ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002860 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: -------------- ¶1. Mideast ¶2. Iran -------------- Key stories in the media: -------------- All media reported that dozens of rockets and mortar shells fell on southern Israel from Gaza over the weekend. The media reported that the attacks have sparked a heated debate in Israel over how to respond -- not only between the government and the opposition, but within the government itself, as PM Ehud Olmert and DM Ehud Barak continued to urge restraint yesterday, and FM Tzipi Livni and opposition leaders argue that Israel must get rid of GazaQs Hamas-run government. Leading media quoted Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Prof. Gabriela Shalev as saying on Sunday in a harsh letter of complaint sent to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and to the Security Council president that Israel will not be held hostage by Hamas, Israel Radio reported that Israel has informed the UN that it will respond. HaQaretz and IDF Radio reported that the Olmert-Barak-Livni trio has decided to respond. HaQaretz said that this will depend on operational conditions; in other words, the Israel Air Force will go into action. Yesterday HaQaretz reported that Hamas is considering renewing suicide bombings in Israel. Leading media quoted Shin Bet head as saying yesterday that Hamas is capable of firing rockets that can strike as far from Gaza as at the outskirts of Beersheva and other targets in the Negev. Yediot deduced that one in eight Israelis is within the range of improved Hamas rockets. The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that yesterday Egypt warned Israel against launching a massive military operation in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli defense officials as saying that Cairo was angry with Hamas leaders for ending the six-moth of relative calm. Israel Radio cited the London-based Arabic newspaper Al Quds-Al-Arabi as saying that Egypt is putting a truce together. �A;Israel Radio reported that PM Ehud Olmert is traveling to Ankara today on talks related to peace talks with Syria. Israel Radio reported that the U.S. has demanded clarifications from Israel regarding the sale of unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia. Leading media reported that yesterday Israeli officials categorically denied Iranian press reports that Russia will soon begin delivery of a state-of-the-art anti-missile system that could make it considerably harder to attack IranQs nuclear facilities. The Jerusalem Post cited a report by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that leaders of 29 Jewish organizations met with representatives of Barack ObamaQs transition team in Washington on Thursday. The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio cited a report by the human rights organization BQTselem that at least 58 percent of the settlement of Ofra, near Ramallah, was located on land registered as privately owned by Palestinians. The newspaper also reported on a document from Orange Country, California, records showing that a Palestinian had sold his property -- now the illegal outpost of Migron Q to Jews. The document, purportedly signed more that four decades after the manQs death, proved to be a forgery. Yesterday Makor Rishon-Hatzofe citied unofficial reports according to which PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) has decided to relieve the head of the Palestinian negotiating team, Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala),of his duties, due to differences of opinion between the two. Yediot and The Jerusalem Post reported that the graffiti QDeath to the ArabsQ and QMuhammad is a pigQ were sprayed yesterday in the walls of the QMosque by the SeaQ in Jaffa. Yediot reported that Israel has decided to redefine its rights in the Mediterranean --because Egypt and Cyprus have already divided the territory between them. Over the weekend leading media reported that clashes broke out between Palestinian inmates and Israeli guards at the Ofer Prison near Ramallah on Saturday. The Jerusalem Post quoted sources in the aviation industry as saying yesterday that Israel will work hard to restore its Category 1 aviation-safety standard within the next year after the FAAQs announcement over the weekend that it was downgrading the countryQs rating to Category 2. Yesterday The Jerusalem Post reported that IsraelQs track record of success and a similar climate brought a delegation form the U.S State of Georgia here last week to get a look at local cleantech and greentech firms. Yesterday The Jerusalem Post reported that the QU.S Army makes sure Jewish soldiers can celebrate Hanukkah. -------------- ¶1. Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: QThe lesson so recently learned in the Second Lebanon War is that in a war against organizations such as Hizbullah or Hamas, there is no guarantee that Israel's clear military superiority will suffice to defeat the enemy and bring peace to border communities. Conservative columnist, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, wrote in the independent Israel Hayom: QIt is now completely clear that by its series of withdrawals, Israel enabled the establishment of a strong terrorist state on its southern border, and created an impossible situation in which the only way to win is by a bloody price. Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "Restraint, Despite Everything" The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (12/22): QThe lesson so recently learned in the Second Lebanon War is that in a war against organizations such as Hizbullah or Hamas, there is no guarantee that Israel's clear military superiority will suffice to defeat the enemy and bring peace to border communities. The challenge of restraint now facing the decision makers, at a time when most of them are focused on the upcoming election, is not at all simple. They must stand firm against heavy and understandable pressure from public opinion, and also against the provocations of political rivals who paint them as a pack of weaklings. At the same time, the government must inject real content into its unconvincing rhetoric. And since a large-scale military operation seems impractical, this means asking Egypt and other Arab states to resume the role of mediators, removing the barriers to renewing the truce and initiating bold diplomatic moves that could prevent additional losses on both sides.QII. QIsrael Is Paying the Price of Abandonment Conservative columnist, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, wrote in the independent Israel Hayom (12/21): QEvery additional day that t Hamas governs in Gaza adds to its legitimacy and its perception as the effective ruler of the Palestinian people -- a fact that casts a heavy shadow on Abu Mazen and his supporters, who sit in the West Bank by virtue of the IDF bayonets. The rulers of the Arab countries are also very afraid of Hamas's success -- a first historical success by one of the branches of the Muslim Brotherhood-in upholding a regime over a specific territory and population. This is the reason that the leaders of the Arab countries around us would shed no tears if Israel were to deal with Hamas and critically damage its control over the Gaza Strip.... We are now paying the price for the abandonment of the Gaza Strip. The abandonment began in 1994 following the Oslo Accords, which led to a significant reduction in the IDF's ability to prevent fire from the Gaza Strip and smuggling under Philadelphi Road. The abandonment was completed in 2005 by an irresponsible act known as unilateral withdrawal, which led to the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas and the buildup of Hamas as a real military force, which threatens the entire southern part of Israel. It is now completely clear that by its series of withdrawals, Israel enabled the establishment of a strong terrorist state on its southern border, and created an impossible situation in which the only way to win is by a bloody price. -------------- ¶2. Iran: -------------- Summary: -------------- The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: QAs Iran races unabated toward nuclear capability, Obama will quickly be forced to conclude that prevailing on Iran -- with realistic threats of military action, if all else fails -- is vital and urgent. Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote on page one of the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: QThe most important decision the next government of Israel will have to make is how to distribute resources intended for use against the Iranian nuclear threat, senior defense officials involved in decision-making have told HaQaretz. Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "Mideast Priorities" The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (12/21): QFor all the misguided lobbying, Obama will doubtless resist the advice to legitimize a terror group avowedly committed to Israel's destruction and demonstrably ready to kill its own people, too, in pursuit of its Islamist ambitions.... But the 44th president's first priority in the Middle East ought to be confronting Iran. Obama has reiterated that he is willing to talk with Iran directly, which would make him the first American president to engage in diplomatic negotiations with the Islamic Republic.... As Iran races unabated toward nuclear capability, Obama will quickly be forced to conclude that prevailing on Iran -- with realistic threats of military action, if all else fails -- is vital and urgent.... In crafting his Middle East policy, Obama may want to place initial faith in the power of transformative diplomacy. Unfortunately, however, as he surely recognizes, that alone will not yield the change he so admirably seeks to foster. II. "A Budget Matter" Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote on page one of the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (12/21): QThe most important decision the next government of Israel will have to make is how to distribute resources intended for use against the Iranian nuclear threat, senior defense officials involved in decision-making have told HaQaretz. The new government will have to decide whether to invest in developing measures to attack Iran's nuclear facilities or developing means of defense and deterrence if Iran does attain nuclear power. The budget will decide whether Israel will seriously consider a military option against Iran. A decision focusing on defense and deterrence will mean that Israel has given up on attacking Iran. The dilemma becomes more serious in the context of economic recession, which limits the government's ability to expand the defense budget. Those who support deterrence believe there is no substitute for the military option, and costly resources should not be wasted on a plan that will never be implemented. They also say that, at most, Israel could bring about a delay of a few years in the Iranian nuclear project, which does not justify the risk of complications in the action or a wider regional conflict. They prefer investing in a number of long-term projects that will increase Israel's ability to defend itself against the nuclear threat. CUNNINGHAM