ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000707 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: -------------- Expanding on an Israel Radio story broadcast on Tuesday, Maariv, The Jerusalem Post, and other media reported that Defense Minister Ehud Barak is considering relief measures for the Palestinians devised by U.S. security coordinator Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, which includes allowing the transfer of weapons, protective gear, and night-vision goggles to Palestinian security forces in the West Bank. The Jerusalem Post reported that the American request, which is expected to be officially submitted to the Defense Ministry by Dayton in the coming days and is linked with the visits to the region of Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, will be one of the issues topping the agenda of Barak's meeting with PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Wednesday. Ha'aretz reported that the American officers responsible for monitoring Israeli and Palestinian compliance with the road map peace plan recently criticized the PA's counterterrorism efforts. However, they have also demanded clarifications from Israel about its failure to carry out its road map obligations, which include a freeze on settlement construction and the dismantling of illegal West Bank outposts. Specifically, the Americans are concerned that the PA does not engage in the full spectrum of counterterrorism activities, including arrests, interrogation and trial, as it would if it were trying to eradicate the armed wings of Islamic terrorist organizations. Instead, it makes do with trying to "contain" terror -- to prevent specific attacks, and to keep Hamas from growing strong enough to challenge Fatah's rule in the West Bank. The Jerusalem Post reported that summing up Russian FM Sergei Lavrov's visit here last week, GOI sources told the newspaper on Tuesday that Russia is determined to go ahead with an international Middle East conference in Moscow in June whether Israel likes it or not. The sources characterized Lavrov's one-day visit last Thursday as "nasty," saying the Russian minister was agitated throughout his meetings with FM Tzipi Livni and President Shimon Peres. The sources were quoted as saying that he was in a slightly better mood during his talks with PM Ehud Olmert. According to the sources, Russia's determination to go ahead with the conference -- despite a decidedly cool, though officially noncommittal, reception to the idea from both Israel and the US -- stems from Moscow's belief that it needs to increase its involvement in the Middle East and "make its mark" in the region. According to the government sources, Moscow views Hamas's takeover of Gaza as benefiting Iran, Hizbullah's strong position in Lebanon as strengthening Iran, and the situation in Iraq as playing into Iran's hands. As a result, Moscow wants to dramatically increase its role and influence in the region. Yediot reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin will come to Israel in the next few months to mark Israel's 60th anniversary. Yediot quoted Israeli diplomatic sources as saying that Putin will prefer not to arrive at the same time as President Bush, in order to receive the greatest possible attention and honor. Ha'aretz reported that this week the Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia (FEOR) announced that it was suspending all contacts with the Muslim communities in Russia, following a comment made by the Vice Chairman of Russia's Muftis' Committee three weeks ago that "Israel is a cancerous growth and the Zionists are Fascists." The Jerusalem Post quoted sources close to opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu as saying on Tuesday that he has not received an invitation to meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her trip to Israel that begins on Saturday night. Associates of Netanyahu told the paper that the snub was expected as Netanyahu opposes the Annapolis process which Rice is here to support. Additionally, they emphasized that Netanyahu has better relations with other members of the administration, including Vice President Dick Cheney who just wrapped up a visit which included a meeting with Netanyahu. On Tuesday Netanyahu visited the controversial E-1 area between Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim and called upon PM Olmert to start building there despite American opposition. The building plans in the area were approved when Netanyahu was prime minister but have been frozen following U.S. pressure. Ha'aretz reported that Defense Minister Barak recently approved the transfer of five mobile homes to the settlement of Teneh Omarim in the southern Hebron Hills for evacuees from the Gush Katif settlement of Morag. Teneh Omarim is located east of the security fence, and outside the West Bank's large settlement blocs. In a parliamentary question, Meretz Knesset Member Avshalom Vilan argued that placing mobile homes in this settlement comes in opposition to the government's pledge not to expand existing settlements and constitutes a serious violation of the Sharon government's pledge to the American administration not to settle Gush Katif evacuees in the West Bank. The Jerusalem Post reported that on Tuesday National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) promised Gush Etzion leaders that their region will remain in Israeli hands when a final-status agreement is concluded with the Palestinians. The Jerusalem Post reported that a new exhibit in Gaza portrays Israel burning Palestinian children in oven. A group called the National Committee for Defense of Children from the Holocaust unveiled its premier exhibit last week, entitled "Gaza: an exhibit describing the suffering of the children of the Holocaust." The Jerusalem Post cited the Palestinian daily as saying: "The exhibit includes a large oven and inside it small children are being burned. The picture speaks for itself." The Jerusalem Post reported that the Zionist Organization of America condemned the exhibit, sayng in a statement that "there seems to be no limit to the depravity of Palestinian hate education and incitement." Ha'aretz reported that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told a senior European diplomat about three weeks ago that the "situation that has developed in Gaza in recent months has led to Egypt having a border with Iran." According to Ha'aretz's source, who requested anonymity, Mubarak told the diplomat that he was concerned over Iran's growing influence in the region. He also compared the situation in Lebanon to that in Gaza, saying that "in both places, the problems and the crises stem from the growing influence of Iran." The Jerusalem Post reported that on Tuesday, in a telephone conversation with the newspaper, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger welcomed an initiative from Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah for dialogue among monotheistic religions, including Judaism. All media reported that the lawyers of former Israel president Moshe Katsav have caused the postponed by the prosecutor's office of the opening of his trial for sexual offenses, which was mandate by a plea bargain. Israel Hayom reported that the police are blurring the results of investigations of PM Olmert. Yediot reported that State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss was prompted by the Knesset to draft a report about the successive Israeli governments' efforts to bring about the release of Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a life sentence for spying on Israel's behalf. The newspaper quoted senior defense officials as saying that Lindenstrauss's expected report might hamper the efforts to have Pollard released. Yediot cited conservative U.S. media as saying that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's military adviser and co-chair of his presidential campaign Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak is a longtime anti-Israeli critic who has slammed Israel harshly during his career. Yediot reported that Obama distanced himself from McPeak's views. Yediot reported that Matthew Brooks, Executive Director of both the Republican Jewish Coalition, and the Jewish Policy Center, asked Obama to fire McPeak. Yediot reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry has decided to block a visit by four members of the "Council of Elders" -- former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former Irish President Mary Robinson. They intended to advance an agreement with Hamas. Yediot quoted Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Gillerman, who was involved in the contacts, as saying that most Council members, in particular Tutu and Jimmy Carter, are biased and have turned out to be Israel's foes. The Jerusalem Post cited estimates released by the GOI's Central Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday, according to which Israel's population is expected to grow from around 7 million today to between 9.6 and 10.6 million (7.2 million Jews, 2.4 million Arabs, and 418,000 others) by 2030. Ha'aretz reported that on Tuesday the Israeli satellite operator Spacecom announced the imminent launch of Amos 3, its third communications satellite, which is scheduled for launch on April ¶24. Leading media quoted Finance Minister Roni Bar-On as saying on Tuesday that while developments in the global financial markets were being watched closely ahead of a possible slowdown of the economy, Israel was in a better position to weather the global financial crisis than other nations. Ha'aretz reported that Israel Chemicals (ICL) will be buying its natural gas from the Israeli-American consortium Tethys Sea, not from the Egyptian-Israeli partnership EMG. On Tuesday ICL signed a contract worth somewhere between $260 million to $330 million for the supply of 2 billion cubic meters of gas over five years, starting from the end of 2008. ICL, which belongs to the Ofer Brothers' Israel Corporation, will be footing about $50 million of the cost of building pipelines and refitting its facilities to use gas instead of fuel oil. The price of the gas will be linked to that of crude, but will also be a function of how much ICL actually buys. ICL will be using the gas for industrial purposes and to power the electricity production plants of subsidiary Dead Sea Works. Tethys Sea belongs to three of Yitzhak Tshuva's Delek Group companies (53%) and to the American company Noble Energy (47%). Ha'aretz reported that the Israeli firm Comverse Technologies may be facing tens of millions of dollars in fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the backdated options scandal that was revealed in 2006. The Jerusalem Post reported that the Tourism Ministry is seeking Chinese language tour guides as 15,000 Chinese tourists are anticipated to visit Israel in 2008. All media reported that several Knesset members are fighting Reshet, a franchisee of the most viewed network Channel 2-TV, which will soon broadcast a program starring billionaire politician Arkady Gaidamak, in which he will offer advice to small businessmen. The media quoted the Knesset's Economics Committee as saying on Tuesday that there is no legal impediment to broadcasting the TV show. The Jerusalem Post reported that a majority (around 70%) of Israel's adults -- both Jews and Arabs -- believe that Israel should lend a helping hand to developing nations, and that such international aid brings international credit to the nation. The survey was commissioned in January 2008 by the Harold Hartog School of Government and Policy at Tel Aviv University and conducted by Maagar Mohot. -------------- Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Columnist Michael Freund, who was an assistant to former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "The choice before Washington is really very simple. Keep focusing on the Palestinians if you wish, but then don't be surprised if you wake up one day to discover a nuclear Middle East." Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Egypt's fear is that Iran is building a web of diplomatic influence among Egypt's neighbors, and thereby building itself up as a rival to the Arab club.... But the Arab club itself is not conducting a consistent anti-Iranian policy." Senior Fatah member Fares Kadura, a member of the Palestinian peace coalition, wrote in Ha'aretz: "What will help? A violent uprising. That is the only thing, according to the Israeli housing minister, that will bring about the cessation of construction in the settlements and protect the Palestinian interest." The Jerusalem Post editorialized: "The real problem, of course, is the Islamic Republic, not Russia or Egypt. But the collaboration of the latter two to foster a new nuclear arms race illustrates just one of the major dangers of allowing Iran to go nuclear, and the need for Moscow and Cairo to do more to help thwart this eventuality rather than acting as if it is a fait accompli." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "The Price of Washington's Obsession with the Palestinians"" Columnist Michael Freund, who was an assistant to former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (3/26): "Sure, the Arab states all say that their intentions are 'peaceful,' and that they seek nuclear power only for the sake of generating cheaper electricity. But this excuse is as transparent as it is feeble.... It turned out that Iran had been working in secret for 18 years (!!!) on its nuclear program, which it had concealed from the international community and repeatedly lied about its existence. What would stop a tightly-controlled dictatorship such as Riyadh from doing the same? Moreover, there is little reason to believe that oil-rich Arab states awash in petrodollars are truly in need of finding cheaper sources of electricity. It is not too late to stop this regional rush toward nuclear proliferation, which is still in its initial stages. Tackle the Iranian threat head-on, strip them of their nuclear program, and the Arab states' 'excuse' to pursue atomic energy fizzles away. But if the Bush administration continues to fritter away its remaining months in office, instead expending precious political and diplomatic capital on the bleak prospects of a Palestinian about-face, it runs the risk of turning this region into a dangerous nuclear powder-keg. So the choice before Washington is really very simple. Keep focusing on the Palestinians if you wish, but then don't be surprised if you wake up one day to discover a nuclear Middle East. " II. "The Struggle over 'Arab Policy'" Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (3/26): "Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's concern about Iran's involvement in Gaza does not stem only from Hamas's growing military capabilities. Rather, his primary fear is that control over 'Arab policy' -- which has traditionally been dictated by Egypt and Saudi Arabia --- will be taken over by Iran.... Egypt's fear is that Iran is building a web of diplomatic influence among Egypt's neighbors, and thereby building itself up as a rival to the Arab club -- and especially to members of what is known as the moderate axis. But the Arab club itself is not conducting a consistent anti-Iranian policy.... For the moment, this is a vicious circle, and all that Egypt can do to affect it is to partially boycott the Arab League summit taking place in Damascus this weekend, accuse Hamas and Syria of following policies dictated in Tehran, and thereby try to undermine both Hamas's nationalist legitimacy and Syria's Arab legitimacy." III. "Moscow and Cairo" The Jerusalem Post editorialized (3/26): "Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, visiting Moscow during the last two days to further 'nuclear cooperation' between his country and Russia, unleashed a vituperative attack on Israel's nuclear capability, which he likened to 'Iran's nuclear project.' In some respects this is old news. Mubarak has long been in the habit of turning Israel's alleged A-bomb into his punching bag.... If his desired effect is to deflect onto Jerusalem some of the pressure directed at Tehran, then Mubarak's obvious aim is to weaken Israel -- again, hardly the conduct expected from a truly friendly neighbor. But it gets worse. The Egyptian President's oft-repeated refrain is that Israel exacerbates the danger of nuclear proliferation by drawing attention away from the imminent Iranian menace. By saying this, Mubarak does precisely the reverse of what he claims to want - he intensifies the nuclear arms race.... The free world might be well advised to stop pretending that Russia is on its side.... The real problem, of course, is the Islamic Republic, not Russia or Egypt. But the collaboration of the latter two to foster a new nuclear arms race illustrates just one of the major dangers of allowing Iran to go nuclear, and the need for Moscow and Cairo to do more to help thwart this eventuality rather than acting as if it is a fait accompli." IV. "We Heard You, Mr. Boim" Senior Fatah member Fares Kadura, a member of the Palestinian peace coalition, wrote in Ha'aretz (3/26): "Housing Minister Zeev Boim explained away the construction of 750 new housing units in the settlement of Givat Ze'ev by saying that the permits had been issued in 1999, but that construction had stopped due to, as he put it, the 'outbreak of violence.' That is, the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising.... I am one of those who listened, and I understood from his statements that Boim is inviting us -- the Palestinians -- to start another Intifada..... Only when we launch an uprising does construction in the settlements cease; under the umbrella of negotiations, the settlement enterprise is revived -- this, despite the fact that every Palestinian and every Israeli knows that the settlements are the main obstacle to a peace treaty. Fortunately, the present Palestinian leadership consists of people like me who continue to believe, despite all the difficulties, in a peaceful solution to the conflict, through dialogue and negotiation. We are on the verge of despair, but we still hope that the Palestinian people will get what they deserve through diplomatic means.... Attempts at reminders that the Palestinians have a right to their land and that settlement construction is a breach of international law are of no avail. All of this will not stop the construction, which is a disaster for Palestinians and a disaster for Israelis, since all of our lives depend on attaining an Israeli-Palestinian agreement. What will help? A violent uprising. That is the only thing, according to the Israeli housing minister, that will bring about the cessation of construction in the settlements and protect the Palestinian interest. Mr. Boim, we got the message. Will anyone in Israel yet accuse you of incitement to rebellion and resistance?" JONES