UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000647
SIPDIS
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 (04/15): PALESTINIAN GRATITUDE TO
EGYPT
-------------
Main Stories:
-------------
Photos of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation signing
ceremony on April 14 in Ramallah are the lead photos on all front
pages. Positive coverage of the $500 million housing mortgage loan
program follows with excerpts of remarks by Palestinian President
Abbas noting that, "the modern state is built of several basic
components of which security and the economy are the most
important." Abbas added more political commentary, insisting that,
"there are no issues to be delayed in negotiations, and we are
making every effort to achieve a truce [with Israel] and end the
[Gaza] siege."
Official daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida runs a large photo of a confident
Palestinian President Abbas chairing a meeting with relaxed
Palestinian Authority ministers and a smiling Prime Minister Fayyad
on an inside page. All dailies cover the story of Abbas attendance
at the meeting. Al Quds front page reports that Abbas asserted in
statements to the press that the Fayyad Government, "enjoys the full
support and backing" of the Presidency. Other front-page articles
carry remarks from an April 14 Ramallah press conference by Minister
of Foreign Affairs and Information Riad Malki, in which he confirms
that Abbas conveyed to Fayyad his full confidence in the Government.
Malki added that Abbas urged ministers not to heed criticism by a
few voices, mostly motivated by personal agendas. Malki concluded
that Abbas recalled similar difficulties and pressures that he had
to deal with when he was prime minister. Finally, Al Quds front
page alludes internal Fatah power struggles in a quote by Fatah
member Qadora Faris asserting that, "the Fatah crisis is an internal
one and has nothing to do with Fayyad's government."
Positive coverage on the agreement between the Palestinian
Government and the public employees union continues. The reporting
notes that the government will pay a 50% increase in salaries as
well as back-pay in exchange for an end to the threat of strikes.
Teachers who conducted a recent strike will not be docked pay, the
coverage concluded.
The visit of former president Carter continues to capture front-page
headlines. The dailies run a Reuters report, highlighting comments
by Carter that discussions with Syria and Hamas should be part of
any future peace agreement.
The dailies report that Afif Safia, previous head of the PLO mission
in Washington, has been reassigned as Palestinian Authority
ambassador to Russia.
The meeting between Israeli Foreign Minister Livni and other Arab
leaders and officials in Qatar is still front page news. The papers
report that Livni met with the Omani foreign minister for the first
time and commented on April 14 that, "the Gaza Strip is an obstacle
to the establishment of a Palestinian State." In other Gaza news,
the dailies report that Israel has decided to resume delivery of
fuel to Gaza and that UNRWA has begun cash assistance to Gaza
families.
The front page of Al-Quds cites a Reuters story about an opinion
poll showing that the Arab world has a "black" view of the United
States. According to the poll conducted by Maryland University, 80%
of interviewees had a negative image of the US. Interviewees
included 4,000 residents of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan,
Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. The poll also showed that
JERUSALEM 00000647 002 OF 002
most of Arabs interviewed do not consider Iran to be the greatest
enemy of the US, and showed greater approval for Hamas than Fatah.
Most interviewed viewed Fatah as "backed by the US."
------------
BLOCK QUOTES:
------------