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. Israel: Netanyahu Government


2. Mideast


3. Afghanistan

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Key stories in the media:
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Electronic media reported that at noon today a terrorist carried out
an attack at the settlement of Bat Ayin (Gush Etzion),armed with an
axe. A 13-year-old boy was killed and a 7-year-old boy was wounded.
The details of the assault are still unclear.

Leading media reported that yesterday President Obama called PM
Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him on his new position and to
reaffirm AmericaQs steadfast commitment to Israel and its security.
Israel Radio reported that Netanyahu received an invitation from the
President and that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with
incoming Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman and that they agreed to meet
soon.

All media led with FM LiebermanQs aggressive remarks at the handover
ceremony from outgoing FM Tzipi Livni. (Yediot bannered his
Qstorming in.Q) He emphasized that the new government is not bound
by the Annapolis process. Lieberman was quoted as saying: QIf you
want peace, prepare for war.Q Leading media reported that, after
Lieberman ended his remarks, Livni told him: "You've convinced me
that I was right not to join the government." The Jerusalem Post
reported that Egypt will boycott Lieberman unless he apologizes for
previous statements he made. The Jerusalem Post reported that
Lieberman Qtried to get off on the right footQ with Cairo, praising
it as an important stabilizing factor in the region. HaQaretz
reported that, speaking to the newspaper yesterday, Lieberman tried
to tone down his rhetoric slightly. "I am committed to the Roadmap
of 2003 as approved by the Israeli cabinet," he said. QI voted
against it, but it is a cabinet resolution and I am bound by it."
He added that the new U.S. administration itself no longer talks
about the Annapolis process. "I propose following the Roadmap, phase
by phase," he said. "I recently went quite far with my remarks,
even saying that I was willing to leave my home at the Nokdim
settlement if there was a cabinet resolution on the issue, but we
can't give all this up for nothing, and there must be reciprocity."
HaQaretz quoted Mike Hammer, a spokesman for the U.S. National
Security Council, as saying: "The President has said many times that
we are committed to the establishment of a democratic Palestinian
state living side by side with Israel in peace and security.

The Jerusalem Post and other media reported that yesterday PA
President Mahmoud Abbas and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa
urged Netanyahu to accept the two-state solution. Media quoted
President Shimon Peres as saying at the changing of the guard
ceremony that Netanyahu should accept the Arab peace plan as
proposed by the Arab League in Beirut in 2002. HaQaretz reported
that the Netanyahu government could face EU sanctions over the
two-state issue as early as this month.

Israel Radio quoted Defense Secretary Robert Gates as saying in an
interview with The Financial Times that he does not believe that
Israel will attack Iran this year. The Jerusalem Post reported that
yesterday Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in the Middle
East, told the SenateQs Armed Services Committee that when it comes
to its nuclear activity, Tehran's "obstinacy and obfuscation have
forced Iran's neighbors and the international community to conclude
the worst about the regime's intentions." He said that could
cause Israel to take matters into its own hands.

The Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli defense establishment officials as
saying yesterday that Muslim political parties in India as well as
Russian and American defense corporations are suspected of working
behind the scenes to torpedo a $1.4 billion deal signed recently
between Israel Aerospace Industries and India for the development of
a missile defense system.

The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday the PA issued yet another
warning to Palestinians against selling their homes or properties to
Jews, saying that those violating the order would be accused of
Qhigh treasonQ -Q a charge that carries the death penalty.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the resignation of PA Prime
Minister Salaam Fayyad may affect U.S. aid to the PA.

The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday Israel welcomed the U.S.
decision to seek a seat on the UN Human Rights Council in elections
next month, even as some U.S. Jewish groups were wary of the move.

The Jerusalem Post cited the satisfaction of Israeli Arabs and
minority rights activists over the choice of Labor MK Avishay
Braverman as minister without portfolio for minorities. However,
the need for the post itself was questioned.

HaQaretz and Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that Wafa Younis, a
musician from northern Israel who founded a youth orchestra in the
Jenin refugee camp, was arrested there on Tuesday by Fatah militants
and sent back to Israel from the West Bank. Last week the orchestra
played for Holocaust survivors and elderly Arabs in Holon, news that
ignited passions in Jenin.

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1. Israel: Netanyahu Government:
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Summary:
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Columnist and Channel 2-TV anchor Yair Lapid wrote on page one of
the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: QAt the very least,
we ought to give Netanyahu a chance to fail before we declare that
he has failed.

Diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon wrote on page one of the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: QLieberman may have
trashed Annapolis, but by saying that the Roadmap obligated him, he
was at the same time accepting a two-state solution.
The ultra-Orthodox HamodiQa editorialized: QEven if truth is wholly
on LiebermanQs side, it doesnQt always have to be told, in
particular to foreign nations and statesmen.

Block Quotes:
-------------- Q --------------


I. QGood Luck, Bibi

Columnist and Channel 2-TV anchor Yair Lapid wrote on page one of
the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (4/2): QI wonder
what happens to a politician who has been given a last chance, and
he reads time and time again in the newspaper that there is no way
that he can succeed. At the very least, we ought to give Netanyahu
a chance to fail before we declare that he has failed. Tom
Stoppard, the playwright, once wrote: QIt's not the voting that's
democracy, it's the counting.Q The Netanyahu government might not
be the government that I would have wanted, but there are good and
experienced people in it (as well),and it was legally elected. Our
fate does not depend on whether we succeed in ousting it swiftly
from office but, rather, on whether it is successful. One of the
necessary conditions for its success is that we sincerely wish it
good luck, and that we truly mean it too.

II. "AvigdorQs Accent, ArikQs Voice"

Diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon wrote on page one of the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (4/2): QSomething [was]
very much evident at the Foreign Ministry yesterday, and that was a
return to the pre-disengagement polices of former prime minister
Ariel Sharon. What did Lieberman essentially say? He said
disengagement was a failure, as was Annapolis, as were all the
generous concessions former prime minister Ehud Olmert said he
offered the Palestinians over the past two years. Lieberman said
none of that moved peace any closer, but rather pushed it all
farther away. But he did pledge allegiance to the Roadmap, saying
that this is a document that is binding on the government. And what
is the official name of the road map? Interestingly enough, it is
called QA Performance-based road map to a permanent two-state
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Q Lieberman may have
trashed Annapolis, but by saying that the Roadmap obligated him, he
was at the same time accepting a two-state solution, because that is
where the Roadmap leads. But, again sounding like Sharon, Lieberman
said that the Roadmap must be adhered to by the letter, and it must
be implemented phase after phase. What this means is that
negotiations for a final agreement are to take place at the end of
the Roadmap, not at the beginning: not before terrorism is
eradicated, not before Palestinian institutions are created, not
before the Palestinians show real security capabilities. Lieberman,
in a move that does not seem to have been coordinated with Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, ditched the diplomatic framework of the
past two years in favor of one adopted by Sharon in 2003.

III. "Superfluous Statements"

The ultra-Orthodox HamodiQa editorialized (4/2): Q[IsraelQs] Jewish
population voted in mass -Q much more than the parliamentary
majority that includes minorities Q- against the Left. But even if
truth is wholly on LiebermanQs side, it doesnQt always have to be
told, in particular to foreign nations and statesmen who donQt have
a positive view of the Jewish community in the Holy Land.

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2. Mideast:
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Summary:
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Middle East affairs commentator Dr. Guy Bechor, a lecturer at the
Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist
Yediot Aharonot: QThis kind of [Israeli] attack in Sudan, if it took
place, is an attack made in desperation, an attack of no choice, an
attack by those left on their own.

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: QOne cannot
shake the impression that the swift probe [into Operation Cast Lead
offenses] and its findings are part and parcel of the IDF's and
Israeli society's campaign of psychological repression.

Block Quotes:
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QNo Reason to Celebrate

Middle East affairs commentator Dr. Guy Bechor, a lecturer at the
Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist
Yediot Aharonot (4/2): QIf the report about the Air Force's bombing
raid in Sudan is correct, then this is bad news, and it is
completely unclear why anyone in Israel is rejoicing over it. Here,
the farther away a military operation is, the greater the joy. Why
is this bad news, despite the courage and daring involved in
attacking distant targets? Because it means that we did not
succeed, either during Operation Cast Lead or after it, to
accomplish anything in the international, diplomatic, or
psychological-deterrence sphere that would prevent continued arms
smuggling to Gaza.... This kind of attack in Sudan, if it took
place, is an attack made in desperation, an attack of no choice, an
attack by those left on their own. There is a big difference
between blowing up a nuclear reactor in Syria and bombing a convoy
in Sudan. There, it was a strategic attack, since constructing a
nuclear reactor is an enormous amount of work, particularly when the
eyes of the world are turned toward Syria -- but to take out another
convoy? Easy as can be. This pinpoint destruction shows that a
flood of arms is still flowing into the Gaza Strip.
II. "Repression Campaign"

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (4/2): QThe
rapid investigation of testimony from Operation Cast Lead veterans
who told of the killing of civilians, vandalism of property, and use
of phosphorus bombs in Gaza shows that the military justice system
can act quickly under public pressure.... The defense establishment
was quick to rejoice at the closure of the case and the conclusion
that soldiers had told tall tales or embellished unfounded rumors
that they had heard elsewhere. The defense minister and the chief
of staff repeated the cliched statement that the IDF is the Qmost
moral army in the world.Q It is difficult to accept this. If the
ranks of the combat units are filled with liars and exaggerators,
then the IDF has a serious discipline, if not moral, problem. One
cannot shake the impression that the swift probe and its findings
are part and parcel of the IDF's and Israeli society's campaign of
psychological repression.... If the IDF aspires to be the most moral
army in the world, it must Qlook the truth in the eye,Q in the words
of Ehud Barak's election campaign, and genuinely and courageously
probe the reasons for the killing of many QnoncombatantsQ during the
fighting in Gaza. It ought to punish those who deviated from their
superior's commands and it must define rules of engagement that,
above all, will ensure the protection of innocent individuals and
their property.



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3. Afghanistan:
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Summary:
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Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in the
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: QObama will have to decide very
soon which of [Iran or Saudi Arabia] will be able to help more
effectively in the war in Afghanistan

Block Quotes:
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"The Great Satan Courts the Axis of Evil"

Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in the

independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (4/2): QAfghanistan is gradually
getting out of control.... Iran is willing to cooperate with the
U.S., but not without a price. After helping the administration of
George W. Bush in the war in Afghanistan, and wielding its influence
to advance the appointment of Karzai, it was dubbed a charter member
of the Qaxis of evilQ in return. This time Iran is being more
cautious. In exchange for cooperation, it will demand a change in
American policy toward it, beyond the Nowruz holiday greeting sent
by Obama. Iran, after all, has tremendous economic leverage in
Afghanistan.... However, Saudi Arabia is Iran's rival not only in
the Arab Middle East; it also competes with Iran over the sphere of
influence in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Iran is afraid that the
dialogue with the Taliban will come at its expense. Obama will have
to decide very soon which of the two will be able to help more
effectively in the war in Afghanistan, and mainly what the aims of
the war are to be: stopping the Taliban or living with them in peace
while giving up on the idea of a strong central government.

CUNNINGHAM