ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 000903 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: -------------- ¶1. Mideast ¶2. US-Israel Relations -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- The concept of a new disengagement from the West Bank was headlined in the weekend's media. On Sunday, Ha'aretz reported that Acting PM Ehud Olmert is planning to enlist international support for a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from parts of the West Bank, if he wins the elections. The newspaper wrote that Olmert believes that the first objective of the next government will be to create a supportive international environment for implementing Israel's national goals: setting its borders and ensuring a Jewish majority. Ha'aretz reported that Olmert will try to persuade the US administration and the players in the international community that unless Hamas alters its positions, they must support a unilateral Israeli move to determine its border in the West Bank. Ha'aretz reported that Israel would begin to promote the unilateral initiative only after the Israeli elections. On Sunday, Yediot reported that former Shin Bet head Avi Dichter, who may become defense minister if Kadima wins the Knesset elections, detailed in a public forum in Holon, near Tel Aviv, on Saturday which settlements would be evacuated: Yitzhar, Tapuah, Eli, Nokdim, and Tekoa. According to Dichter, Kiryat Arba and Ofra would not be evacuated. Ha'aretz, Maariv, and Israel Radio said that Shimon Peres, number two on Kadima's Knesset list, criticized Olmert's reported intentions, saying that Israel should not hasten to proclaim a new withdrawal. The radio reported that several Kadima members insist that Israel not abandon the Roadmap. The Jerusalem Post quoted the US Embassy Spokesman as saying that the US position remains unchanged that "all final-status issues should be agreed to between the parties." However, The Jerusalem Post quoted American officials as saying in private that the US would not oppose Israeli decisions to cede territory that it no longer felt was strategically necessary to control. Today, Ha'aretz reported that the Israeli defense establishment is proposing that Israel withdraw to new defensive lines in the West Bank, which would include the Jordan Valley and key points along the central mountain ridge: Ariel, Ba'al Hatzor, Gush Etzion, and Jerusalem. The proposed policy also calls for international border points at the Erez and Karni crossings. According to Maariv, the Israeli defense establishment will recommend that the GOI cut off all contacts with the PA, though Israel would continue to provide the Palestinians with water and electricity, but not with fuel. Maariv reported that the defense establishment raised as an alternative the possibility that Jordan would be involved in the West Bank -- an option that had actually disappeared during the previous decade. In its lead story, Yediot reported on an almost complete severance of relations between Jordan and Israel, as Jordan insists that O/C Central Command Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh be relieved of duty. Yediot quoted a senior Jordanian official as saying that the anger in Amman's royal palace is even greater than following the 1997 assassination attempt on Hamas leader Khaled Mashal. Yediot reported that Jordan froze security meetings with Israeli security officials and canceled meetings with senior Israeli political officials. Ha'aretz reported that the majority of Israel's defense establishment officials are skeptical of the compromise proposal that Russia has presented concerning Iran's nuclear program. The newspaper reported that the Chairman of Israel's National Security Council, Giora Eiland, has recently changed his views on the subject and now believes that while any Iranian maneuver should be viewed with skepticism, that does not diminish the value of the Russian proposal. All media echoed revelations made by Channel 10-TV regarding the extensive involvement of previous MK Omri Sharon in political appointments during the premiership of his father and Kadima founder, Ariel Sharon. Leading media quoted Acting PM Ehud Olmert as saying Sunday during a videoconference with the AIPAC conference in Washington that Iran constitutes a serious threat to the entire world and that Israel cannot curb the Iranian nuclear threat on its own. Israel Radio and other media quoted the US Representative to the UN, Ambassador John Bolton, as saying at the conference that Iran "must be made aware that if it continues down the path of international isolation, there will be tangible and painful consequences." Ha'aretz reported that Bolton told the AIPAC delegates that the US commitment to Israel was unshakeable. On Sunday, The Jerusalem Post cited an AP dispatch quoting A/S David Welch as saying over the weekend that Palestinian leaders have returned most of the money the US donated directly to the PA government and that they will return the rest when Hamas takes over the government. Ha'aretz reported that the central question under debate among American decision makers regarding this region is how one continues helping the Palestinian population without helping the Hamas-controlled PA. The newspaper quoted a senior Israeli official as saying:" It is largely a technical matter, but it is the main issue right now in talks with the Americans." The Jerusalem Post reported that the PA Security forces are investigating whether Iran, Hizbullah, or Al Qaida are behind the Higher Shi'ite Council, a new Shi'ite group that has been operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over the past few days. Major media reported that in a video broadcast Sunday on Al Jazeera-TV, Ayman al-Zawahri, Al-Qaida's number two leader, express support for Hamas and its refusal to recognize Israel. Ha'aretz cited a World Bank report due to be published today, according to which the Rafah crossing agreement, which was supposed to facilitate the movement of goods into and out of the Gaza Strip and thereby enable the rehabilitation of Gaza's economy following the disengagement, has still not been implemented. The principal failure, the report reportedly says, is at the Karni cargo terminal on the border between Israel and Gaza, through which all of Gaza's imports and exports must pass. Leading media reported that Olmert called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday and told him that the visit of the Hamas delegation to Moscow was harmful. The media continued to cite contradictory statements by Hamas leaders. Israel Radio quoted Hamas leader Khaled Mashal as saying that Hamas's military branch, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam, will continue its armed struggle. This morning, Israel Radio reported that the IDF responded with artillery fire to the firing of Qassam rockets into the western Negev. On Sunday, Hatzofe cited the Palestinian press agency Dunia al-Watan as reporting that over the past several months, Hamas has been working hard to establish the al- Qassam Brigades as a regular army. Leading media reported that during Sunday's cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz quoted Jordanian intelligence sources as saying that a suicide attack in Jordan, planned by a group associated with Al-Qaida, was recently foiled. On Sunday, Maariv reported that for the first time, a team of settlers from the Binyamin Regional Council in the Samaria region (northern West Bank) is discussing the possibility of disengaging from Israel after a further Israeli withdrawal from the territories. Major media reported that Ehud Olmert has reached an understanding with the religious group within Kadima and with Rabbi Yoel Bin-Nun, who had been a leading figure in the settler movement. During the weekend, all media prominently reported that thousands of people marched through Nazareth on Saturday afternoon to protest Friday night's incident during which Haim Habibi, a Jewish man from Jerusalem, detonated firecrackers in the Basilica of the Annunciation in an act that his daughter said was motivated by "economic distress." The media reported that Israel apologized to the Vatican over the incident. Leading media reported that on Sunday, Olmert accused Israeli Muslim leaders of exploiting the incident for political purposes. During the Intifada, Habibi and his family sought refuge in Chairman [President] Yasser Arafat's Muqata'a compound, saying he was the only one who agreed to help them with their financial problems. Yediot reported that the UK has informed Israel that it is close to finding a solution that will allow IDF officers to visit Britain without fearing arrest over war crimes. Yediot reported that Martin Luther King, III, the son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wants to visit Israel to promote a dialogue between Jews and Palestinians. Ha'aretz reported that officials from the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, which is behind the founding of the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, have been studying a plan to relocate the Muslim graves that were uncovered at the planned building site. Under the plan, the museum would bear the costs of refurbishing the run-down graveyard and moving the graves to a nearby Muslim cemetery. Yediot reported on a new dispute between Israel's Ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon and the Israeli Foreign Ministry -- this time over a secretary. Maariv reported that in recent days, a 50-year-old Israeli was apprehended over suspicions of attempting to break into the US Embassy Chancery in Tel Aviv and the Ambassador's Residence in Herzliya. Erratum: Actual election results in development towns, as mentioned in the Maariv poll cited in Friday's Media Reaction report, date from 2003, not from 1993. -------------- ¶1. Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Chief Economic Editor Sever Plotker wrote in the editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "After Hamas's takeover of the Palestinian government, there is no political point in further withdrawals or disengagements.... Kadima is increasingly being perceived as a party that has lost its way, in a labyrinth of its own making." Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "[Ehud Olmert's] proposal to exchange the Roadmap for a unilateral plan with international backing is encouraging, and makes more sense than plans that aspire to topple Hamas. But so far, the plan he has proposed is insufficient." The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "The Russian invitation to Hamas and the latter's intransigence underscore the emerging clash between two distinctly contradictory approaches to the current situation." Contributor Michael Shafran wrote in conservative, Russian-language Vesty: "If the 'Abu Mazen factor' is neutralized, the Hamas leadership ... will be the only official PA representatives, which would be extremely undesirable for them at this juncture." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "The Kadima Government in a Self-Made Labyrinth" Chief Economic Editor Sever Plotker wrote in the editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (March 6): After Prime Minister Ariel Sharon lost consciousness, Kadima also lost its collective consciousness as a political party.... In the months that have elapsed since Sharon's illness it has made a series of blunders, which have begun to take their toll. The first blunder was the consent for Hamas to participate in the elections, before the organization canceled its anti-Semitic charter, which negates Israel's existence. A party with a platform such as Hamas's platform could not take part in an election campaign in any European country, no matter how democratic. The second blunder was the multiplicity of reactions to the election results, with one off-the- cuff statement following another, contradictory off-the- cuff statement. The third blunder lay in the excessive self-confidence. A week after the elections, the Israeli government stated decisively that it had succeeded in forming an international anti-Hamas coalition and that the world, including the Arab world, would boycott Hamas 'until it recognizes Israel.' All this, however, did not happen. Within a short time, Hamas succeeded in making a deep impression on Middle Eastern diplomacy, and upgraded its status to that of a respectable partner.... The fourth blunder was the lack of initiative.... And the latest blunders are being made now, under the verbal umbrella of new plans for 'unilateral disengagement' in parts of the West Bank. These are meaningless plans: after Hamas's takeover of the Palestinian government, there is no political point in further withdrawals or disengagements, military or civilian, and they do not serve Israel's interests. Such disengagements will be interpreted -- and are already being interpreted -- as a reward for Hamas.... The fog is thickening, and Kadima is increasingly being perceived as a party that has lost its way, in a labyrinth of its own making." II. "Not Good Enough" Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (March 6): "The unilateral approach is not unreasonable in the absence of a Palestinian partner for an agreement, but anyone who proposes withdrawing to defensible borders, getting out of the Palestinians' lives, liberating them from the regime of checkpoints and apartheid in the territories, and returning most of the settlers to Israel within its pre-1967 borders must propose a plan that has geographic and demographic logic -- not a temporary political compromise that leaves the problem burning on a steady flame. If Israel believes that what is best for it is to draw its own borders, with the support of the international community, it must aspire to viable ones.... The claim that Kadima has no platform and no plan, and is no more than a random collection of people seeking a safe Knesset seat, is unfair. Ehud Olmert is apparently determined to carry out another withdrawal. His proposal to exchange the Roadmap for a unilateral plan with international backing is encouraging, and makes more sense than plans that aspire to topple Hamas. But so far, the plan he has proposed is insufficient." III. "Engagement Folly" The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (March 5): "The Russian invitation to Hamas and the latter's intransigence underscore the emerging clash between two distinctly contradictory approaches to the current situation. One approach -- advocated by the US and Israel and, at least formally by the Quartet as a whole -- is isolation. Russia, though a member of the Quartet, surprised the international community by proposing the other: engagement.... If the international community gives up on its demands and accepts Hamas as it is, it will be giving up on peace.... It is precisely those who believe in the inherent moderation of the Palestinian people who should most strongly back a policy of isolating Hamas.... Even if Hamas had not risen to power, the policy of refusing to hold Palestinians accountable had gone bankrupt and had to be changed to revive any hope for peace. In this context, the rise of Hamas is actually an opportunity to correct past mistakes. If the Palestinian people are indeed ready to abandon terrorism and draw a peaceful border with Israel -- as their previous choice of Mahmoud Abbas could be seen to indicate -- forcing Hamas to accept that policy is to take the Palestinian people's side. Such an approach may not hold the promise of quick results, but it is the only one with a chance of working." IV. "Hamas Is Standing on Its Own" Contributor Michael Shafran wrote in conservative, Russian-language Vesty (March 5): "The threat of PA Chairman Abu Mazen's ... resignation is Hamas's main problem. Abu Mazen's remaining in his position until the new regime is at least partially legitimized ... is extremely important for [Hamas] as an organization that hasn't yet formed the cabinet. Should he resign ... all the international relations of the Palestinians would be endangered. Performing [international] relations through the Muqata'a is very convenient. If the 'Abu Mazen factor' is neutralized, the Hamas leadership ... will be the only official PA representatives, which would be extremely undesirable for them at this juncture. Therefore, [Hamas] reviews any mediation proposals, including the one made by the Russian Mufti Council Chairman Ravil Gainutdin, with a great interest." -------------- ¶2. US-Israel Relations: -------------- Summary: -------------- Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Once a year [during the AIPAC convention], we can ... say 'thank you' to the tens of thousands of Americans -- Americans! -- who devote their time and their money to do what they believe is best. The best possible thing for Israel." Block Quotes: -------------- "Thanking Israel's Powerful Friend" Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (March 6): "How fortunate Israel is, that this organization [AIPAC] is on its side. In a city that understands mainly power, one can be disgusted by it, be ashamed of it, make derogatory noises occasionally -- but one cannot make light of it. The activists of this organization, large numbers of Jews who really want to be of use, deserve recognition by Israel. It is true that not every gift gives pleasure to its recipients -- and it is possible, and even desirable, to debate AIPAC's goals, its politics, its policy. One can hope that its leadership will be replaced, that its direction will change, that it will become more moderate. Of course, there are also those who want a change in the opposite direction. But once a year [during the AIPAC convention], we can take a time out from all that. To say 'thank you' to the tens of thousands of Americans -- Americans! -- who devote their time and their money to do what they believe is best. The best possible thing for Israel." JONES