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

081008Z Apr 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 TEL AVIV 002185 
 
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. Upcoming Bush-Sharon Meeting 
 
¶2. Mideast 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Maariv headlined: "Iran Is Approaching Nuclear Bomb." 
The paper cited a senior military source as saying that 
it is a matter of months. 
 
Yediot headlined that the U.S. plans to forward to 
Israel a disengagement grant in the sum of NIS 2 
billion in order to build IDF bases. 
 
Yediot reported that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 
yesterday toured the areas of the western Negev 
intended for resettlement of evacuees from the Gaza 
Strip disengagement.  During the tour, Sharon, who was 
accompanied by Disengagement Administration (Sela) head 
Yonatan Bassi, was quoted as telling those involved in 
the resettlement project to "start working." 
 
Maariv reported that Mahmoud Abbas has delayed his 
planned tour to the U.S. and that there is no new date 
for his visit.  The paper noted that the delay is due 
to lack of performance by the PA.  Citing political 
sources in Jerusalem, Ha'aretz says the U.S. 
Administration is pressuring the PA to coordinate with 
Israel the handover of territories to be evacuated as 
part of the disengagement plan.  The report goes on to 
say that Shimon Peres met PA's Muhammad Dahlan in 
Washington yesterday and the latter, speaking on behalf 
of PA Chairman Abu-Mazen, said the PA is willing to 
coordinate the disengagement.  Peres later met Vice 
President Cheney and reported Dahlan's remarks to him. 
Foreign Minister Shalom met in Rome yesterday with his 
Italian counterpart who promised to raise the 
coordination issue in his meeting today with PA Prime 
Minister Ahmed Qureia. 
 
Ha'aretz noted that Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz plans 
to recommend to the government that it should revoke 
its earlier decision to destroy homes belonging to the 
settlers after the evacuation of the Gaza Strip. 
Maariv added that the settlers were furious to learn 
that their houses would not be destroyed and they are 
quoted as saying: "We will leave the Palestinians 
scorched land." 
 
All leading media report that a Qassam rocket fired by 
Palestinian militants hit a cemetery in the Negev town 
of Sderot yesterday evening, causing no damage or 
injuries.  Ha'aretz cites Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz 
as saying the incident was "severe" and added that 
"Israel will not accept it."  He demanded that PA 
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) do all he could to 
prevent further rocket attacks. 
 
Israel Radio this morning reported that the U.S. has 
issued a new travel warning that urges its citizens to 
carefully consider future visits to Israel since they 
may serve as targets for terror attacks. 
Ha'aretz says the Israel Defense Forces and Israel 
Police have recently set up a special command to 
coordinate the activities of the select units that will 
take part in implementing the disengagement plan.  The 
special command will be headed by Brigadier General 
Amos Ben-Avraham, who has extensive experience in 
overseeing the operations of small, elite forces and 
currently heads the IDF's Leadership and High Command 
School. 
 
Several media related that the Rabbis' Union for the 
People and Land of Israel, headed by former chief 
rabbis Mordechai Eliyahu and Avraham Shapira, yesterday 
reiterated its call to security forces to non-violently 
refuse orders to evacuate settlements under the 
disengagement plan. 
 
Maariv carries an interview with PA's Jibril Rajub, who 
says that the Israelis "must understand that the era of 
exploding busses, restaurants, and cinemas is over.  I 
am telling you, it is over and it's final." 
 
-------------------------------- 
¶1. Upcoming Bush-Sharon Meeting: 
-------------------------------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote in popular, 
pluralist Maariv: "In Israel, behind closed doors, 
officials are starting to take into account the 'day 
after' Iran becomes nuclear.  The new deterrence 
policy, the nuclear Middle East.  Unless the U.S. 
decides to take action." 
 
Washington-based correspondent Orli Azulay-Katz writes 
in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot:  "The 
President feels that the Israeli Government is trying 
to fool him by offering an exaggerated commentary of 
his famous letter.... Yet, at the end of the day, after 
the cows go to sleep, both sides will be clear that 
America is committed to Israel, but Israel is committed 
not to build in the settlements." 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in left- 
leaning, independent Ha'aretz: "The well-publicized 
smiles at the President's ranch will cover up a growing 
problem in relations between Israel and the United 
States.  Senior officials in Jerusalem warned this week 
of what they described as 'clogging of the arteries' 
between the two countries." 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶1. "Iran" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote in popular, 
pluralist Maariv (April 8): "Sharon will be treated in 
the presidential ranch with royal care.  The hug will 
be sticky and strong.  The real issues will be raised 
behind the curtains in Laura and George Bush's private 
house.... As of now, Ariel Sharon is on the right 
side.... The subjects that will be raised in the 
conversation are well known.  Disengagement, 
coordinating it with the PA, Abu Mazen's situation (not 
good. The presidential envoy General Ward forwards 
pessimistic reports), the situation in Syria-Lebanon. 
The settlement issue will be concealed.... And then 
Bush and Sharon will reach the real issue. Iran.  This 
is the truly important subject of the meeting next week 
in Texas.... And here are the news: updated 
intelligence estimations have shortened the schedule 
for an Iranian bomb.  As of now, it is not a matter of 
years but of months.... in this pace, this upcoming 
fall someone will have to do something.  That someone 
will not be Israel....  In Israel, behind closed doors, 
officials are starting to take into account the 'day 
after' Iran becomes nuclear.  The new deterrence 
policy, the nuclear Middle East.  Unless the U.S. 
decides to take action." 
 
¶2. "Together, for the Cows" 
 
Washington-based correspondent Orli Azulay-Katz writes 
in mass-circulation, pluralist Yedi'ot Aharonot (April 
8):  "The President feels that the Israeli Government 
is trying to fool him by offering an embellished 
commentary of his famous letter.  'Talk in the GOI 
about building in the settlements pushed the 
President's back against the wall,' one of his aides 
explained last week, 'and when his back is against the 
wall, Bush draws.'  Indeed, in mid-last week, Bush made 
a dramatic statement that there would be no expansion 
of settlements because this conflicts with the road 
map.  He thus signaled to Sharon that he better come to 
Texas with unequivocal data on the issue.. 
Furthermore, White House representatives and the 
Secretary of State made it repeatedly clear recently 
 
SIPDIS 
that there are major differences between Israel and the 
U.S. concerning the fence route..  Even if the U.S. 
President pressures Sharon in their upcoming meeting, 
it would not be an Israeli-type of pressure.  Bush will 
not let the dialogue deteriorate into a crisis, but the 
words will be spoken even if accompanied by a hearty 
smile.  U.S. Presidential pressure on a friendly state 
is a pleasant act: silent, moderate, and pleasing to 
the ear.  Yet, at the end of the day, after the cows go 
to sleep, both sides will be clear that America is 
committed to Israel, but Israel is committed not to 
build in the settlements." 
 
¶3. "Clogging of the Arteries" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn oined in left- 
leaning, independent Ha'aretz (April 8): "The well- 
publicized smiles at the president's ranch will cover 
up a growing problem in relations between Israel and 
the United States.  Senior officials in Jerusalem 
warned this week of what they described as 'clogging of 
the arteries' between the two countries.... The 
strategic dialogue at a senior level, which had been 
one of Sharon's achievements during his previous term, 
has not been held for two years now.... The channels 
for security communication are stuck because of the 
disagreement about the sale of Israeli weapons to 
China, which is casting a shadow on relations between 
the Pentagon and the Defense Ministry.... The senior 
officials warn that good dialogue between leaders is 
not enough, ... that it is important to hold frequent 
meetings at the working level as well, in order to 
create personal chemistry and understanding, the 
importance of which is crucial in crisis situations. 
But Sharon will not have time to deal with this on the 
upcoming visit.  Perhaps he will find the time after 
the disengagement." 
 
----------- 
¶2. Mideast: 
----------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                        ------- 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: 
"Failure to thwart an act of Jewish terror or a mass 
provocation at this critical stage will show that 
Israel's democratic regime has not learned a lesson 
from the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, or from the 
affair of the Jewish underground that also had plans 
'to cleanse the Temple Mount.'  Meanwhile there are no 
signs in the conduct of the army or the police 
indicating that they are taking the Jewish 
troublemakers with sufficient seriousness." 
 
Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev 
Schiff wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: 
"The state of the settlers has only one goal, 
perpetuation of the occupation and domination of the 
Palestinian people; in other words, the war with the 
Palestinians will continue." 
Nationalist Hatzofe editorialized: "As of now, 
Washington is the one to dictate Jerusalem's policy, 
even if 'for internal matters', Sharon tries to act 
differently." 
 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶1. "Who Will Light the Match" 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (April 
8):  "As most of the residents of Gush Katif are not 
violent and will apparently agree to leave their homes, 
the Shin Bet is extremely apprehensive about the 
possibility that extremists in that camp will take 
pains to disrupt the agreement.  Extreme right-wing 
circles assume that it will still be possible to 
prevent the pullout through an act or acts that will 
shock the entire region. There are people like that all 
over the country, and their strength lies in their 
morally unmitigated determination.  All the security 
experience and know-how that Israel has accumulated, 
and in which it has invested billions, now has to be 
mobilized to prevent this scenario from coming to 
fruition.  Failure to thwart an act of Jewish terror or 
a mass provocation at this critical stage will show 
that Israel's democratic regime has not learned a 
lesson from the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, or from 
the affair of the Jewish underground that also had 
plans 'to cleanse the Temple Mount.'  Meanwhile there 
are no signs in the conduct of the army or the police 
indicating that they are taking the Jewish 
troublemakers with sufficient seriousness.  Ten-year- 
olds are able to interfere with the activities of army 
and police detachments, to break the limbs of policemen 
and to make the lives of Palestinians miserable - and 
other than brief revolving-door arrests, the attitude 
toward them has been one merely of inexplicable 
leniency rather than a firmer-than-usual hand." 
 
¶2. "Two States, One Nation" 
 
Diplomatic pundit Ze'ev Schiff writes in independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (April 8): "The events in the 
Gaza Strip are liable to deteriorate into an overall 
violent conflict between two Jewish states with 
different goals.  One is the State of Israel, and the 
other is the state of the settlers.  Despite the 
profound ties between them, each of them feels 
threatened by the other..  For a long time, the 
settlers have been behaving as though the State of 
Israel were a foreign government, as was the British 
Mandate in its day.  They take what they can from the 
government, take over property and lands insofar as 
possible, and ignore what is inconvenient for them. 
The fear of those in charge of Prime Minister Ariel 
Sharon's security today vis--vis the right-wing 
extremists is greater than their fear of Palestinian 
assassins.. The argument that, in their struggle 
against the disengagement, the settlers are trying to 
save democracy in Israel by means of a national 
referendum is false.  The state of the settlers has 
only one goal, perpetuation of the occupation and 
domination of the Palestinian people; in other words, 
the war with the Palestinians will continue, and if the 
settlers actually harm Islamic holy sites it will be a 
world war with the Islamic world, and an irreparable 
rift with the Arab community in Israel." 
 
¶3. "Two Voices" 
 
Nationalist Hatzofe editorialized (April 8): "The Prime 
Minister, as always, speaks in two voices -- one for 
internal needs ... and the other for the U.S., the 
State Department and the White House.  This fact was 
obvious one more time following his statement relating 
to the territorial contiguity between Ma'ale Edumim and 
Jerusalem.... This could be a blessed plan, if the PM 
did not hurry to clarify to Washington that his 
declaration ... 'was only for internal needs.'.... As 
of now, Washington is the one to dictate Jerusalem's 
policy, even if 'for internal matters', Sharon tries to 
act differently." 
CRETZ