ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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Mideast

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Key stories in the media:
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Ha'aretz reported that Israel has agreed that members of the
Presidential Guard of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas
will hold extensive training in areas near Jericho, in the Jordan
Valley. YNET (Yediot Aharonot's website) and Ha'aretz cited
Major-General Keith Dayton, the US security coordinator to the P.A.,
as saying to the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs that Abbas's
American-trained Presidential Guard had successfully fended off
Hamas' recent attacks.

Maariv reported that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is getting closer to
opening negotiations with Syrian President Bashar Assad. According
to sources who are close to the PM, Olmert believes that peace with
Syria can change dramatically the strategic situation in the region.
The paper notes that the PM has the support of the IDF Chief of
Staff, his deputy, the head of the intelligence branch and others.
According to the paper, Israel has approached the US and the
Americans are convinced that such an action could assist their
interests in the Middle East.

All media cited a International Atomic Energy Agency report that
said Tehran has not only ignored a Security Council deadline to stop
uranium enrichment, but has actually expanded it, starting up more
than 1,300 centrifuges. Yediot cited American TV channel CBS as
reporting that the US plans to destroy the Iranian nuclear devices
or at least disrupt uranium enrichment.

Leading media reported that PA President Mahmoud Abbas met Wednesday
afternoon with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and
representatives of the different factions to discuss the need to
reach a truce with Israel and boost the internal ceasefire.
According to reports, the meeting ended without an agreement.

Leading Internet websites reported this morning that the IDF
arrested 32 senior Hamas officials, including legislators, mayors,
and one cabinet minister, Education Minister Nasser Shaer.
Leading media reported that Lebanon has turned to the US and
requested emergency aid in order to assist it in its fight against
the Fatah il-Islam terror organization in northern Lebanon.

All media reported that Amnesty International published its annual
report on Tuesday, according to which Israeli forces committed "war
crimes" and other "serious violations of international humanitarian
law" in their 34-day war against Hizbullah last summer. The human
rights group also accused soldiers and settlers of committing
"serious human rights abuses, including unlawful killings, against
Palestinians, mostly with impunity." Israel Radio this morning cited
IDF officials as saying that they are studying the report and will
give their reaction soon.

The media reported that 13 Qassam rockets were launched into Israel
during the 2 day holiday, with no casualties reported. Israel Radio
reported that three more Qassam rockets were fired this morning.
According to Ha'aretz, despite the sharp decline in the number of
Qassam rackets fired from the Gaza Strip in the past two days,
defense officials have recommended that Israel maintain military
pressure on Hamas.

All media reported that 1000 Sderot residents will be evacutaed to a
"tent city" being built by Arcadi Gaydamak in Hayarkon Park in Tel
Aviv. The "tent city" is being built despite the objection of the PM
office.

Ha'aretz reported that Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the
European Union have agreed to extend the mandate of the EU's Border
Assistance Mission (BAM) at the Rafah Crossing.

Leading media reported that last night the IDF attacked offices and
businesses in Gaza that are suspected of serving as conduits for
transferring funds from Iran, Syria, and Lebanon to terror
organizations in the Gaza Strip, principally to Hamas.

Yediot reported that PM Olmert will be summoned once again to
testify before the Winograd Committee.

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Mideast:
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Summary:
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The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "In lieu of
military or political solutions and lacking a ruling party with
which to negotiate, it seems the only chance to halt the
deterioration we are witnessing is the effort to curb the smuggling
of arms into Gaza. Whether this is achieved by the Israel Defense
Forces or with the help of other countries, the arms-flow must be
contained as the driving force behind the conflagration."

Columnist Akiva Eldar wrote in Ha'aretz: "Sooner or later, whether
through gun slits or the slits of ballot boxes, the Palestinians
will receive another opportunity to choose which path they prefer.
The Israelis will, too."

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "On May
21, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Palestinian rocket
attacks against Israel are 'completely unacceptable and violate
international law.' We cannot expect the world to come to our side
if we do not demand that specific actions be taken to back such
words and aid a nation under attack."

Op-ed columnist Yael Paz-Melamed opined in the popular, pluralist
Maariv: "It's time to stop the raging populism that is enveloping
Sderot residents from all directions. It's time to tell them the
truth, difficult and painful and intolerable as it may be.... Only
if Sderot residents know exactly what they face is there a chance
they will hang on and organize as they should. It will be hell for
each and every one of them, but at least they won't expect
paradise."

Former Justice Minister Yosef (Tommy) Lapid opined in Maariv: "What
would the Americans do were the Mexicans to fire rockets on San
Antonio?.... Would they also be prepared to take quietly what the
residents of Sderot have had to take on a daily basis? ... Or would
they bomb and shell and destroy and kill until the Mexicans ...
stopped shooting and begged for a bit of peace and quiet? Is there
any doubt about that?.... In order for the Palestinian population to
rise up against the people firing Kassam rockets we are going to
have to respond to every Kassam rocket with massive bombing at the
'sources of fire.'"

Block Quotes:
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I. "Unreasonable proposal"

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (05/24): "In
lieu of military or political solutions and lacking a ruling party
with which to negotiate, it seems the only chance to halt the
deterioration we are witnessing is the effort to curb the smuggling
of arms into Gaza. Whether this is achieved by the Israel Defense
Forces or with the help of other countries, the arms-flow must be
contained as the driving force behind the conflagration. A
temporary cease-fire will provide Palestinian militants with time to
amass weapons and develop longer-range ballistic capabilities, which
would constitute a veritable threat to Israel. Israel has no reason
to comply with such claims, even if they are expressed by the
chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and even if
they stem from good intentions.... For years, the Israeli left
advocated helping to consolidate the moderate Palestinian forces,
which have meanwhile lost what remained of their former strength.
The penury inhabitants of Gaza are suffering offers a rich nursery
for various armed militant factions, whose hatred of Israel and the
constant war against it constitute their sole raison d'etre and the
only purpose of life. And in that respect, any military action
against Gaza will vicariously serve to harm Israel."

II. "The End of A Path"

Columnist Akiva Eldar wrote in the independent, left-leaning
Ha'aretz (05/24): "To embark on a new path, Israel must take a big
step forward, along the route charted by the Arab League's peace
initiative. Opening a channel to Damascus, whether secret or
explicit, via which Israel would assure Syria that an accord on the
Golan would not lag behind an agreement on the Palestinian
territories, would not just calm the northern front; Khaled Meshal's
host could also exert more long-term influence on the southern front
than a few Israeli air attacks on Gaza weapons laboratories. Hamas'
violent clashes with Fatah in the streets of Gaza are nothing more
than a dress rehearsal for the great confrontation the group
anticipates in June and July. The attempt to blend a religious
movement (whose ideology does not allow it to recognize a Jewish
state) and a secular national movement (which has internalized the
limits of its power) did not succeed. Sooner or later, whether
through gun slits or the slits of ballot boxes, the Palestinians
will receive another opportunity to choose which path they prefer.
The Israelis will, too."

III. "Iran and Gaza"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (05/24):
"Hamas thinks it can escalate its way to a range of achievements. It
already sees Israelis fleeing and attempting to protect themselves
from its rockets, and our prime minister saying that there are 'no
simple solutions' to the problem. It sees that countries like Japan
and Norway have not rescinded their announced desire to aid the
Hamas government directly, that international aid to the
Palestinians still stands at record highs since Hamas's election,
and that Fatah -- though some of its leaders call for ending the
Kassam attacks -- remains inside the Hamas-led 'unity
government.'.... There is much that Israel should be urging the
international community to do, both to raise the pressure against
Hamas directly and on Iran for actively working to spark a new
regional conflagration. On May 21, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
said that Palestinian rocket attacks against Israel are 'completely
unacceptable and violate international law.' We cannot expect the
world to come to our side if we do not demand that specific actions
be taken to back such words and aid a nation under attack."

IV. "Enough Populism"

Op-ed columnist Yael Paz-Melamed opined in the popular, pluralist
Maariv (05/24): "Someone here has gone crazy, and it's not us, the
public. It's time to stop the raging populism that is enveloping
Sderot residents from all directions. It's time to tell them the
truth, difficult and painful and intolerable as it may be. It is
impossible to protect completely a city of 23,000 residents within a
reasonable time. And the even harder truth is that right now, as
well as in the foreseeable future, there is no military solution to
the Kassam rocket fire. If there were, the IDF would have found it,
and since there are no diplomatic talks going on now, there will
also be no diplomatic solution. So what do we have? We have interim
solutions, small consolations. Such as spending hundreds of
millions of shekels to fortify what can be fortified. Or massive
economic aid to the residents so that they are somewhat able to
survive this period, and strengthening the entire mental support
system for the residents, and taking them, in an orderly way, for
various rests. Only if Sderot residents know exactly what they face
is there a chance that they will hang on and organize as they
should. It will be hell for each and every one of them, but at
least they won't expect paradise."


V. "No Choice But to Use a Heavy Hand"

Former Justice Minister Yosef (Tommy) Lapid opined in the popular,
pluralist Maariv (05/24): "What would the Americans do were the
Mexicans to fire rockets on San Antonio? What would the Russians do
were the Ukrainians to fire rockets on Moscow? ... Would they also
be prepared to take quietly what the residents of Sderot have had to
take on a daily basis? ... Or would they bomb and shell and destroy
and kill until the Mexicans, or the Ukrainians, stopped shooting and
begged for a bit of peace and quiet? Is there any doubt about
that?.... In order for the Palestinian population to rise up against
the people firing Kassam rockets we are going to have to respond to
every Kassam rocket with massive bombing at the 'sources of fire.'
It is true that this course of action will cause damage, suffering
and death among the civilian population. It is true that it runs
against the grain of our humane sentiments. It is true that the
television footage out of Gaza will raise an outcry in public
opinion throughout the world against us. It is true that the UN and
the other powers will apply heavy pressure on us. All of those
troubles put together do not outweigh the fact that a country ceases
to be sovereign when it allows its neighbor to bomb it.... If there
were even the smallest chance that this enormous restraint would
bring peace any closer I might think differently. But the fact that
we regard with such indulgence attacks on our population in the
northern Negev does not bring peace any closer; it pushes it farther
away. Because it signals to the Palestinians that it is possible to
attack us and ultimately to defeat us one step at a time.... He who
refrains today from using a heavy hand will need a far heavier hand
in the future."
JONES