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 000245 
 
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: 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶1.  Proposed Russia-Syria Arms Deal 
 
¶2.  Mideast 
 
¶3.  Iraq 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Ha'aretz and Maariv led with, and all media extensively 
reported on, Israel's concerns that a planned Russian 
weapons sale to Syria could reach Hizbullah and 
Palestinian terror groups.  The deal includes advanced 
shoulder-held anti-aircraft SA-18 missiles; some media 
say it also includes ground-to-ground "Iskander E" 
missiles -- an advanced, precise version of the Scud. 
Israel Radio cited IDF sources as saying that the 
Israel Air Force knows how to cope with anti-aircraft 
missiles; on the other hand, Ha'aretz quoted Uzi Rubin, 
a former head of the Homa missile defense project in 
the Defense Ministry, as saying before the Knesset's 
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, that Iskander E 
missiles could tip the power balance in favor of Syria, 
and that they pose a threat to American forces in Iraq 
as well (Rubin also cited the threat posed to Israel 
and the U.S. forces in Iraq by Iran's Shihab 4 missile, 
which is currently under development).  Maariv and 
Israel Radio reported that PM Sharon has written to 
President Vladimir Putin, asking him not to put Israel 
at risk.  The media reported that Israel has recalled 
its ambassador from Moscow, perhaps for consultations. 
Yediot quoted Russia's Deputy FM Alexander Saltanov, 
who met last week with FM Silvan Shalom and Shimon 
Peres, as saying: "Russia will take Israel's interests 
into account."  Leading media reported that Wednesday 
the State Department expressed strong opposition to the 
deal, and that it hinted at threats of sanctions on 
Syria should the deal take place.  Spokesman Richard 
Boucher said Washington is against the sale of deadly 
military equipment to Syria, which is a "state sponsor 
of terrorism."  Incidentally, several media quoted 
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov as saying that 
the U.S. and Russia may be close to signing an 
agreement to help control the trafficking of shoulder- 
fired aircraft missiles, a weapon highly prized by 
terrorists. 
 
Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli officials are 
expected to tell visiting EU foreign policy chief 
Javier Solana today that Israel will not begin 
diplomatic negotiations with the PA simply because 
Abbas was elected PA chairman. 
 
Israel Radio reported from Washington that the U.S. 
administration intends to deepen its involvement in the 
region and that it is considering naming either a 
permanent envoy to the Middle East, who would be 
secretary of state-designate Condoleezza Rice's direct 
 
SIPDIS 
subordinate and reside in the region, or a State 
Department coordinator who would exclusively devote his 
work to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Citing 
recent pressure by European and Arab officials on the 
U.S. to alter its strategy -- they reportedly told the 
U.S. administration that otherwise PA Chairman Mahmoud 
Abbas (Abu Mazen) would resign and a civil war erupt in 
the territories -- Ha'aretz (English Ed.) also mentions 
the possibility of President Bush appointing a 
presidential envoy in the Middle East, saying that 
former secretary of state James Baker is the preferred 
candidate for the position; the newspaper also brings 
the name of former U.S. representative to the UN John 
Davenport (sic: read Danforth).  The radio reported 
that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and Sharon 
could be invited separately to the White House in 
March. 
 
Ha'aretz (Aluf Benn) reported that the Israel-U.S. 
dispute concerning the Harpy drones Israel sold to 
China is on the verge of resolution. 
 
Jerusalem Post writes that right-wing activist leaders 
told the newspaper that radical elements in the anti- 
disengagement camp have "agents" in the security forces 
helping them in their struggle. 
 
Yediot and Jerusalem Post highlighted the "heavy price" 
Sharon is willing to pay to add Shas to his government 
coalition -- 1 billion shekels (around USD 230 million) 
for social welfare in exchange for support of the 
disengagement plan. 
 
Rashid Abu Shabak, the commander of the PA's 
Preventative Security in the Gaza Strip, was quoted as 
saying in an interview with Maariv that the PA will do 
everything to prevent violence.  Jerusalem Post 
reported that the independent Gaza newspaper Donia Al- 
Watan on Wednesday published a story about a civil 
lawsuit filed by a local resident against PA Foreign 
Minister Nabil Shaath over alleged corruption. 
 
The media reported that the Haifa Magistrate's Court on 
Wednesday sentenced Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of 
the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, to three 
and a half years in prison for security offenses. 
Salah was also slapped with a three-year suspended 
sentence.  Jerusalem Post quoted Salah as saying that 
Israel would last less than 20 years if another group 
of Israeli Arabs was "unjustly" arrested and put on 
trial as his group had allegedly been. 
 
Leading media reported that on Wednesday, the High 
Court of Justice ordered to release Staff Sergeant 
Yossi Pilant, a resident of the settlement of Yitzhar, 
who was sentenced to 28 days in military jail for 
calling on soldiers to refuse to serve orders to 
evacuate two caravans in his settlement.  The High 
Court said that the military court's sentence was 
flawed, and that the IDF was entitled to put Pilant on 
trial a second time. 
 
Under the headline, "Carter Presents: Hypocrisy," 
Yediot reported that while Sharon and Shalom received 
former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who headed the 
international Palestinian election monitoring team, 
Carter told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a 
"harsh interview" that Sharon is opposed to the road 
map. 
 
Ha'aretz cited the Amman registration center for the 
January 30 parliamentary elections in Iraq as saying 
Thursday that Israelis of Iraqi origin may take part in 
the voting.  The newspaper quoted Shlomo Hillel, former 
Knesset speaker and winner of the Israel Prize for his 
activity on behalf of Iraq's Jews, as saying Wednesday 
that if former Iraqis living in Israel may vote in the 
elections, "it would be a very significant step 
signaling Iraq's willingness to change direction." 
Conversely, Ha'aretz quoted National Infrastructure 
Minister and former defense minister Binyamin Ben- 
Eliezer, who immigrated to Israel from Iraq at age 12, 
as saying that he does not believe Israelis will vote 
"because anyone who sees Israel as his country will not 
vote in the Iraqi elections." 
 
Yediot reported that incoming Interior Minister Ophir 
Pines-Paz has instructed that the question about 
religion in the form distributed to all tourists 
entering Israel be removed. 
 
Ha'aretz reported the Foreign Ministry will set up a 
department to fight anti-Semitism and to commemorate 
the Holocaust. 
 
------------------------------------ 
¶1.  Proposed Russia-Syria Arms Deal: 
------------------------------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Defense and foreign affairs columnist Amir Oren wrote 
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (January 13): 
"The key to the limitation of the Russian-Syrian 
missile deal is to be found in Washington." 
 
 
Chief Economic Editor and senior columnist Sever 
Plotker wrote in an editorial of mass-circulation, 
pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "What are the Russian arms 
dealers seeking there?  The main factor behind all 
these strange developments is the situation in 
Chechnya." 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one 
of popular, pluralist Maariv: "[As the Israeli 
leadership sees it,] the main thing is that we do not 
surrender to Assad's peace maneuvers and negotiation 
spins." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "Washington Has the Key to Defusing the Crisis" 
 
Defense and foreign affairs columnist Amir Oren wrote 
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (January 13): 
"The key to the limitation of the Russian-Syrian 
missile deal is to be found in Washington.  U.S. 
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who hosted his 
Russian counterpart Sergey Ivanov on Tuesday, talked 
with him about the Russian commitment to avoid 
disseminating anti-aircraft shoulder-fired missiles, 
which could reach terrorists seeking to down civilian 
airliners.  At a joint press conference, Ivanov said 
that the Russians had completed their version of a 
draft of a treaty providing for the mutual transfer of 
information about such missiles (MANPADs).... Ivanov 
stressed that scrupulous supervision and that the 
signing of the treaty can be expected soon....  Despite 
the fact that Ivanov's announcement was released even 
before the deal with Syria became known, it matches the 
Russian will to minimize Israel's concern about the 
trickling of ground-to-air missiles to terrorist 
elements in Lebanon and the territories." 
 
II.  "Russian Crisis" 
 
Chief Economic Editor and senior columnist Sever 
Plotker wrote in an editorial of mass-circulation, 
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (January 13): "Something bad 
is happening in Russia. The behavior of its president, 
Vladimir Putin, has been incomprehensible of late, 
contradictory and illogical.... Now, the renewal of 
arms deals between Russia and Syria, a small and poor 
Arab country, which angers the U.S. and which gives 
support and immunity to terror organizations has been 
added to the dismal picture.  What are the Russian arms 
dealers seeking there?  The main factor behind all 
these strange developments is the situation in 
Chechnya.  The Putin administration is not only unable 
to stabilize the pro-Russian government there, it 
stands exposed and powerless in face of the anticipated 
wave of murderous terror attacks.  The failure in 
Chechnya, along with the deaths of tens of thousands of 
civilians and soldiers, has undermined the balance of 
the Russian leadership; it has raised to the surface 
dark political forces and is sowing a storm of 
irrationality in the Kremlin.  A Russian crisis is 
developing, which constitutes a real danger to the 
stability of the entire world." 
 
III.  "Pressure" 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one 
of popular, pluralist Maariv (January 13): "If the 
[Russian-Syrian arms] deal really goes through in the 
end, the IDF will have to rethink fundamental 
assumptions that no longer apply.  It is already 
impossible to fly freely over the Gaza Strip, and soon 
it will be impossible to fly freely over Lebanon, 
Syria, the northern border.  Army intelligence will 
have to work hard in order to spot the tiny missiles 
being removed from their vehicles (the Russians will 
sell the Syrians the motorized version), turning into 
their miniature version and somehow getting into 
Nasrallah's hands.  And then, anything is possible.  It 
looks like we will learn to live with that, too.  [But, 
as the Israeli leadership sees it,] the main thing is 
that we do not surrender to Assad's peace maneuvers and 
negotiation spins." 
 
------------ 
¶2.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Prof. Uzi Arad, who was a senior strategic advisor to 
former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Fulfilling the 
American expectations is ... a clear-cut Israeli 
interest." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"No Automatic Pilot For Disengagement" 
 
Prof. Uzi Arad, who was a senior strategic advisor to 
former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (January 13): "There 
are those who treat the disengagement as if it is 
operating on 'automatic pilot.'  However, a pragmatic 
approach requires demonstrating sensitivity to changing 
circumstances, and those who support the plan must take 
action to improve the problematic equation between its 
risks and opportunities.... [Among other conditions,] 
Israel cannot dismiss the American demand, which has 
also been made to the Europeans, to work for deepening 
democracy in Palestinian society.  Fulfilling the 
American expectations is also a clear-cut Israeli 
interest.  It is where to find the long-term answer to 
Palestinian acceptance of the Jewish state and a 
permanent agreement.  But above all, the most important 
thing is to do everything possible to reduce the 
'democratic deficit' that has built up in the decision- 
making process toward the disengagement." 
--------- 
¶3.  Iraq: 
--------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Middle East affairs commentator Guy Bechor, a lecturer 
at the Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in mass- 
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "American 
mistakes are leading Iraq and the region into a 
worrying direction." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"Iraq's Slippery Slope" 
 
Middle East affairs commentator Guy Bechor, a lecturer 
at the Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in mass- 
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (January 13): 
"The Americans have erred in some strategic decisions 
they made concerning a proud and despondent nation 
[Iraq], which had in the past been the intellectual 
heart of the Arab world.  One of those mistakes was the 
dismantling of the 'Arab Army,' i.e. the Iraqi army.... 
The 'democratic constitution' that was dictated to the 
Iraqis has turned into a farce; no community intends to 
carry it out.... It is too bad that Iraq was not 
immediately split into three different countries.... 
Lastly, how were the Americans been so foolish in 
organization those proportional elections?.... It 
surely is too much to expect a country that has always 
been controlled by the fear of the other to immediately 
become a democracy that protects minorities.  Those 
American mistakes are leading Iraq and the region into 
a worrying direction.  The unending wave of terror, the 
looming elections, and the loss of the ability to 
govern, could bring down Iraq in the next few weeks to 
the edge of a civil war." 
 
KURTZER