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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 000146 
 
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: 
-------------------------------- 
 
Abbas's Election 
 
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Key stories in the media: 
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All media highlighted the large majority (an expected 
66-70 percent) received by Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) in 
the PA election on Sunday.  The turnout was high -- 
around 70 percent.  However, Jerusalem Post reported 
that "in a stunning vote of no confidence in the 
corruption-ridden PA," the vast majority of Arab 
residents of East Jerusalem stayed away from city 
polling stations.  The media reported that Abbas 
declared victory in Ramallah, saying: "We offer this 
victory to the soul of the brother martyr Yasser Arafat 
and to all Palestinians."  Abbas was further quoted as 
saying that the PA's task will be to establish a state 
with Jerusalem as its capital, and that a "big jihad" 
would follow the "small jihad," the latter remark 
sparking media speculation regarding the course the new 
Palestinian leadership would take.  The media say that 
PM Sharon will invite Abbas for talks -- according to 
Yediot, perhaps as soon as next week.  Like other major 
media, Jerusalem Post quoted senior GOI officials as 
saying Sunday that Israel will ask Abbas to immediately 
renew security coordination and deploy PA security 
personnel at Gaza locations used to fire mortar shells 
and Qassam rockets.  Jerusalem Post quoted those 
sources as saying that if these steps are taken, Israel 
will respond in kind with steps of its own.  Ha'aretz 
notes that the IDF reported few Palestinian complaints 
about voting hitches on Sunday.  On Sunday, Yediot 
quoted sources in Ramallah as saying that Israel has 
eased Marwan Barghouti's conditions of detention so 
that he can help Abbas.  Jerusalem Post cited Minister 
of Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Natan Sharansky as 
saying that the PA election was not "truly free." 
 
Israel Radio reported that President Bush welcomed 
Abbas's election and pledged to help the Palestinian 
people, while calling on Israel to "improve the 
humanitarian and economic situation" in the Palestinian 
areas, and on the Arab states to resume their aid to 
the Palestinians.  Based on Reuters, Ha'aretz cited 
Secretary of State Colin Powell's promise of increased 
 
SIPDIS 
aid to the Palestinians.  The media printed pictures of 
former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and Sen. John Kerry 
during Election Day. 
 
All media reported that an IDF officer was killed at 
the Sheba farms on Sunday when the jeep he was riding 
in hit an explosive charge laid by Hizbullah. 
Hizbullah later fired at IDF outposts in the area, to 
which the army responded with artillery fire and aerial 
strikes.   A French UNTSO officer was killed in the 
crossfire.  Israel Radio reported that Israel accuses 
Syria of trying to undermine Abbas's leadership by way 
of Hizbullah.  On Sunday, all media reported that a 
soldier was killed, three other soldiers and a civilian 
were wounded in an ambush Friday south of Nablus. 
Leading media reported that an alert for a terrorist on 
the prowl paralyzed Israel's central region last night. 
 
Leading media reported that the Yahad party pledged to 
abstain at today's Knesset vote endorsing the new 
government if the Likud "rebels" vote against it.  On 
Friday, Jerusalem Post mentioned Ambassador Kurtzer's 
longstanding close association with Labor Party MK 
Ophir Pines-Paz, who will become interior minister in 
the new government. 
 
Leading media reported that O/C Central Command Moshe 
Kaplinski will dismiss six reserve officers who 
declined to disavow a letter they signed, in which they 
stated they would refuse orders to evacuate 
settlements.  The army is considering taking 
disciplinary action against the 28 other signatories. 
The decision came after a day of talks between the 
sides Sunday, during which no agreement was reached. 
Ha'aretz reported that Sunday in Tel Aviv, at an 
emergency conference of "rabbis against the transfer of 
Jews," leading rabbis from the Religious Zionist and 
ultra-Orthodox communities joined calls to refuse to 
serve and "severe halakhic [Jewish law-based] 
prohibitions" against giving up territory.  The group 
took United Torah Judaism (UTJ) to task for the first 
time for joining the government coalition, although it 
was careful not to mention the name of Rabbi Yosef 
Shalom Elyashiv, UTJ's spiritual mentor who approved 
the move. 
 
On Sunday, Yediot reported on the defense 
establishment's decision to dig a ditch along the 
Philadelphi route in a few weeks.  The purpose of the 
ditch is to prevent the digging of tunnels under the 
route. 
 
Israel Radio reported that in a ceremony held at the 
Adath Israel Synagogue in New York on Sunday, 
representatives of the countries hardest-hit by the 
tsunami disaster thanked Israel and the American Jewish 
 
SIPDIS 
community for their aid.  On Sunday, Ha'aretz reported 
that 200 Jewish and Muslim leaders from all over the 
world united against religious extremism at the "Rabbis 
and Imams For Peace" conference, which was held in 
Brussels last week under the sponsorship of the 
organization Hommes de Parole ("Men of Their Word"). 
 
Maariv (Amir Rappaport) reported that China is 
threatening to withdraw important Beijing Olympics- 
related contracts from Israel, if it does not get back 
the Harpy drones that were sent here for repair.  The 
newspaper, which says that the affair could cost Israel 
up to USD 1 billion, recalls that the U.S. is 
pressuring Israel not to return the UAVs to China. 
 
Citing Reuters, Ha'aretz reported on Sunday that the 
World Jewish Congress announced it was about to call on 
NATO to grant Israel associate membership in the 
alliance to bolster Israel's security and to smooth 
relations between Europe and the Middle East. 
 
Ha'aretz and Yediot cited Interior Ministry statistics 
as saying that the number of people living in 
settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip increased 
by 6 percent last year, reaching 250,179 in 2004.  830 
people joined the Gaza Strip's Katif Bloc in 2004. 
 
Yediot reported that FM Silvan Shalom is considering 
naming as his spokesman Yehoshua Mor-Yosef, the 
political secretary and spokesman of the Yesha Council 
of Jewish Settlements in the Territories. 
 
All media (lead stories in Yediot and Maariv) reported 
that on Sunday, Stanley Fischer, the vice chairman of 
Citigroup, accepted PM Sharon and Finance Minister 
Binyamin Netanyahu's offer to serve as the next 
governor of the Bank of Israel.  To take up the 
position, Fischer will have to immigrate to Israel and 
relinquish his American citizenship.  Yediot bannered 
the concern expressed by leaders of Israel's economy 
over the appointment: "Why Was an American Governor 
Preferred?" 
 
Ha'aretz cited a survey conducted by the Jewish 
National Fund (JNF), according to which more than 70 
percent of Israel's Jews object to allocating JNF-owned 
lands to Arabs. 
 
----------------- 
Abbas's Election: 
----------------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar opined in independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "If Abu Mazen succeeds where his 
predecessor Yasser Arafat failed and lowers the heat, 
Israel will have to divest itself of the respectable 
title 'the only democracy in the Middle East.'  Then 
the occupation will be exposed in its full nakedness." 
 
Liberal op-ed writer Ofer Shelach editorialized in mass- 
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "Abu Mazen is 
the democratically elected president who enjoys 
international legitimacy, and he will not be easily 
dismissed with the wave of an Israeli hand." 
Regional correspondent Ronni Shaked wrote in Yediot 
Aharonot: "It became apparent that when the 
Palestinians put the Kalashnikov aside, they are also 
capable of demonstrating different behavior.... 
Sunday's elections are definitely a step in the right 
direction." 
 
Security and intelligence affairs commentator Amit 
Cohen wrote in popular, pluralist Maariv: "In spite of 
the difficulties that lie ahead, Israel ought to view 
these elections as a positive, encouraging step." 
 
Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: 
"It would not be not be surprising if Abbas attempted 
to continue the path of his on-and-off mentor, Arafat." 
 
Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized: "Abu Mazen 
comes across as a moderate.... But his worldview is no 
different from Arafat's: namely, action should be taken 
to promote the destruction of the State of Israel." 
 
Correspondent Gregory Ger (Kulchinsky) wrote in 
conservative Russian-language Vesty: "Abu Mazen is most 
likely to be elected.  However, according to his 
statements in the past several days, the situation in 
the region will not change essentially." 
 
Yasser Abed Rabbo, the Palestinian co-initiator of the 
Geneva Accord, wrote in Yediot Aharonot: "We need to 
see on the horizon the permanent solution, which is 
based on the principle of two states for two peoples 
based on the 1967 borders.  It is precisely at this 
point that the importance of the Geneva initiative is 
growing." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "Israel's Excuses Are Running Out" 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar opined in independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (January 10): "If Abu Mazen 
succeeds where his predecessor Yasser Arafat failed and 
lowers the heat, Israel will have to divest itself of 
the respectable title 'the only democracy in the Middle 
East.'  Then the occupation will be exposed in its full 
nakedness.... The control by Abu Mazen's government of 
the street in Gaza and a switch to nonviolent struggle 
against the occupation in the West Bank will leave 
Israel stripped of excuses to hold onto the Jewish 
settlements in the territories, never mind their 
expansion.  The separation fence, another unilateral 
initiative on Israel's part -- like the disengagement 
plan -- could bring it even closer to the June 4, 1967 
borders." 
II.  "A New Beginning" 
 
Liberal op-ed writer Ofer Shelach editorialized in mass- 
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (January 10): 
"As of this morning Mahmoud Abbas is the president of 
Palestine.  His subjects, most of whom face only 
poverty, occupation and corruption, may not have seen a 
great reason for celebration and did not go out, en 
masse, to the polling stations, but Abu Mazen is the 
democratically elected president who enjoys 
international legitimacy, and he will not be easily 
dismissed with the wave of an Israeli hand.  As of this 
morning it will be more difficult for Abu Mazen and 
Israel to play the game of 'them first,' that they were 
so busy with these past few months.  There will be no 
justification for either side continuing to duck its 
responsibilities, there will no longer be anyone else 
on whom to pin the blame for failure.  As of this 
morning, the Palestinian gain is not necessarily our 
loss, and vice versa." 
 
III.  "On the Way to Change" 
 
Regional correspondent Ronni Shaked wrote in Yediot 
Aharonot (January 10): "It became apparent that when 
the Palestinians put the Kalashnikov aside, they are 
also capable of demonstrating different behavior.  The 
problem is that many of them are not yet ready to hold 
negotiations that are not under the shadow of terror. 
What is more severe is that many terrorist groups, not 
only Hamas and Islamic Jihad, are unwilling to accept 
the authority of the leadership, even if it is the 
people's democratic choice.  Therefore, it is doubtful 
whether the democratic display we witnessed on Sunday 
will continue.  The Palestinians of Rafah, the Jenin 
refugee camp or Hebron have not yet internalized 
democratic values, as opposed to the yuppies of 
Ramallah and the intellectuals of Bir Zeit.... 
Nevertheless, Sunday's elections are definitely a step 
in the right direction....  As of today, Abu Mazen is 
no longer on the campaign trail, and cannot sell his 
people unsubstantiated slogans and declarations.  Abu 
Mazen will have to form a strong new government, 
appoint an interior minister with powers and remove the 
Tunis people from his way, those who still hold 
Arafatist views.  Abu Mazen says that he is aware of 
the problems and difficulties, and is ready for the 
challenges, but he hopes that Israel will not turn its 
back on him as it did when he served as prime minister. 
It takes two for this tango.  In order to meet his 
goals, Abu Mazen needs time.  The question is whether 
Israel will be willing to give him the necessary time 
to get organized and prove that he is indeed making 
efforts to bring about calm." 
 
IV.  "Arab Countries Could Learn From Them" 
 
Security and intelligence affairs commentator Amit 
Cohen wrote in popular, pluralist Maariv (January 10): 
"The Palestinian public, and likewise its candidates 
for president, demonstrated a genuine desire for 
change, a desire to turn over a new leaf, to remove the 
debris of the past.  Even if the atmosphere at the 
elections was not inspired, there was a feeling that 
the democracy was genuine.  In that sense the 
Palestinians are the first of the Arab nations to 
succeed in holding an organized and orderly election 
campaign.  But in spite of the success of the election 
campaign, they have a long way to go before they can 
call themselves a democracy.  In Israel the talk is 
mostly about reform of the Palestinian security 
agencies, but the Palestinian Authority is in dire need 
of a massive overhaul of all its institutions, 
including those not directly related to the Israeli- 
Palestinian conflict.  So before the new 'Rais' -- Abu 
Mazen -- tries to improve his relations with Israel, he 
has to set his own house in order.... In spite of the 
difficulties that lie ahead, Israel ought to view these 
elections as a positive, encouraging step, not only 
because Abu Mazen, the preferred candidate of 
Washington and Jerusalem was elected, but also because 
the Palestinian people showed Sunday that it wants a 
democratic regime subject to public scrutiny and 
responsive to public opinion.  Even though this process 
is not complete, everything should be done to help it 
on its way." 
 
¶V.  "How to Help Abbas" 
 
Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized 
(January 10): "Israel and the region, not to mention 
the Palestinians themselves, have a great interest in 
the success of their democracy.... Experience, however, 
indicates that it is not the margin of victory that 
will be determinative, but the expectations of the 
international community and its willingness to enforce 
them.  Abbas, after all, has taken contradictory 
positions.... In this context, it would not be not be 
surprising if Abbas attempted to continue the path of 
his on-and-off mentor, Arafat, who would sometimes 
claim to be against violence, never lift a finger to 
stop it and always claim that he was too weak to take 
steps against terrorism without further Western 
support.  Rare is the leader who will take painful 
steps when he can avoid them.  The path of least 
resistance is to make a show of effort, claim weakness 
and sit back and wait for the flurry of calls to 
'support Abu Mazen' to bear fruit.  This time, if the 
international community really cares about ending 
terror and the success of the Palestinian democratic 
project, it must behave differently.  Financial support 
for the new-old Palestinian leader must be tightly 
linked both to ending terrorism and violence and to 
democratic reforms.  Our own government, it should go 
without saying, should not undermine such linkage. 
Though we can always hope it will be otherwise, it 
would hardly be a surprise if one of those opposing the 
tight linkage of aid to performance is our own incoming 
vice prime minister, Shimon Peres." 
 
VI.  "Now the Gestures" 
 
Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized (January 
10): "The guileful Abu Mazen has already drawn up a 
list of demands from the Israeli government the goal of 
which, so he will say, is to help him gain control over 
the Palestinian street.  All of his demands will 
receive the support of the Europeans, particularly 
Britain, and, as far as we know, Abu Mazen will find an 
attentive ear in the U.S. State Department and the 
White House.  Abu Mazen comes across as a moderate and 
his statements against violent terrorism and the 
Intifada have served him well in the West.  But his 
worldview is no different from Arafat's: namely, action 
should be taken to promote the destruction of the State 
of Israel.  Abu Mazen wants to make as substantial 
territorial gains as possible by means of soft 
statements in support of dialogue and against violence, 
and when he obtains most of his demands with the help 
of the superpowers' pressure, he will turn to the use 
of weapons and warfare.... Abu Mazen is taking a new 
approach, and Israel now is going to pay a dear price 
for Abu Mazen's guile.  Under the cover of the relative 
quiet and the smiles, a military power with 
unparalleled ability to jeopardize Israel will be 
built.  One of the chief proponents of this approach is 
Egypt.  The President of Egypt, who ignores the arms 
smuggling operations by the terror organizations from 
his country, considers Abu Mazen to be an ally with 
whom he can steal horses. Ariel Sharon, the strategist 
and military genius, has gone blind in many fields, and 
we can only hope that we do not discover the heavy 
price that we are going to have to pay too late." 
 
VII.  "Palestinians to Elect Their 'Rais'" 
 
Correspondent Gregory Ger (Kulchinsky) wrote in 
conservative Russian-language Vesty (January 9): "The 
Palestinians are electing a new 'Rais'...  Abu Mazen is 
most likely to be elected.  However, according to his 
statements in the past several days, the situation in 
the region will not change essentially. ... Abu Mazen 
is not planning to change his predecessor's human 
resources politics seriously.  The discontinuation of 
the 'politics of terror' also raises serious doubts 
among the experts.  Sources in the Prime Minister's 
Office assume that Sharon's meeting with Abu Mazen 
(should Abu Mazen be elected) would take place a couple 
of days after the elections.  ...  First of all Prime 
Minister Sharon would demand that PA Chairman [act] to 
stop mortar and rocket fire [on Israeli towns]". 
VIII.  "Israel's Choice" 
 
Yasser Abed Rabbo, the Palestinian co-initiator of the 
Geneva Accord, wrote in Yediot Aharonot (January 9): 
"The incipient new political reality in Israel and the 
Palestinian Authority have led the two parties to the 
threshold of a great opportunity.  They have both grown 
weary of the ongoing conflict, and the time has come to 
bring about its end.  People in the Palestinian 
leadership can already begin to feel the change.  We 
began to promote reforms, we openly declared our 
opposition to violence and many democratic countries 
are envious of our election process.  However, to 
complete the initiatives we have begun, we need a 
genuine Israeli partner and a stable and credible 
political process.... An Israeli withdrawal from the 
Gaza Strip is certainly a positive step, but the 
Palestinians still do no know what will happen after 
disengagement.  Does 'Gaza first' also mean 'Gaza 
last,' as the Prime Minister's aide, Dov Weisglass, 
said?  Will the northern part of the West Bank turn 
into an isolated territory?  It is important to 
underscore that the Israeli government will have no 
Palestinian partner for forcing a solution that does 
not take into account the vital needs and interests of 
the Palestinian people.  By the same token it is clear 
that for a solution to be viable it has to be accepted 
by the Israeli public.  For us to become Israel's 
partners in the disengagement plan as well, we need to 
envision an end to construction in the settlements and 
an end to the construction of the separation wall in 
the West Bank.  More importantly, we need to see on the 
horizon the permanent solution, which is based on the 
principle of two states for two peoples based on the 
1967 borders.  It is precisely at this point that the 
importance of the Geneva initiative is growing." 
 
KURTZER