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. Mideast


2. Afghanistan

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Key stories in the media:
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HaQaretz reported that DM Ehud Barak will leave for the U.S. Tuesday
to discuss Iran's nuclear program and the possible reviving of talks
with the Palestinians. Barak decided to make the trip despite
rising security tensions, especially on the northern border. Major
media reported that yesterday Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman
of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, cited widespread concern about
IranQs nuclear program, but emphasized the importance of diplomatic
and economic pressure, rather than military action, to stem it. The
Jerusalem Post reported that PM Benjamin Netanyahu told the Jewish
Agency Board of Governors that the international community was
reaching a fateful junction regarding Iran.

Barak is to speak with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and senior
Pentagon officials, followed by a meeting in New York with UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Along with efforts to renew talks
with the Palestinians and discussions with the U.N. over the
Goldstone report, Barak will devote much of his visit to the Iranian
threat and its implications for Israel's relations with its closest
neighbors. According to HaQaretz, sources say Jerusalem expects the
Obama administration to lead the way next month toward harsh
international sanctions on Iran to stop its nuclear program. Israel
is worried that its northern border could flare up if tensions with
Tehran rise since the Islamic Republic has close links with Syria
and Hizbullah.

The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that yesterday,
speaking after a meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris,
French President Nicolas Sarkozy left open the possibility of
recognizing a Palestinian state before negotiations with Israel are
completed. His foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, has said in
recent days that he would be QtemptedQ by the idea. QWe want a
Palestinian state but we want a viable state,Q Sarkozy was quoted as
saying. Israel Radio said that Abbas has not yet responded to the
U.S. administration offer of proximity talks.

The media reported that yesterday European Union foreign ministers
protested against the use of forged European passports by a hit
squad that killed a top Hamas official in Dubai, but stopped well
short of blaming Israel for the undercover action. Moreover, The
Jerusalem Post noted that the EU foreign ministersQ statement was
softer than its original draft, with the EU observer Web site
reporting that language referring to Qextra-judicial killingQ was
deleted. French President Sarkozy reiterated his condemnation of
the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai and insisted
"nothing positive" comes of such killings. He added that France
cannot accept such "executions." At least 11 passports from
Britain, Ireland, Germany, and France - many of them forged - were
used by the alleged killers of Mabhouh on January 20. Israel Radio
reported that British Foreign Secretary David Miliband demanded that
Israel cooperate in his governmentQs investigation of the passport
issue. FM Avigdor Lieberman was quoted as saying in Brussels that
there is no evidence linking Israel to the killing. Maariv reported
that Dubai and Hamas are trying to QenlistQ the EU -- the latter
wishing to define Israel as a terror state.

HaQaretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday the
inclusion of two controversial holy places in a list of "national
heritage sites," which Israel wants to restore and preserve, set
Palestinian protesters hurling rocks and earned a statement of
"concern" from the U.N.

The Jerusalem Post quoted IsraelQs Ambassador to the U.S., Michael
Oren, who urged American Jews to support Israel despite any
reservations or differences of opinion regarding Israeli policy.
Oren was addressing the Jewish Council for Public Affairs annual
plenum in Dallas.

HaQaretz reported that Palestinian security sources have told the
daily that the PA thwarted a suicide attack about six weeks ago that
a young woman from Nablus had planned to carry out in Israel. The
woman, who belongs to the Islamic Jihad, was arrested by the
Palestinian security forces. A spokesman for the Palestinian
forces, Adnan Damiri, was quoted as saying that he had no
information on the subject.

HaQaretz reported that the Obama administration is pressuring the
Israeli authorities to allow four activists of the International
Solidarity Movement from the U.S. and Britain to enter the country
so they can testify in the civil suit brought against the Defense
Ministry by the family of Rachel Corrie, an activist killed by an
IDF bulldozer in the Gaza Strip in March 2003. The Interior
Ministry informed the family's attorney, Hussein Abu Hussein that
the witnesses, including a peace activist expelled from Israel in
the past, would be allowed entry into the country so they can
testify during deliberations scheduled at the Haifa District Court
in two weeks. However, the Defense Ministry rejected he family's
request to allow Dr. Ahmed Abu Nakira from the Al-Najar Hospital in
Rafah, who treated Corrie's injuries and later confirmed her death,
to enter Israel. A request by Abu Hussein to question the physician
via video conference was also rejected because "it is difficult to
identify the witness and present him with documents."

Yediot reported that the Foreign Ministry has instructed all the
Israeli embassies worldwide to embark on a battle to block an Arab
initiative to again raise the Goldstone report at the UN General
Assembly this coming Friday and to adopt a resolution that is not to
IsraelQs liking. Yediot quoted Foreign Ministry sources as saying
that the proposal was phrased in a relatively moderate and balanced
fashion with the goal of improving the voting balance for the Arabs.
Despite the moderate phrasing, the Foreign Ministry ordered its
embassies to act so that the countries of the world oppose the draft
on the grounds that addressing the subject will make it difficult to
renew the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
Foreign Ministry Deputy Director-General Evyatar Manor was quoted as
saying that Israel was trying to improve the voting pattern of the
U.N. General Assembly when it adopted the Goldstone report on
November 5 Qin order to deny the legitimacy of the Goldstone
process.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel is turning a blind eye to a
huge poster that was unfurled from a crane in an Ankara suburb on
Sunday, showing President Shimon Peres seemingly bowing to Turkish
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Jerusalem Post quoted Col. Richard Kemp, one of BritainQs top
military commanders, as saying on Sunday that Israel was
instrumental in forming the British forcesQ doctrine on suicide
bombings in Afghanistan. Kemp was speaking at the U.K. Zionist
FederationQs annual dinner in London.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Haitian-American Mathieu Eugene,
who is visiting Israel as part of a delegation of New York City
lawmakers through February 26 with the Jewish Community Relations

Council of New York, is looking for Israeli assistance to Haiti.

HaQaretz reported that a new radio station for settlers -- QGalei
IsraelQ (IsraelQs Waves) -- was inaugurated yesterday. The popular
comic actor Zeev Revah and Channel 10-TVQs regional affairs
correspondent Zvi Yehezkeli will take part in its broadcasts.

The Jerusalem Post cited a new report released by Hiddush, a
religious freedom advocacy group, which describes 2009 as the Qworst
year of the decadeQ in terms of religious freedom and equality.

Leading media reported that a team of Israeli archaeologists has
announced the discovery of a massive wall they say dates to the 10th
century BCE in Jerusalem's Ophel Park on the slope between the
Temple Mount and the village of Silwan. The dig director, Dr. Eilat
Mazar, dates the wall according to potsherds found nearby to the
period of King Solomon and the major period of construction in
Jerusalem in the First Temple period, as described in the Bible.
The dig is a joint project by the Hebrew University, the Israel
Antiquities Authority, and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

HaQaretz reported that Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz is planning
on presenting the cabinet with a proposal for a two-year budget for
the years 2011-2012. The finance minister will also propose
establishing a new fiscal policy to determine the growth in
government spending from year to year. Steinitz and PM Netanyahu
have already reached an agreement on both proposals, and after the
cabinet approves, they will be sent on to the Knesset. Yediot
reported that the Bank of Israel is opening a representation in New
York at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. While the
Bank says that the new office is vital for handling IsraelQs
monetary affairs at a time of crisis, sources in the institutions
told Yediot that the representation is not needed in the age of
instant communications.

HaQaretz reported that the Israel Electric Corporation is yet again
negotiating with energy giant BG, formerly known as British Gas, for
the purchase of natural gas from BG's field off the Gaza shoreline.
The newspaper says it's questionable whether the talks will go
anywhere this time, given the chasm between the price BG wants and
the lower price the utility wants to pay.

Maariv reported that the famous American boxing champion Muhammad
Ali is seeking treatment in Israel for the Parkinson disease from
which he suffers.

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1. Mideast:
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Block Quotes:
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I. QOstrich Policy

Senior columnist and longtime peace advocate Yoel Marcus wrote in
the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (2/23): QThe sense is that
the Americans have moved aside a bit. Has anybody heard from
special envoy George Mitchell lately? Have Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton's metallic tones been heard? No one can depend on
the parties reaching an agreement. Under these circumstances,
either an agreement will be forced on us or they will withdraw from
the process. With Iran's nuclear developments threatening the whole
world, it's more likely to assume that sooner or later they will
force an arrangement on us. If reports are true that Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas is ready to renew talks, with Prime Minister
Salam Fayyad at his side -- the man who rehabilitated the West Bank
and the most serious potential leader on the horizon -- we must
decide how to translate Bibi's commitment in his Bar-Ilan speech
into a two-state solution. A precondition for the negotiations to
succeed, if they take place, is that both sides give up on
preconditions, because preconditions are like mines planted at the
beginning of the road. A second condition: Before starting talks,
each side should figure out how many concessions they are willing to
make, so they can come to the table partially ready, at least within
their own camps. Are the Palestinians prepared to be flexible
regarding permanent borders? Is Israel? Or more precisely, will
Israel be able to move some settlements to other areas? Is it
prepared to exchange territories? Has the Netanyahu government
taken into consideration that the break-in to the Jericho synagogue
is just a small sample of what the hilltop thugs are preparing for?
Do Bibi and his government have the fortitude to use force to combat
domestic insurrection?

II. QJericho, Again

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (2/23):
QAssuming, as many in the Israeli media apparently do, that
Palestinians will react in a violently Pavlovian way to any Jewish
Qprovocation,Q is exaggerated and counterproductive. There have
plainly been marked improvements in the will and capacity of the
PAQs security forces, many of whom have now been trained within
U.S.-funded frameworks. Strikingly, they helped prevent an upsurge
of violence against Israel in the West Bank during Operation Cast
Lead a year ago. Senior security officials describe cooperation of
late as relatively strong. Just yesterday, PA forces helped foil a
rocket attack from the West Bank, notifying the IDF of the location
of a Qassam [rocket] positioned ready for firing near ModiQin [an
important city bordering the West Bank]. A strategic decision by
the PA to stamp out terrorism and incitement against Israel, of
course, would constitute a huge step on the road to independent
statehood. It would also obviate the need for concern when Jews
sought to visit holy sites in Palestinian-controlled territory -- a
sadly improbable scenario, and hardly the one envisaged by the
organizers of SundayQs mission to Jericho.

III. QItQs not Just Barack Obama

Lenny Ben-David, who served as a senior diplomat in the Israeli
Embassy in Washington and a member of AIPACQs staff in Washington
and Jerusalem from 1992 to 1997, wrote in The Jerusalem Post (2/23):
QIn January, President Barack Obama granted an interview to Time
magazine to mark his first year in office. In discussing the Middle
East peace process Obama admitted, Q ... the Middle East peace
process has not moved forward. And I think it's fair to say for all
of our efforts at early engagement, it is not where I want it to be.
I'll be honest with you. This is just really hard.Q This was
hardly news in Israel. In the U.S., the similar response is QWell,
duh.Q Yes, making peace in the Middle East is really hard, but
Obama's frustration may actually reflect a historical and almost
predictable truism about American Middle East policy in the first
year of a president's term.

IV. QAbu Mazen Is Trying to Say: Trust Me

Conservative columnist and former senior IDF officer Yaakov Amidror
wrote in the independent Israel Hayom (2/23): QLike us, the
Palestinians know that at the end of the day the Palestinian
AuthorityQs success in controlling the Palestinians in Judea and
Samaria is contingent to a great extent upon continued IDF action
against Hamas and its allies. That understanding stems directly
from the lessons learned in the wake of the unilateral withdrawal
from Gaza.... Israel is concerned about a scenario in which Hamas
develops capabilities in Judea and Samaria [i.e. the West Bank] that
resemble those it has in Gaza insofar as pertains to terror attacks
and firepower. This concern complements the Palestinian fear of
HamasQs rise as a dominant political movement. It is the
combination of those two interests that has produced the new and
good relations between the Palestinian security forces and Shin Bet
and the IDF.... It appears that on the eve of the commencement of
indirect talk with Israel, PA Chairman Abu Mazen is trying to show
that he can be trusted with security-related issues. The
Palestinians understand that IsraelQs fears of terrorism are met by
the world with understanding, and that it behooves them to dispel
those fears. That is the context in which one ought to see both the
decision to turn the rocket over to Israel and the decision to leak
that course of action.

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2. Afghanistan:
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Block Quotes:
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QWhere Is Goldstone?

Columnist Boaz Bismuth, who was IsraelQs Ambassador to Mauritania
between 2004 and 2008, wrote in the independent Israel Hayom (2/23):
QThe foreign ministers of the European Union countries, who convened
yesterday in Brussels, issued a statement condemning the use of
European passports in Dubai in the assassination of the senior Hamas
official, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. At almost precisely the same time,
the Afghani government announced that at least 27 civilians,
including four women and a child, were killed on Sunday in a NATO
air strike in southern Afghanistan.... There is a question that must
be asked -- where is Goldstone? Could it be that there are double
standards in our world? The Afghani government and NATO
headquarters announced quickly that they would investigate the
tragic incident. Friends, weQre in Afghanistan, not in Gaza. A
hypocritical world? Heaven forbid. A license to kill was issued in
Afghanistan for two reasons: there is an international consensus
about the war on terrorism in the aftermath of the attack on the
World Trade Center, and an international coalition was built to
include the masters of morality from Europe. But the face of things
in the Middle East is otherwise. In a normal world, the
assassination of Mabhouh would be part of the global war against
terrorism. In our world, Mabhouh was assassinated, according to the
French Foreign Minister, because there isnQt a Palestinian state
yet. At this rate, the NATO commission of inquiry might even go on
to declare that the death of 44 Afghani civilians in the past number
of days occurred because a Palestinian state hasnQt yet been
established. In a hypocritical world, anything is possible."

CUNNINGHAM