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

271044Z Jul 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 004678 
 
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.  Global War on Terrorism 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz was quoted as saying, in a 
bannered interview with Yediot, that Israel will pull 
out from the Philadelphi route by the Jewish New Year 
(early October).  Mofaz made similar remarks in 
comments he made on Israel TV last night.  Yediot also 
reported that the IDF has restricted conditions for 
Israelis' entry into the Gaza Strip, allowing it only 
for the settlers' next of kin.  Ha'aretz and Israel 
Radio reported that Mofaz and PA Civil Affairs Minister 
Muhammad Dahlan met on Tuesday.  Ha'aretz quoted 
Israeli security sources as saying that the two made 
progress.  Ha'aretz reported that the two men agreed to 
establish two joint teams that would deal with the 
checkpoints; one would focus on improving the current 
checkpoint situation and the other would discuss how 
they would be controlled in the future.  The radio 
quoted Dahlan as saying that the talks were held in a 
positive atmosphere, and that Israel has okayed the 
construction of a seaport in Gaza.  The station 
reported that Mofaz insisted on security quiet, and on 
there being no firing during the disengagement. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the U.S. administration has 
refused to rescind sanctions against Israel until the 
latter proves it has increased its monitoring of 
security-related exports, deepening the crisis between 
the two countries.  The newspaper added that the U.S. 
demands that Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz join an 
apology with his signature to the memorandum of 
understanding to be signed between the two countries. 
Ha'aretz reported that Mofaz, who was about to leave 
for Washington for talks on the matter, canceled the 
trip following the increased U.S. demands. 
 
Jerusalem Post quoted an official close to Sharon as 
saying on Tuesday, on his plane en route to Paris, that 
Israel will not agree to hold an international summit 
on advancing the post-disengagement diplomatic process 
until after the first stage of the road map. 
 
All media reported that a "pulsa denura" ceremony 
against Sharon was held last Thursday in the old 
cemetery of the Galilee town of Rosh Pina.  Channel 2- 
TV will tonight broadcast a recording of the event, a 
part of which it aired last night.  The "pulsa denura" 
is commonly considered the most severe of kabalistic 
curses, and is meant to cause its subject's death 
within the year.  The media recall that such a rite was 
held against the late PM Yitzhak Rabin shortly before 
his assassination.  All media reported that on Tuesday, 
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni ordered the state-employed 
rabbi of Kiryat Motzkin (near Haifa), David Meir 
Drukman, to be placed before a disciplinary court for 
calling on disengagement opponents to break the law to 
prevent implementation of the plan. 
Israel Radio cited an announcement by the Yesha Council 
of Jewish Settlements in the Territories that it will 
hold a mass rally in Sderot next Tuesday and prepare 
for a long stay there in order to paralyze the security 
forces ahead of the disengagement. 
 
Israel Radio and the leading Internet news site Ynet 
quoted PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas as saying 
in an interview with the UAE-based newspaper Al-Khaleej 
that he rejects the idea of the Gaza Strip turning into 
a large prison that would not be sufficiently open to 
the outside world.  Abbas was also quoted as saying 
that he is not confident that Sharon wants peace. 
 
Israel Radio quoted Quartet representative James 
Wolfensohn as saying before a congressional committee 
in Washington that there has been some progress in 
contacts regarding the evacuation of the rubble of 
settlers' houses from the Gaza Strip, that both Israel 
and the Palestinians are interested in the rubble being 
moved to Egypt, and that there are commercial 
negotiations with Egypt on the matter.  The station 
also quoted him as saying that, were harmful material 
to be extracted from the rubble, the rest could be used 
for construction in the PA, and only a small part of 
the materials would be transferred to Egypt. 
 
Yediot's article featuring Richard Jones, whom 
President Bush nominated as ambassador to Israel on 
Monday, is entitled "Whisperer to Condoleezza." 
Jerusalem Post focused on controversies that surrounded 
Jones during his terms as ambassador in Lebanon and 
Kuwait. 
 
Ha'aretz and other media quoted Shin Bet head Yuval 
Diskin as saying on Tuesday, before the Knesset's 
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, that the PA's 
ability to impose law and order is negligible, while 
terror groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad see no 
reason to stop attacks on Israel during the 
disengagement.  Diskin was also quoted as saying that 
terror may shift to the West Bank after the 
disengagement.  Maariv quoted senior IDF officers as 
saying, during a visit by Mofaz and Chief of Staff Dan 
Halutz to the IDF's Gaza Strip divisional headquarters, 
that there will be no choice but to carry out a large- 
scale military operation in the Gaza Strip to prevent 
Palestinian attacks during disengagement.   Jerusalem 
Post reported that on Tuesday, Palestinian PM Ahmed 
Qurei rejected Sharon's warning that Israel would 
respond harshly to terrorist attacks during 
disengagement. 
 
Jerusalem Post reported that the Foreign Ministry is 
looking for new ways to ensure that Hizbullah's 
inclusion into the Lebanese government does not win it 
greater international legitimacy.  The newspaper said 
that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "provided 
cover for this approach" during her contacts in Beirut 
on Friday. 
 
Leading media reported that British PM Tony Blair and 
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw have expressed 
reservations about London Mayor Ken Livingstone's 
diatribe against Israel. 
 
Ha'aretz cited a report made public on Tuesday by the 
Strategic Assessment Initiative, a Washington-based 
NGO, according to which "reform of the PA security 
sector is a prerequisite for the success of the 
implementation of the road map."  The report also 
states, "Coordinated third-party assistance in the 
field of security services reform will be a critical 
success factor." 
 
Maariv and other media reported that the Iraqi 
constitution, which is being drafted, includes a 
paragraph meant to prevent the granting of Iraqi 
citizenship to most Iraq-born Jews. 
 
Yediot and Israel Radio reported that Tuesday's 
editorial in Jutland Posten, Denmark's largest 
circulation newspaper, was entitled "We Are All 
Israelis."  The Danish daily expressed its regret over 
criticism leveled by the West on the way Israel has 
fought terror.  Yediot reported that on Tuesday, the 
French daily Le Monde front-paged a caricature 
featuring Sharon as a dove. 
 
All media (lead stories in Maariv and Israel Radio) 
prominently reported that today, Attorney-General 
Menachem Mazuz will indict PM Sharon's son, Knesset 
Member Omri Sharon, for flouting campaign finance laws, 
forging corporate documents, perjury, and breach of 
trust.  In what has been dubbed the "straw companies 
affairs," MK Sharon is alleged to have committed the 
offenses first during PM Sharon's campaign for Likud 
leadership, and later when Ariel Sharon ran for PM. 
The media say that, if convicted, Omri Sharon could be 
jailed for up to five years.  Yediot and Israel Radio 
reported that on Tuesday, Omri Sharon asked that his 
parliamentary immunity be removed. 
 
Citing Reuters, Maariv quoted Bob Baker, senior VP of 
the American computer giant Intel, as saying on Tuesday 
that his company has made no decisions regarding the 
expansion of its activities in Israel.  The media had 
quoted Sharon as saying early this week that the 
company would invest USD 4 billion in the country. 
 
Yediot features Miri Chen, the Israeli girlfriend of 
Discovery space shuttle crewmember Steve Robinson. 
 
Ha'aretz published the results of a Peace Now poll 
conducted by Market Watch among residents of West Bank 
settlements that are not slated for evacuation.  The 
question was whether to build new settlements. 
-51.3 percent of secular settlers among those surveyed 
said that such construction should be avoided; 42.7 
percent said it should be continued. 
-35.2 percent of traditional settlers among those 
surveyed said that such construction should be avoided; 
58.1 percent said it should be continued. 
-7.5 percent of Orthodox settlers among those surveyed 
said that such construction should be avoided; 86.6 
percent said it should be continued. 
-25.4 percent of ultra-Orthodox settlers among those 
surveyed said that such construction should be avoided; 
66.7 percent said it should be continued. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Ayalon wrote in 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "Israel has 
shown it is prepared to take difficult steps to achieve 
President Bush's vision for peace in the Middle East. 
The world should insist on no less from the 
Palestinians." 
 
Veteran op-ed writer and the late prime minister 
Yitzhak Rabin's assistant Eytan Haber opined in the 
lead editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot 
Aharonot: "Israel cannot afford a second assassination 
of a prime minister.  Therefore, with all due respect 
to the rabbinic world ... it is time -- there is no 
other choice -- to take off the gloves." 
 
Editor-in-Chief Amnon Dankner wrote on page one of 
popular, pluralist Maariv: "While it is true that one 
could argue that a ceremony of this kind expresses the 
reckless will of one oddball or another to see the 
prime minister die ... the truth is that this entire 
issue is merely a summer show for thirsty and generous 
media." 
Senior op-ed writer Uzi Benziman commented in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "[Settler leaders] 
pay lip service to the principle of non-violent 
struggle, but in fact they are preparing for a 
bellicose fight with the declared goal of forcing their 
stand on others." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "Jump-Starting the Peace Process" 
 
Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Ayalon wrote in 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (July 27): 
"Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is boldly determined to 
move forward with disengagement from Gaza and the 
northern West Bank, out of a deep conviction that it is 
critical to Israel's future.  Unfortunately, the 
Palestinian leadership has failed to meet him 
halfway.... Time is running out for the Palestinian 
leadership to confront the terrorists.  Should it fail 
to do so, Israel will be forced to take the necessary 
steps to defend its people: lest the Palestinians miss 
another historic opportunity, the world should insist 
that they crack down on terrorism now.... Disengagement 
is an immense political, strategic, and indeed historic 
undertaking, aimed at reducing friction between 
Israelis and Palestinians, jump-starting the peace 
process and providing the Palestinians with a unique 
opportunity to build institutions of responsible self- 
governance.... [Also], the trauma of disengagement has 
opened up dangerous rifts in Israeli society.... At 
stake is not only the success of disengagement but also 
the very fabric of Israeli society.... The notion of 
disengagement would have been unthinkable had Israel 
not prevailed in the latest round of sustained 
terrorism waged by the Palestinians since September 
¶2000.  The stakes for Israel are enormous.  We are a 
strong but small country facing a largely hostile 
region roughly 500 times our size.  We can ill afford 
to make mistakes.  Israel has shown it is prepared to 
take difficult steps to achieve President Bush's vision 
for peace in the Middle East.  The world should insist 
on no less from the Palestinians." 
 
II.  "Put the Rogue Rabbis in Their Place" 
 
Veteran op-ed writer and the late prime minister 
Yitzhak Rabin's assistant Eytan Haber opined in the 
lead editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot 
Aharonot (July 27): "The custom in Israel has always 
been to uphold the dignity of rabbis....  Lately, in 
light of what is happening in the disengagement plan, 
rabbis have arisen ... who speak in favor of a 'pulsa 
denura,' which is generally agreed to mean issuing a 
death sentence against the prime minister.   So we 
learned from the assassination of prime minister 
Yitzhak Rabin.  The matter of the 'pulsa denura' is 
utter nonsense.... The question that should be examined 
is whether these statements have the potential to lead 
one or more fools and idiots to harm high placed 
officials in the State of Israel.  The answer is: Yes. 
Israel cannot afford a second assassination of a prime 
minister.  Therefore, with all due respect to the 
rabbinic world and with all due regret, it is time -- 
there is no other choice -- to take off the gloves.... 
Direct or indirect calls to murder the prime minister 
should meet with squads of police officers who will 
round up the rabbis calling for murder, like the worst 
of scoundrels, push them into the paddy wagon and lead 
them to Lysol-scented cells." 
 
III.  "Pulsa Deshmulsa" 
 
Editor-in-Chief Amnon Dankner wrote on page one of 
popular, pluralist Maariv (July 27): "This entire issue 
of a 'pulsa denura' [kabalistic death curse] oughtn't 
elicit more than a shrug of the shoulders and a snigger 
of ridicule, since it is taken seriously only by a few 
eccentrics who, by the bye, want to make a bit of cash 
on the side.... We would best bear in mind that Yigal 
Amir did not stand with a talith [prayer shawl] in a 
graveyard at night and recite pseudo-magical texts; he 
oiled a gun and collected bullets.  While it is true 
that one could argue that a ceremony of this kind 
expresses the reckless will of one oddball or another 
to see the prime minister die, and perhaps creates 
somewhere a tiny wave of a murderous atmosphere, the 
truth is that this entire issue is merely a summer show 
for thirsty and generous media, that was produced by a 
group of people who would put the money they received 
from the television program to best use by getting some 
psychological counseling." 
 
 
 
IV.  "He Had a Dream" 
 
Senior op-ed writer Uzi Benziman commented in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (July 27): "Pinchas 
Wallerstein, the militant leader of the settlers' anti- 
disengagement protest, went out on a limb when he tried 
to compare the right-wing demonstrators' attempted 
invasion of Gush Katif last week to human rights leader 
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s freedom march on Washington 
D.C.... He spoke out against violence.... One of King's 
main messages was the shared destiny of the American 
people, and he spoke out against separatism and 
prejudice.... When we examine the message of 
Wallerstein and his friends, we meet an entirely 
different world of concepts and intent.... They pay lip 
service to the principle of non-violent struggle, but 
in fact they are preparing for a bellicose fight with 
the declared goal of forcing their stand on others.... 
Moreover, King's march was coordinated with the 
authorities; then-president John F. Kennedy welcomed it 
with a call for equality for all.  The march to Gush 
Katif set out to break the law -- an attempt that did 
not succeed." 
---------------------------- 
¶2.  Global War on Terrorism: 
---------------------------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Jerusalem Post editorialized: "Condemning terrorism 
ought to be a simple matter for the leader of the 
Catholic Church." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"A Papal Omission" 
 
Jerusalem Post editorialized (July 27): "Condemning 
terrorism ought to be a simple matter for the leader of 
the Catholic Church.   Yet on Sunday, when Pope 
Benedictus XVI condemned recent terrorist atrocities in 
Britain, Egypt, Iraq and Turkey, conspicuously absent 
from the papal list was the renewed terrorism in 
Israel.... The inclination, subliminally or otherwise, 
to isolate Jews in a separate category, isn't unique to 
the Vatican.  But we expected better of a just- 
installed pontiff who has declared his desire to reach 
out to Jews and announced plans to visit the synagogue 
in Cologne during his upcoming journey to his native 
Germany.  A pope, what is more, who was reportedly 
ready to take a tougher approach to the struggle with 
militant Islam than his predecessor.  Sadly, however, 
it almost appears that Benedictus XVI is falling short 
even of Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa who 
has reportedly and at long last accepted the UN's draft 
definition of terror, one that brooks no exception 
making Israel a legitimate target.  The Arab world has 
been aggressively sabotaging any UN attempt to at all 
agree on what terror is since 1996.  The need to define 
terror received particular impetus after 9/11.  UN 
Secretary-General Kofi Annan was finally forced to take 
 
SIPDIS 
on the Arab block.  His terminology had emerged as the 
principal bone being thrown to Washington in response 
to its insistent demands for UN reform.... It's a step 
in the right direction, even if hesitant, even if the 
product of coercion, even if only following 9/11 (as if 
all which preceded it mattered less) and even that 
belatedly." 
KURTZER