This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TEL AVIV 000731 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC FOR NEA STAFF 
 
JERUSALEM ALSO FOR ICD 
LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL 
PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
ROME FOR MFO 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IS KMDR MEDIA REACTION REPORT
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
Secretary Rice to Israel, West Bank Feb. 6-7 
 
SIPDIS 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
All media reported on the arrival of Secretary of State 
Condoleezza Rice in Israel on Sunday afternoon (banners 
in all major media, except Maariv).  All media reported 
that at private and official meetings, Secretary Rice 
urged Israel to take steps to strengthen the new 
Palestinian Authority leadership.  Banner in Ha'aretz 
(Hebrew Ed.): "Rice: Strengthen Abu Mazen, So That 
Opportunity Should Not Be Missed."  The media reported 
that Secretary Rice concurred with Prime Minister Ariel 
Sharon that progress in the diplomatic process would 
depend on real Palestinian action against terror.  She 
was quoted as saying that terror is the main long-term 
threat to the process, and that the Palestinians cannot 
be allowed to "switch on and switch off."  The media 
quoted Secretary Rice as saying that Israel should not 
surprise PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) with 
unilateral actions in Jerusalem.  Jerusalem Post quoted 
an Israeli official as saying that Rice was making 
clear that there are limits to the types of action the 
U.S. wanted to see Israel take, and that it was also 
clear that Israel did not intend "pushing those 
limits."  Jerusalem Post quoted an official as saying 
that at the dinner at Sharon's residence, Rice made 
clear that the U.S. understands that one election does 
not make a democracy, and that the U.S. will remain 
focused on pressuring the PA to both institute reform 
and tackle terrorism.  Rice was quoted as saying that 
she welcomes the Sharm el-Sheikh summit meeting. 
 
Yediot bannered Secretary Rice's declaration that 
Israel will have to make further "hard decisions." 
 
Last night, Secretary Rice granted interviews to three 
Israeli TV stations -- Israel TV, Channel 2-TV, and 
Channel 10-TV. 
 
Yediot and other media reported that in understandings 
between top Sharon aide Dov Weisglass and PA security 
official Muhammad Dahlan, the sides decided that the 
status of 350 Palestinians wanted by Israel would be 
"frozen."  This morning, Israel Radio quoted Dahlan as 
saying that the sides will debate the release of 
veteran, ill, and female prisoners immediately after 
the summit.  Leading media quoted Sharon as saying that 
the release of the PFLP leaders who planned the 
assassination of tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi is not 
on the agenda. 
 
This morning, Israel Radio reported that Fatah is 
prepared to expand the cease-fire with Israel into a 
comprehensive and mutual one.  Ha'aretz noted 
encouraging signs in relations with the Palestinians, 
including concerted efforts by Hamas in Israeli prisons 
to achieve a new hudna (truce).  Leading media reported 
that Syrian President Bashar Assad welcomed the summit. 
Maariv reported in its lead story that Arab sources 
have informed Abbas that Hizbullah could assassinate 
him. 
 
Israel Radio reported that security sources have 
arrested a female Islamic Jihad activist from a village 
near Jenin who was about to carry out a suicide bombing 
and a Hamas militant from a village near Nablus who 
planned a suicide attack. 
 
This morning, Israel Radio reported that Egyptian 
sources have accused Israel of postponing until a later 
date a ceremony to mark the deployment of Egyptian 
forces along the "Philadelphi route" (along the Gaza- 
Egypt border), originally scheduled for this coming 
Thursday, February 10th.  Jerusalem Post reported that 
on Sunday, that the GOI ratified a three-way agreement 
among Egypt, Israel and the U.S. creating three 
Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZs) on Egyptian 
territory. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that an ad hoc coalition representing 
20 Palestinian and Israeli women's groups has written 
to Secretary Rice, calling on her to use her good 
offices to bring women into the peacemaking process so 
as to advance coexistence in the region.  Ha'aretz 
cited the U.S. Embassy in Israel as saying that it 
welcomed the women's initiative. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the state prosecution plans to 
inform Israel's High Court of Justice that the opinion 
rendered by the International Court of Justice at The 
Hague on the West Bank separation fence is irrelevant. 
The prosecution will say the ruling was based on 
partial, outdated information and should therefore be 
disregarded. 
 
Tel Aviv University's Peace Index poll conducted among 
Israeli Jews on January 31-February 1: 
-77 percent support negotiations with the Palestinians; 
31 percent believe they will lead to peace in the next 
few years. 
-46 percent believe there is a significant chance of 
civil war erupting in Israel; 46 percent believe there 
is little chance of such a development; 5 percent are 
undecided. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Secretary Rice to Israel, West Bank Feb. 6-7: 
 
SIPDIS 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Chief Economic Editor and senior columnist Sever 
Plotker wrote in the lead editorial of mass- 
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The Americans 
are not making light of the Sharm el-Sheikh summit; 
they are here, and more than ever before." 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote on page one of 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Something strange 
is going on: the government of Ariel Sharon prefers 
Egyptian involvement to American arbitration." 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Shimon Shiffer wrote on page 
one of Yediot Aharonot: "'We will not release the 
murderers of Israelis, period,' said Ariel Sharon.  'I 
am not going to Sharm el-Sheikh to hold negotiations on 
that issue.'" 
 
Arab affairs correspondent Jackie Hoogie wrote in 
popular, pluralist Maariv: "Success in the Israel- 
Palestinian track could release much of the American 
pressure upon [Egypt]." 
 
Security and intelligence affairs commentator Amit 
Cohen wrote in Maariv: "All [the Palestinian 
organizations] have a shared goal: to keep their 
weapons and their military capability.  They hope that 
the understandings reached with the Palestinian 
Authority in Gaza will allow them to do so despite the 
summit in Egypt." 
 
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in 
Ha'aretz: "Israel and the Palestinians do not need 
another such incremental plan [as the Tenet and 
Mitchell documents], but rather a precise political 
definition of Sharon's declaration that Israel cannot 
continue to occupy the Palestinians and that there 
should be two states for the two peoples." 
 
Former editor-in-chief Moshe Ishon wrote in 
nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe: "The Sharm el-Sheikh 
summit is rather a vision that will serve external 
interests --- first of all, those of ... Egyptian 
President Hosni Mubarak ... and ... of the Jordanian 
King." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "The Americans Are Here" 
 
Chief Economic Editor and senior columnist Sever 
Plotker wrote in the lead editorial of mass- 
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (February 7): 
"Although U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is 
touring the Middle East, she does not intend to take 
part in the Israeli-Palestinian-Egyptian-Jordanian 
summit that is convening tomorrow at Sharm el-Sheikh. 
The distance that the United States is keeping from the 
Sharm el-Sheikh summit could create a mistaken 
impression of indifference.  This is a misjudgment: the 
success of negotiations between Sharon and Abu Mazen is 
the supreme strategic interest of the U.S. in the 
region.  For the first time since the establishment of 
the Palestinian Authority, it is now controlled by a 
distinctly pro-American leadership group.... Abu Mazen 
and his associates ... are perceived as statesmen who 
are worthy of their people, known and appreciated by 
the White House.  From this standpoint, Sharon's 
government has lost its exclusive hold over the U.S. 
administration's sympathy, a loss that already echoed 
in Rice's statements last night.  The positive American 
overture towards the post-Arafat Palestinians appears 
to the White House as a bridge to the heart of the Arab 
world and a lever to reconciliation with Europe.  For 
all these reasons, the ostensible indifference that the 
Bush administration is displaying towards the Sharm el- 
Sheikh summit is no more than a tactic stemming from 
being overly involved rather than insufficiently 
involved.  The Americans are not making light of the 
Sharm el-Sheikh summit; they are here, and more than 
ever before." 
 
II.  "Israel Braces For Rice's Visit" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote on page one of 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (February 6): 
"Something strange is going on: the government of Ariel 
Sharon prefers Egyptian involvement to American 
arbitration -- that same administration the Prime 
Minister described as very friendly to Israel?  Hosni 
Mubarak is applauded and the news that Rice is arriving 
is received with sour looks?  Rice is seeking to show 
her presence and take command in the diplomatic arena. 
It is important for her to show to her colleagues in 
Europe that the new Bush administration intends to step 
up its involvement in finding a solution to the Israeli- 
Palestinian conflict.... In Israel there is displeasure 
at its role as a pawn in the game of the major powers. 
But this is not what really bothers the Prime 
Minister's Office.  It is more concerned about an 
American attempt to mediate between Israel and the PA, 
and it would prefer it if Rice and her aides were kept 
out of the negotiations.... In Israel there is concern 
that an American mediator will assist Abbas beyond the 
level at which Sharon is comfortable with, and by this 
weaken the Israeli position.... The Sharm el-Sheikh 
summit is an opportunity for a time-out for all sides. 
It will enable the Americans to show that there is 
diplomatic movement, without having to participate. 
This will enable them to retain their status as an 
honest broker. As for the tough issues, they will be 
left for the next stage." 
 
II.  "Murderers to be Released" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Shimon Shiffer wrote on page 
one of Yediot Aharonot (February 6): "The Prime 
Minister tried to allay the concerns of bereaved 
parents with respect to the impending release of 
prisoners with 'blood on their hands.'  'We will not 
release the murderers of Israelis, period,' said Ariel 
Sharon.  'I am not going to Sharm el-Sheikh to hold 
negotiations on that issue.'  Israel has agreed to 
release 900 prisoners without 'blood on their hands.' 
With that having been said, Sharon has asked to examine 
the possibility of releasing up to three murderers who 
have been imprisoned for more than 20 years and who are 
in poor health.... A meeting [February 5 of senior 
Israelis and Palestinians], which was held in a 'good 
atmosphere,' led to a decision to form a joint 
committee that would discuss the Palestinian request to 
release more prisoners.  In other words: the crisis was 
postponed so as to allow the Sharm el-Sheikh summit to 
proceed as it should.  In any event, said political 
officials, Israel has no intention of releasing 
murderers.  'The Palestinians want to force us into 
releasing prisoners who took part in terror attacks 
prior to the beginning of the process, even before the 
Palestinian Authority has taken the first practical 
steps to prove to our public opinion that they have 
undergone a fundamental change,' said a high-ranking 
political official." 
 
III.  "Egypt Will Strengthen Its Standing with the 
United States" 
 
Arab affairs correspondent Jackie Hoogie wrote in 
popular, pluralist Maariv (February 6): "In the summit 
due to take place two days from now, Cairo is trying to 
obtain its first political achievement in the current 
Intifada. In this way, Hosni Mubarak's people hope to 
increase their prestige among the Arabs, among their 
own people and in Washington, which has hung high hopes 
on them throughout the current conflict.... No less 
than this, Cairo is acting out of its own security 
needs.  Egypt still remembers the beginning of the 
Intifada, when the bloody clashes in Ramallah were 
broadcast on Al-Jazeera in real time and incited the 
streets in Cairo and in Alexandria.  There they know 
that the Israel-Palestinian conflict is an undermining 
factor in the Middle East as a whole.  But there is a 
third factor in the Egyptian interest in calm on the 
ground. Since September 11, Cairo has been pressed to 
the wall, like other Arab countries, by the American 
demand to carry out reforms.  Success in the Israel- 
Palestinian track could release much of the American 
pressure upon it." 
 
IV.  "The Terrorists Will Be Able to Rebuild their 
Strength" 
 
Security and intelligence affairs commentator Amit 
Cohen wrote in Maariv (February 6): "The Sharm el- 
Sheikh summit brings the Palestinian terror 
organizations into a new era characterized by fear 
mixed with hope. After four years of struggle and 
attrition, for those organizations calm is not only a 
matter of desire but also a real necessity.  Despite 
the heated rhetoric, the military capability of these 
organizations was greatly harmed during the Intifada, 
and now it amounts mostly to the ability to launch 
rockets.  But this desire for calm, which stems from 
rational considerations, is neither absolute nor 
unequivocal.... The Palestinian organizations are not 
all cut from the same cloth, and each one of them has 
its own agenda. Some of them are more interested in 
calm while others, especially those under Hizbullah 
influence, will not bat an eyelash before sabotaging 
any agreement. But all of them have a shared goal: to 
keep their weapons and their military capability.  They 
hope that the understandings reached with the 
Palestinian Authority in Gaza will allow them to do so 
despite the summit in Egypt." 
 
¶V.  "Gaza and Jericho First -- Again" 
 
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in 
Ha'aretz (February 6): "Israel and the Palestinians do 
not need another such incremental plan [as the Tenet 
and Mitchell documents], but rather a precise political 
definition of Sharon's declaration that Israel cannot 
continue to occupy the Palestinians and that there 
should be two states for the two peoples.  Without any 
'if' or condition.  In the absence of such definition, 
there will be no strategic, historic or ideological 
significance in Sharon's readiness to withdraw from 
Gaza -- or in the flags waving at Sharm [el-Sheikh]." 
 
VI.  "Where Is the Sharm Conference Leading?" 
 
Former editor-in-chief Moshe Ishon wrote in 
nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe (February 7): "It can be 
assumed that [Palestinian terror groups] will be in 
contact with the Egyptian terror organizations, which 
will supply them with weapons, under the nose of the 
Egyptian policemen.... The Sharm el-Sheikh summit is 
rather a vision that will serve external interests --- 
first of all, those of the summit's initiators, those 
of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who has a 
particular interest in being the sponsor of the 
advancement of Israel-PA relations, and those of the 
Jordanian King who wants to closely follow the doings 
in his near surroundings, in order to be 'in on 
developments.'  But this conference at this stage is 
very far from contributing to a process that would 
bring about a rapprochement on the way to an 
arrangement between Israel and the Palestinians." 
 
KURTZER