JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (02/12): "A FIRST READING OF

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SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (02/12): "A FIRST READING OF
ELECTION RESULTS... MORE SETTLEMENTS"

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Main Stories:
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Al Quds and Al Hayat Al Jadida lead with news of a "political
impasse" in the selection of a new Israeli Prime Minister. Al Ayyam
am
also provides front page coverage. Al Quds reports on "competition"
between Livni's Kadima party and Netanyahu's Likud party in trying
to form the next coalition government. Al Hayat Al Jadida describes
the action as a "battle for Prime Minister."
Al Ayyam leads with news that a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on
February 12 to deliver the group's final response to Israel-Hamas
Gaza truce proposals and will meet with Egyptian intelligence chief
Sulayman. Meanwhile, Al Quds' front page reports that Israel and
Hamas continue truce talks in an effort to reach agreement before
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert leaves office. In other Cairo
meetings, Al Quds' front page reports that Fatah and Hamas met on
February 11 and agreed to stop politically-motivated arrests and
media incitement, ahead of the "national dialogue conference"
scheduled for later this month.
U.S. reactions to Israeli elections feature on all front pages.
Wire stories quote State Department spokesman Robert Wood noting
that the U.S. is looking forward to working with the new Israeli
government, regardless of which party leads it. Al Ayyam's front
page cites news agency reporting about a February 11 phone call from
President Obama to Israeli President Peres in which Obama welcomed
working with the next Israeli Prime Minister, whoever that may be.

In international reactions, all front pages quote French Foreign
Minister Kouchner predicting that Livni of Kadima will form the next
government in Israel despite the "victory" of the Israeli right.
Belgian Foreign Minister De Gucht throws his support behind Livni
because, "she is more capable of achieving a peace agreement with
the Palestinians," according to reporting, while Israeli newspapers
predict a new government under Likud's Netanyahu, according to Al
Ayyam's front page. In related news, EU foreign policy chief Solana
calls on Israel's incoming government to resume "serious peace
talks", and leave behind the current, "crisis management mode," Al
Hayat Al Jadida's front page reports.

Palestinian reactions to Israeli elections are captured on all front
pages. Al Ayyam quotes Palestinian Authority (PA) Premier Fayyad
stating on February 11 that any Israeli government must meet the
demands of the international community. Al Quds' front page quotes
PA Minister of Interior Al Yahya charging that, "Israeli society
lacks a culture of peace," and insisting that Israeli elections do
not decide the fate of Palestinians. The paper also reports that
PLO factions see a "drift towards rightwing policies" in Israeli
elections results. Meanwhile, Hamas calls all Israeli parties
"hostile to our people" and Islamic Jihad calls the elections, "a
new phase in Israeli hostility against Palestinians," the paper
notes.
Al Ayyam's front page reports that Egypt has outlined principles for
upcoming Palestinian unity talks and has distributed them to all
Palestinian factions. The principles highlight areas of common
interest such as forming a national consensus Palestinian Authority
(PA) government, holding legislative and presidential elections,
reforming PA security services and "reactivating" the PLO.
Al Ayyam highlights on its front page that the Hamas press office in
Gaza has allowed Al Ayyam's print daily to be distributed in the
Gaza Strip for the first time in six months. --------------
BLOCK QUOTES:
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1) "Al Quds editorial is titled, "A first reading of Israeli
election results"(02/12): "If the new American administration
actually realized that it has a strategic interest in achieving
peace and then realized that the continued occupation is bad for
U.S. interests, it would move... to put an end to the extremism that
is openly growing in Israel... for us [Palestinians] the victory of
the extremist rightwing means more Israeli settlements, stalling and
negative practices. We should have strategies ready to face that
situation..."
2) Abdullah Awwad opines in Al Ayyam under the title, "Why won't
Fatah re-invent itself?"(02/12): "If the [Fatah] leadership has
reached the end, then it must acknowledge that and tell its members
and supporters that it is now up to them, Fatah has nothing more to
give... Fatah is in turmoil at all levels... The leadership needs to
stop admiring itself in the mirror...and wake up to the reality
outside."

WALLES