ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002815 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: -------------- ¶1. Mideast ¶2. US-Israel Relations -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- Leading media reported that on Thursday PM Ehud Olmert told a gathering of Kadima that "there is a partner for dialogue in the PA." Media quoted Olmert as saying that he will propose the release of prisoners "without blood on their hands" at Sunday's cabinet meeting. Olmert was quoted as saying that in his last meeting with Abbas, they decided that task forces would draft a joint declaration ahead of November's Middle East conference in Washington. He was quoted as saying that if an agreement was reached on such a declaration and the leaders of moderate Arab countries attended, the conference would be a success. The Jerusalem Post quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Olmert received an impression from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday that she had agreed SIPDIS to his request to limit the scope of the conference to a joint declaration, despite the Palestinian request for the meeting to yield an outline for a peace deal. The sources were quoted as sayng that no document would be signed at the summit. Ha'aretz quoted Secretary Rice as saying on Thursday after meeting with PA Chairman SIPDIS [President] Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah that the upcoming meeting in Washington must be substantive, using whatever document Israel and the Palestinians formulated beforehand as the basis for serious talks. Several media quoted Rice as saying that she hopes that the Washington meeting would lead to "serious negotiations for the establishment of a Palestinian state as soon as possible." Ha'aretz quoted Defense Minister Ehud Barak as saying this week that the incipient joint declaration "must be sufficiently substantive, so that the Palestinians do not feel humiliated and exploited." However, he also said that "it must be sufficiently general, so Israelis do not feel like they are suckers who have made substantive concessions on core issues without receiving anything in return." Media reported that most senior members of Kadima are critical of Vice PM Haim Ramon's stance on Jerusalem. Major media reported that FM Tzipi Livni reiterated that in any agreement not a single Palestinian refugee would be allowed to return to his home in Israel. Israel Radio reported that she will leave for the US on Saturday night to attend the annual session of the UN General Assembly. Ha'aretz reported that on Thursday President Shimon Peres told Secretary Rice that it was "in everyone's interest that the summit SIPDIS does not fail. We must be aware of the possibility of a crisis of expectations and create a substantive agenda." The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF is working on a proposal that calls for a "complete disengagement" from the Gaza Strip -- involving the closure of all border crossings with Israel and the transfer of responsibility over the Palestinians territory to Egypt. The newspaper reported that Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky is behind this plan. Defense Minister Barak was quoted as saying in an interview with Maariv that PM Olmert knows that he erred in the Second Lebanon War, that he (Barak) has brought cool mindedness to the post of defense minister, and that he never said that the Labor Party would leave the government coalition the day the Winograd report is published. Major media (lead story in Yediot) reported on a high state of alert along the Syrian border. The newspaper quoted IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi as saying that the army will do everything not to be surprised. Israel Radio quoted The Washington Post as saying that Israel and the US shared data on the suspected nuclear site in Syria. Major media reported that on Thursday President Bush would not comment on Israel's purported attack on Syria. The Jerusalem Post reported that barred by police from visiting Ground Zero, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "may find more of a welcome" at Columbia University, where he has been cleared to speak on Monday at the school's annual World Leaders Forum despite outrage expressed by New York-area Jewish leaders. All media reported that on Thursday senior Likud members and other right-wing politicians rallied to the side of Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu in an effort to contain the political damage that his statements acknowledging an Israeli operation in Syria may have caused. Israel Radio quoted PM Olmert as saying that Netanyahu's comments were unintentional. Ha'aretz quoted Ibrahim Othman, the Syrian Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as saying on Thursday that Israel's nuclear capabilities were sparking an arms race in the region. Leading media reported that on Thursday the IAEA conference criticized Israel for refusing to put its nuclear program under international purview. Only the US supported Israel. Israel Radio reported that the IDF has arrested suspected terrorists who were planning a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Its reported mastermind Nihad Shakirat (phon.) is the head of Hamas in the Nablus refugee camp of Ein Beit Ilma. Ha'aretz quoted the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as saying that the number of roadblocks has reached 572, an increase of 52 percent compared to 376 in August 2005. The OCHA was quoted as saying in the past two months alone, Israel put up 40 new roadblocks. Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that Chairman Abbas has ordered to anchor in the Palestinian Charter the right of return and the Palestinians' right to fight the occupation by all means permitted by international law, including the armed struggle. Jailed Fatah/Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti was quoted as saying in an interview with Yediot that he will take part in and win the election for Palestinian president. He was also quoted as saying that Hamas put a knife in the back of the Palestinians. Steve Emerson, the Executive Director of the American NGO Investigative Project on Terrorism, was quoted as saying in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that radical Islam is alive and well in America -- thanks to the tacit cooperation of government agencies that embrace the very groups they should be investigating. The Jerusalem Post reported that a bill protecting travelers from denial of life insurance simply because they travel to Israel cleared the House of Representatives on Wednesday in a 312-110 vote. The media reported on the fast of Yom Kippur, which takes place tonight and tomorrow, and ran features devoted to the 1973 Yom Kippur war. Ha'aretz reported that on the sixth day of the Yom Kippur War, as the Egyptian forces were stranded in Sinai, Israel requested military aid from the US -- and "realized that it faced a huge problem in the Pentagon, in the shape of Admiral Thomas Moorer." Ha'aretz reported that in his forthcoming book, Brig. Gen. (res.) Yiftah Spector claims that he was the leader of the air attack on the USS Liberty during the Six-Day War. Leading media reported that the FAA has urged Israel to improve its aviation safety. Ha'aretz (English Ed.) reported on the opening of the school year at the Walworth Barbour American International School (AIS) at its new campus in Even Yehuda last week. Ambassador Richard Jones, an AIS parent, attended the dedication ceremony. Yediot presented the results of a Mina Zemach (Dahaf Institute) poll: -"Were elections held today, for which party would you vote for?" (Results in Knesset seats -- in brackets, results of a July 27 poll.) Likud 24 (26); Labor Party 18 (23); Yisrael Beiteinu 10 (7); Shas 10 (11); Kadima 10 (11); Arkady Gaidamak: 8 (2); National Union-National Religious Party 5 (8). -"What effect resulted from Netanyahu's remarks on the operation in Syria?" They have neither harmed nor advantaged Israel: 43 percent; they have harmed Israel: 31 percent; they have advantaged Israel: 3 percent; 23 percent were undecided. -------------- ¶1. Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "For years Jerusalem has been enlisting US and European help to contain Tehran. But there will be a price." Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Olmert isn't particularly nonplussed by his Defense Minister's skepticism and wariness. If anything, it just strengthens his position in the negotiations with Abbas and in fending off Rice's pressures." Ahmed Yousef, a political advisor to Palestinian (Hamas) PM Ismail Haniyeh, wrote in Ha'aretz: "Isolating Hamas is not a feasible political option.... Hamas is a bulwark in the face of radical and militant ideas and trends." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "No Such Thing as a Free Launch" Diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (9/21): "Israel sees the containment of Iraq as nothing less than an existential imperative. Although Iran is obviously a threat to the whole world, and not just a threat to Israel, it is first and foremost a threat to Israel, and for years Jerusalem has been enlisting US and European help to contain Tehran. But there will be a price.... Olmert ... met Rice this week facing a situation in which she needs to satisfy the Saudis, and he will be expected to satisfy Rice. Politically, this is not an easy place for him to be." II. "Back on Top" Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (9/21): "The diplomatic process in which Olmert is currently engaged appears to Barak to be the exact opposite of what went on at Camp David. Then Israel spoke with Arafat, whose desire to reach an accord was in doubt, although his ability to implement one was not. Now Israel is dealing with Abbas, a relatively positive figure, and Salam Fayyad, a totally positive figure, with the danger of their falling from power and being replaced by Hamas hovering in the background. The goodwill of these two men is not in question, but even if an understanding is attained, it's doubtful whether they'll be able to stand behind it and implement it. Olmert isn't particularly nonplussed by his Defense Minister's skepticism and wariness. If anything, it just strengthens his position in the negotiations with Abbas and in fending off Rice's pressures. At the end of the day, Barak and the Labor Party will support any agreement that Olmert brings to a vote. They have no choice, and Barak also knows this quite well, of course. But in the meantime he's still enjoying his new role as Mister Security." III. "Hamas Is the Key" Ahmed Yousef, a political advisor to Palestinian (Hamas) PM Ismail Haniyeh, wrote in Ha'aretz (9/21): "Hamas is an integral part of the Palestinian political landscape. It is a mainstream Islamic movement that is committed to the principles of democracy and legitimate and peaceful political participation on an equal footing for all Palestinian groups. The movement has deep roots in various sectors of Palestinian society. Isolating Hamas is not a feasible political option.... Hamas is a bulwark in the face of radical and militant ideas and trends. Policies whose aim is the isolation or marginalization of Hamas will not only fail but will also set the stage for the spread of extremist thinking in occupied Palestine. Allowing Hamas to participate in the Palestinian political process will encourage the growth and development of pragmatic ideas and instruments of political action. It will also allow tolerance and respect for pluralism and diversity to strike root in Palestinian political culture. The West should ask itself whether it wants the moderation and realism of Hamas or the dogmatism of radical groups that subscribe to the clash of civilizations theory." -------------- ¶2. US-Israel Relations: -------------- Summary: -------------- MJ Rosenberg, Director of the Israel Policy Analysis Forum's Washington Policy Center, wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (9/21): "Has 'pro-Israel' advocacy consistently produced 'pro-Israel' ends? At several critical moments, it most certainly has not." Block Quotes: -------------- "It's Lobbying, but Is It Really Pro-Israel?" MJ Rosenberg, Director of the Israel Policy Analysis Forum's Washington Policy Center, wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (9/21): "Has 'pro-Israel' advocacy consistently produced 'pro-Israel' ends? At several critical moments, it most certainly has not.... Was it pro-Israel to press Congress to attach so many onerous conditions to aid to President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority that Abbas was unable to demonstrate to his people that a moderate president, who fully accepted Israel, would produce benefits that they would not achieve by choosing Hamas?.... Was it pro-Israel to prevent the Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II administrations from insisting on a permanent freeze on settlements or, at the very least, the immediate removal of the illegal settlements? Wouldn't Israel be infinitely better off if the United States had used friendly persuasion to end the settlement enterprise right from the get-go? After all, the vast majority of Israelis consider the settlements to be impediments to peace and so has every president since the first settlement was erected.... There is nothing pro-Israel about supporting policies that only promise that Israeli mothers will continue to dread their sons' 18th birthdays for another generation. For that we are supposed to be grateful?" JONES