ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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Mideast

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Key stories in the media:
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All media reported that Benjamin Netanyahu will present his
government -- one of the largest in Israeli history -- to the
Knesset tonight. It will include 29 or 30 ministers and six or
seven deputy ministers. Major media reported that last night
PM-designate Benjamin Netanyahu appointed MK Yuval Steinitz finance
minister. However, Netanyahu will lead IsraelQs economic policy and
the diplomatic-security cabinet. Leading media are divided over the
prospect of SteinitzQs appointment diminishing the prospect of
Silvan Shalom joining the government. Media reported that Netanyahu
will meet with Shalom at 1 p.m.

Leading media quoted Benjamin Netanyahu as saying yesterday that his
government will be willing to offer "generous concessions" in
exchange for peace with the Palestinians. He was addressing the
Knesset during an extraordinary session marking the 30th anniversary
of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, whose attendees included the
Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors. "President Anwar Sadat's
historic plea, 'no more war,' led Israelis into being ready to make
generous, far-reaching concessions for peace," Netanyahu said.
"Whenever Israel stands before an Arab leader who is genuinely
committed to peace, it behaves in the same manner. Israelis know
how to spot genuine peace when they see it, and are willing to go
far on its behalf. The Israeli people strive for peace, dream of
peace, long for peace," Netanyahu said. He continued: "The
government that I am about to form will do all in its power to reach
peace with all our neighbors and with the entire Arab world. Each
of our neighbors who are genuinely ready for peace will find our
hands outstretched before them.Q Netanyahu said. In an apparent
reference to both Syria and the Palestinians, Netanyahu noted that
Sadat "didn't talk peace while planning war and didn't conduct
negotiations while giving asylum to terror organizations." On
Thursday, his second day on the job, Netanyahu is expected to hold a
comprehensive security and foreign policy review, focusing on the
new government's intentions in the Palestinian and Iranian arenas.
All media reported that yesterday Military Advocate General Brig.
Gen. Avichai Mendelblit instructed the Military Police investigation
unit to close the inquiry into soldiers' accounts of alleged
misconduct and serious violations of the army's rules of engagement
during Operation Cast Lead. He was quoted as saying that it was
unfortunate that the soldiers, who discussed their Gaza experiences
in private on February 13 at a military academy session that was
later leaked verbatim to the media, had been careless about
accuracy. "It will be difficult to assess the damage done to the
image and morals [of the armed forces] in Israel and the world,"
MandelblitQs statement said. In a press release issued Monday, the
army said that the preliminary military police investigation into
the testimonies revealed that they "were based on hearsay and not
first-hand experience." HaQaretz and The Jerusalem Post quoted
various Israeli human rights groups as saying that the short-lived
nature of the investigations is Qsuspicious.

HaQaretz reported that yesterday a representative of Attorney
General Menachem Mazuz told the High Court of Justice that the
question of whether Knesset Member Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael
Beiteinu) should be allowed to serve as deputy prime minister and
foreign minister while he is under police investigation is not a
legal issue, but rather a political and public one. Mazuz asked the
court to reject a petition filed by the Movement for Quality
Government against Lieberman's appointment.

The Jerusalem Post and other media reported that yesterday, at the
Arab summit in Doha, Syrian President Bashar Assad accused Israel of
killing an Arab peace initiative for comprehensive peace and charged
that its people are unprepared to make peace. Israel Radio reported
that the summit ended abruptly last night after one day. The Arab
leaders called on Israel, in its summary statement, to stop the
policy of settlements and to set a date to meet its commitment to
peace. They also demanded of the Quartet to ensure that Israel
adopt the Arab peace initiative.

HaQaretz quoted sources as saying that senior U.S. administration
officials assured Netanyahu's political adviser, Dr. Uzi Arad, that
his visa application will be answered positively, so as not to
obstruct his work vis-a-vis the White House. Arad, designated to
become chairman of the National Security Council under Netanyahu,
had been mentioned in connection to Larry Franklin. Franklin, a
civil servant in the Defense Department's Office of Special Plans,
was convicted of passing classified materials to AIPAC officials,
who then allegedly passed it to Israel.

The Jerusalem Post quoted veteran negotiator and security figure
Col. (res.) Gilad Sher as saying yesterday during an event organized
by the Council for Peace and Security that the incoming government
must immediately begin planning for a separation from the
Palestinians. Sher, who managed several previous negotiation
rounds with the Palestinians and who served as bureau chief for Ehud
Barak when he was prime minister, described Israel's continued
presence in the Palestinian territories as an "existential threat."
"We need to separate from the Palestinians, either with
negotiations or without," Sher was quoted as saying. "I have no
illusions over the unpopularity of this stance after the Gaza
disengagement."

The Jerusalem Post illustrated a story about IsraelQs diplomatic
protocol with a picture of Ambassador CunninghamQs presentation of
credentials ceremony.

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, visiting singer Peter
Yarrow described the successful Operation Respect program, which
promotes tolerance among schoolchildren.

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Mideast:
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Summary:
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Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent,
left-leaning Ha'aretz: QSince Netanyahu refuses to accept the
principle of a Palestinian state being established alongside Israel,
he would have some difficulty complaining about the U.S. relieving
Hamas of the same demand.

Ha'aretz editorialized: QBarack Obama's administration asked Israel
not to demolish Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and let
Netanyahu know that the United States is monitoring Israel's moves
in the city and expects it to avoid controversial ones. Netanyahu
must listen to this message.

Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in Ha'aretz:
QThe question before the Israeli government and its critics is not
what would have happened had Israel and the Arabs adopted the Arab
initiative, but how can talks with the Palestinians and Syrians make
progress as if there were no Arab initiative.

Liberal columnist and anchor Ofer Shelach wrote in the popular,
pluralist Maariv: QYou can no longer think that the army can go into
Gaza with a mentality of zero casualties to our forces and leave
there smelling of moral roses.

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized:
QIsrael's Arabs need to accept more of the responsibilities of
citizenship, and the state needs to deliver more of its benefits.
The sooner it happens, the better -- for all concerned.

Block Quotes:
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I. "The Obama Visions"

Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent,
left-leaning Ha'aretz (3/31): QThe document [that a bipartisan team
of American political leaders recently] produced is waiting for the
new Israeli government to be sworn in. The American President is
due to use it as the basis of a special speech in which he will
present his vision for the Middle East. Of prime importance among
the files on the desks of those who composed the document is a
report drawn up at the end of 2008 by 10 senior figures from the two
principal political parties in the United States.... The authors of
that report recommended to the President that he replace the
Qconditions of the QuartetQ with a readiness to recognize a
Palestinian unity government, on condition that that government
would agree to a cease-fire with Israel, authorize Palestinian
president Mahmoud Abbas to conduct negotiations on a final-status
solution, and bring the agreement to a referendum. Since Netanyahu
refuses to accept the principle of a Palestinian state being
established alongside Israel, he would have some difficulty
complaining about the U.S. relieving Hamas of the same demand.

II. "Leave East Jerusalem Alone"

Ha'aretz editorialized (3/31): QOn the eve of the new government's
swearing-in, right-wing elements in the new coalition and among the
settlers are preparing to heighten Israeli control in East
Jerusalem. Netanyahu's declaration that his government will renew
the negotiations with the Palestinians is at odds with unilateral
measures in Jerusalem, whose status is one of the core issues of the
Israeli-Palestinian agenda. Just as Israel is obligated to freezing
building in the West Bank settlements as long as there is no
agreement on the permanent borders, so too must it avoid creating
new facts on the ground in and around East Jerusalem.... Barack
Obama's administration asked Israel not to demolish Palestinian
homes in East Jerusalem and let Netanyahu know that the United
States is monitoring Israel's moves in the city and expects it to
avoid controversial ones. Netanyahu must listen to this message.

III. "The Truth Is Out There Somewhere"

Liberal columnist and anchor Ofer Shelach wrote in the popular,
pluralist Maariv (3/31): QEven without a shadow of a doubt about the
purity of the Judge Advocate General's intentions or the expertise
of his men, obviously the declaration about the case being closed is
not the end of the story over the question of whether there was or
wasn't deliberate fire by IDF soldiers at people identified as
civilians in the course of Operation Cast Lead. The legal ruling is
based, no doubt, on solid ground. The truth will continue to be a
matter of the observer.... But there is no need to investigate the
really important things: the IDF openly admits to a permissive
policy of shooting whereby anyone in an open area after warning
leaflets had been dropped and the initial shelling could be killed;
permission given to commanders of low rank to expel families from
their homes with almost no explanation, and a mentality of Qdon't
ask questions -- it's us or them.Q The IDF also admits to rules of
engagement in the Qspecial security zoneQ near the border fence,
which turned farmers 250 meters from the fence into legitimate
targets. Incidentally the Military Police did not investigate and
did not have to investigate the instances of vandalism. These are a
matter for the units, and in light of the wind blowing from the
words of the commanders, it is very unlikely that anything will be
done in that regard.... You can no longer think that the army can go
into Gaza with a mentality of zero casualties to our forces and
leave there smelling of moral roses. I'm not saying that we must
not go in or that our soldiers don't come first, but it will be no
less damaging to the IDF's might if we rely on the Judge Advocate
General's Office's ruling and close our eyes.

IV. QComprehensive Peace Fantasy

Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in Ha'aretz
(3/29): QPieces of a puzzle that do not fit together but are being
forced together so some sort of picture can emerge -- this is how
the Arab League summit in Doha is looking.... What will the
Palestinians propose? Peace in Ramallah and war in the Gaza Strip?
Even the Gulf states will find it hard to form a uniform policy on
Israel.... The question before the Israeli government and its
critics is not what would have happened had Israel and the Arabs
adopted the Arab initiative, but how can talks with the Palestinians
and Syrians make progress as if there were no Arab initiative. This
realistic approach is now necessary instead of the endless debate
over what the Arab initiative includes or excludes, and certainly
instead of that fantasy of comprehensive peace.


V. QLand Day at 33

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (3/31):
QIf only the Arab-Israel conflict was about land -- and nothing else
-- it might have been solved by now. Still, there's no denying that
land is part of what's at stake.... Since [the bloody clashes over
land expropriations in March 1976], lamentably, attitudes between
Jewish and Muslim Arab citizens have only hardened. The Arabs
claim, with justification, that they face prejudice in employment
and in the allotment of land for construction. The Jews retort that
this discrimination is partly a consequence of the Arab refusal to
do national service; and of allowing their leaders to align the
community with Israel's most implacable enemies. Jews pay attention
when Arabs denounce the QjudaizationQ of the Galilee, interpreting
this as a rejection of Jewish rights on both sides of the Green
Line. With sovereignty comes responsibility for the state. With
citizenship come responsibilities for the individual. Israel's
Arabs need to accept more of the responsibilities of citizenship,
and the state needs to deliver more of its benefits. The sooner it
happens, the better -- for all concerned.
CUNNINGHAM