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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 TEL AVIV 001496 
 
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 
 
 
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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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Israel Radio and Ha'aretz's website quoted Secretary of 
State Colin Powell as saying Tuesday that the U.S. has 
"many questions" for Israel on the details and impact 
of the disengagement plan, including how the Gaza Strip 
would be administered following Israeli withdrawal. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Israeli and Palestinian 
negotiators agreed that PM Sharon and Palestinian PM 
Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) would meet Tuesday.  Israel Radio 
reported that the very holding of the meeting and its 
date are still uncertain.  Leading media reported that 
Monday Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman 
"secretly" met with Sharon and Mossad Director Meir 
Dagan.  Yediot reported that Suleiman expressed his 
concern over a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the 
Gaza Strip.  Yediot quoted GOI sources as saying that 
Israel does not expect Egypt to replace Israel in the 
Strip.   Jerusalem Post quoted diplomatic officials as 
saying that Egypt would be reluctant to play any future 
role in the Gaza Strip if it is not fully coordinated 
with the PA.  The media reported that Suleiman is 
slated to meet with PA Chairman Yasser Arafat today. 
On Israel Radio today, FM Silvan Shalom, who is due to 
travel to Egypt Thursday, praised that country's 
policy, which he said had turned positive and could 
represent a model for talks with other countries. 
 
Jerusalem Post reported that Tuesday Qurei, who is 
visiting European capitals, lashed at the U.S., in 
particular, and the international community, in 
general, for not doing enough for peace.  The newspaper 
also quoted United Arab List Knesset Member Taleb a- 
Sanaa as saying, following a meeting with Arafat, that 
the latter is prepared to meet with Sharon. 
 
King Abdullah II of Jordan was quoted as saying in an 
interview with Maariv that he supports Sharon's plan 
for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, which he said 
would be a positive step. 
 
Leading media quoted Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin 
as saying Tuesday that his group could stop its attacks 
in the Gaza Strip "for a certain period of time" if 
Israel withdraws from the strip.  Ha'aretz quoted him 
as saying that Hamas is not ruling out joining the PA 
after such a pullout.  Ha'aretz reported that the U.S. 
has asked Britain to place the entire Hamas 
organization, not just its military branch, on its list 
of banned terrorist groups. 
Ha'aretz quoted Palestinian sources as saying that a 
Palestinian woman was killed and two other Palestinians 
were wounded in an IDF operation in Jenin. 
 
IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon was quoted as saying 
in several media interviews that he strenuously denies 
having expressed his opposition to Sharon's 
disengagement plan.  Hatzofe quoted Ya'alon's initial 
controversial remark: "We will need to take into 
account the fact that the Palestinians will understand 
it [the plan] as a prize granted to terrorism." 
 
Col. (res.) Dan Tirza, who is considered the most 
senior professional advisor to Sharon on the issue of 
the separation fence, was quoted as saying in an 
interview with Ha'aretz that Israel does not plan to 
build a fence in the eastern part of the West Bank 
because of the likely political fallout in the 
international arena. 
 
Leading media reported that Achille Lauro hijacking 
mastermind Mahmoud Abbas (Abu al-Abbas) died a few days 
ago "of natural causes" in American detention in Iraq. 
Abbas was the leader of one of the factions of the 
Palestine Liberation Front. Israel Radio reported that 
the Front has accused the U.S. of murdering Abbas by 
not giving him his heart medication. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that newly declassified U.S. State 
Department documents suggest that Israel considered 
attacking nuclear installations in Pakistan.  The 
newspaper notes that according to these documents, such 
a possibility came up in 1979, during Jimmy Carter's 
term as U.S. president.  Ha'aretz says that the 
documents also make clear that the USG did not hold 
special discussions to address Israel's "preventive 
strike" plans. 
 
Maariv reported that contacts between representatives 
of the Likud and Labor parties meant to reach a 
national unity government are intensifying.  This 
morning on Israel Radio, Knesset Member Dalia Itzik, 
the head of the Labor Party's Knesset faction, 
minimized the meaning of those contacts. 
 
IDF Radio reported that Israel is conducting indirect 
secret contacts with Sudan and Libya. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Reporting on the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the 
joint Israeli-Jordanian "Bridging the Rift" science 
center in the Arava Tuesday, Ha'aretz quoted Cornell 
University President Lehman as saying that the nice 
thing is that "we are building a project that has 
nothing to do with politics."  The newspaper quoted 
Jordanian Planning Minister Bassem Awadallah as saying 
that the foundation of the center does not constitute a 
step of normalization between nations.  The Israeli 
representatives at the ceremony said that this is a 
project that will bolster peace in the region. 
Jerusalem Post and Hatzofe also reported on the 
ceremony. 
Ha'aretz quoted defense officials as testifying before 
the Knesset's Defense Budget Subcommittee Tuesday that 
Israel's 2004 defense budget will increase by 2 billion 
shekels (around USD 445 million), coming to 34.9 
billion shekels (around USD 7.76 billion). 
 
Ha'aretz and Jerusalem Post quoted Democratic 
presidential candidate John Kerry as telling AP Monday 
that he no longer considers Arafat to be a statesman, 
but rather "an outlaw to the peace process" in the 
Middle East who has been rightly shuffled aside. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that a computerized IDF simulated 
educational program, which is now distributed to most 
of the field units and officers, outlines 11 rules of 
behavior for IDF soldiers during their operational 
activity in the territories.  The program includes 
quotes from the American film, "Rules of Engagement." 
 
Ha'aretz quoted A/G Menachem Mazuz as testifying before 
the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee 
Tuesday that the release of nuclear whistleblower 
Mordecai Vanunu from prison would "create a significant 
danger to state security."  Leading media cited 
Vanunu's threat that he would seek asylum in a foreign 
embassy. 
 
Yediot quoted renowned Israeli author Batya Gur ("a 
detective story writer who is successful abroad") as 
saying in an interview with the Belgian daily Le Soir: 
"I am not angry at Palestinian suicide bombers."  She 
sharply criticized Israel and asked for help to "get 
rid of Ariel Sharon." 
 
Maariv reported that hundreds of Israelis, who were 
born from 1946 to 1948 in British internment camps for 
illegal immigrants in Cyprus, are asking for birth 
certificates from Cyprus, which will join the EU on May 
¶1.  The requesters hope to obtain Cypriot citizenship 
and a EU passport. 
 
Yediot reported that Israel has asked the U.S. to allow 
El Al to fly over Iraq to reach its Far East 
destinations, which would save the company's planes two 
to three hours of travel. 
 
Ha'aretz (English Ed.) published a Letter to the Editor 
by Brazilian Ambassador Sergio Moreira Lima, who denies 
a February 10 Ha'aretz report that terrorist 
organizations are present or operate fund-raising 
activities in distant areas of South America, 
particularly in the triangle of borders of Argentina, 
Brazil and Paraguay. 
 
Monday and Tuesday, all media highlighted the arrest by 
police of 18 people, including four alleged hit men 
from Belarus, suspected of involvement in a number of 
attempted underworld murders.  Ha'aretz cited the 
police's belief that more gangs of foreign hired 
killers are present in Israel. 
 
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Mideast: 
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                       Summary: 
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Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev 
Schiff wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: 
"The disengagement plan suffers from vagueness not only 
with senior government echelons in the United States. 
Senior echelons in Israel are in a similar situation." 
 
Veteran print and TV journalist Dan Margalit wrote in 
popular, pluralist Maariv: "The disengagement plan is 
the least of all evils.... It is too bad that its 
handling is being conducted amateurishly." 
 
Nationalist Hatzofe editorialized: "Chief of Staff Lt. 
Gen. Moshe (Boogie) Ya'alon expressed a professional 
opinion regarding the issue of disengagement from the 
Gaza Strip." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
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¶I.  "A Confused and Vague Plan" 
 
Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev 
Schiff wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz 
(March 10): "Why are the American envoys returning to 
Israel, after having been here only a short while ago, 
in order to find out more about the Prime Minister's 
disengagement plan?.... The disengagement plan suffers 
from vagueness not only with senior government echelons 
in the United States.  Senior echelons in Israel are in 
a similar situation.  Some officials in Washington 
believe Sharon is taking an important step on behalf of 
the U.S.  He is essentially granting the Gaza Strip as 
a gift to George Bush, who will help to turn it into a 
democratic Palestinian island, as he is doing in Iraq 
and Afghanistan.  Others in Washington feel the gift is 
'poisoned.'  The Americans cannot explain why Sharon 
spoke in Jerusalem about an insignificant move in the 
West Bank, while [his senior aide Dov] Weisglass spoke 
in Washington of an extensive withdrawal.... It is 
clear that Sharon does not want there to be any 
'disengagement' as part of a negotiated agreement -- in 
other words, a coordinated withdrawal -- as he 
understands that any agreement would obligate him to 
large concessions.  He reasons that if the Palestinians 
are in fact capable of reaching an agreement, then they 
should be implementing the road map." 
 
II.  "Shooting From the Hip Instead of Conducting 
Policy" 
 
Veteran print and TV journalist Dan Margalit wrote in 
popular, pluralist Maariv (March 10): "The 
disengagement plan is the least of all evils.  Peace 
plans raised by Barak at Camp David and Dr. Yossi 
Beilin in Geneva are better, but in the absence of a 
Palestinian negotiating partner, the unilateral move is 
preferable to a quagmire.  It is too bad that its 
handling is being conducted amateurishly.... The 
Americans didn't know about it.  Sharon, their ally, 
who is requesting a plane ticket to the White House, 
hasn't consulted them regarding an order of 
priorities.... Neither has there been any dialogue with 
the Palestinians.... [Israel] should have held early 
discussion with Mubarak, and not waited for his 
intelligence chief, who arrived in Israel 
precipitously, to locate the diplomatic fire.... Things 
aren't insolvable.  Many flaws will be corrected, one 
by one.  But why this delay?  Why only after diplomatic 
damage has been inflicted, even as the hope for a spark 
of understanding between the nations has been 
weakened?" 
 
III.  "Well Done, Chief of Staff" 
 
Nationalist Hatzofe editorialized (March 10): "Chief of 
Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe (Boogie) Ya'alon expressed a 
professional opinion regarding the issue of 
disengagement from the Gaza Strip when he said: a) 
Increasing terrorism in the Strip is the result of 
talks about a pullout, etc.  b) In fact, the 
disengagement won't solve anything -- this also goes 
for the scope of forces that will be needed to remain 
in the area in order to protect the new 
configuration.... There is nothing political in the 
Chief of Staff's remarks, all the more as the Prime 
Minister hasn't presented his disengagement plan to any 
official civilian forum.  The Chief of Staff, Shin Bet 
head Avi Dichter and other senior military commanders 
oppose the idea of disengagement from a military point 
of view.  It appears that in the U.S. as well, there is 
no great enthusiasm for this move, because it 
represents first and foremost an encouragement and a 
prize for terrorism." 
KURTZER