JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (9/26): PRESIDENT BUSH'S LEGACY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001802 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 (9/26): PRESIDENT BUSH'S LEGACY -------------- Main Stories: -------------- President Bush's September 25 meeting with Palestinian Authority President Abbas at the White House leads coverage in Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam, with all three papers running prominent front-page pictures showing the two leaders shaking hands. The reports quote Bush and Abbas reiterating their commitment to continue peace negotiations until the goal of a two-state solution is realized. Al-Quds highlights remarks by President Bush stating that the U.S. will continue to assist Palestinians improve security and economic conditions. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida spotlights comments by Abbas stating that negotiations are difficult but that the Palestinians will "press on", until the conflict is resolved. Al-Ayyam notes that this is the first time that Bush has acknowledged that the Palestinian state may not be established during his term, adding that the President "expressed sadness" over that eventuality. In related news, Al-Quds reports that PA President Abbas will meet with Secretary Rice and Israeli President Peres before heading back home on September 28. President Bush's September 25 meeting with Lebanese President Sulayman in Washington also receives front-page coverage in Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, quoting Sulayman telling Bush that the "future of Palestinian refugees is in their homeland, not Lebanon." The September 26 UN Security Council session at which a discussion on Israeli settlements is expected, receives highlighted coverage in all dailies. Leading with the story, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reports that Arab efforts to convene the session have been "held up" by the U.S. for weeks. Al-Quds quotes Al-Tayyib Abdul Rahim, Secretary General of the Palestinian Authority Presidency, stating that the Palestinian leadership is committed to establishing a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders. Abdul Rahim is also reported as praising the U.S. for working tirelessly towards that goal, while Israel has failed to fulfill its commitments, especially those related to the implementation of the Roadmap. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida and Al-Quds report that Israel has agreed to release 450 Palestinian prisoners as part of an exchange deal to free Israeli soldier Shalit who is being held in Gaza. The report states that Hamas has rejected the Israeli offer. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida highlights a front-page report quoting President Bush "conceding that the U.S. is in the midst of a dangerous financial crisis." In related coverage, Al-Ayyam reports that the U.S. Congress has agreed on the principles for a US Government financial bailout and that presidential candidates McCain and Obama are participating in discussions on the issue at the White House. Wafa official news agency and all three dailies run on inside pages, the Consulate press release about the recent visit of a U.S. band, The Fuuls, who performed concerts and conducted workshops throughout the West Bank and Gaza as part of the Consulate's Ramadan programming. -------------- BLOCK QUOTES: -------------- ¶1. In its main editorial, Al-Quds independent opines under the title "Ideas Alone are not Enough" (09/26): "History will judge the presidency of George W. Bush... It was a period full of overseas wars and emergency laws to monitor terrorist suspects and a JERUSALEM 00001802 002 OF 002 recession that threatens to deepen further ... In any case, the legacy of Bush is not something that Americans will fondly and admiringly remember. For the Palestinian people, this legacy has one spot of light amid the darkness... of the peace process... He articulated his special vision that has materialized into the Roadmap's plan to establish a Palestinian state beside Israel. Despite the passing of five full years, the occupation and reality of settlements has become worse instead of better for Palestinians... In this context, reports are coming from Washington about ideas formulated by the Bush administration to 'bridge the gap between the Palestinian and Israeli sides,' with a special emphasis on security arrangements that Israel is demanding be in... any final agreement. These reports, by implying that security arrangements are the obstacle to the agreement, are meant to divert attention away from the real obstacles which have turned Palestinian life into a living hell. [These obstacles are] random, extensive settlement [expansion] which has swallowed up substantial Palestinian areas and deprived the people of their natural right to freedom and sovereignty... The [US-proposed] ideas are not the right means to achieve a comprehensive peace... [we need instead increased] American pressure on Israel to completely withdraw from the lands occupied in 1967..." ¶2. Yahya Rabah argues in official Al-Hayat Al-Jadida under the headline "The dialogue between Hope and Desperation" (09/26): "The prevailing problem these days is that all these efforts exerted by our Egyptian brothers for the sake of [internal Palestinian] dialogue, the ongoing arrangements and all those Egyptian and Arab calls to work hard towards this dialogue are met with very different and even contradictory reactions from the Palestinians; just as desperation contradicts hope. This is evident in the hopeful, positive and optimistic statements of Dr. Sha'ath, head of the Fatah delegation to the Cairo dialogue, as opposed to some of Haniyyah's statements that do not reflect the same optimism, but rather speak of a road ahead that is filled with pitfalls... These black statements about the dialogue and about January 9 [disputed end date for Abbas' presidency] cast black shadows over the Palestinians' expectations and their feelings... Are we going to succeed in managing our dispute or will we fall victim to a total death?" MARCHESE