ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000600 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 ¶3. Israel-Europe Relations -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- Israel Radio cited the SAUDI newspaper Okaz as saying that preparations for a trilateral MEETING between President Bush, PM Ehud Olmert, and PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas are underway in Jordan. Maariv reported that the moderate Arab states Egypt, Jordan, SAUDI Arabia, and the UAE have been secretly MEETING to build an anti-Iranian alliance. Ha'aretz reported that on Sunday IDF Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin conveyed a similar message to the cabinet. Ha'aretz quoted Yadlin as saying that Iran is determined to pursue the development of its nuclear program despite technological hardships and the threat of sanctions. The Jerusalem Post reported that on Sunday Olmert instructed the defense establishment to prepare for the possibility of an all-out war with Syria in 2007. Such a possibility is deemed low by Israel's top intelligence officials. Major media reported that Erez Levanon, a 42-year old Israeli, was stabbed to death between the settlement of Bat Ayin, where he resided, and the Palestinian village of Beit Omar, in the Hebron area. The radio said that the murderers acted out of nationalistic motives. The media reported that on Sunday, the IDF began its broadest arrest operation in the past six months, seeking wanted men and weapons in Nablus. In the operation, which involved four IDF battalions and a large contingent of Border Police, the forces raided the city's old market and uncovered an explosives laboratory, the second in 24 hours. A full curfew was imposed on tens of thousands of residents of the market area. On Sunday Ha'aretz reported that Israeli security sources confirmed over the weekend that some progress had been made toward a prisoner swap for the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit. But the defense establishment said a deal with Hamas, which is holding Shalit in cooperation with other organizations, had not yet been clinched and the soldier's release was not imminent. Ha'aretz wrote that the Israeli negotiator for prisoners and missing soldiers, Ofer Dekel, was in Cairo more than a week ago and made progress in talks with senior Egyptian officials. Channel 2-TV said on Friday that between 400 and 500 prisoners are to be exchanged for Shalit. Ha'aretz wrote that agreement also appears close on the structure of the swap, with groups of prisoners to be freed in exchange for Palestinian and Egyptian assurances of Shalit's release before his return to Israel, near the end of the process. The identity of the prisoners to be released is still a matter of contention. Hamas wants a large number of senior figures freed, among them those serving sentences for the murder of Israelis. Ha'aretz quoted Israeli sources close to the process as saying that Egyptian pressure is having an effect on senior Hamas officials and that Hamas has shown "signs of pragmatism" in recent weeks with regard to Shalit's release. Channel 10-TV and The Jerusalem Post also saw signs of cautious optimism regarding Shalit's possible release. Ha'aretz reported that Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh denied on Saturday that ISRAEL was in talks with the US to use Iraqi airspace as part of possible plans to attack Iranian nuclear sites. Britain's Daily Telegraph, citing an unnamed senior Israeli defense official, had said on Saturday that ISRAEL had sought permission from the Pentagon to use an "air corridor" in Iraq in the event that it decided to launch air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Ha'aretz reported that the European Commission has created a plan to renew financial assistance to the PA if and when a unity government is formed that receives international recognition. According to the plan, the details of which Jerusalem has been informed, the EU will channel its aid to a temporary mechanism to be used among other things to build up governmental and institutional capabilities for the future Palestinian state, to build a judicial system and to assist the PA's regular police force. The mechanism for distributing the aid, which at present "bypasses" Hamas to meet humanitarian needs in the PA, will return to working with the Palestinian government when the decision is made to renew aid. The initiative, known as the Temporary International Mechanism, was presented last week in a MEETING of the Quartet in Berlin. The EU's Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, did not give a total figure for 2007 but said 35 million euros were in the pipeline, and that it would be an expanded version of what the EU had done so far. Ha'aretz wrote that the head of the Civil Administration, who is subordinate to Defense Minister Amir Peretz, must sign the development plan for the Matityahu East neighborhood of the settlement of Modi'in Illit for it to be legal. The newspaper quoted Defense Ministry officials as saying on Sunday that Peretz was not asked to involve himself in the decision by the Supreme Planning Council for Judea and Samaria [i.e. the West Bank] to legalize the project, and that in any event he was not partner to the "laundering" of the plan, which was frozen by the High Court of Justice over a year ago. Ha'aretz reported that, following the report in Sunday's Ha'aretz on the council's decision, the American Embassy in Tel Aviv launched an investigation into its legality, including an examination of claims by residents of the adjacent Palestinian village of Bil'in that the course of the separation barrier was coordinated with the construction plan. Ha'aretz reported that, at their MEETING in Cairo on Sunday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah II of Jordan called for stopping Israel's excavations at the Mugrabi Ascent in the Old City of Jerusalem, saying that they represent a threat to regional stability. The Jerusalem Post reported that, as Fatah and Hamas representatives continue their efforts to form a unity government in keeping with the Mecca Agreement reached earlier this month, a row has erupted between former PS finance minister Salam Fayad, who heads the Third Way list, and his No. 2, former education minister Hanan Ashrawi. Ha'aretz cited a new Peace Now report according to which 21 settlements have encroached on the territory of natural reserves. Yediot and Maariv reported that the police are investigating suspicions that two Israeli companies from Ramat Gan have served as conduits for the transfer of goods to a Palestinian that funded terrorist activities against Israel. Leading media cited an announcement made by Iran that it launched a rocket to a height of 150 kilometers on Sunday. The Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli space expert Tal Inbar as saying that Iran's successful test should serve as a "wake-up call" for the defense establishment concerning Tehran's potential to use ballistic missiles to destroy satellites. Israel Radio reported that the US has convinced Egypt not to develop nuclear energy. The media reported that controversial Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset Member Esterina Tartman is slated to become tourism minister in the reshuffle of the Olmert government. Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman chose her, his closest ally in the party, to become the party's second cabinet minister. Tartman is well-known for her fight against the appointment of Israeli Arab MK Raleb Majadele to a post of cabinet minister. ISRAEL Radio said that Majadele will eventually get the science, technology, culture, and sports portfolio, which he had originally been offered. Leading media reported that, during the upcoming official visit to the US of Knesset Speaker and Acting President of Israel's Dalia Itzik, Druze MK Majalli Wahbee (Kadima),will be the acting president. Yediot reported that a team of archaeologists have found the sarcophagi of "Jesus and his son." The findings will be shown in New York tonight. The newspaper quoted Israeli archaeologist Amos Kloner as saying that there is no scientific evidence supporting the claims. Israel Radio reported that last night "West Bank Story," a musical comedy set in the fast-paced, fast-food world of competing falafel stands on the West Bank, which was directed by Israel-born Ari Sandel, won an Academy Award in the category "Best Short Film, Live Action." The Jerusalem Post cited an analysis of Gallup polls conducted since 2005 released over the weekend by The Gallup Organization, according to which Jews are more strongly opposed to the Iraq War -- and have been since before it began -- than any other American religious group. Asked if "the "US made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq," 77 percent of American Jews said it had, while only 21 percent believed the deployment was not a mistake. This figure is in marked contrast to the American average, where only 52 percent indicated opposition to the war and 46 percent indicated support. -------------- ¶1. Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "'Our failure is your failure, and vice versa,' our neighbor the King concluded in [a] January interview [with Ha'aretz]." The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "The international community stands ready to help if [the Fatah-Hamas] partnership produces more peace and less terror. What is even more necessary to demonstrate, however, is that a continuation of chaos and belligerency will be met with a sharp reduction in aid." Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in Ha'aretz: "If the Israeli government were to treat the peace process like the grand prize instead of a threat, it would not stop at exploratory talks." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "Hear Ye, the King Speaks" The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (2/25): "Like other pragmatic Arab leaders in the Middle East, particularly the Egyptian President and the SAUDI King, the plight of the Palestinians is not the sole -- or even the main -- issue troubling Jordan's King Abdullah. The Arab perception that ISRAEL ended the last war at a disadvantage is emboldening radical Islamic elements to try their luck once more. These elements are no less of a threat to secular Arab regimes than they are to Israel.... 'Our failure is your failure, and vice versa,' our neighbor the King concluded in [a] January interview [with Ha'aretz]..... When will Israel's leaders discuss the implication of the deterioration in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for the stability of the friendly regimes in Amman and Cairo? It is only right that the King's impassioned cry be heard by the members of the Quartet as well, particularly the US. The Roadmap expired more than a year ago. In place of the map are fruitless visits by the US Secretary of State and lip service by the Quartet members about a 'political horizon.' The impotence of the body that purports to lead the regional peace process was expressed by Javier Solana. After yet another MEETING with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, the European Union foreign policy chief said that Abbas was a 'good guy,' and sent him home empty-handed." II. "Blind Aid" The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (2/25): "Given the international indifference to the inverse relationship between financial assistance and the actual well-being of Palestinians, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that donor nations care little how their money is spent. If they did, international assistance would be strictly linked to the establishment of the rule of law that is a critical prerequisite to real democratization, and to dismantling the roving militias dedicated to attacking ISRAEL and each other. Had all the PA's wherewithal been spent on improving the lot of its people, things would have been very different. Nothing obliges the Palestinian government to concentrate on infighting and terrorist reinforcements. It knows, as do all its solicitous overseas well-wishers, that ISRAEL has no offensive intentions towards the PA and would like nothing better than peaceful coexistence with it. Fatah and Hamas are both calling for giving their partnership a chance. The international community stands ready to help if this partnership produces more peace and less terror. What is even more necessary to demonstrate, however, is that a continuation of chaos and belligerency will be met with a sharp reduction in aid." III. "Closed-Door Policy" Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in Ha'aretz (2/26): "Instead of wasting time on arguing over the demand that the unity government recognize interim agreements that have passed their sell-by date, the only formula for a permanent agreement that earned the support of all 22 Arab League members could have been submitted to that government. This simple logic also holds for the Syrians. Tehran and Hizbullah are not grieving over Jerusalem's welcome acceptance of Washington's prohibition against reopening communication lines to Damascus, even covertly. If the Israeli government were to treat the peace process like the grand prize instead of a threat, it would not stop at exploratory talks. It would use its connections in Washington to persuade the President of the US to renew negotiations with Syria immediately. As with the Palestinians, there is no other way to assess Syria's intentions and force it to choose its partner. If Bashar Assad is bluffing, that will become obvious within a few months, if not weeks, and he will lose the brass ring. Time, as Jordan's King Abdullah said recently, is not on the side of peoples whose leaders know what they do not want but have no idea what they do want." -------------- ¶2. US-Israel Relations: -------------- Summary: -------------- Liberal op-ed writer Yael Gewirtz commented in an editorial of the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The Israeli leadership is allowing its ally to force it to toe the line down to the very most sensitive areas." Block Quotes: -------------- "Pardon Me, Madam" Liberal op-ed writer Yael Gewirtz commented in an editorial of the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (2/25): "It is no secret that ISRAEL is dependent on the United States down to its very underwear. Just as money has a scent, so the respectable American aid has a price. What is new here is that the Israeli leadership is allowing its ally to force it to toe the line down to the very most sensitive areas. The surrender to Condoleezza Rice's dictated terms that ISRAEL will refrain even from feeling out the seriousness of SyriaQs intentions to negotiate is nothing less than a scandal. With all due respect to the US, the supreme duty of the Israeli leadership is to its citizens, to do everything possible to ensure that they will not be sent out to kill or be killed except in a war of no choice. And with all due respect to Israel's duty to be attentive to the US, there are levels of independence that a sovereign state must keep for itself. A responsible Israeli leader cannot settle for assessments about Syrian intentions. It must examine them. A strong leader would understand that this is precisely the matter about which he must deal with the United States. In our instance, this is a strong 'case' and a weak leader." -------------- ¶3. Israel-Europe Relations: -------------- Summary: -------------- Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Union's Commissioner for External Relations, wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Israel will have to decide where it wants to go, and whether it is willing to really embark on a European path." Block Quotes: -------------- "The European Path For Israel?" Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Union's Commissioner for External Relations, wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (2/26): "Israel will have to decide where it wants to go, and whether it is willing to really embark on a European path.... Europe is not only an economic bloc with profitable trading opportunities, but also a group of nations sharing common ideas and values. ISRAEL can be associated with this group, but at some point it will have to make the strategic decision of whether this is what it really wants.... If the chances for peace are not to fade away, the international community must stay fully engaged. The Palestinian side will require support -- but how much Europe can offer will depend on the new government's program and actions. President Abbas is a true partner for peace. If the new government is also to be a partner, it must respond to the principles of peace set out by President Mahmoud Abbas and the Quartet. So, ISRAEL should keep the door open. Recent weeks have brought small shoots of hope, and we should all work to keep them alive." JONES