiffs claim that the head
of the list, Sheikh Ibrahim Sarsur, wants to turn
Israel into a Muslim state. The radio quoted MK Ahmed
Tibi, who is in charge of PR for the Arab list, as
saying that, due to its hostility to Arabs and Muslims,
the far right is trying to prevent true representation
of the Israeli Arab public.

Yediot quoted former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan
Kurtzer as saying in an interview with the Council on
Foreign Relations that Olmert's declarations regarding
an additional withdrawal from the West Bank and about
Israel's holding on to three settlement blocs were
Sharon's views and that a majority of Israelis support
this policy. [NB: The Council on Foreign Affairs'
Internet item is dated February 10.]

The Jerusalem Post printed an extensive interview with
Ambassador Henry A. Crumpton, the State Department's
Coordinator for Counterterrorism, which focused on
Hamas and Iran.

Citing AP, Ha'aretz reported that on Monday, Hamas
leader Khaled Mashal discussed efforts to form a
Palestinian government with Syrian FM Walid Moualem,
telling reporters after the meeting that he met with
Moualem for "consultations on political issues," and
Syria's support for the Palestinians. Ha'aretz
reported that a Mashal-led Hamas delegation will visit
Moscow on Friday.

Yediot reported that on Monday, the High Court of
Justice definitely ruled that the IDF's use of human
shields -- dubbed "neighbor practice" -- is illegal.

Ha'aretz reported that a new inner circle of advisors
headed by Tal Zilberstein, is surrounding Olmert,
replacing Sharon's "ranch forum."

All media reported that former PM Ehud Barak has agreed
to join the Labor Party campaign in some measure,
despite the ongoing rift between him and party chairman
Amir Peretz.

Ha'aretz quoted Dr. Riad Malki, the head of the
Panorama Research Institute in Ramallah, as saying at a
meeting organized by the Israel-Palestine Center for
Information and Research (IPCRI) that, without anyone
realizing it, the West Bank and Gaza Strip are being
transformed into two separate entities.

The Jerusalem Post reported that tests conducted by
Israel's veterinary services on samples of blood and
saliva from livestock and dead wild fowl found in Gaza
last week have proven negative, quelling fears of a
possible outbreak of hoof and mouth disease and bird
flu in Gaza.

Maariv reported that the Foreign Ministry has recently
asked the Shin Bet to allow wealthy residents of
Persian Gulf countries to visit Israel. The newspaper
reported that the Shin Bet has not yet responded to the
ministry's request.

Major media reported that on Monday, a joint Israeli-
Jordanian team, sponsored by the Bridging the Rift
foundation, set out in the Dead Sea to find new
insights into the special life forms that thrive there.
It is the first time such a joint team has come
together to explore the Dead Sea, which borders both
Israel and Jordan. Seawater will be sent for
laboratory examinations in Israel, Jordan, and the
American universities Stanford and Cornell.
Yediot reported that in a few months, a delegation of
Hollywood producers will visit Israel to check into the
possibility of producing movies here. The Israeli
Consulate in Los Angeles initiated the move.

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1. Global War on Terror:
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Summary:
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Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld wrote in the

SIPDIS
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "While the
enemy is skillful at manipulating the media and using
the tools of communications to their advantage, we have
an advantage as well: truth is on our side, and,
ultimately, truth wins out."

Block Quotes:
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"The Media War on Terror"

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld wrote in the

SIPDIS
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (February 26):
"Terrorists have skillfully adapted to fighting wars in
today's media age, but, for the most part, America and
the governments of the other democracies have not....
Free governments must make communications planning a
central component of every aspect of this struggle.
Indeed, the longer it takes to put a strategic
communications framework into place, the more the
vacuum will be filled by the enemy.... Government
public affairs and public diplomacy efforts are slowly
beginning to reorient staffing, schedules and
bureaucratic culture to engage the full range of
today's media. Still, government must develop the
institutional capability to anticipate and act within
the same news cycle.... We are fighting a war in which
the survival of our way of life is at stake. And the
center of gravity of that struggle is not just the
battlefield. It is a test of wills and it will be won
or lost in the court of global public opinion. While
the enemy is skillful at manipulating the media and
using the tools of communications to their advantage,
we have an advantage as well: truth is on our side,
and, ultimately, truth wins out."
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2. Mideast:
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Summary:
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Liberal op-ed writer Ofer Shelach commented in the lead
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot: "Olmert and his people aren't telling us who
is relevant."

Uzi Arad, the Director of the Institute of Policy and
Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center, who was a
senior advisor to former prime minister Binyamin
Netanyahu, wrote in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot: "the leaders of Hamas and Iran say in ways
that cannot be misunderstood that their goal is to
destroy Israel as a state.... But nothing will convince
the people on the Left."

Gershon Baskin, the Co-Director of the Israel-Palestine
Center for Information and Research (IPCRI),wrote in
the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "Here is
what I believe can be a reasonable solution: Israel
unilaterally withdraws behind the security barrier
including all settlements east of the barrier."

Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized: "The
sudden change in Washington's stance [regarding the
allocation of funds to the PA] speaks for itself."

Block Quotes:
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I. "Like With Arik"

Liberal op-ed writer Ofer Shelach commented in the lead
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot (February 28): "Until recently, Israel
pretended that Abu Mazen was the great hope ... not
that we spoke with him, God forbid; there was nothing
to talk about. He did bow under the double burden of
chaos in Palestinian society and Israel's unrealistic
demands.... There's only one thing that Olmert and his
people -- exactly like Sharon and his governments --
aren't telling us: who is relevant then? They don't
exactly intend to cope with the reality about which
James Wolfensohn, the Quartet's Mideast envoy, warned:
stopping the funding of the Palestinian Authority might
cause its collapse within two weeks -- a collapse that
would lead the entire region to a violent crisis."

II. "The Threats Are Indeed Real"

Uzi Arad, the Director of the Institute of Policy and
Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center, who was a
senior advisor to former prime minister Binyamin
Netanyahu, wrote in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot (February 28): "In his eulogy for Ro'i
Rothberg [the murdered security officer of Kibbutz
Nahal Oz at the Gaza border], exactly 50 years ago,
Moshe Dayan said that the people beyond the border were
praying 'for our weakness so that they might tear us to
shreds'.... Nowadays, the leaders of Hamas and Iran say
in ways that cannot be misunderstood that their goal is
to destroy Israel as a state. At the top of the
website for Izz al-Din al-Qassam, Hamas's military
wing, is a Star of David that fades away after a
nuclear mushroom cloud rises up from inside it. But
nothing will convince the people on the Left, who would
prefer to shut their eyes to the threats and go so far
as to chastise those whose sworn duty is to warn us.
It is not with the profound hatred of Israel and Jews
that they are trying to deal, but with the voice
warning about dire consequences.... The decree of our
generation is no different from the decree of the
1930s, 1950s or 1970s, and that is the tragic dimension
of the 'choice of our life,' to quote Dayan. The
challenge currently facing the government of Israel is
to crystallize and to lead a multi-faceted strategy for
dealing with the current threats. To do so with a
level head and not flippantly; to do so while grounded
in reality; and by utilizing all of Israel's might.
That is the challenge, which is simultaneously both
strategic and existential, to which we need to focus
all of our capabilities."

III. "How to Guard the Two-State Option"

Gershon Baskin, the Co-Director of the Israel-Palestine
Center for Information and Research (IPCRI),wrote in
the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (February
28): "It is time to admit that Israel and the
Palestinians do not have the tools or ability to
resolve, or even manage, the conflict by themselves. We
need help, and the international community is the
address to provide that help. Here is what I believe
can be a reasonable solution: Israel unilaterally
withdraws behind the security barrier including all
settlements east of the barrier.... Israel turns to the
Security Council and requests that the UN take
responsibility for the areas from which Israel
withdraws.... The Security Council creates a UN Interim
Administration Mission with a four-year timetable. Its
main task: to prepare the Palestinian territories for
independence.... The remaining permanent-status issues
(final borders, Jerusalem, refugees) would not be dealt
with until the last year of the UN Interim
Administration mission, as the mission would not be in
the position to replace Palestinian negotiators;
however, if conditions arose in which such negotiations
were possible earlier, the mission would request that
the Security Council convene in order to determine the
best way to conduct them. With the establishment of
the UN Interim Administration Mission, future control
of the political process would be in the hands of the
UN Security Council (to be expected as a reasonable
international demand in exchange for its coming to the
rescue). While this initiative ought to be launched
and presented to the Security Council by Israel, it is
essential that the Palestinian people back it.... On
the positive side for the Palestinians, Israel would
continue to withdraw, and to move settlements behind
the security barrier. Palestine would reach
independence in four years.... The Israeli occupation
would essentially end and the Palestinian problem
finally would be internationalized."

IV. "'Misunderstandings With the US"

Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized (February
28): "The sudden change in Washington's stance
[regarding the allocation of funds to the PA] speaks
for itself.... It surprised the [Israeli] government,
which had hoped that Jerusalem and Washington would be
united on the Hamas front. All of a sudden it turns
out that there are disagreements that are worrying when
one considers the future."

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

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

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "The
announcement the Russian and Iranian governments made
Sunday regarding their agreement in principle on the
joint enrichment of uranium deserves a reserved
welcome."

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized: "The problem is not, as US National
Security Adviser Stephen Hadley responded [to the
Russian-Iranian announcement], that 'the devil is in
the details.'"

Block Quotes:
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I. "Suspicion Yet to Be Lifted"

Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized
(February 28): "The announcement the Russian and
Iranian governments made Sunday regarding their
agreement in principle on the joint enrichment of
uranium deserves a reserved welcome.... It is ...
important that the international community continue its
meticulous surveillance of Iran's actions, thoroughly
examine the details of the agreement, demand the
renewal of piercing supervision of Iranian nuclear
sites, and not drop the threat of sanctions -- just in
case Tehran once again attempts to deceive its dialogue
partners and continue down the dangerous path toward
the bomb."

II. "Devilish Deal"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
editorialized (February 28): "The announcement by the
nuclear chiefs of Russia and Iran that they have
reached a tentative agreement is grounds for concern
rather than relief. The problem is not, as US National
Security Adviser Stephen Hadley responded, that 'the
devil is in the details.' In this case, the devil is
in any agreement that gives the illusion of resolving a
crisis, thereby sparing a no less dangerous Iranian
regime from international sanctions. The deal in
question is based on a Russian offer to enrich uranium
in Russia and deliver it to Tehran, as a way of
ensuring that Iran will not be able to itself produce
bomb-grade material and build a nuclear weapon. Europe
and, surprisingly, the US have supported such a plan in
principle.... Iran represents the greatest test of the
international community's willingness and ability to
protect itself since 9/11. There is no option of being
satisfied with pretend solutions that the regime will
rightly portray as diplomatic victories, and that do
not fundamentally change Iran's behavior, let alone
free the Iranian people from the grip of extremist
clerical rule. The international community's objective
must be to, as the first operative sentence of the UN
Charter states: 'take effective collective measures for
the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and
for the suppression of acts of aggression ...' Only by
imposing draconian multilateral non-military sanctions
now is there a possibility of avoiding the need for
military actions in the near future."

JONES