JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (8/04): A message to those who

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 JERUSALEM 001412 SIPDIS STATE PASS BBG STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM NSC FOR ABRAMS CMC WASHINGTON DC FOR POLAD JERUSALEM ALSO FOR ICD LONDON FOR HKANONA AND POL - TSOU PARIS ALSO FOR POL ROME FOR MFO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KMDR KPAL KWBG KPAO IS SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (8/04): A message to those who insist on internal conflict: Enough! -------------- Main Stories: -------------- The dominant story in all the dailies is the relative calm in the Gaza Strip in the wake of the clashes between Hamas and the Hilles family on August 3, in which 11 people were killed and 103 injured according to reporting in Al-Quds. All the dailies carry remarks made by King Abdullah II following his meeting with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on August 3, in which he reportedly expressed his concern regarding recent developments in the Palestinian Territories and stressed the necessity of ending the internal division between Hamas and Fatah and of adopting a dialogue to solve it. Al-Ayyam's lead headline reads, "Palestinian-Jordanian summit in Jordan. Abbas: 'dialogue and reconciliation with Hamas are necessary.' King Abdullah: 'fighting 'threatens' the establishment of a state.'" Al-Hayat Al-Jadida quotes Abbas in its banner headline: "We do not have any other option but to work on bridging the gap between Fatah and Hamas." In related coverage in Al-Quds, the Arab League is reported to have asked the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to stop using weapons between brothers. In other related coverage in Al-Ayyam, Hamas police reportedly arrested, on August 3, 30 of the 190 members of the Hilles family who initially fled the Gaza Strip into Israel during the height of the clashes with Hamas, and were later returned to Gaza by Israel. The lead photo in Al-Quds shows Israeli soldiers detaining some of the Palestinians as they entered Israel after fleeing Gaza. The photo is taken at an Israeli military base bordering the Gaza Strip. The dailies cover "adjustments" made by Israel regarding the prisoners' exchange deal with Hezbollah, reporting that the Israeli media announced on August 3 that Israel will release 5 Palestinian prisoners in the last stage of the exchange deal, following the approval of the Israeli Ministerial Council on August 3. Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida report that Israeli has ordered the demolition of 50 Palestinian-owned houses in the Al-Eisawiya village in East Jerusalem under the "pretext" that these houses are built without a license, according to a report made by the Legal Department of the Jerusalem Center for Economic Rights on August 3. Al-Quds highlights findings of a report published by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics on August 3, according to which the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank has increased by a factor of 39 in the past 35 years. In related coverage, Al-Quds cites the Israeli daily Ha'aretz as having reported that 40 Knesset members support the reestablishment of evacuated settlements in the northern West Bank. In other related coverage, Al-Quds reports that Jordan has urged Israel to stop its settlement activities, according to a report made by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August ¶3. -------------- Weekend stories -------------- Sunday, August 3, 2008 News of clashes between Hamas and the Hilles family in the Gaza Strip dominates the headlines in all three dailies. The large headline in Al-Quds, written in red against a black background, reads "Intensive Egyptian calls to Hamas and Fatah to end the crisis-9 killed, more than 95 Palestinians injured in clashes JERUSALEM 00001412 002 OF 004 between Hamas and the Hilles family in the Gaza Strip." This headline is accompanied by a large photo showing black smoke rising from buildings in Al-Shaja'iya in eastern Gaza, where the clashes took place. Al-Ayyam leads with a large headline also written in red, "9 killed and 95 injured, including 16 children, in violent clashes between Hamas police and the Hilles family," and carries a large photo of armed and masked members of Hamas, wearing military garb and brandishing guns, walking on the street in Al-Shaja'iya with Hamas police. In a white headline on a black background, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida writes, "9 killed and 90 injured, including Ahmed Hilles, and dozens of kidnappings in the Hamas attack in the Al-Shaja'iya neighborhood," and carries two photos: one of Hamas police and armed members of Hamas during the clashes, the other showing people on a street in Al-Shaja'iya, seeking shelter from the bullets behind walls and large obstacles. In detailed coverage of the Hamas attack on the Hilles family, all the dailies report that Egyptian officials reportedly placed intensive calls to Hamas and Fatah leaders in an attempt to end the crisis in the Gaza Strip. The dailies also write that Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas called Abu Maher Hilles, a member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, on August 2 to confirm his solidarity with the Hilles family regarding the Hamas attack launched against them that morning. Abbas reportedly said that this attack was "not acceptable" and aims at undermining the comprehensive national dialogue which Abbas has called for. In related coverage, the dailies cite a WAFA report that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called for a halt in the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, and asked all factions to respond to the dialogue initiative, during a ceremony honoring those who had passed the Tawjihi exam in a festival held at the Al-Amari refugee camp, near Ramallah. All dailies report that Hamas released Ibrahim Abu Al-Naja (a member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah and of the Supreme Leadership Committee, arrested on August 1) and nine other Fatah members arrested 3 days before. In a press conference held on August 2, Abu Al-Naja reportedly said, "we care about Palestinian blood and Palestinian national unity," confirming the need to establish a comprehensive national dialogue. All the dailies report on the killing of two Palestinian youths and the injury of three others by unknown armed assailants in Jaba' village, near Ramallah. Palestinian police are reportedly carrying out an investigation to determine the reason for the incident, which took place on August 2. Coverage in all the dailies highlights an AFP story about a settlement in an Israeli military camp in Hebron whose existence was revealed during a broadcast on Israeli Channel 10. The existence of this settlement reportedly came as a surprise to the Israeli public and to the "Peace Now" movement (an Israeli NGO that opposes Israeli settlement in the West Bank). The confiscation of 11,000 dunums of land in the villages of Al-Sawahreh and Abu Dis makes news in all three dailies, which report that the confiscated land will be annexed to the Ma'ale Adumim and Kedar settlements. The Al-Sawahreh and Abu Dis village councils are said to have written a joint letter of complaint to the Israeli authorities. A story in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reports that settlers in Hebron dropped a 15-year-old Palestinian boy off the roof of a house, causing injury to his back. His condition is described as "serious." Settlers in Hebron also reportedly attacked Palestinians attending a wedding in Hebron. Saturday, August 2, 2008 All the dailies lead with news about the arrest campaign launched by JERUSALEM 00001412 003 OF 004 Hamas against Fatah members on August 1. Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam write in banner headlines that "Hamas police arrested a number of Fatah leaders and Secretaries General in the Gaza Strip." Al-Hayat Al-Jadida carries a similar headline but also names two of the most prominent arrestees: Zakariya Al-Agha [member of both the Fatah Central Committee and the Executive Committee of the PLO] and Ibrahim Abu Al-Naja [member of both the Fatah Revolutionary Council and the Supreme Leadership Committee of the Gaza Strip], as well as specifying that three governors were also arrested. In Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri is reported to have announced on August 1 that this latest arrest campaign is intended to pressure Fatah security forces to release Hamas activists arrested in the West Bank. In related coverage, all the dailies report that Palestinian police in Nablus released on August 1 a number of recently arrested members of Hamas, including Hamas leader Dr. Mohammad Ghazal. All the dailies carry large, above-the-fold photos of clashes during a reportedly peaceful demonstration against the separation wall in Ni'lin village, near Ramallah, on August 1. The photo in Al-Quds and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida shows Palestinian protesters trying to remove barbed wire, while the photo in Al-Ayyam shows a Palestinian holding a Palestinian flag. In related coverage, the dailies report on injuries sustained by Palestinians in demonstrations against the separation wall in four locations: in Ni'lin and Bei'lin villages outside of Ramallah, and in Al-Ma'sara and Al-Khudar villages outside of Bethlehem. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reports that six Palestinians were injured, including one child. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida also reports that Israeli settlers attacked a car with a Palestinian mother and child south of Nablus on August 1, causing injury to the child in the particular. Both mother and child were taken to hospital following the incident. Al-Quds front-pages a large, below-the-fold article entitled, "Officials at the U.S. State Department are worried about the Israeli delays. Elliott Abrams is doubtful that a final agreement can be reached before the end of Bush's presidency." The article reports that the negotiations held between the Palestinian and Israeli delegations to Washington last Wednesday [July 30] did not achieve any results and that according to reliable sources, the State Department and the White House have different attitudes regarding this agreement. The story goes on to say that while Secretary Rice is trying to bring the parties to an agreement before the end of 2008, Elliott Abrams of the NSC met Jewish-American leaders in New York on July 23 and expressed skepticism regarding the Livni-Qureia talks that have been going on since the Annapolis Conference, reportedly informing his audience that even if an agreement is reached between Qureia and Livni, it will remain between the two of them only, and will not be between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Al-Quds also claims that State Department officials are worried about Israeli delays in implementing the first part of the Roadmap and that the newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador to Israel, James Cunningham, has expressed frustration regarding Israel's lack of commitment in implementing Roadmap details, ceasing settlement activities, removing checkpoints, and reinforcing the PA's status. Al-Quds also claims that the U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem, Jake Walles, has said that the Palestinians have implemented their Roadmap commitments to a much greater extent than Israel has done. Al-Quds reports that the weekly Israeli newspaper Kol Ha'ir wrote on August 1 that there are Israeli plans to establish 735 new settlement units in Pisgat Ze'ev in Jerusalem. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida and Al-Ayyam highlight news that Russia will provide the PA with $10 million to help the PA pay the salaries of its employees and to support the Palestinian people in Gaza in "several domains." The agreement was signed on August 1 by JERUSALEM 00001412 004 OF 004 Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the Representative of the Russian Federation to the PA, Sergei Kosolov. -------------- BLOCK QUOTES: -------------- ¶1. Independent Al-Quds runs its daily editorial entitled, "Enough...!!" (8/04): "The sad events in the Gaza Strip during the last three days and their results have shocked and surprised Palestinians throughout the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, in refugee camps and abroad, not only because they form a new step in the [internal] division and because such incidents deform the image of the patient Palestinian people in the eyes of the world, but also because they deny and harm all the sacrifices of the Palestinian people and their dream of freedom and independence. And also because they create a gap in the Palestinian and social relations ... What is happening harms each Palestinian and constitutes a denial of the martyrs' blood and the suffering of the injured and the imprisoned. In fact, it is a denial of the entire Palestinian cause ... In view of this sad and dangerous situation, we reiterate that it is time for our people to speak up and determine their future and destiny through frameworks and political mechanisms. And it is time to tell those who insist on internal conflict, those who encourage Palestinian bloodshed and the killing of the innocent, those who act to scare people, increasing their pain and suffering...Enough. ¶2. Independent Al-Ayyam carries its daily editorial by Talal Okal entitled, "What is left for us?" (8/04): "Regret and condemnation are no longer useful for the events occurring in the Palestinian arena, due to the division and conflict between the main parties that control the destiny of the Palestinian people ... Why is this conflict continuing, why is this division deepening, where are things headed, what do the political leaderships want...? The latest round of this painful conflict exceeded all the "red lines" [i.e. limits] and all the values that reinforce the strength of Palestinian rights ... Why doesn't the Arab league, or the nearby and far away Arab countries, intervene to stop this conflict and violence, and this misuse of Palestinian national powers, and Arab nationality? Why did they move quickly as soon as they heard that there was a crisis between the Lebanese factions, and then they stand still when it comes to the Palestinian national dialogue? At least, why don't they move to prevent the ongoing conflict? WALLES