JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (12/18): "ACTION - NOT JUST LIP

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SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (12/18): "ACTION - NOT JUST LIP
SERVICE"

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Main Stories:
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Al Quds and Al Ayyam lead with the, "escalation of violence" in Gaza
where one Palestinian was killed and four others injured, including
a child, in an Israeli artillery attack on Tal Z'atar neighborhood
in the northern Gaza Strip on December 17. The papers note that the
truce between Hamas and Israel is scheduled to end December 18. The
papers cite news agencies in reporting that Palestinian militants
responded to the attack by firing 15 projectiles onto Israel's
southern town of Sderot. Al Quds adds, citing Israeli daily Maariv
that the Israeli military has developed offensive plans for action
in the Gaza Strip that could result in the killing of 800
Palestinians or more. Al Quds also quotes Israeli Premier Olmert
stating on December 17 that Israel will respond to Palestinian
rocket fire from Gaza. Finally, Al Hayat Al Jadida's front page
quotes a high ranking officer of the Israeli military commenting
that the U.S. has ordered all staff in Israel to use armored
vehicles when traveling to Sderot, just as it does in Iraq or
Afghanistan.
Al Hayat Al Jadida leads with, and all front pages highlight,
statements by Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas on
December 17, insisting that the Palestinian Authority is seeking
simultaneous elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for early
next year. In comments made after a meeting with Austrian President
Fischer, Abbas added that, "if we have an agreement with Israel, we
will proceed with it, even if we face opposition." Speaking about
his trip to the United States, Abbas noted that the visit will be to
express, "appreciation for everything President Bush has done
towards reaching a [peace] agreement." Abbas continued that, "not
having reached an agreement does not mean that we have failed, and I
call on the American presidency to make every effort to ensure the
success of our plans in the Middle East." Al Ayyam's front page
reports that Abbas will seek U.S. guarantees on continuing the peace
process with Israel.
Al Quds' front page quotes Palestinian Authority Prime Minister
Fayyad stating on December 17 at a meeting with his Tunisian
counterpart in Tunis, that the Palestinian people are resolute on
safeguarding all their internationally recognized national rights.
Al Quds' front page quotes Bethlehem Mayor Victor Patarsah accusing
Israel of attempting to spoil Christmas festivals in the city. He
pointed to recent Israeli military action in the area, "storming"
Bethlehem and surrounding villages and arresting youth, occupying a
Palestinian house and hoisting the Israeli flag over it. He
characterized the actions as attempts to scare away tourists and
terrorize Palestinian civilians.

Al Ayyam's inside page cites a report by the British Foreign Office
that designates Israeli settlements as illegal and in violation of
international law. The statement considers settlement expansion an
obstacle to peace, according to reporting.
Al Ayyam's front page cites DPA when quoting Osama Mazini, a Hamas
member dealing with the case of captured Israeli soldier Shalit,
revealing that Israel has turned down a European offer to mediate on
a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. The paper also
cites news agencies in reporting that Hamas chief Khalid Mish'al
turned down an offer by former President Jimmy Carter to
unilaterally extend the truce with Israel for six months.
In public affairs news, all inside pages report that Palestinian
Authority Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs Salwa Hudayb met in
Ramallah on December 17 with a U.S. Consulate delegation from the
Public Affairs section to discuss the establishment of a Palestinian
committee for combating violence against women and other training
and capacity building activities. Consulate representatives also

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briefed Hudayb on their preparations for a month long series of
activities to mark International Women's Day on March 8. Meanwhile,
an inside page in Al Hayat Al Jadida reports on the experiences of a
Palestinian student from Jerusalem who participated in a U.S.
Government funded summer writing workshop. A Consulate press
officer is quoted noting that the workshop is one among many
activities organized for Palestinian youth.

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BLOCK QUOTES:
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1) Adli Sadiq editorializes in Al Hayat Al Jadida under the title,
"Fatwa and pursuit" (12/18): "[Palestinian Authority] elections
without Gaza, would consolidate the obvious Israeli and American
victory [of separating Gaza from the West Bank], whereas elections
that include Gaza, without political change within Hamas, would also
constitute a trap for both Hamas and Fatah. The Palestinian
Authority's embrace of the illusion of U.S. support for the
establishment of an independent Palestinian state is like the
behavior of someone sad and ignorant. Fatah's embrace of its own
shabby condition, however, will only accelerate the coming of an
Islamic surprise."

2) Al Quds' editorial is titled, "More peace talk" (12/18): "The
[Arab] region and we Palestinians in particular, need action and not
just lip service. We need the implementation of resolutions, not
the passing of new ones... no one is fooled anymore by what they
hear since the formula remains the same: an economically, militarily
and politically strong Israel faces a weakened, oppressed Arab
world, and a divided Palestinian people..."

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