ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

Please note: no Tel Aviv Media Reaction report on Tuesday, April 24,
2007, Israel's Independence Day holiday.

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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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1. Israel's 59th Independence Day


2. Mideast


3. Sudan: Darfur

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Key stories in the media:
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Over the weekend all media prominently and extensively covered, and
commented on, events related to Israel's Memorial Day and
Independence Day. Leading media cited data released by the GOI's
Central Bureau of Statistics, according to which Israel's population
increased by 121.000, or 1.8 percent, since last Independence Day.
Israel's 5,415,000 Jews and 310,000 "others" -- mostly non-Jewish
immigrants from the former Soviet Union or those whose Jewish status
is undetermined -- make up 76 percent of Israel's population. The
Arab and Druze population numbers 1,425,000, or 20 percent of
Israel's citizens.

Ha'aretz reported that PM Ehud Olmert's associates have asked Kadima
Knesset members to prepare a media blitz to counter the onslaught
expected upon publication next week of the interim report of the
Winograd Commission probing the Second Lebanon War. Ha'aretz said
that Olmert's aides want to turn public opinion in his favor in the
event of an expected chorus of calls from politicians,
non-government organizations and bereaved parents for his
resignation. The campaign team will emphasize the "collective
responsibility" of the cabinet and Knesset, as well as public
support for the decision to launch the second Lebanon War. Ha'aretz
wrote that Olmert knows he cannot rely on the support of Kadima
ministers, especially FM Tzipi Livni, Finance Minister Hirchson, and
Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, who was defense minister during
the years preceding the war. Ha'aretz said that, despite their
fears, the PM's associates assume that while the interim report is
expected to criticize Olmert and his ministers, it will not be
"fatal," and will leave him with political and public maneuvering
room. Yediot reported that members of the Winograd Commission wrote
in its interim report that that Defense Minister Amir Peretz was
"captive" to the army. On Sunday Ha'aretz said that the report will
criticize the cabinet and IDF's pre-war conduct. All media quoted
IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi as saying at last night's official
ceremony in Jerusalem marking the start of Memorial Day that the IDF
is doing what it can to rectify the problems it encountered in the
Second Lebanon War.

Leading media reported on, and Yediot bannered a comment made by
Hizbullah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Sunday that
serious negotiations are taking place with Israel over the release
of abducted IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. Qassem
was quoted as saying that they would be freed only in exchange for
the release of all Lebanese detained in Israel, including the
terrorist Samir Kuntar, who murdered a family in Nahariya in 1979.

On Sunday The Jerusalem Post reported that a high-ranking Israeli
defense official told the newspaper that if hundreds of terrorists
are released in exchange for abducted IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit, they
will pose an immediate threat to Israeli cities and settlements.

On Sunday Ha'aretz wrote that the gist of the Israeli message in its
recent talks with Defense Secretary Robert Gates is that Syria is
preparing for a military confrontation with Israel. Ha'aretz said
that the US message to Israel on Syria -- Israel should avoid
diplomatic talks with that country -- in unchanged.

On Sunday The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel has rejected the
surprise offer by Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to help
resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

All media reported on Sunday's first round of French presidential
elections. Yediot wrote that an overwhelming majority of French
expats in Israel -- 83 percent -- voted for conservative candidate
Nicolas Sarkozy, 9 percent for Socialist Segolene Royal, 5 percent
for centrist Francois Bayrou, and 1 percent for far-Right Jean-Marie
Le Pen. Only 9,000 of 43,000 registered voters took part in the
ballot.

Maariv reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice might meet
with Iranian FM Manouchehr Mottaki during next month's Iraq
conference.

On Sunday Yediot reported that on Sunday, for the first time since
the Second Lebanon War, the US administration announced a new arms
deal with Israel. A request was issued by the Pentagon to the
Congress asking for approval to sell to Israel 3,500 MK-84 bombs.
Israel asked for those bombs in addition to spare parts and
technological assistance. The deal is valued at USD 65 million for
the bombs only and USD 78 million with the spare parts and the
assistance. Yediot quoted Pentagon sources as saying that it was an
American interest to have Israel retain its military superiority.
However, Yediot said that the deal is also likely to have been
signed in order to allay Israeli concerns after Israel recently
asked the Americans to cancel an arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Saudi
Arabia is supposed to be sold sophisticated weaponry, and officials
in Jerusalem voiced their concern over such a development. Yediot
wrote that the US administration decided to approve the arms deal
with Saudi Arabia but, in tandem, to settle an arms deal with Israel
as well.

PM Olmert was quoted as saying in an interview with Israel Radio on
Sunday that "Iran is far from crossing the nuclear threshold."

Leading media reported that the IDF rescinded its permit for a march
by right-wingers to the destroyed northern West Bank settlement of
Homesh.

Leading media reported that Hamas has included the abduction of IDF
soldiers in its official policy.

Hatzofe reported that on Sunday the Jordanian Royal Court published
a clarification denying that King Abdullah II called for
compensating Palestinian refugees instead of returning them to their
homes, and that he said that Jordan and Israel had "common enemies."
Hatzofe said that the refutation followed a report by Ha'aretz on
Friday, which allegedly cited remarks made by the King during a
meeting with Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik in Amman last week.

All media reported that on Sunday Knesset Member Azmi Bishara
submitted his resignation from the Knesset at Israel's Embassy in
Cairo yesterday. He was quoted as saying in an interview with Al
Jazeera-TV that stated he decided to waive his immunity due to the
"chorus of incitement" against him. Bishara vowed to return to
Israel but he does not know when. "I am a son of Palestine and a
son of Greater Syria. Exile is not an option for me and my return
is certain," he was quoted as saying. Maariv quoted Olmert
associates as saying that it would be preferable if Bishara did not
return to Israel.

Leading media reported that on Saturday Gazans fired four Qassam
rockets; one scored a direct hit on a home, sending several people
into shock, on a day in which security forces killed six
Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday Maariv reported that Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik decided
on Saturday to cancel the planned trip to an international
parliamentarians' conference in Bali next month by Knesset members
since the Indonesian authorities would not agree to the Shin Bet's
security conditions.

Over the weekend media reported that on Saturday morning masked
gunmen blew up large parts of the American International School in
the Gaza Strip after stealing equipment and furniture.

Over the weekend Yediot and The Jerusalem Post reported that the
Defense Ministry refuses to build a memorial to fallen soldiers in
the West Bank.

Ha'aretz presented a declassified secret study conducted by the
Institute for Defense Analyses in Washington, according to which,
using the now defunct Strike Command (STRICOM),the US intended to
attack Egypt or Israel -- depending on which would open hostilities
-- during the Six-Day War to forestall unwanted developments.
Ha'aretz wrote that the planning of operations against the IDF
remains in the defense apparatus as a persistent relic of a declared
American policy that seeks to achieve a "holy balance" in the
Israeli-Arab conflict, and that its origins go back to the 1950s.

The media reported that the Knesset's House Committee extended the
temporary incapacity of Israeli President Moshe Katsav until the end
of his tenure on May 15.

Leading media reported that on Sunday the police questioned
Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman over suspicions of
bribing and money-laundering.

On Sunday Yediot reported that an affair involving the biomedical
startup Lifewave is becoming more complicated. In addition to the
(Israeli) Securities Authority's investigation of allegations of
driving up share prices, it turns out that two of the interest
holders in the company, Mordechai Kugel and Shaike Scheinberger,
were wanted by the FBI after a serious indictment was served against
them in the United States. This was not mentioned in Lifewave's
prospectus before its shares were issued on the Tel Aviv Stock
Exchange in December 2006. An official of the authority was quoted
as saying on Saturday that the company was obligated to report such
a case.

All media reported that on Sunday Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson
suspended himself for three months so he can fight embezzlement
allegations. Similar to other media, Ha'aretz quoted sources close
to PM Ehud Olmert as saying on Sunday that Olmert intends to serve
as acting finance minister for a period of at least several weeks.
Leading media reported that on Sunday Bank of Israel Governor
Stanley Fischer lowered the basic interest rate by 0.25 percent --
to 3.75 percent.

Over the weekend leading news web site Ynet and Channel 2-TV
prominently mentioned the presence of an American Embassy
representative at the Raanana funeral of Prof. Liviu Librescu, who
was killed in the Virginia Tech massacre. The media also noted that
Romanian diplomats attended the ceremony.

Hatzofe bannered the results of a survey commissioned by the Emek
Yizreel College (in northern Israel) and carried out by the
Teleseker Polling institute, according to which 60 percent are
totally dissatisfied with Israel's leadership, and another 29
percent are only slightly happy with it. The poll found that 26
percent of the respondents were considering emigrating over the past
year.


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1. Israel's 59th Independence Day:
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Summary:
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The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "[Israel must]
finally [find] a way to live in peace with its neighbors, so that it
may fulfill its Zionist destiny."

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "This
country must not measure itself solely by its leadership.
Ultimately, it is the strength of the people and what we have
achieved here that is enduring, and will prevail."

Block Quotes:
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I. "Fulfilling Our Zionist Destiny"

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (4/23): "An
atmosphere of disappointment, despondency and anxiety prevails in
Israel in its 59th year. There is no point in trying to dull the
power of these feeling when we mark Memorial Day and Independence
Day. A new government, headed by a new political movement that
undertook to end the occupation, has led -- or more accurately, was
led -- by an arrogant, rusty army to a painful, frustrating and
dangerous defeat in a war against Hizbullah.... While Israel, with
its foolish policy throughout 40 years of occupation, managed to
crack and split Jewish solidarity, the burning hatred toward the
country is now increasing the general Jewish solidarity and sense of
mutual responsibility. This is not blind support for the State of
Israel and its government. The days of blind support are long over,
and just as well.... Most [Israelis], both those living in Israel
and abroad, are yearning for a day in which the two-state solution
is implemented. The Jews' solidarity, support, investments,
immigration -- and their dependence on us and our dependence on them
-- merely increase Israelis' historic responsibility to ensure that
their country finally finds a way to live in peace with its
neighbors, so that it may fulfill its Zionist destiny."


II. "Israel at 59"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (4/23):
"Our leadership crisis is made worse by the fact that it does not
come at a time of international stability, but of intensifying
threat. Hamas, Hizbullah and perhaps even Syria are, according to
security officials, preparing for the next war, while Iran is racing
to achieve nuclear weapon capability. Despite all this, it is
neither healthy nor warranted to focus only on rot and weakness.
Much needs to be done, but there is much to build upon. A rational
observer would not choose the place of our enemies. The war in
Lebanon, for starters, did change the status quo ante, and in some
aspects, so far, for the better.... Meanwhile, the Iranian threat
looms, but we are not alone in confronting it..... Though Iran is
betting on Western division and self-doubt, the Iranian regime
itself is riven itself by growing popular opposition. Its high
stakes game raises the risks in case of Western failure, but also
the potential benefits of victory. In this context, we need to keep
in mind the resilience the Israeli people exhibited during the war,
the bravery and commitment of our soldiers, and the value of what we
have built over the past 59 years. This country must not measure
itself solely by its leadership. Ultimately, it is the strength of
the people and what we have achieved here that is enduring, and will
prevail."

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2. Mideast:
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Summary:
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Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in the
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Perhaps the panic choking the
Prime Minister's throat stems from the fact that Israel has never
faced this situation: an Arab initiative, Arab mediators and an Arab
vision of full and comprehensive peace, of rapprochement not only
with confrontation states but also with history."

Stephanie Levy, research fellow at the Global Research in
International Affairs Center at the Interdisciplinary Center
Herzliya wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post:
"[The new French leadership's] challenge to France's historic
pro-Arab policy could [even] lead to ... cooperating with the United
States. When it comes to Middle East policy, there is a chance for
a real French revolution."

Block Quotes:
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I. "How Good It Is To Be Weak"

Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in the
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (4/22): "Perhaps the panic
choking the Prime Minister's throat stems from the fact that Israel
has never faced this situation: an Arab initiative, Arab mediators
and an Arab vision of full and comprehensive peace, of rapprochement
not only with confrontation states but also with history. These are
all knocking at Israel's door, but nobody is home. Israel used to
demand that Yasser Arafat 'speak Arabic,' the language of his
public, as proof of the sincerity of his intentions. Now the time
has come for the Israeli public to demand that Olmert 'speak Hebrew'
and wholeheartedly declare: 'We call upon the Palestinian government
and the government of Syria to negotiate with us on the basis of the
Arab initiative, and we are prepared to pay the price,' and to say
this himself and not via [Knesset Speaker] Dalia Itzik's handshake
with Rania, the Queen of Jordan. But after all, he is a weak
leader, and how mighty is his weakness and how sure of itself.
Indeed, a commission of inquiry has never been established to
investigate missed opportunities for peace."

II. "Preparing For a French Revolution in Mideast Policy"

Stephanie Levy, research fellow at the Global Research in
International Affairs Center at the Interdisciplinary Center
Herzliya wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post
(4/23): "Middle East policy has been the most important and
controversial international issue in the hard-fought French
presidential election campaign. And depending on the results, the
vote could mark the first major change in that policy for three
decades. Both Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal, the candidates of
the center-right and the Socialists, respectively, have promised
major shifts in France's stance on the Iranian, Lebanese, and
Israeli-Palestinian issues if they win. They are reacting against
the regime of outgoing President Jacques Chirac, who for 12 years --
following in the footsteps of predecessors back to Charles de Gaulle
-- has allied the country with Arab dictators such as Yasser Arafat
and Saddam Hussein. By making France the Arabs' favorite Western
state, Chirac and other Gaullists have tried to create an alignment
to counter the great -- and in France, much-despised -- primacy of
the United States.... This challenge to France's historic pro-Arab
policy could [even] lead to ... cooperating with the United States.
When it comes to Middle East policy, there is a chance for a real
French revolution."

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3. Sudan: Darfur:
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Summary:
--------------

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "Israel, which
came into being after the Holocaust cannot stand idly by in the face
of the suffering of Darfur's refugees."

Block Quotes:
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"Israeli Help For Darfur"

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (4/22): "Israel
should extend immediate assistance, whether funded by
non-governmental agencies or directly, to refugees and displaced
persons who have found shelter in Chad. The absence of diplomatic
ties between the two countries should not be an obstacle. Israeli
assistance to the victims of the tsunami in Indonesia, with which
Israel also does not yet have full diplomatic ties, is an important
example in this regard -- despite the differences in the nature of
relations between the countries. In the past Israel has shown that
it can provide much-needed aid to disaster areas throughout the
world, demonstrating the Jewish values on which its establishment
was based. Assistance to Muslim victims can illustrate much better
than any international public relations campaign that the principles
by which Israel was established are universal and do not
discriminate between humans based on religion or race. Israel,
which came into being after the Holocaust cannot stand idly by in
the face of the suffering of Darfur's refugees."

JONES