JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (02/05): SUICIDE BOMBINGS - "A

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 000196 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 (02/05): SUICIDE BOMBINGS - "A GIFT TO THE ISRAELI RIGHT" -------------- Main Stories: -------------- The bombing of a shopping mall in the southern Israeli city of Dimona was front page news in all the dailies. Factual reports noted that an Israeli woman was killed in the attack and photos of the crime scene appeared on all front pages. Given equal prominence was coverage of the funeral in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya of two members of the Fatah- affiliated Al Aqsa brigades. The men were killed on February 4 in an Israeli "targeted assassination," papers noted. Related front page reports highlighted a statement issued by the Palestinian President's office, expressing official Palestinian Authority condemnation of both the Israeli "military operation" in Qabatiya as well as the "operation" against Israeli civilians in Dimona. The statement asserted that the Palestinian Authority opposes any operation targeting civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli, according to the same reports. Front page photos in Al-Ayaam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida show clashes between Palestinian militants and Egyptian security forces near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. The dailies reported that one Palestinian was killed and fifty were injured in the January 4 clashes. Related coverage highlighted remarks by Palestinian President Abbas asserting that the Palestinian Authority rejects any acts "that challenge Egyptian sovereignty". "Israel has no right to impose a siege on the Gaza strip," according to a January 4 statement by Palestinian President Abbas as reported in the dailies. Abbas further called the Israeli measures collective punishment, according to the coverage of his comments that were made during a Ramallah meeting with groups from the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Abbas expressed satisfaction during the meeting with the progress of a Palestinian Authority security plan that was implemented last year to impose law and order in the city of Nablus. Abbas further underscored that, "security is the key element towards building a better economic, social and political life" in the Palestinian Territories. As part of a wider effort to revitalize and restructure the PLO, a meeting of the National Palestinian Council will be called for in the next few months, Al Quds reports in their lead story. The meeting is expected to take place in Amman, Jordan. Ma'an online news agency reported that Hamas claimed that "Fatah-allied Palestinian security forces seized nine Hamas members" on January 4 in the West Bank. Hamas released a statement saying that seven of the arrested members were from the Nablus area in the northern West Bank and the other two were from the northern towns of Salfit and Qalqilia. Under the title "even condolences are forbidden," the front page of Al-Quds reported that Israeli police "forcibly entered" the YWCA building in Jerusalem and prevented the family of George Habash, founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) from receiving the public who came to pay their condolences for Habash's death last month. Citing the Israeli daily Maariv, the front page of Al-Quds reported that "rich Jews donated money for settlement construction activities in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem and Jerusalem's Old City. Palestinian Minister of Religious Affairs Jamal Bawatna condemned both Israeli excavations near the Haram Al Sharif (Temple Mount) in the Old City of Jerusalem and the international silence regarding the issue, according to inside stories in the dailies. Al Qud's runs their coverage on 2/3 of the second page, noting, however, that Bawatna appeared "optimistic" about the ability of the "American- European vision" to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. -------------- BLOCK QUOTES: -------------- 1) Al-Quds independent carried its daily editorial entitled, "Best Wishes for Egypt and its role" (02/05):"We [Palestinians] oppose anything that might affect the dignity of Egypt and its soldiers. Egypt was and will remain the castle of Arab nationalism and the closest friend to the Palestinian people. It will also be among the leading nations for showing concern for... [the Palestinian people]... even when armored men blew up the [Gaza Rafah] border wall, Egypt interpreted this act in an objective way. And we remember that Egyptian President Mubarak has said more than once, that 'Egypt will not allow for the starvation of the Palestinian people'... therefore what happened yesterday [January 05] is unbelievable. When clashes took place [at the borders between Gaza and Egypt, between Palestinian militants and Egyptian security forces], and we saw Palestinians throwing stones at the Egyptian forces... this event was shameful and sad, and we completely reject such actions for which there can be no justification." 2) Al-Quds independent carried another daily editorial entitled, "Questions from Dimona" (02/05): "yesterday, the name of Dimona city, where the Israeli nuclear facilities is located, was linked to the operation carried out by two Palestinians. This bombing resulted in extensive media coverage of Israeli reactions to the bombing. The operation came at the perfect time from an Israeli perspective and at the worst of times for the Palestinians... Israel can now feel completely free to take any countermeasures in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel will find understanding throughout the world for any such measures, because they can be justified as self defense..., On the other hand, we [Palestinians], who have been living under occupation for 40 years, appear [to the world] as terrorists who deserve to be punished and live under siege... we might not be exaggerating when we say that many Israelis on the extreme right see this [bombing] as a gift that they have waited for, for a long time, and sadly, a few of us [Palestinians] gave it to them." DUFFY