ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 001342 STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM NSC FOR NEA STAFF SECDEF WASHDC FOR USDP/ASD-PA/ASD-ISA HQ USAF FOR XOXX DA WASHDC FOR SASA JOINT STAFF WASHDC FOR PA CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL FOR POLAD/USIA ADVISOR COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD COMSIXTHFLT FOR 019 JERUSALEM ALSO ICD LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL PARIS ALSO FOR POL ROME FOR MFO SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION -------------- SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: -------------- ¶1. Mideast ¶2. Iran Block Quotes Only: -------------- ¶1. Mideast ¶I. "A Fresh Spirit in Israel-Egypt Relations" Military commentator Alex Fishman wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (6/22): "Suddenly it appears that weapons smuggling into Gaza can be stopped. From the moment that the Egyptian military intelligence commanders, under the leadership of Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, were replaced by officials of the General Intelligence under the command of Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman a revolution has taken place in everything concerning weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip.... The volume of smuggling decreased, money exchangers and foreign agents were arrested, the Hamas military industry has been destroyed, and weapons are trickling rather than flooding into the Gaza Strip.... Defense Minister Ehud Barak's visit to Cairo yesterday was just one more example of this fresh spirit.... They have no one else to talk to in Israel. They have marked him [Barak] as their line of communication.... The Egyptians promised... the United States a Palestinian national unity government with Hamas and Fatah that will provide for the resumption of peace negotiations.... For example, Israel can promise to return to the tahdia and to gradually open the crossings.... If Israel is willing to pay Hamas on the matter of the crossings, progress will be made on the matter of the national unity government; if concrete progress is made on July 7 progress will also be made on the matter of Gilad Shalit; if progress is made on Gilad Shalit, it will be possible to discuss renewed peace negotiations, regional strategy and so forth. Both sides, the Israeli and Egyptian, very much want to please the Americans...." II. "The Chances of Releasing Gilad are Slim" Yoaz Hendel, political commentator, wrote in the nationalist, orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe (6/22): "Peace initiatives and quiet in the Gaza Strip come and go at the speed of seasons changing. Since Gilad Shalit was kidnapped, Egypt has become the dominant country in cooking up truces, with the main reason for this being its fear of the very easy connection between Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood-the Egyptian opposition.... In the new format of the deal that Mubarak is now putting together, the Israeli limits regarding major prisoners are clear. On the other hand, Mubarak is also careful to show respect for Hamas with sweeteners that will make it easier for them to come down from their high limb.... In the meantime, Hamas has only displayed pragmatism regarding its own survival. As long as the sword does not threaten its neck, it is in no hurry to get anywhere. Although the situation in the Gaza Strip is difficult economically-the crossing restrictions that Israel has imposed elicit internal criticism even in the most pro-Hamas strongholds in the Gaza Strip-on the other hand, to this day no criticism has constituted a real threat to the stability of the Haniya government, only the IDF. Today Hamas is supposed to relay a new list of prisoners to Egypt. If the changes on the list are only cosmetic...then the chances of the security establishment supporting the deal are slim." ¶1. Iran ¶I. "Where is Everyone?" Senior commentators Ben Caspit and Ben-Dror Yemini wrote in the popular, pluralist Maariv (6/22): "Tell us, where is everyone? Where did all the people who demonstrated against Israel's brutality in Operation Cast Lead, in the Second Lebanon War, in Operation Defensive Shield, or even in The Hague, when we were dragged there unwillingly after daring to build a separation barrier between us and the suicide bombers, disappear to?.... All the peace-loving and justice-loving Europeans, British professors in search of freedom and equality, the friends filling the newspapers, magazines and various academic journals with various demands for boycotting Israel, defaming Zionism and blaming us and it for all the ills and woes of the world-could it be that they have taken a long summer vacation? Now of all times, when the Basij hooligans have begun to slaughter innocent civilians in the city squares of Tehran? Aren't they connected to the Internet? Don't they have YouTube? Has a terrible virus struck down their computer? Have their justice glands been removed in a complicated surgical procedure (to be re-implanted successfully for the next confrontation in Gaza)? How can it be that when a Jew kills a Muslim, the entire world boils, and when extremist Islam slaughters its citizens, whose sole sin is the aspiration to freedom, the world is silent?... And where are the world's leaders? Where is the wondrous rhetorical ability of Barack Obama? Where has his sublime vocabulary gone? Where is the desire that is supposed to be built into all American presidents, to defend and act on behalf of freedom seekers around the globe? What is this stammering?... The West remains indifferent. Obama is polite. Why shouldn't he be, after all, he aspires to a dialogue with the ayatollahs.... Being conciliatory is a positive trait, particularly when it follows the clumsy bellicosity of George Bush, but when conciliation becomes blindness, we have a problem.... There is a different Islam. This is already clear today. Even in Iran. There are millions of Muslims who support freedom, human rights, equality for women. These millions loathe Khamenei, Chavez and Nasrallah too. But part of the global left wing prefers the ayatollah regime over them. The main thing is for them to raise flags against Israel and America. The question is why the democrats, the liberals, and Obama, Blair and Sarkozy, are continuing to sit on the fence. This is not a fence of separation; it is a fence of shame." II."Turning Point for Iran?" The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (6/22): "Whatever his original intentions, Mir Hossein Mousavi now represents something bigger than a "soft" alternative to Ahmadinejad.... In challenging Khamenei after he sanctified the election results, these counter-elites are exposing a serious split in the political system, undermining its legitimacy. They might still want to reform, rather than overturn, the system. But the people may have their own ideas. No one knows if there is any turning back after Mousavi put out the word that his followers should hold a general strike in case of his arrest. Plainly, the regime hopes that tear gas and bullets will dampen the protesters' fervor. We shall see....Given its geography, resources and culture, Iran will remain a regional player no matter what. But when all this is over, will it still be a patron of Hizbullah and Hamas; the state champion of Islamic extremism, and the prime demonizer of Israel?... Over the weekend, Obama warned the regime that the world was watching, and urged it "to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people." But for all his declared commitment in Cairo to reform and democracy, Obama has refrained from overt support of the courageous Iranian citizenry protesting - and dying - for precisely these things. If Iranians prove ready to persist, their terrible sacrifices notwithstanding, the US and EU will have little choice but to press for new, internationally monitored elections - and, if this demand goes unanswered, to hold out the possibility of "de-recognizing" the regime. That would place Iran in the same position as Ukraine in 2004, during the Orange Revolution. That regime was isolated and, ultimately, forced from power." III: "The Israeli Perspective" Military correspondent Amos Harel wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (6/22): "The debate in Israel over what is happening in Iran is shifting between two problematic poles: The media coverage, which suffers from overt dramatization...and the political establishment's observations, which are far too jaded. The sometimes violent conflict is not about the sons of light against the sons of darkness. To a degree,... it's a kind of family dispute: factions that were part of the regime inspired by the Islamic Revolution are now challenging its authority.... Even if the uprising is suppressed, we can conclude that Iran has changed over the past 10 days. But it's unclear if even a successful revolution can detach Iran from the influence of its radical religious establishment. ...Israel... has something to gain from each of the scenarios. If conservative rule prevails it will be at the price of a brutal suppression of the protests. The international community... is much more concerned about the crushing of democracy in Tehran. This... may bring about a much harsher approach by the United States and European Union if the dialogue over the Iranian nuclear program fails and the sanctions are intensified. At the same time, a victory by the moderates, committed as they may be to the nuclear project, might render Iran more open to the West and allow for understandings that will block the project, even if this is achieved at an uneasy price for the international community. Israel will then be more concerned about the conduct of the U.S. administration. The inaction demonstrated by President Barack Obama in the face of a taunting North Korea, as well as the gap between the passionate speeches and hesitant conduct on the ground, is disconcerting." IV: "Standing With the People of Iran" The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (6/22): "Thirty years after the Khomeini revolution brought down the regime of the Shah and led the Islamic Republic to power, a new generation in Iran is now fomenting a shake-up, whose full scope, conclusion and ramifications are not yet known.... The difference between Ahmadinejad and his patrons, and Mousavi and his supporters, has been painted in blood in the streets of Tehran.... Khamenei's speech on Friday made it clear that the regime plans to fight for its life and will act to suppress the protests with a strong hand, but even if it does succeed, it will henceforth have to take the people's will into account. Economic sanctions that affect the well-being of the Iranian public, at the expense of the relentless development of nuclear weapons, could have a greater weight in the future. That is good news that lessens the danger of a military confrontation between Israel and Iran. And it is also a good reason for official Israel to stand aside, to refrain from declarations and to hope quietly for the victory of the Iranian people over its dictators." CUNNINGHAM