JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (08/06): Coverage Highlights

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001357 SIPDIS STATE PASS BBG STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM NSC CMC WASHINGTON DC FOR POLAD JERUSALEM ALSO FOR ICD LONDON FOR HKANONA AND POL - TSOU PARIS ALSO FOR POL ROME FOR MFO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KMDR KPAL KWBG KPAO IS SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (08/06): Coverage Highlights Disagreements at Fatah Congress -------------- Main Stories: -------------- News from the Sixth Fatah Party Congress continues to receive front page coverage in the local press. All dailies note that the second day of the conference witnessed "stormy discussions," several of which required the intervention of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. Al-Quds leads with news that Congress delegates created 18 committees to pursue a number of issues in detail. Congress Spokesperson Nabil Amr noted during a press conference that the disagreements among Fatah delegates were "healthy." Amr stressed that "Fatah is committed to peace but will stick to resistance as an option as long as Israel occupies the Palestinian Territories," according to coverage. Al-Ayyam notes that Fatah delegates criticized Hamas for refusing to allow Fatah members residing in Gaza to participate in the Congress in Bethlehem. US condemnation of the eviction of the Hanoun and Ghawi families continues to receive front page coverage in Al-Quds. The headline reads "The US summons the Israeli ambassador and renews its objections against the eviction of the Ghawi and Hanoun families." The report, citing a source in Tel Aviv, notes that the US reiterated that the eviction of the two families from the homes in Sheikh Jarrah was "provocative" and contradicts their obligations under the Roadmap peace plan. All dailies run front page coverage on Israeli authorities submitting new demolition notices on August 5 to 17 families residing in East Jerusalem and one in Jenin due to their lack of appropriate building permits. Additionally, the reports note that Israeli police broke up a protest march in Sheikh Jarrah on August ¶5. Palestinian Authority spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh is quoted in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida saying, "The US administration has to take strict actions. Statements alone are not enough." -------------- BLOCK QUOTES: -------------- 1) Al-Quds independent daily runs an editorial under the title, "Obama and the peace plan" (08/06): "Palestinians and Arabs have all been optimistic regarding President Barack Obama's promise to bring g change to the Middle East and work towards the two state solution ... We hope that Obama's peace plan will be implemented, unlike previous plans that were abandoned." 2) Talal Okal opines in Al-Ayyam independent daily under the headline "Fatah affiliates, you have to unite" (08/06): "Given all the challenges and obstacles facing the Fatah movement, it is necessary for Fatah affiliates to unite and revisit the movement's structure and role in Palestinian society ... [Mahmoud] Abbas' speech laid the foundation for the new Fatah, but Fatah as a movement still needs to bridge the gaps that developed over the past 20 years in order to end up with an adequate political program that will help the Palestinian situation". WALLES