ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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Gaza Crisis

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Key stories in the media:
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All media reported that IDF reservists were involved in the fighting
in Gaza yesterday, for the first time since Israel launched
Operation Cast Lead 16 days ago. Akin to other media, The Jerusalem
Post reported that senior Israeli diplomatic officials told the
newspaper yesterday that while diplomatic efforts were picking up
speed, Israel was likely to QexpandQ its operations in Gaza before
agreeing to a withdrawal and cessation of operations against Hamas.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF is said to be carving out a
Qsecurity zoneQ along the border, which it would retain even after
an end to the fighting and use to conduct routine patrols aimed at
halting rocket attacks against the South. Maariv cited Israeli
assessments that Hamas will launch long-range missiles at the end of
the operation.

HaQaretz quoted sources close to PM Ehud Olmert as saying yesterday
that he continues to disagree with DM Ehud Barak and FM Tzipi Livni
regarding the question of continuing the warfare in Gaza. The
QtroikaQ met yesterday to discuss the subject, and both Barak and
Livni reportedly argued for ending Operation Cast Lead as soon as
possible. This is apparently the reason Olmert wants to present the
issue to the security cabinet, where the majority supports his view.
Livni contends that continuing the offensive could harm the
deterrence it has achieved so far and damage Israel diplomatically.
Barak objects mainly to inserting ground troops deep into densely
populated areas of Gaza. For his part, Olmert told the full cabinet
Sunday that stopping Operation Cast Lead now would be a missed
opportunity. Israel Radio reported that Amos Gilad, who heads the
Defense Ministry's political-security bureau, will not leave for
Cairo today.

Media cited an assessment in Jerusalem that Hamas has been badly
beaten and bruised, but that it is not yet willing to wave the white
flag of surrender. The media reported that yesterday IDF tanks and
infantry units pushed deeper into Gaza City, encountering fierce
Hamas resistance and killing, according to the military, close to 50
Hamas operatives. Earlier in the day, the IAF bombed the home of
Ahmed JaQabri commander of HamasQs military wing. JaQabri was not
believed to be home at the time. The media reported a rift between
Hamas-Damascus more confrontational political leadership and the
movementQs Gaza leaders, who are reportedly more inclined to reach a
cease-fire.

Yesterday leading media cited a New York Times report published on
Saturday that President Bush deflected a secret Israeli request last
year for bunker-busting bombs for a possible attack on IranQs main
nuclear complex.

Over the weekend leading media reported that Israeli officials are
accusing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of having worked behind
Israel's back and of having been the "engine" behind the wording of
the UN Security Council's resolution, contrary to the promises that
she gave to Israel.

The Jerusalem Post reported that an Egyptian government official
told the daily yesterday that Iran is exerting heavy pressure on
Hamas not to accept the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire with
Israel. Leading media reported that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry
called IsraelQs Ambassador to Cairo for clarifications regarding the
humanitarian condition in Gaza.

Leading media quoted President-elect Barack Obama as saying
yesterday on ABC-TV's "This Week." that the suffering of civilians
on both sides makes him Qmuch more determined to try to break a
deadlock that has gone on for decades now.

Over the weekend major media reported that for the second time in
two days, the US Congress on Friday overwhelmingly backed a
resolution supporting IsraelQs military campaign against Hamas.


HaQaretz quoted the IDF as saying yesterday that IDF video clips
documenting the war in Gaza and showing preparations for combat were
the fourth most-popular videos on the video-sharing Web site YouTube
as of last week, and some have been viewed hundreds of thousands of
times.

Leading media reported that yesterday the Jerusalem District Court
ordered Meir Abergil and Israel Ozifa, two Israelis allegedly
involved in smuggling 100,000 Ecstasy pills into the U.S. in 2003 to
be released to house arrest, ruling that the evidence presented in

an American extradition request "is not sufficiently strong."

Major media reported that QWaltz with Bashir,Q the animated
documentary about Israeli soldiers and their memories of IsraelQs
1982 war with Lebanon, won a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign
Language Film.

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Gaza Crisis:
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Summary:
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Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent,
left-leaning Ha'aretz: QBarack Obama will not be in a hurry to cast
a veto for Israel's sake. Israel should become involved in this
process and not be seen as the disturbed child of the international
community.

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: QIsrael
would have preferred to act with the support of those who claim to
back our right to self-defense. In a cynical world, Israel must
press ahead without it.

The Jerusalem Post editorialized: Q[The Free World states] may be
ungrateful, but Israel is fighting their fight too.

Senior columnist Nahum Barnea wrote on page one of the
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: QIn my eyes, the IDF is
not an army of war criminals. Nevertheless, the images from Gaza
are worrying.

Middle East affairs commentator Dr. Guy Bechor, a lecturer at the
Interdisciplinary Center, wrote on his Web site Gplanet.co.il: QIt
is no longer Khaled Mashal, it is Iran, whose leaders, in effect,
are forcing him, an expatriate Palestinian, to accept their
dictate.

Conservative Op-Ed Page Editor Ben-Dror Yemini wrote in the popular,
pluralist Maariv: QWhy, in God's name, are European states] allowed
to fight thousands of kilometers from their countries, to kill
hundreds and thousands of innocent civilians, and to say that their
fight is justified -- but Israel mustn't? Whence do they draw the
impudence?

Block Quotes:
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I. "CondiQs Revenge"

Veteran journalist Hemmi Shalev wrote in the independent Israel
Hayom (1/12): QFour factors combined to bring about the United
StatesQ abstention regarding the fighting in Gaza: the pressure of
the European states; the distress of the moderate Arab states;
President George BushQs desire to pass on a Qtabula rasaQ to
incoming President Barak Obama; and Secretary of State Condoleezza
RiceQs final blow, which left a taste of bitter revenge.... What
might not have sufficiently been taken into account is the Qspecial
relationshipsQ not only with Israel, but with countries such as
Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, which form a pro-American,
anti-Iranian front in the Arab world. Since the start of Operation
Cast Lead those countries have awarded a surprising dose of freedom
of action to Israel in the dialogue with Hamas, but at the same time
they have taken care to clarify to Washington that this wasnQt a
free lunch, especially with the growing number of pictures of slain
Gazan children on TV.

II. "Israel Goes It Alone"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (1/12):
QThe world must be wondering, 17 days into Operation Cast Lead, why
it is taking so long for Jerusalem to cave into pressure for a
cease-fire in Gaza. From the UN Security Council, that renowned
bastion of international probity, and the constellation of Muslim,
Arab and non-aligned states to our unwavering European allies, the
international community -- and much of the media -- wants Israel to
stop fighting. We Israelis can hear these erstwhile friends in
Europe and the media saying: QEverybody is wrong, and you alone are
right.Q They continue: QYes, Israel has a right to self-defense --
but must your IDF kill innocent civilians and destroy buildings in
the process? Can't your tanks avoid harming them? Your failure to
fight a war that is televised live, 24/7, without spilling blood has
enraged the Arab street. We don't want this fury turned against our
interests in the Middle EastQ.... The New York Times, likewise,
sympathizes with Israel's predicament but worries that trying to
wrest Gaza from Hamas's grip will complicate the efforts of the
incoming Obama administration to broker peace.... Israel would have
preferred to act with the support of those who claim to back our
right to self-defense. In a cynical world, Israel must press ahead
without it.

III. "Abnormal State"

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent,
left-leaning Ha'aretz (1/12): QWho complained to the United Nations
Security Council about the firing of Qassam rockets by the Hamas
government in Gaza? The government of Israel.... And when, over
Israel's objections, that very council passed Resolution 1860
calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, who proclaimed that it would not
accept it and intended to continue fighting? The government of
Israel, of course.... Israel wants the international community,
represented by the Security Council, to protect it from Hamas, Syria
and Iran, but not to hamper the Israel Defense Forces operating with
all its strength in Gaza. The problem is that the international
community rejects this arrangement and wants to intervene even when
it hampers Israel.... In eight days, a new president will move into
the White House, one obligated to strengthening the influence of
international institutions. Barack Obama will not be in a hurry to
cast a veto for Israel's sake. Israel should become involved in
this process and not be seen as the disturbed child of the
international community.

IV. "The UNQs Hollow Gaza Resolution"

The Jerusalem Post editorialized (1/11): QThere can be nothing more
valid or just than Israel's security cabinet's pledge to press on
with the Gaza operation regardless of UN disapproval. It is exactly
as the Prime Minister's statement encapsulated: QIsrael has never
agreed that any outside body would determine its right to defend the
security of its citizensQ.... Disconcertingly, Resolution 1860 was
adopted overnight Thursday by a 14-0 margin. Jerusalem was given
cause to expect an American veto, but the U.S. chose instead to
abstain because, according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
it awaited Egyptian mediation results. Rice apparently had no
quarrel with the resolution's content and emphasis, regarding it as
a QRoadmap for a sustainable, durable peace in Gaza.Q Hence Israel
may well expect increased pressure to halt its operation regardless
of ongoing Hamas aggression -- wan diplomatic lip-service against
Gazan Qassam and Grad barrages notwithstanding. Although the
resolution clearly obligates Israeli forces to withdraw, and
although much of its text is devoted to the welfare of Gazans, it
does not so much as mention Hamas and its relentless terrorist
predations on Israelis.... Ceasing fire while Hamas retains a
sizable arsenal, while Iran stands poised to rearm it, and while the
Philadelphi Corridor remains breached, constitutes a surefire recipe
for new and bloodier rounds. This would be disastrous not only for
Israel but for those Free World states whose delegates cast
anti-Israel votes at the Security Council. They may be ungrateful,
but Israel is fighting their fight too.


V. QThe Whole Land Is Filled with Flags

Senior columnist Nahum Barnea wrote on page one of the
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (1/12): QAs someone who
supported the operation from its beginning, I have been following
its development with concern. I am afraid of an entanglement that
will lodge Israel in Gaza for months and years.... I fear the harm
caused to civilians in Gaza. The Second Lebanon War was mainly
conducted in an area free of civilians. Only Hizbullah guerrillas
were left in it. The Gazans have nowhere to run. In time of
warfare, it is very difficult to separate between non-involved
civilians and Hamas militiamen. The figures that the IDF publishes
on this matter raise question marks. How many of the 800 or 900
Palestinians killed until yesterday were Hamas fighters? Does a
postal clerk in the Hamas government also deserve to die? A traffic
cop? Ha'aretz correspondent Amira Hass wrote that it was good that
her parents had died and were not compelled to see Israel's crimes
in the operation in Gaza. As opposed to her, I am sorry that my
parents have passed away, but this is not the only point on which we
disagree. In my eyes, the IDF is not an army of war criminals.
Nevertheless, the images from Gaza are worrying. There is nothing
joyous, nothing patriotic, about a child killed by a shell or a
family buried under a home. Hamas may not care about them: We
should care.

VI. QIran Seeks To Wear Out Israel in QNon-Negotiations

Middle East affairs commentator Dr. Guy Bechor, a lecturer at the
Interdisciplinary Center, wrote on his Web site Gplanet.co.il
(1/11): QAbu Mazen's consent is now saving Hamas, i.e. leaving it as
the ruling power in Gaza, albeit weakened, opening the crossings and
introducing international supervision in the Rafah crossing. Had
Hamas agreed to this, the cease-fire would be achieved, and it would
retain a minimum of dignity-after all, it will now be recognized, by
Israel as well, as the force controlling Gaza de facto. But no, it
is the usual Palestinian maximalism. It is all or nothing -- so
nothing. The reason is different this time. It is no longer Khaled
Mashal, it is Iran, whose leaders, in effect, are forcing him, an
expatriate Palestinian, to accept their dictate.... The Palestinians
in Gaza have now become Iranian currency in Tehran's long-standing
war against Israel. QKeep fighting,Q they are commanded from
Tehran, from afar. QKeep dying.

VII. QShut Up and Let Us Work

Conservative Op-Ed Page Editor Ben-Dror Yemini wrote in the popular,
pluralist Maariv (1/11): QThe countries of Europe, in the current
time and on a weekly basis, cause innocent people's deaths. That
awful killing has a justification: the fight against the Taliban. So
we don't need to explain anything to Europe. They need to explain
this to us. After all, the Taliban hasn't fired rockets at any
cities in Europe. Hamas fires at Israel. The Taliban hasn't
declared its desire to annihilate all the Europeans. And Hamas
actually does encourage the killing of Jews in its charter and in
its spokesmen's statements. Nevertheless, the Europeans feel it
justified to remain in Afghanistan only in order to eradicate yet
another link in fanatical Islam. Just like Israel with Hamas. And,
in any event, Hamas's threat to Israel is greater than the threat
posed by the Taliban to Europe. So why, in God's name, are they
allowed to fight thousands of kilometers from their countries, to
kill hundreds and thousands of innocent civilians, and to say that
their fight is justified -- but Israel mustn't? Whence do they draw
the impudence?

CUNNINGHAM