ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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Aftermath of Israeli Elections

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Key stories in the media:
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HaQaretz quoted an Israeli government source as saying that
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to arrive in Israel on
March 3. The newspaper reported that National Security Advisor
James Jones will come to Israel on February 24.

Former Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams was quoted as
saying in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that Netanyahu and
President Obama will get along fine on a personal level, but that
both leadersQ entourages and many external factors will determine
the shape of their relationship.

Leading media quoted deputy Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk as
saying in Cairo that Egypt will proclaim an 18-month truce in two or
three days -- a deal that would not include the release of Gilad
Shalit. Israel Radio noted that Israel has not responded to the
report. The radio cited the London-based Al-Hayat as saying that
the Shalit issue will be solved in a few days.

All media quoted the Central Elections Committee as saying yesterday
that the final tally of Knesset seats remained unchanged after
absentee ballots of soldiers, diplomats, and others were counted.
The media reported that government coalition negotiations revolve
around demands by Yisrael BeiteinuQs Avigdor Lieberman on civil
unions, conversion, and the system of government. Yediot reported
that Shas would absolutely refuse to give a free hand for such
legislation in the Knesset. Israel Radio reported that United Torah
Judaism agrees with Shas on these points. HaQaretz said that it may
not be possible to appoint Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor
Lieberman as finance minister -- a possibility that had been
discussed during the coalition talks of the past two days -- because
the Tax Authority, which is part of the Finance Ministry, is
involved in a criminal investigation of Lieberman. Maariv (Ben
Caspit) cited the possibility of forming a national unity government
without Yisrael Beiteinu, which Likud MK Israel Katz denied in an
interview with Israel Radio this morning. Some media quoted
associates of Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni as saying that the party
should either lead the coalition or quit it. HaQaretz quoted Livni
as saying in consultations over the past two days that her party
will not join a right-wing government comprising ultra-Orthodox
parties. However, HaQaretz quoted a senior Kadima official as
saying that the party probably would eventually join Netanyahu's
government and that it would demand the foreign and defense
portfolios for Livni and Shaul Mofaz, or the foreign and education
portfolios for Livni and Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik.

HaQaretz quoted a Turkish official as saying that Israel and Syria
were about to announce that they would speak directly a week before
the fighting in Gaza broke out, leading to Turkish PM Recep Tayyip
ErdoganQs feeling of betrayal. The source was quoted as saying that
PM Ehud Olmert, Erdogan, and Syrian President Bashar Assad had held
a four-hour, three-way telephone conversation during Olmert's visit
to Ankara, and that they had mediated in crafting a joint statement.
The statement had been expected to include an agreement to adhere
to the understanding reached with Yitzhak Rabin. This stipulated
that Israel would be prepared to withdraw from the entire Golan in
exchange for permanent peace and security arrangements, as well as
agreement on what the term normalization would mean for future
peaceful relations.

The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that relief measures
will be instituted for Palestinians in the West Bank. High-ranking
IDF officers and leaders of the security organizations in the PA
have agreed that the removal of roadblocks will continue, twelve new
Palestinian police stations will be opened, and the operation of the
security organizations will be expanded. In order to strengthen the
Palestinian economy, it has been decided to allow residents of the
Arab sector to enter some of the cities in the northern West Bank
and to increase the number of Palestinians permitted to work in
Israel. The number of permits that allow freedom of movement for
Palestinian VIPs and members of its security organizations will also
be increased.

The Jerusalem Post quoted senior GOI officials as saying yesterday
that Israel would prefer -Q if an international peace conference
becomes inevitable -Q that it be hosted by Russia, not France. The
newspaper noted that Israel is not enthused at this time about any
such conference.

HaQaretz quoted U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair
as saying this week in the U.S. Senate that Israel might enter a
confrontation or a crisis this year with Iran. Leading media quoted
CIA Director Leon Panetta as saying last week in testimony on
Capitol Hill that he has little doubt that Iran is seeking nuclear
weapons.

HaQaretz and other media reported that Israel warned Hizbullah this
week that it will respond harshly to any attempt to down an IAF jet
over Lebanon or to avenge last year's assassination of the
organization's operations officer, Imad Mughniyah.

HaQaretz reported that the European Union has decided to freeze a
planned upgrade in its relationship with Israel until a new
government is established and resumes the peace process with the
Palestinians. The EU is also demanding that the new government
freezes settlement construction.

The media reported that elected National Union candidate Michael
Ben-Ari has appointed notorious far-Right activist Itamar Ben-Gvir
as his media and legal adviser.

The Jerusalem Post reported that medicine bottles, transferred to
Gaza as humanitarian aid from Israel, were used by Hamas as grenades
against IDF troops during Operation Cast Lead.

Media reported that Pope Benedict XVI told American Jewish leaders
at the Vatican yesterday that any denial or minimization of the
Holocaust is Qintolerable.




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Aftermath of Israeli Elections:
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Summary:
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The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: Q[NetanyahuQs]
choice of coalition partners will tell us how he intends to lead
Israel in the coming years.

Popular liberal novelist Meir Shalev wrote in the mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot: Q[Netanyahu] and his people did every
possible nasty trick to present [the election results] as a
victory.

The nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe editorialized: QThe
public has expressed its strenuous opposition to the Kadima
governmentQs way and the Sharon legacy that it represents.

Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick
wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: QThe Obama
administration's interest in courting Iran and the Arab world places
Jerusalem on a collision course with Washington.... [In any case]
Israel's governments have little ability to influence how foreign
governments treat it regardless of who forms those governments.

Block Quotes:
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I. "NetanyahuQs Choice"

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (2/13):
QBenjamin Netanyahu will be Israel's next prime minister. That is
the conclusion required by the outcome of the election, which
strengthened the rightist bloc.... During the campaign, Netanyahu
said that the worst mistake of his previous term was his decision to
form a rightist government rather than a coalition with Labor. He
surely remembers that the right-wing factions were the ones that
brought his government down after he signed the Wye River Memorandum
with Yasser Arafat. Now, he once again faces the choice between an
ideological government centered around opposition to territorial
withdrawals and a government that would be more attentive to the
international community. Neither would be Netanyahu's dream
government. But his choice of coalition partners will tell us how
he intends to lead Israel in the coming years.

II. "Coalition and Opposition"

Popular liberal novelist Meir Shalev wrote in the mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (2/13): QI hoped for a Kadima-Likud-Labor
coalition that would leave Shas and Lieberman out. Despite the
differences and the slanders, there is no big discrepancy among the
three parties. They have the same security views and a similar
economic perspective. All have similar voters. They begin to
understand that Israel must talk to its neighbors and make big
concessions on the way to an agreement They start to grasp that the
public should not carry the burden of all ultra-Orthodox and
settlements.... Unfortunately, such a coalition will not emerge.

Tzipi Livni already held a Qgood meetingQ with Lieberman, so did
Netanyahu, and Shas has already prepared a list of demands. It
was enough to listen to NetanyahuQs post-election speech to
understand that there is no chance [for my hope].... This was the
speech of a loser who only cares about his desire to rule and who is
incapable of acknowledging the results. He and his people did every
possible nasty trick to present [the election results] as a
victory.

III. "Hurry Up, Bibi!"

The nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe editorialized (2/13):
QThe conclusions to be drawn from this weekQs election are seeping
through slowly. It took almost twenty-four hours for the public and
the opinion shapers to grasp the victory of the Qright-wing.Q It
will take time until the advantages of such a government become
obvious.... A right-wing government must focus on national goals,
not on survival meant to prevent the shaping of a center-left
coalition.... An effective, cohesive coalition should also deal with
the worsening economic crisis that is eating up IsraelQs economic
activity.... The public has expressed its strenuous opposition to
the Kadima governmentQs way and the Sharon legacy that it
represents. The components of the [incoming] government must
translate this opposition into effective diplomatic and security
policies. NetanyahuQs role will be to demonstrate leadership that
will convince the coalition components to act in a restrained and
responsible fashion. In any case, he should not renounce the
opportunity to put together the next government just because he does
not view the votersQ verdict as perfect.

IV. "Enter the Netanyahu Government"

Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick
wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (2/13): QThe
Obama administration's interest in courting Iran and the Arab world
places Jerusalem on a collision course with Washington. Given the
high priority the Obama administration has placed on appeasing Iran,
its decision to end U.S. sanctions against Syria, and its intense
desire to establish a Palestinian state, it is fairly clear that
Israel cannot expect to enjoy good relations with Washington in the
coming years without adopting policies that would endanger its
survival. It is common wisdom in Israel that the Israeli Left is
capable of limiting the level of hostility directed against Israel
from the U.S. and Europe. Livni exploited this popular belief
during the electoral campaign when she warned that a rightist
government would destroy Israel's relations with Washington.
Apparently convinced by her warnings, some voices in Likud argue
that with Livni and Kadima in the government, the U.S. and the EU
will think twice before adopting openly hostile policies.
Unfortunately, this view is demonstrably false.... The generally
ignored truth is that international hostility towards Israel is
driven by factors extraneous to Israel. Consequently, Israel's
governments have little ability to influence how foreign governments
treat it regardless of who forms those governments.

CUNNINGHAM