Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TELAVIV2096
2008-09-12 09:26:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tel Aviv
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHTV #2096/01 2560926 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 120926Z SEP 08 FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8408 RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAHQA/HQ USAF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEADWD/DA WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 4382 RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 0988 RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 4735 RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 5172 RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 4384 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 2744 RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 5144 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 2005 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0227 RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 8984 RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 6465 RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 1389 RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 5486 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 7447 RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH PRIORITY 0314 RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0430 RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY RHMFIUU/COMSIXTHFLT PRIORITY
UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002096
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:
--------------
Leading media quoted PM Ehud Olmert as saying yesterday that he
would resign immediately after a new Kadima leader is elected and
recommend that the president ask the new leader to form a
government. Ha'aretz reported that Olmert is expected to resign
next Thursday, the day after Kadima's September 17 primary, if the
result is settled in the first round. Olmert was also quoted as
saying that he had not promised Syria anything, but that each side
knows what the other one wants.
In an interview with Ha'aretz, PA President Mahmoud Abbas expressed
his doubts that any peace agreement can be reached by the end of
2008, as not one of the six key issues in a final-status arrangement
has yet been resolved. Abbas was also quoted as saying that the
Palestinians will demand that in any agreement, part of the refugees
be returned to Israel.
Israel Radio reported that the State Department issued a statement
refuting a report published yesterday by the Palestinian paper
Al-Ayyam, which quoted an American official as saying that Israel
and the Palestinians are negotiating over the future of Jerusalem
and the Dead Sea area. Yediot and The Jerusalem Post reported on
the dissatisfaction and anger of GOI officials over the remarks.
The politicians were quoted as sayng that the Americans had broken a
clear commitment not to publicly discuss details of the
negotiations. The Israeli officials also claimed that the Jerusalem
issue is not being negotiated. Yediot reported that Israel asked
the U.S. to refute the remarks. The Jerusalem Post reported that PM
Ehud Olmert told a Kadima Party meeting in Ramat Gan that his
government was sticking by its position that Jerusalem should be
left until the end of the talks.
The media modestly marked the 15th anniversary of the signing of the
Oslo Agreement at the White House.
Leading media reported that President Shimon Peres will represent
Israel at the UN General Assembly.
Ha'aretz quoted Noam Shalit as saying yesterday that he has yet to
receive confirmation that his son, Gilad, received the letter Noam
sent him via French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Ha'aretz quoted former Mossad chief Shabtai Shavit as saying at the
counterterrorism conference in Herzliya that if there is no
Israeli-Palestinian agreement by the end of the year, Hamas or
Hizbullah will be tempted to provoke Israel into an armed conflict.
Major media reported that in two separate incidents on Wednesday,
settlers unleashed a dog against a soldier and injured an officer at
an unauthorized outpost. Maariv and The Jerusalem Post reported
that settlers also attacked an IDF outpost.
Ha'aretz reported that Austria's justice ministry, security
services, and Jewish community are furious over a Vienna court
decision to unfreeze a banned account of the Palestinian group, Abu
Nidal.
Ha'aretz reported that Aryeh Deri is not likely to ask President
Peres for a pardon so that he can run for the elections from mayor
of Jerusalem and that he may turn to the Jerusalem District Court.
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe cited a complaint by a right-wing legal group
that Deri and Peres may have colluded: the two met before the
presidential elections, thus there is a suspicion that the Shas
Party supported Peres' election in exchange for abridging the period
of Deri's moral turpitude.
The Jerusalem Post reported that this week Pakistani television
journalist Khalid Ansari visited Israel to prepare a major
documentary on the Jewish people to be screened later this year on
his country's widely watched GEO TV network.
Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday the Tel Aviv
Stock Exchange followed global markets downward, descending to March
2007 levels.
All media highlighted the discovery of the body of 4-year-old Rose
Pizem, who went missing four months ago, in a suitcase in Tel Aviv's
Hayarkon River.
Maariv presented the results of a TNS/Teleseker poll among Kadima
voters:
Were the primaries to take place today, which of the candidates
would you elect as head of the party? (In brackets: People who are
sure they will vote):
Tzipi Livni: 46.4% (47.2%); Shaul Mofaz: 27.6% (31.6%); Avi Dichter:
7.5% (5.1%); Meir Sheetrit: 4.5% (5.4%); 14% are undecided.
--------------
Mideast:
--------------
Summary:
--------------
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: " Every time
an election looms, be it for the Knesset, local government, or a
party primary, the 'who will divide Jerusalem' issue miraculously
returns to raise the emotional temperature.... Jerusalem will in the
end be the capital of two states, and the refugees will be
compensated for their abandoned properties. Even if years go by
before a final accord is signed, it will look no different."
Block Quotes:
--------------
"Everyone Will Divide Jerusalem"
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (9/12): "Every
time an election looms, be it for the Knesset, local government, or
a party primary, the 'who will divide Jerusalem' issue miraculously
returns to raise the emotional temperature.... Anyone who engages in
real peace negotiations with the Palestinians will have to accept a
division of Jerusalem; anyone who preaches its integrity and unity
is simply deceiving the public..... Some want to divide the city to
preserve a Jewish majority in the capital, others so that it would
be a better place to live. Some believe that without this
partition, the conflict will never end.... Kadima contains a
spectrum of opinions. But what everyone must understand is that
core issues like the right of return and Jerusalem are inseparable
elements of the negotiations, and no matter who is prime minister,
Israel has already committed to discussing them. Jerusalem will in
the end be the capital of two states, and the refugees will be
compensated for their abandoned properties. Even if years go by
before a final accord is signed, it will look no different."
CUNNINGHAM
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:
--------------
Leading media quoted PM Ehud Olmert as saying yesterday that he
would resign immediately after a new Kadima leader is elected and
recommend that the president ask the new leader to form a
government. Ha'aretz reported that Olmert is expected to resign
next Thursday, the day after Kadima's September 17 primary, if the
result is settled in the first round. Olmert was also quoted as
saying that he had not promised Syria anything, but that each side
knows what the other one wants.
In an interview with Ha'aretz, PA President Mahmoud Abbas expressed
his doubts that any peace agreement can be reached by the end of
2008, as not one of the six key issues in a final-status arrangement
has yet been resolved. Abbas was also quoted as saying that the
Palestinians will demand that in any agreement, part of the refugees
be returned to Israel.
Israel Radio reported that the State Department issued a statement
refuting a report published yesterday by the Palestinian paper
Al-Ayyam, which quoted an American official as saying that Israel
and the Palestinians are negotiating over the future of Jerusalem
and the Dead Sea area. Yediot and The Jerusalem Post reported on
the dissatisfaction and anger of GOI officials over the remarks.
The politicians were quoted as sayng that the Americans had broken a
clear commitment not to publicly discuss details of the
negotiations. The Israeli officials also claimed that the Jerusalem
issue is not being negotiated. Yediot reported that Israel asked
the U.S. to refute the remarks. The Jerusalem Post reported that PM
Ehud Olmert told a Kadima Party meeting in Ramat Gan that his
government was sticking by its position that Jerusalem should be
left until the end of the talks.
The media modestly marked the 15th anniversary of the signing of the
Oslo Agreement at the White House.
Leading media reported that President Shimon Peres will represent
Israel at the UN General Assembly.
Ha'aretz quoted Noam Shalit as saying yesterday that he has yet to
receive confirmation that his son, Gilad, received the letter Noam
sent him via French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Ha'aretz quoted former Mossad chief Shabtai Shavit as saying at the
counterterrorism conference in Herzliya that if there is no
Israeli-Palestinian agreement by the end of the year, Hamas or
Hizbullah will be tempted to provoke Israel into an armed conflict.
Major media reported that in two separate incidents on Wednesday,
settlers unleashed a dog against a soldier and injured an officer at
an unauthorized outpost. Maariv and The Jerusalem Post reported
that settlers also attacked an IDF outpost.
Ha'aretz reported that Austria's justice ministry, security
services, and Jewish community are furious over a Vienna court
decision to unfreeze a banned account of the Palestinian group, Abu
Nidal.
Ha'aretz reported that Aryeh Deri is not likely to ask President
Peres for a pardon so that he can run for the elections from mayor
of Jerusalem and that he may turn to the Jerusalem District Court.
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe cited a complaint by a right-wing legal group
that Deri and Peres may have colluded: the two met before the
presidential elections, thus there is a suspicion that the Shas
Party supported Peres' election in exchange for abridging the period
of Deri's moral turpitude.
The Jerusalem Post reported that this week Pakistani television
journalist Khalid Ansari visited Israel to prepare a major
documentary on the Jewish people to be screened later this year on
his country's widely watched GEO TV network.
Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday the Tel Aviv
Stock Exchange followed global markets downward, descending to March
2007 levels.
All media highlighted the discovery of the body of 4-year-old Rose
Pizem, who went missing four months ago, in a suitcase in Tel Aviv's
Hayarkon River.
Maariv presented the results of a TNS/Teleseker poll among Kadima
voters:
Were the primaries to take place today, which of the candidates
would you elect as head of the party? (In brackets: People who are
sure they will vote):
Tzipi Livni: 46.4% (47.2%); Shaul Mofaz: 27.6% (31.6%); Avi Dichter:
7.5% (5.1%); Meir Sheetrit: 4.5% (5.4%); 14% are undecided.
--------------
Mideast:
--------------
Summary:
--------------
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: " Every time
an election looms, be it for the Knesset, local government, or a
party primary, the 'who will divide Jerusalem' issue miraculously
returns to raise the emotional temperature.... Jerusalem will in the
end be the capital of two states, and the refugees will be
compensated for their abandoned properties. Even if years go by
before a final accord is signed, it will look no different."
Block Quotes:
--------------
"Everyone Will Divide Jerusalem"
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (9/12): "Every
time an election looms, be it for the Knesset, local government, or
a party primary, the 'who will divide Jerusalem' issue miraculously
returns to raise the emotional temperature.... Anyone who engages in
real peace negotiations with the Palestinians will have to accept a
division of Jerusalem; anyone who preaches its integrity and unity
is simply deceiving the public..... Some want to divide the city to
preserve a Jewish majority in the capital, others so that it would
be a better place to live. Some believe that without this
partition, the conflict will never end.... Kadima contains a
spectrum of opinions. But what everyone must understand is that
core issues like the right of return and Jerusalem are inseparable
elements of the negotiations, and no matter who is prime minister,
Israel has already committed to discussing them. Jerusalem will in
the end be the capital of two states, and the refugees will be
compensated for their abandoned properties. Even if years go by
before a final accord is signed, it will look no different."
CUNNINGHAM