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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TEL AVIV 000391 
 
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.  Mideast 
 
¶2.  Iran: Nuclear Program 
 
¶3.  Bush Inauguration 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Maariv led with the Israeli defense establishment's 
concern that Iran would crush efforts by PA Chairman 
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) to achieve a hudna (truce). 
Leading media quoted Abbas as saying Sunday that such 
an agreement is imminent.  During the weekend, major 
media reported on the continued quiet in the Gaza 
Strip; on Sunday, they quoted Palestinian officials as 
saying that Hamas has acceded to Abbas's demand to stop 
terror attacks for one month.  Today, Ha'aretz quoted 
IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon as saying at Sunday's 
cabinet meeting, which was held in Sderot, that the 
quiet in the Gaza Strip was fragile and that there were 
still elements, Syria and Hizbullah in particular, that 
would try to heat things up in the sector.  PM Sharon 
said at the meeting that he hoped the quiet would 
continue, but warned that if it did not, "the IDF and 
security forces will continue to do all that is 
required to remove the threat hanging over the 
residents there."  On Sunday, Ha'aretz reported that 
Israel plans to ask the U.S. to offer assistance to 
Abbas and help him contend with any threats to his 
rule.  The newspaper also quoted GOI sources as saying 
that Israel will tell the U.S. that the main threat to 
Abbas's leadership comes from Syria, Iran and 
Hizbullah.  This morning, Israel Radio reported that 
Hamas is prepared for a cease-fire, provided Israel 
cease all military activities against the Palestinians, 
and that Abbas has demanded significant gestures of 
Israel.  Speaking on the radio from Florida this 
morning, Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned 
that the truce could lead to the rearming of the 
terrorist organizations, with which he said Israel 
would not talk.  However, like other Israeli 
politicians, Netanyahu expressed his hope that Abbas is 
steering a new course. 
 
Over the weekend, several media reported that A/S 
William Burns will arrive next week for talks with 
regional leaders. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin 
promised PM Sharon in a phone conversation Thursday 
that he should not close the deal to sell shoulder- 
launched missiles to Syrian President Bashar Assad 
during the latter's visit to Moscow, which begins 
today.  Israel Radio reported that the GOI has learned 
that Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov made a 
similar promise to Secretary of State Colin Powell last 
week. 
Yediot and Israel Radio reported that the defense 
establishment is resuming the erection of the West Bank 
security fence in the Ariel-Salfit area -- a segment 
whose construction the U.S. administration opposes. 
 
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted as 
saying in an interview with Ha'aretz that Abbas will 
soon be raising with Israel the matter of the cabinet 
decision to apply absentee property law in East 
Jerusalem. 
 
Israel Radio reported that today a court released Tali 
Fahima, the Jewish woman who was accused of "aiding the 
enemy," from detention and placed her under house 
arrest. 
 
All media reported that the UN General Assembly session 
commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of 
the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau will take 
place today, at which the foreign ministers of Israel 
and Germany will deliver speeches. 
 
Maariv and Ha'aretz reported that births in the Israeli 
Arab sector have decreased by 3.5 percent in 2004. 
Maariv quoted sources in the treasury as saying that 
cuts in child allowances "are conducive to a 
demographic balance." 
 
Yediot reported that the U.S. authorities have recently 
refused to grant a visa to an employee of Israel's 
Consulate-General in New York.  The newspaper notes 
that Ambassador Dan Kurtzer, who was personally 
approached by Foreign Ministry Deputy D-G Yoram Ben- 
Zeev, has promised to help solve the problem. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "A 
mental and practical change on the part of Israel is 
needed." 
 
Liberal op-ed writer Yael Gewirtz opined in the lead 
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot 
Aharonot: "Israel should learn a few quick lessons from 
what Abu Mazen has taught it, so that it does not end 
up missing the current change." 
Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: 
"Abbas seems genuinely motivated to quell the terrorism 
to which too many Gazans have been resorting.... [But] 
he continues to talk about talking with rather than 
fighting the people who, in his own analysis, have been 
doing the Palestinian cause severe damage." 
 
Military correspondent Amir Rappaport wrote in popular, 
pluralist Maariv: "It is obvious that the calm in the 
territories will not be absolute.... [But] even if the 
conflict continues, it will not be the same." 
 
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in 
Ha'aretz: "The American experience in Iraq and 
Afghanistan shows ... that there is no need to fear 
what's known as a 'bear hug.'" 
 
Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized: "After 
[the Oslo] theory exploded with blood and fire in our 
faces, Ariel Sharon has adopted it." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "Shaping a New Reality" 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized 
(January 24): "All those who have favored a tough 
military policy toward the Palestinians must now draw 
the called-for conclusion from the efforts by Mahmoud 
Abbas (Abu Mazen) to achieve a comprehensive cease-fire 
with Israel and to support a policy of quiet in return 
for quiet.... Abu Mazen will want to prove that quiet 
pays, that his long-standing opposition to violence was 
justified and that without violence, the Palestinians 
can achieve things, too.  For this to happen, a mental 
and practical change on the part of Israel is needed. 
Israel will have to declare a cease-fire publicly in 
return for the Palestinian truce.  It will have to 
honor its declaration even if stumbles across an 
opportunity to strike at a strategic or random target, 
and it will have to make do with striking at ticking 
bombs only.... [At the same time,] Israel is not 
negotiating with Hamas, but it has to be noted that for 
the first time since the birth of the radical Islamic 
organization, it is voicing demands that are not 
impossible to meet." 
 
II.  "When the Baby Bird Lays an Egg" 
 
Liberal op-ed writer Yael Gewirtz opined in the lead 
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot 
Aharonot (January 24): "Whether or not Abu Mazen 
succeeds in reaching a 'cease-fire' agreement, and 
whether or not such an agreement survives the many 
obstacles that threaten its success, the PA Chairman 
has already noted one clear success to his credit: he 
has caused a turnabout that made it clear that the 
changing of the guard in the Palestinian leadership has 
created a basis for a different reality, and this is a 
change that also compels the Israeli leadership to 
urgently replace the outmoded operating disk that runs 
its analysis and response systems.  The surprising 
'trick' played by Abu Mazen made it clear that the 
Israeli problem is no longer Arafat's 'irrelevancy,' 
but rather the irrelevant assessments of its 
intelligence agencies.  Israel always accused the 
Palestinians of missing every possible opportunity. 
Israel should learn a few quick lessons from what Abu 
Mazen has taught it, so that it does not end up missing 
the current change." 
 
III.  "Beyond the Lull" 
 
Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized 
(January 24): "Abbas seems genuinely motivated to quell 
the terrorism to which too many Gazans have been 
resorting.  As a Palestinian, he has argued for some 
time that the armed struggle is ineffective and will 
not lead the Palestinian cause to its destination.  As 
an aspiring statesman, he must show that he actually 
rules the people he has been elected to lead.  Still, 
this one individual's motivation can quickly prove 
irrelevant, the way it already did back in summer 2003, 
when then-prime minister Abbas's 'hudna' arrangement 
with the Islamist terror organizations collapsed a few 
weeks after its much heralded unveiling.  The 
fundamental flaw in that arrangement was the failure to 
even make an appearance of flexing an anti-terrorist 
muscle, as Abbas insisted the hard-liners could be 
convinced rather than forced to lay down their arms. 
Now Abbas has deployed troops, which he did not do 
previously.  At the same time, he continues to talk 
about talking with rather than fighting the people who, 
in his own analysis, have been doing the Palestinian 
cause severe damage." 
 
IV.  "Too Soon to Rejoice" 
 
Military correspondent Amir Rappaport wrote in popular, 
pluralist Maariv (January 23): "The latest developments 
in the Gaza Strip ... have historical significance. 
Nevertheless, anyone who thinks that the terror attacks 
are completely behind us is mistaken.  It is obvious 
that the calm in the territories will not be 
absolute.... [But] even if the conflict continues, it 
will not be the same.  The terror attacks have lost a 
great deal of their legitimacy in the eyes of the 
Palestinian population and for the first time in more 
than four years, the Palestinian security forces have 
received clear orders to prevent them.  Thirteen 
security organizations deliberately divided by Yasser 
Arafat are at the height of a process that will turn 
them into only three, with one goal: to attain calm and 
fight anarchy.... If the terror attacks continue in the 
near future alongside the positive policy of Abu Mazen, 
Israel's political echelon will have to decide between 
gut-level severe responses like those during Arafat's 
time and considered responses such as restraint, such 
as after the last terror attack at the Karni crossing 
and the firing of Qassam rockets on Sderot last week. 
Abu Mazen, too, has a difficult challenge if the terror 
attacks continue.  The Palestinian leader will be 
obligated to make good his threats and not stop at mere 
talk and persuasion.  Otherwise, we will simply go from 
one Intifada to another format." 
 
¶V.  "Applying Baghdad Lessons to Khan Yunis" 
 
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in 
Ha'aretz (January 23): "The American experience in Iraq 
and Afghanistan shows ... that there is no need to fear 
what's known as a 'bear hug.'  The Abbas government, 
like that of Allawi or of Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan, 
needs aid to rehabilitate the economy and the society. 
The U.S. did not set prior conditions for such aid in 
Iraq and Afghanistan.... In Ramallah there is a 
Palestinian partner who wants to administer an orderly, 
quiet Palestinian state without terrorism.  That has to 
be the working assumption. With that assumption, it 
will be possible to conduct negotiations in a bilateral 
disengagement plan, on unconditional aid and on the 
continuation of the diplomatic process." 
 
VI.  "The New Security Establishment" 
 
Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized (January 
23): "After a wealth of bellicose declarations, 
mendacious public statements as if there were no 
restrictions on the IDF, it has become evident, as 
usual, that Ariel Sharon had lied, once again.... But 
the scandal this time is multi-dimensional: the Israeli 
government has placed responsibility for the security 
of Israeli citizens in the hands of the Palestinian 
army.  It was not very long ago when the very same 
Sharon explained that these very same troops were 
responsible for terrorism murdering innocent civilians. 
And now Ariel Sharon is asking these murderers to 
prevent murder.  That kind of warped logic and lunacy 
hasn't been seen here ever since Ariel Sharon's current 
partners explained to us that 'they' would fight terror 
'without the High Court of Justice and without [the 
Israeli human rights group] B'Tselem.'  After that 
theory exploded with blood and fire in our faces, Ariel 
Sharon has adopted it." 
 
-------------------------- 
¶2.  Iran: Nuclear Program: 
-------------------------- 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Defense and foreign affairs columnist Amir Oren wrote 
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "A nuclear Iran 
is in fact a common danger to Jerusalem and Washington, 
though each side in the partnership finds it convenient 
to cast the responsibility on the other." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"Israeli Joker in the Iranian Poker Game" 
 
Defense and foreign affairs columnist Amir Oren wrote 
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (January 23): "A 
nuclear Iran is in fact a common danger to Jerusalem 
and Washington, though each side in the partnership 
finds it convenient to cast the responsibility on the 
other.  Israel wants to stop being an Iranian target 
and foist the burden of dealing with the issue on the 
international community, headed by President Bush.  It 
is important for the Americans not to give the 
impression that they are eager to precede diplomatic 
discussions with a military strike, but also to remind 
the Iranians that their bluff in the nuclear poker game 
is liable to fall apart in the face of a card not part 
of the European deck -- the Israeli joker." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
---------------------- 
¶3.  Bush Inauguration: 
---------------------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Ultra-Orthodox Yated Ne'eman editorialized: "A little 
more modesty and a little less arrogance would not have 
diminished [President Bush's] dignity." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"Dangerous Overconfidence" 
Ultra-Orthodox Yated Ne'eman editorialized (January 
23): "The feeling [President Bush] conveyed to his 
audience [in his inaugural speech] was that he is 
imbued with overconfidence, and with a sense of 
unlimited power.  A little more modesty and a little 
less arrogance would not have diminished his dignity, 
but the President of the world's superpower allows 
himself to feel he can manage the world as he fancies." 
 
KURTZER