Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TELAVIV842
2009-04-13 12:10:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:  

ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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DE RUEHTV #0842/01 1031210
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FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000842 

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:
--------------------------------

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000842

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. U.S.-Israel Relations


3. Iran

--------------
Key stories in the media:
--------------

Over the weekend the media highlighted the tension between Egypt and
Hizbullah. The media cited EgyptQs claim that Hizbullah sought
President Hosni MubarakQs QheadQ and targeted Israeli tourists in
the Sinai. The Jerusalem Post quoted Transportation Minister
Yisrael Katz (Likud) as saying that Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah
had ordered his agents to Qhit Israeli targets,Q and that the hoped
that Nasrallah would pay the price for this Qact of war.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Jerusalem does not expect any
confrontation with the U.S. when special Middle Envoy George
Mitchell arrives on Thursday for his first meeting with PM Benjamin
Netanyahu.

Yediot and other media reported that during their meeting next month
President Obama will apply pressure on PM Benjamin Netanyahu to
adopt the two-state solution. The media reported that yesterday PA
President Mahmoud Abbas called Netanyahu with Passover greetings.

HaQaretz reported that JordanQs King Abdullah II is set to visit the
White House at the end of the month and will urge President Obama to
move ahead with the Arab peace initiative. Abdullah would be the
first Middle East leader to meet with Obama in Washington, ahead of
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A Jordanian source told HaQaretz
that the King would assure Obama of Jordan's commitment to a
two-state solution, and would encourage him to support a united
Palestinian government.

The Jerusalem Post reported that, in an interview with the
ultra-Orthodox radio Kol Hai, President Shimon Peres Qseemed to
threatenQ military action against Iran if President ObamaQs
overtures to the Islamic Republic fail to bear fruit. Peres also
said that that the arrests late last week of a Hizbullah terrorist
cell in Egypt was a blow to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.


HaQaretz reported that an Egyptian official told the newspaper over
the weekend that talks on the release of Gilad Shalit are ongoing.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Northern Ireland politician Gerry
Adams told the daily that Hamas is not Al-Qaida or Taliban and that
it wants peace.

The electronic media reported that a Palestinian fishing boat
carrying a charge of hundreds of kg exploded off the Gaza shore.
The security forces believe that a major attack was averted.

The media reported that yesterday police prevented right-wing
protesters from reaching the former Gaza settlement bloc of Gush
Katif.

The Jerusalem Post quoted a PA official in Ramallah as saying that
Egypt has asked Saudi Arabia to exert pressure on President Abbas to
accept an Egyptian initiative for solving the continued dispute
between Hamas and Fatah. Major media reported that Abbas told
representatives of the Quartet that the resumption of the
negotiations between the PA and Israel is conditioned on the
Netanyahu governmentQs recognition of two states for two peoples.

The Jerusalem Post reported that on Saturday senior Israeli defense
officials warned that the UN force in southern Lebanon is on its way
to QdisintegratingQ, after Poland announced it was withdrawing its
troops from the peacekeeping force.

The media reported that Russia has signed a contract to purchase
Israeli reconnaissance drones in an attempt to improve its own
unmanned aircraft fleet after a poor performance in the war against
Georgia last August. The deal, the first-ever purchase announced by

Russia of Israeli military hardware, was signed about three weeks
ago by senior Israeli and Russian officials. Israel reportedly
hopes the sale to Russia will help dissuade Russia from providing
Iran with advanced missile systems.

Maariv reported that the Defense Department is considering cutting
back significantly on the development budget for the development of
the Arrow 3 missile defense system, due to the global economic
crisis. As an alternative, the Americans are proposing their own
technology.

--------------

1. Mideast:
--------------

Summary:
--------------

Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent,
left-leaning Ha'aretz: QThe people [of Israel] put their faith in a
government that opposes U.S. policy. They shouldn't expect any pats
on the back from the Americans.

Liberal columnist Gideon Samet, a former consul in Philadelphia,
wrote in the popular, pluralist Maariv: Q[Netanyahu] has several
weeks to begin a correction. He would be wise to get started before
he goes to Washington next month.

Former Mossad Director Ephraim Halevy wrote in the mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot: QIf Israel does not [talk with its
enemies] itself, we wonQt be surprised if Washington does it before
us, without us.

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


I. "If We Give, WeQll Get"

Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent,
left-leaning Ha'aretz (4/13): QReciprocity should be the basis of
Israel's relations with the international community.... Reciprocity
isn't a foreign concept to U.S.-Israeli relations. The Prime
Minister may have even learned it from Washington.... Journalist
Nahum Barnea reported in Yediot Aharonot last weekend that Netanyahu
had a Qcordial and friendlyQ chat with U.S. President Barack Obama.
QThe most important question raised was when Obama asked what his
political constraints were,Q Barnea wrote, deducing that Obama won't
push Netanyahu beyond the liits of his coalition. We have to hope
that such a conclusion reflects nothing but the personal whim of the
prime minister (or reporter). Netanyahu's political constraints
should not interest the leader of the free world any more than those
Abbas, Mubarak, or Jordanian King Abdullah are facing. The people
put their faith in a government that opposes U.S. policy. They
shouldn't expect any pats on the back from the Americans.
Reciprocity is a fair concept if not used against a weaker side, and
Qpolitical constraintsQ cannot serve as an excuse when used against
you by a stronger side.

II. "ItQs Not Yvet Lieberman; ItQs Bibi"

Liberal columnist Gideon Samet, a former consul in Philadelphia,
wrote in the popular, pluralist Maariv (4/12): QThis is an urgent
task for the Prime Minister. The expectations of him are bleak.
Only Benjamin Netanyahu can deal with them. Only he is capable of
dealing with Bibi.... I tend to believe that Netanyahu understands
these basic points and IsraelQs political needs more than he allows
himself to admit. If that is really true, he must work for a quick
change in his political behavior, even at the cost of an internal
crisis. An experienced man such as he must know that there is no
alternative to this sort of change. The old Bibi will perhaps hold
on for an extended term. The price will be intolerable. He has
several weeks to begin a correction. He would be wise to get
started before he goes to Washington next month. If he knows enough
to say the right things, he may come back to a political battle, but
he will clarify that he understands, as he must, what it means to
get stuck in compulsive rejectionism. Some naivet may be seen in
this recommendation. Israeli politics are cruel. But going blindly
toward a groundless goal will be even crueler for Netanyahu. Only
rarely has an Israeli prime minister been required to change his
ways when he assumed power. Begin did it in his own way. Rabin did
too, shortly after he returned for a second term. What is required
for that? A great deal: courage and intellectual honesty -- and
something of his coincidental tactical skill. Only with them will
the new prime minister be capable of carrying out the needed
improvement on the old Bibi.



III. "From Pakistan to Our Region

Former Mossad Director Ephraim Halevy wrote in the mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (4/13): QA special American team is
currently concluding an exceptional journey to Afghanistan and
Pakistan... It met commanders of the enemy -- the Taliban -- in the
presence of journalists. Among others, a senior Taliban fighter
attended the talks; he had spent a few years in the Guantanamo Bay
detention camp.... The team made the trip from Washington to ask for
advice from the Qmoderate among the enemyQ.... There are indications
that the U.S. administration is also initiating exceptional moves in
other parts of the world.... If Israel does not do this itself, we
wonQt be surprised if Washington does it before us, without us.

--------------

2. U.S.-Israel Relations:
--------------

Summary:
--------------

Nationally syndicated columnist Douglas Bloomfield wrote from
Washington in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post:
Q[Lieberman] could do what the Arabs and their supporters could only
dream of -- drive a wedge between Americans and Israel.

Defense commentator Amir Oren wrote in the independent, left-leaning
Ha'aretz: QThe Israeli ambassador must not be Netanyahu's personal
representative to his backers.

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


I. "Might Lieberman Be the Arab WorldQs Best Friend?"

Nationally syndicated columnist Douglas Bloomfield wrote from
Washington in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (4/13):
Q[Foreign Minister] Lieberman leaves the impression Israel is in
full retreat from the peace table. The greater this ex-bouncer's
influence, especially regarding relations with the Arabs, the lower
Israel's standing will sink. He could do what the Arabs and their
supporters could only dream of -- drive a wedge between Americans
and Israel. Netanyahu will have an opportunity to set the record
straight next month when he is expected in Washington to speak to
the AIPAC policy conference and meet with President Obama. He will
have to make a convincing case not only to the AIPAC faithful (an
easy sell) but to the American people and their president that his
government is committed to peace in more than vague rhetoric. The
future of pro-Israel activism and the quality of the bilateral
relationship could depend on it.

II. "Whose Ambassador Is He Anyway?"

Defense commentator Amir Oren wrote in the independent, left-leaning
Ha'aretz (4/13): QEven if Netanyahu and Lieberman divide [IsraelQs
representative to the] world between themselves, the West to one and
the East to the other.... Netanyahu still has the burden of
deciding. As a wary politician, he may prefer loyalty over skill.
Political loyalty means identifying with the party line, but more
importantly, it's personal.... In any case, the influence of the
ambassador in Washington depends on how close people think he is to
the powers that be in Jerusalem, and he will be tested on this
constantly. No one will heed an ambassador Netanyahu bypasses,
while maintaining relations through private mediators, American or
Israeli. Netanyahu will be forced to find new powers to say no to
the wealthy American Jews who have showered him with spiritual and
material support. They will lobby him to appoint an ambassador
close to them as well. Fears about outside influences must concern
the committee that approves all senior public service appointments.
This committee was established after the failure of Netanyahu's
first government -- specifically the appointment of Roni Bar-On as
attorney general. The Israeli ambassador must not be Netanyahu's
personal representative to his backers.

--------------

3. Iran:
--------------

Summary:
--------------

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: QIsrael is
entitled to view Obama's policy with skepticism.... [Yet,] it would
behoove us to stand by the President of the U.S. and hope that he
reroutes Iran onto a course that does not threaten Israel or any
other country.


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

"Dialogue Is Preferable"

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (4/12): QThe
President of the U.S. brings tidings of a new strategy aimed at
neutralizing the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.... [Unlike George

W. Bush,] Barack Obama is not adopting a patronizing policy of
diktats and ultimatums; he understands he is dealing with a country
that views itself as a regional power. This policy can serve both
Western and U.S. interests. Israel is entitled to view Obama's
policy with skepticism. From its standpoint, Iran does not only
constitute a nuclear threat.... Yet in examining its options, Israel
cannot ensure that an attack would thwart Iran's nuclear program....
Even if it is possible to have faith in its military capabilities,
Israel's home front has clearly become the real arbiter of victory
or defeat. Israel thus needs to be satisfied, welcome Obama's
initiative and praise his efforts to rule out the need for a
military operation. Statements by the Prime Minister that Israel
does not oppose Iranian-American dialogue signal he understands
this. It would behoove us to stand by the President of the U.S. and
hope that he reroutes Iran onto a course that does not threaten
Israel or any other country.

CUNNINGHAM