ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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1. Mideast - BLOCK QUOTES ONLY


Block Quotes:
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I: "Bibi's Dilemma"
Shimon Shiffer, senior diplomatic correspondent wrote in the
mass-circulation, pluralist Yedioth Ahronot (6/12): "Among the prime
minister's close aides, there is a clash between two schools of
thought regarding the speech. One approach says to Netanyahu:
"Don't be pressured, go with your worldview all the way, and in the
end even your rivals will appreciate your staying power. You are
against the mad idea of two states for two peoples, you will not
freeze construction in the settlements-so say it." Others say to
Netanyahu: "What do you care if you say that you accept the road map
outline, which includes the two-state idea? Utter these magic
words, and then you can continue to do what your predecessors in the
post of prime minister did-they did not stop building in the
territories for a single moment." Moreover, senior government
officials are whispering to Netanyahu that the Arab side and the
Palestinians will reject any idea of a withdrawal from the
territories in any case. "Let the Arab screw up the initiative of
Obama, who naively thinks that he can bring peace to the bloody
Middle East." Netanyahu is not forgetting the day after the speech.
On the day after, the Americans will demand that he immediately stop
all construction activity in the settlements, continue to remove
roadblocks in the West Bank, and open the crossings to the Gaza
Strip."

II. "Lieberman on the Left, Begin on the Right"

Senior columnist Nahum Barnea wrote in the mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (6/12): "The criterion that currently
slices the coalition into two is the question of whether Netanyahu
should say "two states" in his speech on Sunday. Say it, Lieberman
and Barak tell him. Absolutely not, say Benny Begin and Bugi
Yaalon.... "These are only words," Netanyahu said when asked, after
his meeting with the US president, what his opinion was of two
states for two peoples. Perhaps I misinterpret him, but it seems to
me that Netanyahu is troubled by something much more significant
than words. He knows that as soon as negotiations are launched, an
unholy commotion will arise within the Likud. The question will not
be what you gave up, but what you discussed.... Netanyahu would be
glad to hold courtesy meetings with Abu Mazen. But as soon as
negotiations are announced, the questions will start, the protests
will start, the leaks, the resignations.... Netanyahu doesn't want
negotiations. Not because there will be give and take, but because
of Benny Begin."

III. "The songs of Songs, from B. to B."

Senior columnist Yoel Marcus wrote in the independent, left-leaning
Ha'aretz (6/12): "Barak and Bibi, who might be enemies in the next
prime ministerial contest, are on good terms today. ... Barak is
convinced that the goal should be a comprehensive regional
agreement, even though Israel is the exceptional, isolated entity in
this part of the world, compared to Iran, for example. Without
explicitly saying so, perhaps Bibi is also beginning to part ways
with "the dream of the Greater Land of Israel."... Barak is
convinced that Israel must say "yes, but" rather than a contrarian
"no." Israel cannot let itself be perceived as responsible for
failure and lack of progress; it must enable Obama to try to move
forward on the basis of the road map as it was constituted when it
was introduced. "The moment the major issues are at the center of
the map, the settlements will also be given their proper
dimensions."... After all, would there really be two states for two
peoples if we just stopped expanding the settlements? Even the
Palestinians do not claim this. Mere words will not transform the
Middle East into North America. Thus Israel is required to have both
feet on the ground and not deviate from the task of honoring
America's involvement.... If Bibi's speech, otherwise known as the
government's position, does not move toward the Obama initiative,
and Barak and Bibi continue to sing each other's praises rather than
meeting the U.S. president halfway, then Sunday will start the
countdown to the fall of this government.

IV. "Between Barack and a hard place"

Op-ed writer Gil Hoffman wrote in the conservative, ndependent
Jerusalem Post (6/12): "It is now up o Netanyahu to ensure that
American-Israeli relations stop hemorrhaging, and that's what he
will try to do on Sunday. But it won't be easy doing that while
remaining loyal to his coalition partners, the
anti-Palestinian-state majority in his Likud faction and, most
importantly, to himself.... Chances are that... both the American
administration and the Israeli coalition are going to have to take a
step back and allow Netanyahu to outline a vision somewhere in
between. As one political observer said this week:"It's not easy
being a prime minister of Israel, especially when you are caught
between Barack and a hard place."

2. "Iranian Elections"


I. "Behind the Mask"

Ben Caspit, senior diplomatic correspondent, wrote in the popular,
pluralist Maariv (6/12): "If Ahmadinejad is defeated, we will miss
him. There is no one who will serve Israel's PR interests better
than him. The Holocaust denial campaign, the constant declarations
about the need to wipe Israel off the map, the belligerence and
bearded madness that he exuded during his term of office, helped
illustrate the potential danger of the Iranian nuclear program
m
better than a thousand service advertisements or a million speeches.
Now, imagine that Mir-Hossein Mousavi should win. A sticky PR
campaign will immediately ensue, in which Mousavi will be
photographed kissing innocent Persian children in Tehran, canceling
a few restrictions of the modesty patrol, speaking in favor of equal
rights for women, and then saying, on a visit to Switzerland (where
else),that Holocaust denial is a crime and that Iran has no problem
with Israel... . Here, the Europeans will say, the Iranians are
changing. They aren't so extreme any more. Winds of progress are
blowing in Tehran, there is no cause to be excited by the nuclear
program, things will be okay. But they will not be okay. The
Iranian nuclear project started back in the days when the same
Mousavi served as prime minister in Tehran. He was the one who gave
authorization to buy the first centrifuges from the Pakistani
scientist Khan. His reformist mask obscures the fact that the
person who controls Iran is Ali Khamenei, and behind him stands an
army of ayatollahs who are backed by the Revolutionary Guard. All
these need, more than anything, a bit of quiet, in order to complete
the nuclear project as quickly as possible, before the world really
wakes up.... His victory next week, in the second round, will make
the battle for blocking the Iranian nuclear program much more
difficult and challenging."

II. "Does Iran's vote matter?"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (6/12):
"What if Obama's softer tone encourages Iranian voters to walk away
from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the grounds that his braying has become
superfluous and the American "threat" has diminished? And wouldn't
our region be a better place if the demagogic Ahmadinejad was
replaced by the reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi? Perhaps, but likely
not.... All too helpfully for the mullahs, an Ahmadinejad defeat
would distance the regime from the odious Holocaust denier. A
Mousavi victory would provide it with a human face, making it even
less likely that the P5-plus-one would stop the mullahs from
building a bomb."

CUNNINGHAM