ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002650 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 -------------- SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: -------------- Mideast -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- The Jerusalem Post reported that contrary to widespread expectations, the US-sponsored international meeting scheduled for sometime this fall may not be held at the level of heads of government, but only for foreign ministers. The daily quoted Andrey Demidov, the No. 2 diplomat at the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv, as saying it was his understanding that the proposed meeting in Washington would "be at the level of foreign ministers." Maariv (Ben Caspit) said that if PM Olmert and Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman agree on a change in Israel's governmental system, Lieberman's party may support the Washington meeting. Ha'aretz reported that an IDF probe determined on Thursday that the three Palestinian children killed in Gaza on Tuesday were only playing near rocket launchers targeted by Israeli troops, and were not connected with the terrorists. The Jerusalem Post reported that senior Russian Embassy official Andrey Demidov told the newspaper that an accusation by Amos Gilad, the head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Military Bureau, that Russia was partly responsible for recent tensions between Syria and Israel could undermine Israeli-Russian relations. Maariv reported that Russian advisers are returning to Syria. Similarly, The Jerusalem Post reported that Russia is developing an advanced naval port at Tartus and providing Syria with sophisticated missile technology. Former minister Natan Sharansky was quoted as saying in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that he gives President Bush a "C" grade for implementing his vision. Sharansky's book, "The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror," had inspired the President. Leading media reported that on Thursday PM Olmert named Dr. Shaul Horev as the next managing-director of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC). The former Israel Navy deputy chief has in the past filled-in as temporary chairman of the IAEC and in his latest capacity headed a secret agency within the Defense Ministry. He will be replacing Gideon Frank, a senior expert in the field of atomic energy who held on to the position for over 15 years and who Ha'aretz says is held in high esteem at the International Agency for Atomic Energy. Ha'aretz reported that on Thursday, for the first time since 1994, all Palestinian security organizations in the West Bank participated in a senior level meeting with their Israeli counterparts. The security coordination meeting took place in the army headquarters in Beit El, near Ramallah. The Jerusalem Post quoted PA Information Minister Riyad al-Malki as saying on Thursday that the PA's decision to close dozens of Islamic charities is aimed at preventing Hamas from exploiting these institutions for money laundering. The Jerusalem Post reported that PA security officials expressed concern that the decision would prompt many of the affected charities to go underground or to move their activities to mosques. Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that the Winograd Commission has still not decided who is likely to be harmed by its conclusions, according to a statement it made to the High Court of Justice. The Jerusalem Post printed an AP wire report that Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a report accusing Hizbullah of firing rockets at civilian areas in Israel during the Second Lebanon War. HRW was quoted as saying it is planning to release a report critical of Israel on September 6. Maariv and other media revealed that a failure to encode orders in a drone led to a 1997 ambush by Hizbullah that left 12 IDF troops dead during an operation in Ansariya, Lebanon. Maariv reported that Israel is worried by the lack of public appearances by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak over the past two weeks. Yediot examined the possibility of a new threat to Israel after a pullout of US forces from Iraq. The Jerusalem Post reported that Jewish American organizations are not impressed by Israel's PR campaign on its treatment of Darfur refugees. All media reported that on Thursday Finance Minister Roni Bar-On informed the accountant general in his ministry, Yaron Zelekha, that his contract would not be extended when it finishes at the end of October. The media reported that critics of the move said that Zelekha acted as whistleblower in the affair of the privatization of Bank Leumi, Israel's second-largest bank, in which PM Ehud Olmert was allegedly involved. The media reported on moves to prevent Zelekha's ouster. Maariv ran a feature about Congressman Keith Ellison from Minnesota (Democrat),who is active on the national level in advocacy for Muslims in the US. Yediot reported that on Thursday the State Department announced that 150 Israelis won its green card lottery. The JerusalemQst reported on the journey of "hidden Jews" and potential converts to Israel from Hispanic countries for a "personal Jewish renaissance." In an unusual move, Ha'aretz led with a report from Greenland on the effect of global warming on the island's icebergs and maritime environment. -------------- Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn and Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Let me make progress with the Israelis and Palestinians, [Secretary Rice] told [President Bush], and I'll bring over the Arab world." Palestinian affairs correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "It is highly unlikely that the PA Chairman would be able to win the backing of a majority of his people for a US-backed deal." Ha'aretz editorialized: "Israel cannot behave like a terrorist organization that targets civilians, even when the shooting comes in response to an attack. After all, this is the main reason why Israel is encouraging the boycott of Hamas the world over." Former IDF chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon wrote in The Jerusalem Post: "Shorn of ... mistaken assumptions, the picture in the Middle East is disturbing indeed. No wonder emissaries hold on to them." Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the popular, pluralist Maariv: "Russia's road back to the status of a world power is paved with bad intentions. Vladimir Putin is being revealed as the regional pyromaniac." Military correspondent Yaakov Katz wrote in The Jerusalem Post: "Overall, according to senior officers, the IDF has learned its lesson [from the Second Lebanon War]." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "Rice's Promises" Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn and Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (8/31): "The sincerity shown by Abbas and Olmert is one element the Americans are relying on, but there is another one above it: Rice's promise to Bush. Let me make progress with the Israelis and Palestinians, she told him, and I'll bring over the Arab world. Rice apparently truly believes in this, despite expressions of skepticism on the part of Israeli officials, who have told her they have difficulty finding any evidence of such a process. Rice already has two achievements in the bag: the Arab League delegation to Israel and the Saudi announcement of its participation in the conference. Rice has learned the lessons of previous conferences. Bill Clinton, she thinks, made a mistake when he got to Camp David without first ensuring the Arab world's support of the agreement being formulated. She believes that this time, the window of opportunity created with the consolidation of 'moderate' powers in the Arab world -- united against the modified axis of evil consisting of Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, and Hamas -- can lead to a different dynamic." II. "Summits Aside" Palestinian affairs correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (8/31): "Abbas may be sincere in his efforts to talk peace with Israel and assert his control over the West Bank, but it's hard to imagine that he would be able to make crucial decisions on explosive issues concerning Jerusalem and the refugees. It's hard to imagine that he would be able to accept anything less than what was offered to ARAFAT at the botched Camp David summit in 2000. Having lost the Gaza Strip and much of his credibility -- not only among his constituents, but also among many Arabs and Muslims elsewhere -- it's not even clear if Abbas has a mandate to represent the Palestinians at the US-sponsored Middle East peace conference due to be held later this year.... Given the current divisions among the Palestinians, the ongoing Hamas-Fatah power struggle, the growing mistakes of the US and Israel in the Arab world, and Abbas's shaky status, it is highly unlikely that the PA Chairman would be able to win the backing of a majority of his people for a US-backed deal." III. "Five Children in One Week" Ha'aretz editorialized (8/31): "Three Palestinian children were killed by Israeli fire in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.... The Israeli public reacted to these killings, just like it did to the killing of two other children several days earlier, with near complete apathy. It might as well be an act of god, or an acceptable price that balances out the frustration at the continued Qassam rocket attacks. This indifference is dangerous because it does not encourage greater care in identifying targets. The automatic expressions of sorrow by government officials, and the argument that the 'terrorists organizations send children deliberately to places where they become targets,' does not suggest that anyone is attempting to learn the necessary lessons from the mistakes. This is all the more true when the targets are in areas housing civilians, and the risk is known in advance. Israel cannot behave like a terrorist organization that targets civilians, even when the shooting comes in response to an attack. After all, this is the main reason why Israel is encouraging the boycott of Hamas the world over." IV. "Misinterpreting the Mideast" Former IDF chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon wrote in The Jerusalem Post (8/31): "After a few years of benign neglect, Israel is back on the itineraries of well-meaning foreign emissaries.... There are four misconceptions thatQiplomats bring with them to Israel. Primary among them is the idea that solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a prerequisite for stability in the Middle East.... The second misconception is that Israeli territorial concessions are the key to progress.... Emissaries also still believe that the 'occupation' blocks agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.... Finally, the well-intentioned visiting diplomats believe that the Palestinians want -- and have the ability -- to establish a state that will live in peace alongside Israel.... Shorn of these mistaken assumptions, the picture in the Middle East is disturbing indeed. No wonder emissaries hold on to them. So what should be done?.... Rice, Blair, and the other emissaries must be the countervailing voices, offering vision, clarity, and leadership. They must draw on their rich diplomatic experience, free themselves from misconceptions about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the petty politics that flow from them -- especially the binds of political correctness -- to lead us all toward freedom, security, and peace. Anything else is mere meddling." ¶V. "The Regional Pyromaniac" Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the popular, pluralist Maariv (8/31): "Russia's road back to the status of a world power is paved with bad intentions. Vladimir Putin is being revealed as the regional pyromaniac, who does as he pleases and pays no mind to anyone. As far as he is concerned, the Middle East can go up in flames with all its inhabitants -- as long as the payments arrive on time. At the beginning of the year, the Russians gave Iran information that the US was planning to attack in April. March came, April came, but the Americans did not attack. Afterwards they moved on to Damascus. The Israelis, so the Russians informed the Syrians, will attack in the summer. The summer has passed, and no attack is to be seen. What do the Russians get out of all this? Quite a bit. Reports have now spread in the West saying that Russia recently signed a new contract for supplying long-range rockets to Syria. The value of the deal is estimated at about USD 1.4 billion. The financier: Iran. Putin laughs all the way to the bank, while in Israel and Syria everyone heads for the bunkers. It would be distorted to pin all the regional escalation on Russian instigation. Moscow's behavior provides a tailwind and fuels the fire. It is not the one that started it. Bashar Assad closely examined the outcome of the Second Lebanon War.... The latest reassuring statements made in Jerusalem, by Ehud Barak and others, are intended to be self-fulfilling. They are not based on true calm, for the time being. Tension continues to be high. The Syrians are preparing for war -- that is clear." VI. "Lying in Wait" Military correspondent Yaakov Katz wrote in The Jerusalem Post (8/31): "In Gaza, Hamas is building up an army and continues to smuggle unprecedented amounts of weapons and explosives in from the Sinai. In the North, Hizbullah has basically rebuilt itself and is continuing to receive large amounts of weapons, including advanced anti-tank missiles and rockets, from Syria. At the moment, Israel's policy regarding both is 'watch and wait'.... Upon taking his post in February, Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi set the summer as the deadline for getting the IDF ready for war with Hizbullah and Syria.... Overall, according to senior officers, the IDF has learned its lesson, and will utilize its advantage in massive fire-power and large numbers of tanks and infantry units in any future battle against Hizbullah." JONES