ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 001524 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 CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL FOR POLAD/USIA ADVISOR COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD COMSIXTHFLT FOR 019 JERUSALEM ALSO ICD LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL PARIS ALSO FOR POL ROME FOR MFO SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION Please note: No Israel Media Reaction on Wednesday, May 23, 2007, Israeli holiday of Shavuot. -------------- SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: -------------- ¶1. Mideast ¶2. Jonathan Pollard Affair -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- All media reported that last night the attacks on Sderot claimed the life of one woman, whose vehicle was struck by a rocket. Two other Sderot residents were wounded in the Qassam attacks, one moderately and the other lightly. The media reported that hundreds of young people demonstrated in Sderot ahead of visits by PM Ehud Olmert and FM Tzipi Livni. Leading media (banner in Ha'aretz) quoted a Hamas spokesman as saying on Monday that if Israel agrees to a temporary cease-fire in the West Bank, the Palestinian unity government will be able to get all Palestinian factions to heed a general cease-fire, including in the Gaza Strip. Israel Radio identified the source as PA government spokesman Ahmed Yousef. The media quoted the IDF and the Shin Bet as saying, in response to Monday's attacks, that they would step up their efforts to target the leaders of Palestinian terror organizations. These leaders "are in our sights," a security source told Ha'aretz on Monday. The media reported that on Monday the IAF struck five terrorists. The Jerusalem Post reported that Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh told the daily on Monday that Iran's fingerprints were all over the recent escalation in Gaza and the Qassam rocket attacks. The Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli diplomatic officials as saying on Monday that Israel, which has traditionally opposed Middle East conferences, is not totally ruling out joining one organized by the US. The newspaper quoted the officials as saying that convening an international conference is "one of the ideas" that has been broached recently by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to extricate the diplomatic process from its current logjam. The officials were further quoted as saying that the idea is in the very early stages and that Israel has not had to formulate a position on taking part in such an event. The officials were quoted as saying that the overriding idea is to get people together to have "common discussions." The Jerusalem Post reported that, also on Monday, senior US and Israeli officials denied a Ha'aretz report that the US has had a change of heart on Israeli talks with Syria. The Jerusalem Post quoted US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones as saying on Monday after addressing a conference at Bar-Ilan University: "I have absolutely no idea what that story is based on." Jones also denied that he US had ever held Israel back from responding positively to Syrian overtures. He was quoted as saying that Israel was skeptical of entering into negotiations because of its own interests. "The US is not stopping Israel, Israel's own assessment of the situation is what is stopping Israel." Jones was also quoted as saying that he was not aware that Secretary Rice and Syrian FM Walid Muallem discussed any topic other than Iraq at their meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh earlier this month. Ha'aretz quoted Ambassador Jones as saying on Monday that he was surprised to read the Ha'aretz article, but the newspaper noted that he did not deny its content. The Jerusalem Post quoted a senior official at the Prime Minister's Office as saying that not only had there been no change in Israel's position that there was no reason to enter into a dialogue with Syria while it hosts terrorist organizations and supports Hizbullah and Hamas, but that the US has never told Jerusalem not to hold such talks. "At the most, they give advice," the official was quoted as saying, "and we do not always have to take their advice." All media quoted Ambassador Jones as saying on Monday, during an academic conference at Bar-Ilan University, that it is unlikely that convicted spy Jonathan Pollard will ever be released. The Jerusalem Post reported that the Prime Minister's Office had no response to the Ambassador's comments. The GOI has traditionally shied away from publicly trading brickbats with the US over the issue. Ha'aretz reported that Foreign Ministry officials were surprised by Jones' comments. The officials were quoted as saying that they did not understand why he made them. Ha'aretz quoted an Israeli political official as saying that Israel would continue to work for Pollard's release. The Jerusalem Post reported that the GOI is mulling a 400-million shekel plan (around USD 100 million) to bolster structures on the periphery of the Gaza Strip. All media reported that on Monday the Knesset Presidium decided that the elections for state president will be held on Wednesday, June ¶13. However, if President Moshe Katsav resigns, the elections may be put off until mid-July. Yediot and other media quoted US talk show host Oprah Winfrey as saying in New York on Monday that she will soon visit Israel with Nobel Peace Prizewinner Prof. Elie Wiesel. Winfrey was honored last night by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for her humanitarian work over the years. Wiesel invited her to come to Israel, which he said was the place where the main fight against terror was taking place. Winfrey expressed her solidarity with Israel's suffering. Major media reported on the construction of the most expensive US embassy -- in Baghdad. Leading media reported that the GOI, which currently holds the controlling shares of Bank Leumi, has decided not to extend the option of Cerberus-Gabriel, a partnership of two New York buyout funds. The Jerusalem Post wrote that this makes it likely that the bank will be put on the auction block again. Leading media cited police claims that the "Israeli mafia in New York" has ordered the assassination of a criminal in Israel. -------------- ¶1. Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote on page one of the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "It is hard to admit: we may have wonderful plans, but as of today Hamas is the one leading in points." Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the popular, pluralist Maariv: "We act only under pressure. We understand only force. We react only when there is no other option -- absolutely none." Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "By refusing to fight to victory, Israel is telling Hamas that it cannot lose, which is to say, it can go on fighting forever." The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "Labor members will decide next Monday what the change in the near future will be: leaving the government and working in the opposition to expedite general elections, or cooperating in a failed government in a final attempt to jump-start it." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "A Yellow Card for the Government" Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote on page one of the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (5/22): "It is hard to admit: we may have wonderful plans, but as of today Hamas is the one leading in points. It sets goals for itself, accomplishes them brutally one after the other and leads itself to exclusive power unopposed in the Gaza Strip. Hamastan is already here.... And what are Israel's achievements in this round? Last year the political echelon was shown a study that formulated Israel's most up-to-date security concept. The study was written by a team made up of the best brains in Israel.... In the chapter on dealing with terror, the experts write what achievements are necessary for the government in a war of this kind: '1) Preventing terror and guerilla warfare and minimizing the damages of the clashes if they are not prevented; 2) Denying the aggressor any diplomatic achievements; 3) Strengthening deterrence; 4) Controlling the escalation; 5) Striving to end the clashes as soon as possible.' What of these five achievements has the Israeli government realized this week? Anyone who can show at least one achievement -- let him stand up." II. "The Jews Understand Only Force" Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the popular, pluralist Maariv (5/22): "We have to recognize the monstrous situation we have gotten into. If the Qassam had landed in a classroom or a kindergarten, [a] senior figure [who advocated composure and presence of mind on Monday] would have sounded quite different. For in the end there is a conditioned reflex here, which is also connected to a test of cynicism. It will take a critical mass for the political echelon, which is fossilized by the floodlights of the Winograd report, to send soldiers on a ground attack. The volley of rockets which landed yesterday on Sderot was not the Park Hotel which launched the army into Operation Defensive Shield. That's how it works here. We act only under pressure. We understand only force. We react only when there is no other option -- absolutely none." III. "Denial Is Not a Strategy" Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (5/22): "As was the case last summer towards Hizbullah, today the Olmert-Livni-Peretz government has not set for itself the goal of defeating Hamas. Rather the goal of the current operations in Gaza is to send Hamas a message. Like last summer, today the government hopes that by killing a sufficient number of Hamas terrorists, it will induce the organization to stop attacking Israel. But of course, by limiting its goal in such a way, the message that Israel is sending is not that Hamas should stop attacking Israel. By refusing to fight to victory, Israel is telling Hamas that it cannot lose, which is to say, it can go on fighting forever. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the government's refusal to understand the lessons of the last war and to apply them in the current battle is that Israel has far more options for defeating its enemies in Gaza than it had in Lebanon. " IV. "It's the Man, Not the Agenda" The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (5/22): "On May 28, the Labor Party will hold primaries to choose its leader until the next general elections... The selection of Amir Peretz to head Labor was an event of sociological significance.... But the man, the image and the goals lost their power the minute he selected the defense minister post.... The election this time is not about the agenda, but rather the individual. It is hard to find fundamental differences between the candidates' political proposals.... Electing [former prime minister Ehud Barak] would reflect the wish to continue the partnership with the current government, out of concern that general elections would bring about the rise of Likud. The Labor primaries have become important only because of the blatant paralysis and failure of the ruling government and the hope that Labor will be able to extricate the wagon from the mud. The echoes of the Winograd Commission's report may have died down because of the Qassam rocket attacks, but the despair and lack of trust have not. Labor members will decide next Monday what the change in the near future will be: leaving the government and working in the opposition to expedite general elections, or cooperating in a failed government in a final attempt to jump-start it." -------------- ¶2. Jonathan Pollard Affair: -------------- Summary: -------------- Diplomatic correspondent Shimon Shiffer wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "What more harm can [convicted spy Jonathan Pollard] still do to America? None.... The time has come to demand the release of Jonathan Pollard." The nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe editorialized (5/22): "Israel should admit that utilizing [Jonathan] Pollard was a mistake.... [Still,] Pollard is a captive Israeli soldier." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "Nonsense" Diplomatic correspondent Shimon Shiffer wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (5/22): "It may be assumed that if the Israeli side had not been seized with panic when the US threatened to cut off military aid, [convicted spy Jonathan] Pollard would be a free man today.... Precisely because Israel is America's ally in the Middle East, the time has come to stop relying on the deposition of the former secretary of defense Casper Weinberger to the court which sentenced Pollard, that the Israeli spy had caused irreparable damage to the national security of the United States. President Clinton promised to release Pollard in return for Israel's releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, but changed his mind when CIA director George Tenet threatened to resign if Pollard was freed. Nearly ten years have passed since then and Pollard is still in jail. What more harm can he still do to America? None.... It is true that Pollard does not make it easier to help him. For many years he has been associated with the most extreme right wing elements on the Israeli political map. He insults Israeli heads of state, and anybody who shows an interest in him is subjected to streams of abuse. But all this does not absolve his handlers, the government of Israel, from the obligation to wake up and change their attitude to Pollard. The time has come for the government of Israel to put to the test what we are told about the Bush administration -- that there never has been, nor will there ever be, a President more friendly to Israel -- to put it to the test in this tragic humanitarian cause. The time has come to demand the release of Jonathan Pollard." II. "Pollard" The nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe editorialized (5/22): "Israel should admit that utilizing [Jonathan] Pollard was a mistake and clarify that it will never again use Jewish American citizens for similar purposes, but at the same time it should stand by [Pollard] and grant him unmistakable support. Pollard is a captive Israeli soldier. Any conversation between Israel and the US -- at any level, confidentially or publicly -- must open and close with a demand to release Jonathan Pollard." JONES