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 002045 
 
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. Syrian-Lebanese Track 
 
¶3. Pope John Paul II 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
All media on Sunday and Monday (3, 4 April) led with 
stories on the Pope's death and disengagement-related 
reports. 
 
Ha'aretz reported Sunday that Prime Minister Ariel 
Sharon decided he will not request funding for the 
disengagement plan during his upcoming visit to the 
United States.  Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who 
visited Washington last week, told his hosts that there 
was a great discrepancy between Abbas' declarations and 
deeds.  The focus of Mofaz' visit to Washington was the 
dispute over Israel's arms sales to China. 
 
On Sunday, Ha'aretz reported that PA Chairman Mahmoud 
Abbas (Abu Mazen) announced he was relieving West Bank 
security chief, General Haj Ismail Jaber, of his 
command of more than 15,000 Palestinian police.  In 
another move yesterday, that suggests he might be 
preparing to clean house, Abbas issued a statement of 
his intention to begin implementing a month-old law 
that would force security personnel to retire at 60. 
In another move toward unifying the forces, Abbas 
ordered the relocation of all the police apparatus to 
Jericho. 
 
Ha'aretz headlined Israel has decided to establish a 
dumpster for the Sharon area in the West Bank (near 
Nablus).  The paper noted that Israel intends to dump 
10,000 tons of garbage a month, a thing that could 
jeopardize Palestinian water sources. 
 
Leading media reported on Syrian President Bashar el- 
Assad's announcement to UN Special Envoy to the Middle 
East, Terje Larsen, saying that Syria will withdraw all 
of its forces from Lebanon by the end of April. 
 
Ha'aretz reported (3 April) that March 2005 was the 
calmest month in Israel and the territories ever since 
the Intifadah started in September 2000.  No Israeli 
was killed by Palestinian fire and only one Palestinian 
(an Islamic Jihad activist) was killed.  IDF logs 
carried only one warning of an intended suicide 
bombing, but a rise was noted in "popular" activities 
such as stone and Molotov cocktail throwing.  A 40% 
decline in detentions in the territories was also 
noted. 
Maariv related on Sunday that on 30 March, Labor 
Ministers Shimon Peres and Haim Ramon held secret 
meetings with PA Ministers Muhammad Dahlan and Said 
Arikat in an attempt to coordinate disengagement and 
antiterror moves.  The Palestinians complained that 
Israelis are imposing difficulties and torpedoing 
attempts to promote ties and introduce alleviations for 
the Palestinians.   The Israelis complained that the PA 
reforms are stuck, Palestinians uninterested in 
coordinating the disengagement, and that anarchy 
prevails there. 
 
Ha'aretz revealed on Sunday that Finance Minister 
Benjamin Netanyahu met privately with Prime Minister 
Ariel Sharon at the premier's Sycamore Ranch in the 
Negev on 1 April and agreed to ease the tension between 
them "for the sake of the unity of the Likud."  From a 
political standpoint, Likud sources said, it is 
impossible to overstate the importance of the meeting. 
Speaking at the Haifa Technion on 1 April, Netanyahu 
said that he is fully obligated to helping implement 
the disengagement plan that was approved by the 
government, despite his reservations. 
 
In disengagement related stories, the Jerusalem Post 
reported that 20 Yeshivat Hakotel students, two rabbis, 
and their families are currently moving to the Gush 
Katif settlement.  The Gush Katif settlements of 
Atzmona, Gadid, B'dolach, Neveh Dekalim and Morag have 
absorbed more than 100 families in recent months. 
Hundreds more visit the Gush Katif area every day to 
show their support. 
 
Maariv reports that rabbis identified with the extreme 
right have been drafting a list of rabbis who will 
arrive at the Katif Bloc after Passover to join the 
settlers' struggle against the evacuation.  The rabbis 
will sign a petition in which they vow to "gladly go to 
prison without violence to prevent the deportation of 
Jews and the destruction of the Holy Land." 
 
Yediot Aharonot said that the Israel Police have 
recently decided to tighten security on Temple Mount 
for fear of attempts by extremist Jews to attack the 
Muslim holy place.  The police are currently monitoring 
some 500 hard-core right-wing activists. There is also 
fear that extremists might attack evacuating forces to 
stop the Gaza Strip evacuation. 
 
Maariv reported that the Disengagement Administration 
head reported yesterday that, though few filed for 
compensation so far, some 250 families have already 
completed the forms and handed them over to their 
representing attorneys.  He estimated that eventually 
some 70 percent will reach an arrangement and will not 
be evacuated by force.   Maariv added that a special 
reserve army unit was secretly established last week by 
the Defense Ministry for one of the most sensitive of 
missions-evacuation of the Katif Bloc cemetery. 
 
Most media reported that the first three of eighteen AH- 
64D Apache Longbow helicopters (described by the media 
as the best attack helicopter in the world) have landed 
in Israel on Sunday.  These three helicopters are part 
of a $650 million military aid package from the U.S. to 
Israel. 
Yediot Aharonot has learned that the Israeli National 
Security Council [NSC] has recently drafted a plan for 
the preservation of the Israel's demography.  Believing 
that by 2020 the Arab minority will be 40% of the 
Israeli population as nearly 200,000 non-Jewish 
families received citizenship and another 100,000 
Palestinians are illegally in Israel, the NSC suggested 
that persons applying for Israeli citizenship will have 
to prove linkage with Israel, pledge allegiance, and 
show they are able to support themselves financially. 
A minimal age will also be set, persons who are in 
Israel illegally will have to leave to apply, and 
applications will be individual, not for extended 
families. 
 
----------- 
¶1. Mideast: 
----------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: " 
Israel's interest is for Abu Mazen to succeed in his 
efforts to expand the current security lull and spur 
the resumption of negotiations on a comprehensive 
treaty.  This interest obligates Israel to do more to 
help him and other moderates in the Palestinian 
leadership." 
 
Former head of IDF Intelligence, columnist Shlomo Gazit 
wrote in popular, pluralist Maariv: "A secret and 
discrete mission by Dov Weisglass should be to the 
Muqata in Ramallah, a mission in which he clarifies 
what are Abu Mazen's needs and expectations ... and how 
we can assist him during the battle he is handling. 
The trip to Washington comes to prepare the background 
for the next Intifadah; the trip to the Muqata could 
maybe prevent it from happening." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "Strengthen Abu Mazen" 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (April 
4): "It is clear that in the long run, Abu Mazen cannot 
accept the existence of multiple armed organizations in 
the PA.  But so far, he has not succeeding in reforming 
the security services, as both the road map and the 
United States require him to do.... Israel's interest 
is for Abu Mazen to succeed in his efforts to expand 
the current security lull and spur the resumption of 
negotiations on a comprehensive treaty.  This interest 
obligates Israel to do more to help him and other 
moderates in the Palestinian leadership.  Israel cannot 
make do with assuming the role of an outside observer. 
It must, to the best of its ability, contribute to the 
process that Abu Mazen is having difficulty in carrying 
out, even if such assistance will often entail security 
risks.... All of the above steps relate to the near 
term, and their goal is to help Abu Mazen improve his 
standing among the Palestinian public.  But over the 
longer term, they are insufficient.  Israel must start 
preparing now for the next stages of its relationship 
with the Palestinians. One important step would be to 
start genuinely implementing the road map.  In order 
for the diplomatic process to progress and develop, 
Israel must start dealing now with the steps that will 
follow the disengagement." 
 
II.  " A gesture to Advance Calmness" 
 
Former head of IDF Intelligence, columnist Shlomo Gazit 
wrote in popular, pluralist Maariv (April 4): "The new 
[Palestinian] president has succeeded to force a cease- 
fire on Palestinian organizations and ever since there 
is almost a complete calm.  Indeed he did it his way. 
He did not declare war over the organizations, and he 
did not confront them.... but as of now the result 
stands the test of time.... Israel must free itself 
from a set of values and delusions that stand to chance 
and have no basis.  We should view Abu Mazen and the PA 
a partner for negotiations.  A secret and discrete 
mission by Dov Weisglass should be to the Muqata in 
Ramallah, a mission in which he clarifies what are Abu 
Mazen's needs and expectations ... and how we can 
assist him during the battle he is handling.  The trip 
to Washington comes to prepare the background for the 
next Intifadah; the trip to the Muqata could maybe 
prevent it from happening." 
 
------------------------- 
¶2. Syrian-Lebanese Track: 
------------------------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Arab Affairs commentator Smadar Peri writes in Yediot 
Aharonot: "When the last Syrian soldier leaves Lebanon, 
Israel will lose the Syrian 'address,' despite the fact 
that Beirut will keep receiving insructions from 
Damascus and Tehran, only in subtler ways.... Saddam's 
end is Asad's nightmare, but Syria will not let go of 
its backyard." 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"False Disengagement" 
 
Arab Affairs commentator Smadar Peri writes in Yediot 
Aharonot (April 4):  "Only keen observers noticed the 
secret visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Harazi 
 
SIPDIS 
to Damascus and Beirut two days ago.  Ahead of the 
visit there by UN envoy Terje Larsen, Harazi slipped 
into the Syrian president's bureau to make sure that 
when the 'big brother' moves out of Lebanon, Iranian 
strongholds there -- Hizballah and the Revolutionary 
Guards -- are not harmed.  Harazi succeeded. 
Yesterday, no one mentioned Iranian presence in 
Lebanese Biqa Valley training camps or the arms 
shipments from Tehran to the Lebanon, via Damascus.... 
Moving out of Lebanon, Syrian President Asad is leaving 
behind many power elements to make sure that Lebanon 
remains a Syria protg: not only Hizballah and the 
Revolutionary Guards, but also hundreds of senior 
officials and decisionmakers in Beirut were appointed 
d 
by the Syrian Presidential Palace.... So far, Israel 
held Syria responsible for Hizballah activities, ... 
but when the last Syrian soldier leaves Lebanon, Israel 
will lose the Syrian 'address,' despite the fact that 
Beirut will keep receiving insructions from Damascus 
and Tehran, only in subtler ways.... Saddam's end is 
Asad's nightmare, but Syria will not let go of its 
backyard." 
 
--------------------- 
¶3. Pope John Paul II: 
--------------------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: 
"Pope John Paul II was a great man and a friend of the 
Jewish people.... We hope that the next pope will honor 
his legacy by continuing in his footsteps and showing 
even greater moral leadership with respect to Israel 
and bringing Jewish-Christian relations further into a 
new era." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"Pope John Paul II" 
 
Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized 
(April 4): "The pope who called Jews his 'elder 
brothers,' who placed a message of atonement in the 
Western Wall, and who opened relations with the Jewish 
state, will be remembered with affection and admiration 
by the Jewish people.  It was hard to fail to be 
touched by the compassion and dignity of this man who, 
though he represented one religion, came to symbolize 
the religious spirit to people of many faiths.  It was, 
if anything, a measure of the respect Jews had for him 
that, despite his many efforts to extend a hand in 
friendship, it was also difficult not to be 
disappointed that his moral leadership did not extend 
further in our time of need.  We would not have 
expected as much from a lesser pope.... In just these 
few words, the pope affirmed the Jews' status as the 
chosen people, asked for forgiveness, and pledged 
Christian brotherhood with Jews -- all wrapped not just 
in a dry statement, but in a profound and personal 
gesture.... Pope John Paul II was a great man and a 
friend of the Jewish people.... We hope that the next 
pope will honor his legacy by continuing in his 
footsteps and showing even greater moral leadership 
with respect to Israel and bringing Jewish-Christian 
relations further into a new era." 
KURTZER