ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000916 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: -------------- Leading media reported that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has passed a message to Israel from Hamas which offers tacit recognition and a 10-year truce if Israel withdraws to the pre-1967 borders. Khaled Mashal told reporters in Damascus yesterday that Hamas would accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank with Israel as its neighbor, but stressed that his group would not formally recognize it, a move that several media noted the U.S. (State Department Spokesman Tom Casey and White House Press Secretary Dan Perino) immediately dismissed as meaningless. Media quoted Carter, who has concluded his nine-day trip, as saying that Hamas told him that a referendum on a peace deal must be preceded Palestinian reconciliation. Ha'aretz quoted Sami Abu-Zuhri, the Hamas spokesman in Gaza, as saying that Palestinian refugees living in exile must be included in the voting -- a condition that could complicate approval of a deal. Abu-Zuhri also noted that Hamas would regard any future Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza as "transitional." Carter told reporters that the Hamas leaders he met "didn't say anything about transitional." Yediot front-paged the picture of a three-year-old boy from Kibbutz Gavim -- next to the border with Gaza -- who was wounded by a Palestinian rocket, under the headline: "Carter, Look into His Eyes." Israel Radio quoted the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram as saying that Egypt has prepared a "tahdiya" (truce) plan between Hamas and Israel. The radio reported that the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai detailed the terms of a gradual process with Hamas ceasing operations against Israel and Israel lifting the blockade of Gaza. An exchange of prisoners would then be postponed to a later date. Egyptian sources told Al-Rai that Israel is insisting that a stop to arms smuggling be part of the deal. Israel Radio quoted GOI officials in Jerusalem as saying that there is no agreement with Hamas and that the reports about it are exaggerated. Ha'aretz reported that over the past few days Israel has noticed a shift in Hamas's position on a truce. Maariv reported on tension within the Hamas leadership, as Mashal, who "leads the group's moderate line" promised another letter from Shalit. Maariv reported that Mahmoud Zahar directs the continuation of terrorist attacks and kidnapping attempts. Yediot and other media quoted Gilad Shalit's family as saying that a letter from him is not enough. Ha'aretz reported that Shas chair Eli Yishai was criticized yesterday by members of his party, who said it was strange that the party leader should be calling on Israel to stop negotiations with Abbas while saying that he is willing to meet with Mashal. The Jerusalem Post quoted a "senior government source" as saying yesterday that it is extremely unlikely that Yishai could have met Carter without PM Ehud Olmert's tacit approval. Ha'aretz and other media quoted Carter as saying yesterday in Jerusalem that Syrian President Bashar Assad is "eager" to restart negotiations with Israel over the Golan and that he believes that 85 percent of the differences between the two countries have already been resolved. Makor Rishon-Hatzofe cited the "heavy concern" of right-wing politicians that Carter's visit will serve as a platform for a pullout from the Golan. Ha'aretz cited Japanese media and Reuters reports as saying that the U.S. suspects that North Korea has transferred plutonium to Syria and that it will demand clarifications from North Korea at talks that begin today. Israel Radio quoted former Mossad director Ephraim Halevy as saying that the moment Hamas was allowed to participate in the Palestinian elections, its expansion was inevitable, and that Carter's role will be acknowledged in the future. Ha'aretz quoted a government official in Jerusalem as saying that Italy is expected to join an EU consensus on Iran's nuclear program, after dropping earlier objections last week, possibly paving the way for new sanctions. Ha'aretz quoted the official as saying: "The outgoing government does not want to enable prime minister-designate Silvio Berlusconi to portray it as a government that went against the whole European Union." Ha'aretz cited Jerusalem's belief that Berlusconi's return to office will strengthen the line for imposing additional sanctions on Iran. Ha'aretz quoted an Israeli source as saying that Italy's objection to widening the sanctions on Iran was also based on the close ties between the outgoing Italian administration and senior Iranian officials. Israel Radio cited the London-based Al-Hayat quoting Jordanian sources as saying that Jordanian King Abdullah II will ask President Bush during his upcoming visit to Washington to cancel his visit to Israel unless Israel and the Palestinians sign a declaration of principles this year. The Jerusalem Post cited a report produced for Israeli policymakers by the "semi-official" Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. The document says that Muslim anti-Semitism is growing in scope and extremism, to the point that it has become a credible strategic threat for Israel. Ha'aretz reported that five years after British filmmaker James Miller was fatally shot by IDF troops in Gaza, Israel is poised to pay the family some 12 million shekels (about $3.5 million) in compensation. In return, the British government will close the case and not pursue extradition of any of the soldiers responsible. Yediot reported that pilot retention by the IAF has increased following a four-year decline. The Jerusalem Post quoted senior defense officials as saying that the Kerem Shalom crossing, which was targeted by Hamas in a double car bombing over the weekend, will likely remain closed until after Passover, which ends on Saturday. Maariv reported that the Sufa crossing to Gaza will reopen today. Yediot reported that Vice PM Haim Ramon is calling for cutting contacts with Gaza and stopping the transfer of food and fuel to the Strip. The Jerusalem Post quoted defense officials as saying yesterday that the IDF will allow Palestinian policemen to conduct patrols in villages throughout the West Bank armed with automatic weapons. Yediot reported that a survey commissioned by Vice PM Ramon found that 25% of the settlers needing to be removed in a future agreement with the Palestinians would voluntarily relocate for financial compensation. The Jerusalem Post reported that the Shin Bet charged yesterday that Palestinians from Gaza have bribed local doctors to declare they were seriously ill and required treatment in Israel. Ha'aretz and Israel Radio reported that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has demanded that all Lebanese militias be dismantled. Ha'aretz cited a report drafted by Ban, which says that a UNIFIL force was forcibly ousted when it discovered Hizbullah weapons. Yediot reported that Hamas survives on taxes levied on goods smuggled through tunnels from Egypt to Gaza. Ha'aretz reported that a group calling itself the Foundation for Israel's Lands is planning to resettle Moshav Atarot, north of Jerusalem, which was dismantled on May 17, 1948, due to attacks by the Jordanians. Atarot, which sits within Jerusalem's city limits, is now home to an industrial zone and a defunct airport. Resettlement is planned for May 18 by the group, headed by right-wing activist Aryeh Koenig. Koenig says he has power of attorney from the owners of the land and their heirs to take over 300 dunams (about 122 acres) of the 1,150 dunams of Jewish-owned land in the area. The group intends to farm the land. Maariv reported that Barbra Streisand, who was scheduled to come to Israel to mark the country's 60th anniversary, has canceled her trip. The newspaper cited the belief of President Shimon Peres' bureau that this is a protest against President Bush's visit. Yediot reported that Kirk and Michael Douglas have contributed to a new museum that will contain a model of the Jewish Temple. The museum will be built opposite the Western Wall. -------------- Mideast: -------------- Summary: -------------- Veteran journalist and anchor Dan Margalit wrote on page one of the independent Israel Hayom: "Peace was born out of an Israeli-Egyptian initiative. Carter took a ride. He hasn't stopped slandering Israel ever since." Dov Weisglass, who was former prime minister Ariel Sharon's top diplomatic advisor, wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "An enemy whose very essence is the negation of Israel's existence as a Jewish state is not one who can be talked with." Liberal columnist and anchor Ofer Shelach wrote in the popular, pluralist Maariv: "[The Israeli leaders who boycotted Carter] don't realize, or pretend that they don't realize, that it was not Carter they boycotted this week but themselves." The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "Too bad that in the twilight of his public life, Carter has undermined the relative moderates among the Palestinians and become an apologist for violent religious fanatics." Defense commentator Amir Oren wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Khomeini chose Reagan, and freed the hostages the moment he was sworn in as president. Mashal [and other Hamas terrorists] are now working for McCain. This may yet do some good for the hopes of peace." Block Quotes: -------------- ¶I. "Carter -- a Sophisticated and Relentless Adversary" Veteran journalist and anchor Dan Margalit wrote on page one of the independent Israel Hayom (4/22): "Jimmy Carter didn't get everything he wanted from Mashal, but Hamas got what it wanted. The very presence in Damascus of a former president for talks with Mashal ended the boycott. After it received this, Hamas no longer had an interest in giving Carter anything in exchange. But his trip was mostly successful. Carter functions as a serial provocateur who comes to the Middle East each time there is a consensus in the enlightened world to curb a wave of Palestinian terror threatening Israel.... For unknown reasons, which apparently relate to education, culture, and faith, Carter has always been a sophisticated and relentless adversary of Israel. Already during his 1976 election campaign he provoked the Jewish voter with embarrassing remarks about the future of the Temple Mount.... Peace was born out of an Israeli-Egyptian initiative. Carter took a ride. He hasn't stopped slandering Israel ever since.... The worst appeared in his book that denigrates Israel as an apartheid state. Israel's right to defend itself is insignificant compared with the ambitions of Hamas, Hizbullah, Al-Qaida, and Iran. Palestine cannot accept the notion of another Jewish settlement in its midst -- Carter views Israel as the embodiment of apartheid. Israel's far Left treats him as a peace-lover." II. "One Does Not Talk with Every Enemy" Dov Weisglass, who was former prime minister Ariel Sharon's top diplomatic advisor, wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (4/22): "In Israel, the slogan that we 'talk peace' only with an 'enemy' is increasingly being repeated. Indeed, it is important to talk with an enemy when one can reasonably assume that a common platform will be found. An enemy whose very essence is the negation of Israel's existence as a Jewish state is not one who can be talked with. Peace with Israel contradicts the essence of Hamas's very existence, and extremist organizations do not tend to dismantle themselves willingly. Therefore, any temporary arrangement is nothing but a place to rest and recuperate on the way to the final goal: the destruction of Israel as a state.... Regrettably, 'pragmatic' politicians offer 'to be practical' and speak with Hamas every morning. And Hamas learns that patience, persistence and cool-headedness pay off.... The fact that Gilad Shalit is in captivity will be a burden on Israel in all its attempts to subdue Hamas.... Israel has an immediate interest in the soldier's return -- first of all because of the supreme moral obligation to do so, but no less in order to deprive Hamas of a valuable asset.... [A prisoner exchange] is liable to turn out in the end as the lesser of the evils that Hamas can bring about through its holding of Gilad." III. "The Real Boycott" Liberal columnist and anchor Ofer Shelach wrote in the popular, pluralist Maariv (4/22): "[Jimmy] Carter came here as a peace envoy. Perhaps confused, I'm not sure, but you are definitely entitled to think so. Perhaps biased. But in his travels between Damascus and Ramallah and Jerusalem, he did not carry bombs, but rather messages of negotiations. The people with whom he spoke are those that Israel must conduct a dialogue with and doesn't want to. This means that while maybe it is impossible to recognize officially the talks that Carter held or wanted to help conduct, this certainly does not justify the total boycott of someone who with his own hands, brought us the most important peace agreement in the history of our country. [The Israeli leaders who boycotted Carter] don't realize, or pretend that they don't realize, that it was not Carter they boycotted this week but themselves, one day they will use the exact same explanations that he used or when they do exactly what he recommends doing, because they will have no other choice." IV. "Hamas's Apologist" The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (4/22): "To [Jimmy] Carter's muddled thinking, Palestinians and Israelis are equally responsible for the conflict. After all, Palestinians launch Qassam rockets into Israeli kindergartens, and Israelis live over the Green Line.... Carter professes to understand why Israel is 'reluctant' to negotiate with Hamas. The organization refuses to renounce violence, has 'yet' to recognize Israel and doesn't accept the 1993 Oslo Accords. But Carter forgives all this. He 'understands' that Hamas feels 'some violence is necessary' to keep the Palestinian issue alive, and that when the organization is sidelined, the 'cycle of violence' is exacerbated.... To sum up Carter's assessment: Hamas wants peace.... That Hamas carried out an attack against the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Saturday, wounding 13 soldiers -- while its leaders were telling Carter they supposedly wanted peace -- is irrelevant, Carter insists, because the mission had been planned 'months in advance'.... Carter, of all people, ought also to know how far Israel is prepared to go for peace. It ceded every inch of the Sinai to Anwar Sadat. But the Egyptian leader first demonstrated that he genuinely sought an accommodation with Israel. When King Hussein embraced Yitzhak Rabin, a peace treaty resulted 100 days later... Carter's 'study mission' 'failed to uncover the obvious: Hamas is a toxic opponent of peace. Too bad that in the twilight of his public life, Carter has undermined the relative moderates among the Palestinians and become an apologist for violent religious fanatics." ¶V. "Hamas for McCain" Defense commentator Amir Oren wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (4/22): "The battle for Gaza will not be won at Kerem Shalom [along the Israel-Gaza border], but in Washington. [John McCain] wanted to say, here is an evil square: Iran-Hamas-Carter-Obama. He also meant: If Obama is like Carter, the weak loser, then McCain is like Reagan, his idol, and all that is left is to rerun the election results from 1980.... McCain, who visited rocket-bombarded Sderot, and expressed his identification, as a former prisoner of war, with the suffering of the families of the abducted IDF soldiers, represents a clear and firm line against terror. The Democrats are tottering after him in half silence: According to their view, Al-Qaida also certainly had a moderate wing, which on September 11 supported knocking down only one of the twin towers in Manhattan. Khomeini chose Reagan, and freed the hostages the moment he was sworn in as president. Mashal [and other Hamas terrorists] are now working for McCain. This may yet do some good for the hopes of peace." JONES