JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (10/01): Israeli plan for a new

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001751 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 (10/01): Israeli plan for a new settlement near Jericho raises further doubts about a peace agreement -------------- Main Stories: -------------- News on the Israeli government's plan to build 14,000 settlement units to accommodate 40,000 settlers in Al-Walajeh village near Jericho receives lead coverage in the local press. Citing the Israeli daily Ma'ariv, this new settlement will be built on 3,000 dunums of land confiscated from the Palestinians and will be presented to the Ministry of Interior for endorsement in the coming weeks. The reports note that this step is an obvious challenge to the US. In related news, the dailies report that the Israeli government issued tenders for the construction of 25 housing units in the settlement of Brakha, south of Nablus. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida front pages news on the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee meeting in Ramallah on September 30. The meeting condemned Israel's plan for a new settlement in Walajeh. In a statement issued by the committee, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas noted that Israel's endorsement of this new settlement will lead to the failure of all efforts to revive the peace process. Abbas asked the US to try to stop Israel from establishing this new settlement, according to coverage. The local press prominently reports on the agreement reached between Hamas and the Israeli government to release 20 female Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for a one minute video proving kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is still alive. Reports note the deal was brokered through Egyptian mediation. The PA welcomed the deal. Al-Quds reports on the Palestinian faction Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) calling for a change to the Egyptian plan for national reconciliation. The DFLP stated that in order to end the state of division, there must be a unified election system that applies to the PLO and its national council, as well as the Palestinian Legislative Council in the West Bank and Gaza. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reports that in response to the request by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the reconstruction of Al-Quds hospital in Gaza by the French and Qatari governments. The hospital was damaged during the January 2009 conflict in Gaza. -------------- BLOCK QUOTES: -------------- 1) Al-Quds independent daily runs an editorial under the title "The beginning of a shift in the world's public opinion (10/01): "In Britain we saw members of the Parliament demonstrating against the visit of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to London ... the same in Paris where we saw groups of French people carrying the Palestinian flag in support of the Goldstone report ... These actions may not change Israeli policies, but still these actions have weight and will help change public opinion, which can ultimately change the policies." 2) Talal Okal opines in Al-Ayyam independent daily under the title "The climate may change but things on the ground will remain the same" (10/01):"What we see from Hamas in terms of its positive attitudes towards the Egyptian proposal should make us feel better, but until now this hasn't changed public opinion ... the JERUSALEM 00001751 002 OF 002 Palestinians are not optimistic that the division will end, even with the Egyptian plan. We expect that the plan will be controversial and will not be easy to implement on the ground." RUBINSTEIN