ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000178 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM NSC FOR NEA STAFF SECDEF WASHDC FOR USDP/ASD-PA/ASD-ISA HQ USAF FOR XOXX DA WASHDC FOR SASA JOINT STAFF WASHDC FOR PA CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL FOR POLAD/USIA ADVISOR COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD COMSIXTHFLT FOR 019 JERUSALEM ALSO ICD LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL PARIS ALSO FOR POL ROME FOR MFO SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION -------------- SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: -------------- Mideast -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- Israel's siege of Gaza dominated the news over the weekend. The media reported that, Israel agreed on Monday to allow some fuel and medicine to reach Gaza in order to avert a humanitarian crisis, while saying at the same time that the siege will continue and blaming Hamas for creating the suffering. This decision followed growing international pressure over Israel's actions in response to increased rocket fire from Gaza. The media reported that PM Ehud Olmert told a Kadima Knesset faction meeting Monday: "We will not allow a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But we have no intention of making their lives easier... As far as I am concerned, every resident of Gaza can walk because they have no gasoline for their vehicles, because they have a murderous regime that doesn't let people in southern Israel live in peace." Maariv reported that Israel has apparently infringed the Supreme Court's conditions for cutting energy to the Strip. According to Yediot, on Monday the Foreign Ministry claimed that Hamas intentionally cut the power in Gaza at 8 p.m. on Sunday to coincide with the prime time news broadcasts in Israel and the Middle East (and Europe),sending scores of Gazans in to the streets. Media reported that on Monday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided to allow the EU to resume deliveries of industrial fuel to the power plant in Gaza as well as diesel and butane gas used for cooking. Ha'aretz quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying that restrictions would remain in place on gasoline used for cars. Maariv and Israel Radio reported that the UN Security Council will convene following a call by the Arab countries. Ha'aretz reported that there is growing concern in Israel that the recent tightening of sanctions against the Gaza Strip will result in international pressure to transfer control of the border crossings into the Strip to the PA. PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad proposed during last month's donor nations' conference in Paris that Palestinian forces not affiliated with the rival Hamas and Fatah factions take over operations at the crossing points. Fayyad is also considering the possibility of involving private international companies specializing in border crossings, who would assist PA officials in running them. Senior U.S. officials have sent a number of memos to Israeli counterparts describing Fayyad's idea as "creative and worth a serious look." Israeli sources quoted American officials saying that "Fayyad is a person we completely trust and if he is proposing such an idea it is worthwhile to assist him and approach the matter favorably." Ha'aretz wrote that Fayyad's proposal also enjoys the support of many European states, including Britain, Spain, France, and the Netherlands. Ha'aretz reported that at this stage Israel has reservations about Fayyad's proposal, but that it has not rejected it. Ha'aretz quoted a senior diplomatic source in Jerusalem as saying on Monday: "Opening the crossings by Fayyad, without coordination with Hamas, is impossible." "Opening the crossings with the agreement of Hamas means the group is granted legitimacy. This can only result in a weakening of Fayyad and a bolstering of Hamas," the same source added. Another Israeli concern is that agreeing to Fayyad's proposal may lead to an irreversible situation, making it impossible to use closures as leverage in response to Qassam rocket attacks. On Sunday all media reported on what they described as a "heinous" and "sickening performance" by Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday when he announced that his organization holds body parts of Israeli soldiers, including "hands, legs and heads." Nasrallah complained that no progress was being made on a prisoner exchange deal, due to the "lack of responsiveness" on the Israeli side. Military sources defined this as a cynical and wicked move, and slammed Nasrallah for trampling basic codes of human dignity. Israeli political officials made it clear that no negotiations would be held with Hizbullah over body parts. The media (Maariv's lead story) reported that 50 IDF reserve officers, most of whom fought in the Second Lebanon have sent PM Olmert a letter in which they urge him to take responsibility for the failure of the war. The Jerusalem Post and Maariv quoted Western sources as saying that the successful launch on Monday in India of an advanced Israeli satellite was delayed in recent months by Iranian sabotage. The TECSAR satellite -- developed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) -- was supposed to be launched in September, on the heels of the June launch of the Ofek-7 spy satellite. Media reported that the new satellite will be tightly watching Iran's ground-to-ground missiles. Maariv quoted senior Labor Party members as saying that they will convince PM Olmert to proclaim new elections in 2009. On Monday The Jerusalem Post quoted President Shimon Peres as saying at the Herzliya Conference on Sunday that the government should bring its plan for a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians to the people for approval -- apparently in general elections. On Sunday The Jerusalem Post reported that Yisrael Beiteinu's exit from the government deals a blow to prospects for electoral reform. On Sunday Maariv reported that the special ministerial forum that was appointed to make recommendations regarding which of the Hamas prisoners described as having "blood on their hands" should be released in exchange for Gilad Shalit has drawn up a partial list, and over the next several days is expected to complete its work and submit it to Ehud Olmert on its way to approval by the cabinet. Visiting Dutch FM Maxime Verhagen was quoted as saying in an interview with Ha'aretz on Monday that the singling out of Israel for criticism in international fora was unfair. On Sunday The Jerusalem Post reported that Canada plans to remove both Israel and the U.S. from a list drawn up by the Foreign Ministry in Ottawa of countries where prisoners risk torture and abuse. Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton was quoted as saying in an interview with Ha'aretz on Sunday that the IDF ground offensive during the Second Lebanon War did not influence the UN cease-fire. He told Israel Radio that part of Israel's air raid in Syria in September should be exposed. Makor Rishon-Hatzofe quoted Israeli defense sources as saying that Israel's ambiguity policy will continue. On Monday The Jerusalem Post reported that 150 families from Sderot are considering sending their children to the U.S. On Monday Ha'aretz quoted Israeli government officials as saying on Sunday that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones is the leading candidate for the post of U.S. Ambassador to Russia. Leading media reported that a Housing Ministry official told a Knesset panel on Monday that the ministry has stopped publishing tenders for state construction in Jerusalem neighborhoods beyond the Green Line without the prime minister's approval. Yediot cited the belief of lawyers for some of the families of 13 Israeli Arabs killed in the 2000 riots that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz will drop the cases of policemen involved in the disturbances. Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post quoted Thelma Askey, Deputy Secretary General of Organization for Economic Cooperation and SIPDIS Development (OECD),as saying at a press conference in Jerusalem on Monday that Israel still has to make some changes, including passing legislation, before it is fully accepted into the OECD. The Jerusalem Post quoted Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer as saying that Israel will become a full-fledged member of the organization by the time he leaves office. -------------- Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote on page one of the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: " The Palestinians often say: 'Let a thousand mothers weep, just don't let my mother shed a tear.' Somebody needs to explain to them that that saying applies equally on either side of the border." The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "Even if the suffering were comparable, the moral culpability is not. What have the citizens of Sderot done to Gazans or Hamas?" Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the popular, pluralist Maariv: "It is incumbent upon us to understand that the only alternative to the power outages in the Gaza Strip is an IDF invasion or, alternatively, bombardments from the air." Liberal op-ed writer Yael Paz-Melamed commented in the popular, pluralist Maariv: "Over one million people -- children, women, the elderly, the infirm -- are abandoned to their fate, in the hope that they will rebel against the Hamas leaders.... In Gaza, however, the calculations work differently." The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "Most of the cabinet ministers have so far been wise not to cooperate with Nasrallah's provocative trafficking in bodies and emotions.... The government would do well to stick to that position." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "So What, Let Them Suffer" Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote on page one of the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (1/22): "As soon as the Defense Minister announces that we are renewing the supply of diesel, crude oil or both today -- that is tantamount to an admission of guilt: We were out of line. As if there really wasn't electricity in the Gaza Strip because of us. As if we really are responsible for the death of five people in Gaza hospitals. Mubarak picked up the telephone, and the Israeli officials became weak in the knees. The Defense Minister ought to announce that not only will no fuel oil enter, but not a single drop of gasoline will make its way from Israel into the Gaza Strip either. That there is no reason that Israel should supply transportation for the Qassam rockets. That if they're so eager to shoot them, let them carry the rockets on their backs or use donkeys. In order to make any sort of achievement with respect to the Gaza Strip Israel needs to use four levers of pressure simultaneously and at full force: targeted killing operations against the leadership, strikes at the military infrastructure and the fighting troops, strikes on symbols of government and Hamas installations, and economic closure and stopping the flow of funds into the Gaza Strip. Israel has been doing that only temporarily for the time being. The alternative to those four levers is an IDF invasion: thousands of Palestinians and hundreds of Israelis will be killed or injured. Who needs that?.... The weak win with images. The hungry child with a candle in his hand will always elicit sympathy. That is the way of the world. The Palestinians often say: 'Let a thousand mothers weep, just don't let my mother shed a tear.' Somebody needs to explain to them that that saying applies equally on either side of the border -- that as far as we are concerned, the children in Sderot mustn't shed a tear." II. "Hamas's Dupes" The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (1/22): "It would be nice if the international press and the governments that blindly took their cues from it would take a moment to consider that their Pavlovian embrace of the manufactured 'humanitarian crisis' in Gaza could lead, at best, to prolonging the suffering of Gazans and Israelis and, at worst, to full blown war. The reason for this is that anything that reduces the pressure on Hamas to end its unprovoked aggression against Israel will encourage that aggression, with all its associated results. Israel obviously has no interest in causing suffering of any kind in Gaza, and every interest in encouraging Palestinian development, absent the war Hamas is waging against Israel. But Hamas is responsible for the firing of dozens -- 50 in one day last week -- of missiles at the citizens of Sderot. As a result, Israel has reduced fuel supplies, producing a 25 percent reduction in the electricity availability to Gazans.... Power outages and gas shortages are no picnic, but they cannot compare to the deadly and indiscriminate threat from missiles landing on kindergartens and homes. Even if the suffering were comparable, the moral culpability is not. What have the citizens of Sderot done to Gazans or Hamas? How could Israel have withdrawn more completely from Gaza, after uprooting not only every settlement, but also cemeteries and the security strip along the border between Gaza and Egypt? It is one thing for Hamas to have decided to attack Israel without any justification, to the detriment of the people it claims to represent. But why would nations that claim to be concerned for Palestinians, Israelis and for peace chime in to reinforce the transparent ploy by Hamas to blame Israel for having been attacked?.... As necessary as Israeli military and non-military measures are, the greatest pressure of all would be if the international community let it be clearly known that it was fed up acting as Hamas's dupes." III. "There Is No Alternative" Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the popular, pluralist Maariv (1/21): "Today will be Gaza's day. The pictures of the blackout, the march of the candles and the nauseatingly familiar manipulations made by the Arab propaganda machine will deluge the media, from one end of the world to the other, including in Europe. Everyone will upbraid Israel for having created a humanitarian crisis, and people in Israel will begin to squirm uncomfortably in their seats as well. We mustn't be moved by any of that. It is incumbent upon us to understand that the only alternative to the power outages in the Gaza Strip is an IDF invasion or, alternatively, bombardments from the air.... If the Gazans want to live peacefully, if they want a regular supply of food and medicine, if they want electricity, water and fuel and quiet, if they want to rehabilitate their refugees and to build new lives, they don't need to recognize Israel or forge peace treaties with it, and they don't need to convert to Judaism and to begin to sing Israel's national anthem. They need to stop shooting. That is a truth that no one can distort, and it is the only truth that is out there. In the end, it is going to have to prevail." IV. "Closed Cycle" Liberal op-ed writer Yael Paz-Melamed commented in the popular, pluralist Maariv (1/21): "Every price tag that we attach to the Qassam rocket fire at us has a price tag of its own, and so on and so forth -- a cycle of blood and suffering, which as of now is hermetically sealed. Over one million people -- children, women, the elderly, the infirm -- are abandoned to their fate, in the hope that they will rebel against the Hamas leaders, and bring about a cessation of the fire at Sderot and the surrounding communities. This is the arithmetic according to which the current price tag was calculated.... In Gaza, however, the calculations work differently. Instead of coming out against Hamas, many of the city's residents came out for a darkened demonstration in favor of it.... And there is of course the world, which sees on its television screens day-old premature infants whose lives are feared to be at risk, because there may not be power to operate their incubators, and thinks that someone in Israel has gone crazy.... Whoever says that the value of guarding the lives of the residents of Sderot is less important, is right, but it is also clear to many officials in the security establishment that the act of darkening Gaza will not achieve this. They too have their insane price tag. The crossings will eventually be opened. It will take three, four, or five days. But when it happens, another few hundred or few thousand civilians in Gaza will have joined the ranks of Hamas. What else do they have left?" ¶V. "Provocative Trade in Corpses" The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (1/21): "The responses to Hassan Nasrallah's speech stating that Hizbullah was in possession of the remains of IDF soldiers who died in the Second Lebanon War range from demands by ministers and Knesset members to assassinate Nasrallah to an attempt to interpret his comments as an expression of weakness. The voices of the relatives of abducted IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser could also be heard amid the tumult, saying that as long as the Hizbullah leader was not offering negotiations for their release, he should be ignored. Nasrallah, the father of the theory that Israel is weaker than a spider's web, has already proven that he is attentive to the mood of Israeli society and knows how to get on its nerves and generate debate among its leadership on all matters related to the redemption of captives, whether alive or dead. In stating that his organization has the body parts of soldiers killed in battle, Nasrallah has hit at the heart of Israeli sensitivity.... Most of the cabinet ministers have so far been wise not to cooperate with Nasrallah's provocative trafficking in bodies and emotions.... The government would do well to stick to that position and treat Nasrallah with the repugnance due him, while ignoring -- in the name of the dignity of the dead and the living -- his recent macabre call for opening additional negotiations." JONES