ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION


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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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1. Mideast


2. US-Israel Relations


2. North Korea

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Key stories in the media:
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Ha'aretz (English Ed.) quoted senior GOI sources as saying that
Israel has decided to reassess its relations with the PA and its
Chairman [President], Mahmoud Abbas, due to the Mecca Agreement on a
unity government between Fatah and Hamas. Ha'aretz quoted senior
government sources as saying Tuesday that the agreement, including
its implications for the diplomatic process and Israeli-Palestinian
relations, will be at the center of Monday's tripartite summit in
Jerusalem. Ha'aretz quoted PM Ehud Olmert as saying a preparatory
meeting on the summit on Tuesday that the strategic and geopolitical
implications of the Mecca Agreement are no less important than those
of Hamas's victory in the elections for the Palestinian Legislative
Council a year ago. He added that Israel must calculate its
policies toward the new Palestinian unity government carefully.
Ha'aretz quoted a well-placed government source as saying: "The
chances that there will be talk of a political horizon at the
summit, given that a Fatah-Hamas government is waiting in the
corner, are not high." Yediot wrote that it may be concluded from
the preparatory meeting that Olmert believes that there is a chance
of resuming negotiations with the Palestinians if the Hamas-Fatah
government rejects terror and recognizes Israel and the agreements
signed with Israel.

The leading Internet news site Ynet, followed by all media, reported
that a Syrian group, the "Popular Committees to Free the Golan
Heights," which was founded last summer, announced that it detains a
"Zionist solider who disappeared in the Golan." The soldier is
believed to be Guy Hever, who disappeared in northern Israel in

1997. The Syrian group reportedly demands the release of nine
Syrians imprisoned in Israel. Israel Radio reported that the
Israeli defense establishment is checking this declaration.

All media reported that North Korea agreed to halt its nuclear
programs in exchange for aid and improved relations with regional
powers, but that it later announced a partial retraction. Ha'aretz
(Hebrew Ed.) and Yediot quoted Secretary Rice as saying that this is
a message to Iran. Ha'aretz bannered the story. The Jerusalem Post
quoted Vice PM Shimon Peres as saying on Tuesday: "This shows the
international; community that, if they are united, there are a
number of options." The Jerusalem Post and Hatzofe quoted Likud MK
Yuval Steinitz, former chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs
Committee, as saying that the agreement with North Korea increases
pressure on Iran. The Jerusalem Post reported that Steinitz told
the newspaper that the US should lead the international community.
The Jerusalem Post quoted senior GOI officials in Jerusalem as
saying on Tuesday, in response to an internal EU document
pessimistic of the ability of diplomatic efforts to keep Iran from
developing a bomb, that Israel expects the EU to do its utmost to
put a "united face" on international efforts to pressure Iran to
abandon its nuclear program.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the defense establishment is
considering deploying new Arrow 2 missiles batteries, in addition to
the two currently in place, at sites throughout the country,
including in the South.

The electronic media reported that Maj. Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi
officially become IDF Chief of Staff this morning. Outgoing Chief
of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz was quoted as saying at a parting event
from the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday
that he was shot in the back, which the media construed as an
expression of disapproval of politicians who have criticized him
since the war in Lebanon. The Jerusalem Post reported that Halutz,
then commander of the Israel Air Force, halted in 2002 development
of a weapons system that could have been used against Hizbullah.
Development of the system has now resumed on the orders of the
current IAF commander, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shkedy.

Leading media reported that, several hours after announcing it will
stop construction work near the Temple Mount, the Jewish Quarter
Development Company revoked its decision, declaring that work on the
Mugrabi Ascent will proceed as planned. The about-face comes on the
heels of pressure from official sources, including the Housing and
Construction Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office.

Major media reported that on Tuesday IDF troops killed a member of
Fatah's military wing after he opened fire on them and activated an
explosive device that he was trying to place along the Gaza border.
None of the soldiers were hurt. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
identified the militant as a 23-year-old Gaza resident. A Qassam
rocket hit the northern Negev, causing no injuries or damage.

Ha'aretz reported that on Monday a group of Palestinian
entrepreneurs presented plans to create a new Palestinian city in
the West Bank, located between Ramallah and Nablus. Ha'aretz
quoted Palestinian sources as saying that the developers want to
build the city in Area A, which is under the PA's full control. The
group, headed by businessman Abd al-Malik Jabbar, presented its plan
to Israeli, Palestinian, and US officials during an economic
conference at the home of the US Ambassador to Israel, Richard
Jones. According to sources who were at the Herzliya event, the
idea was received with enthusiasm by the attendees, including
Defense Minister Amir Peretz. The PA has already allocated land for
the new city. The Palestinian delegation included the PA's chief
negotiator, Saeb Erekat, and two senior advisers to Abbas. Jones
was joined by the US security coordinator for Israel and the PA,
Keith Dayton, among others.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the PA has fired hundreds of
security officers who refused to participate in the recent fighting
against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Yediot reported that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon intends to
make his first visit to Israel in March or April.

Yediot and Maariv reported that today Olmert will leave for Turkey
on a two-day visit.

Yediot and Ha'aretz reported that Israel's National Security Council
has warned Israelis against visiting Iraq, citing the danger to
their lives there and reminding them that such visits were a
criminal offense under Israeli law. Israel Radio said dozens of
Israeli businessmen have recently traveled to Iraq, despite the
raging warfare there. Yediot told the story of an elderly Iraq-born
Israeli woman who visited her native country despite the warnings.

Maariv reported that official Israeli bodies have decided to grant
every Iranian Jew the sum of USD 5,000, in order to convince them to
immigrate to Israel.

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1. Mideast:
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Summary:


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The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "Abbas's way
is supposed to defeat that of Hamas, but he will evidently receive
no succor from the Israeli government."

Block Quotes:
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"What Is a Political Horizon?"

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (2/14): "While
the Palestinians are discussing the renewed negotiations with Israel
that will begin with the upcoming summit, and Palestinian Authority
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is declaring that issues related to a
permanent agreement will be on the agenda, the Israeli government is
talking about 'theoretical talks,' and its representatives explain
the use of the abstract term 'political horizon' as an attempt to
lower expectations. That is not a political message of hope for the
future or even a promise to go in that direction. Abbas's way is
supposed to defeat that of Hamas, but he will evidently receive no
succor from the Israeli government."





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2. US-Israel Relations:
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Summary:
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Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent,
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "If Israel wants the United States to
continue to demonstrate its support, and if the United States wants
Israel to know that its support has not been eroded, and if both of
them want the world to see that the American backing is stable, then
the wallet has no substitute."

Block Quotes:
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"Looking For Love in the Wallet"
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent,
left-leaning Ha'aretz (2/14): "In the run-up to the 2008 elections,
the parties and their candidates will not want to conduct battles of
attrition on such a sensitive subject [US assistance to Israel].....
However, the most convincing argument in favor of continuing the
aid, at least right now, is in fact the least focused and is almost
emotional. It is similar to American Jews' insistence on donating
money to Israel, not necessarily because of the urgent need but
because of the power of money in translating concern and affection
into concrete action. 'Put your money where your mouth is,' as the
adage goes. If Israel wants the United States to continue to
demonstrate its support, and if the United States wants Israel to
know that its support has not been eroded, and if both of them want
the world to see that the American backing is stable, then the
wallet has no substitute."

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3. North Korea:
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Summary:
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The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "Even if
the North Korean deal is faulty, it demonstrates that sanctions can
work. All that is lacking is Western will."

Block Quotes:
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"North Korea's Deal"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (2/14):
"The lesson from the North Korea deal for the Iranian situation ...
should be this: A tough international stance can force rogue regimes
to back down, but the further the regime is along the nuclear path,
the higher the price, and the harder an agreement is to enforce....
The Libyan and even the North Korean cases put the lie to European
defeatism, as exemplified by a new EU report that suggests that
sanctions will not stop Iran's nuclear program.... The US and Europe
alone can impose much more effective diplomatic and economic
sanctions than have been approved to date. European nations have
not even cut off subsidies for trade with Iran, let alone imposed a
trade embargo. No formal diplomatic sanctions have been imposed.
Europe has made no move to indict President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for
incitement to genocide, following his calls to eliminate Israel,

despite the provisions of the Genocide Convention requiring all
signatory nations to do so. Even if the North Korean deal is
faulty, it demonstrates that sanctions can work. All that is lacking
is Western will."

JONES