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. PM Netanyahu's Speech


2. Iran


3. Mideast

Block Quotes Only:
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1. PM Netanyahu's Speech


I. "The Era of Winks"

Senior commentator Nahum Barnea wrote in the mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The Bar Ilan speech was a success. It
created the impression that everything could be done, and yet did
nothing. It promised, but didn't promise to keep the promise. In
his speech, Netanyahu opted to skip over the conditions that he
posed for negotiations....He is not willing to commit to returning
the Golan Heights.... The American response [to the speech] was
two-staged. The White House congratulated, but immediately renewed
its demand for an absolute freeze on settlement activity. Had
Netanyahu said that he accepted the two-state solution during his
visit to Washington, it is possible that this clash could have been
prevented, but he fell in love with his mistake, and in the
meantime, the genie got out of the bottle and refused to go back
in.... Netanyahu's bureau understands the magnitude of the problem.
What they have trouble understanding there is that the era of winks
is over. Israel has been fooling the Americans for 41 years. Yigal
Alon fooled them, Sharon fooled them, Peres fooled them, they were
the first, and all the others followed in their wake.... On the
question of the settlements, he [Ehud Barak] tried to sell the
Americans a mixed package, rich in winks,that included evacuation by
consent, token clashes and limited construction. They didn't buy the
package and the settlers didn't buy it. If the crisis continues this
is liable to muddy security relations between the two countries at a
critical time."

II. "We're the Guys with a Strategy"
Shalom Yerushalmi, political columnist, wrote in the popular,
pluralist Maariv (6/19): "Among the right wing, and particularly
the Likud, they prefer to regard Netanyahu's speech as tactical.
This is the most convenient for them. They enjoy speaking of a
colossal and great multi-layered ploy performed by the prime
minister.... He was just performing an act before the world, they
say. In any case, he's not actually going to do anything, and if he
does, the Arabs will ruin everything. But there are also other
assessments out there... that Netanyahu is undergoing a true change
of heart and that the moderate texts he recited were more than just
an act.... According to this thesis, the speech was strategic, not
just a ploy. Netanyahu has resolved to enter the history books, and
this did not happen just this week, but rather immediately following
the election. The speech at Bar Ilan University signaled a real
breakthrough."


2. Iran


I. "Arab Rulers Fear it will Happen to Them Too"

Smadar Peri, Arab affairs commentator, wrote in the
mass-circulation, independent Yediot Aharonot (6/19): "The
thunderous silence of the rulers of the Arab world... attests to
great nervousness. On the one hand, Iran held a democratic election
campaign, one that does not exist to this day in any of the Arab
world countries (except perhaps Lebanon, where there was also
fraud). Four candidates from two yellow camps waged a campaign,
grappled with juicy television debates and maligned each other below
the belt. On the other hand, the great fraud of the election results
reminds millions in the Arab world of what happens in their own
homes. Even in the moderate countries, the US's allies, daily life
is run by means of emergency laws and sudden arrests without
warrants.... The elections, the fraud and the demonstrations that
spread throughout Iran are leading the secret organizations kept by
the Arab dictators to a gloomy conclusion: it is impossible to
continue to ignore the street. But if they let the dream of
democracy seep into the polling booths, all the leaders will be
immediately kicked out, without exception, and if they try to fix
the results, as they did in Iran, millions will take to the streets
to protest the phony democracy."

II. Mideast

I. "Litmus Test"
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (6/19):
"The claim that capitulating to Hamas in Gaza, out of exasperation
over their intransigence, will facilitate the prospects of genuine
peace is unconvincing. Gaza is a test case for what Israelis can
expect should Hamas win next January's tentatively scheduled
Palestinian elections. The lesson so far is that the Islamists are
apt to choose belligerency over coexistence, even if it causes their
own people to suffer; and that the international community will side
with the Palestinians on the grounds that the people should not be
punished for the policies of its elected leaders.... On Thursday,
the Red Cross asked to see IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, now three
years in Hamas captivity. If the international community cannot
influence Hamas to comply with so basic a humanitarian request, how
can it credibly guarantee Hamas's behavior once sanctions are
lifted?"
CUNNINGHAM