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

091050Z Sep 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TEL AVIV 005562 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC FOR NEA STAFF 
 
SECDEF WASHDC FOR USDP/ASD-PA/ASD-ISA 
HQ USAF FOR XOXX 
DA WASHDC FOR SASA 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC FOR PA 
USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL FOR POLAD/USIA ADVISOR 
COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD 
COMSIXTHFLT FOR 019 
 
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.  Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer was quoted as 
saying in a farewell interview broadcast this morning 
on Israel Radio that the U.S. administration is still 
waiting for the dismantling of settler outposts ("We 
have no reason to believe that Israel will evade its 
responsibility.")  Kurtzer also said that, in the wake 
of Hurricane Katrina, it would be up to Israel to 
decide whether to postpone its request for aid for the 
Negev and the Galilee.  (Yediot reported that on 
Thursday, a special Finance Ministry and Prime 
Minister's Office delegation that was supposed to leave 
for the U.S. in ten days to discuss Israel's aid 
request canceled its trip.)  Regarding Israel's weapons 
sales to China, Kurtzer said that it has taken some 
time for Israel to understand that the U.S. is a "two- 
ocean power."  As in other interviews, Kurtzer 
expressed his optimism, despite the fact that his term 
in the country was marred by terror.  Ambassador 
Kurtzer was quoted as saying in an interview with 
Ha'aretz's Aluf Benn that implementation of the 
disengagement was "just remarkable."  In the interview, 
Kurtzer praised Sharon for his "incredible decision." 
Kurtzer told Ha'aretz and Maariv that, as he left 
Israel in the mid-1980s, he told a friend that Sharon 
was the person he thought most likely to bring about 
peace in Israel.  The Ambassador told Maariv that the 
understandings reached between Sharon and President 
Bush regarding the settlement blocs are clear and have 
been adopted by the U.S. Congress. 
 
All major media, except Maariv, led with the last 
stages of Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip. 
The media reported that the High Court of Justice ruled 
on Thursday that the synagogues there can be destroyed. 
Leading media reported that the government is delaying 
the demolition, as Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz is 
objecting to it. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Israel is preparing for the 
creation of an extensive system of border crossings and 
terminals for the passage of people and goods from and 
into the territories.  According to the newspaper, when 
it is completed, it will consist of 36 crossing points 
between Israel and the West Bank and two or three 
between Israel and the Gaza Strip.  Israel Radio 
reported that this morning, Israel, the PA, and Egypt, 
will start operating joint coordination headquarters of 
the pullout at Kerem Shalom. 
 
Ha'aretz (Amir Oren) discusses the enmity IDF 
leadership allegedly feels toward U.S. security 
coordinator Lt. Gen. William Ward.  IDF leaders are 
said to perceive him as having fallen in love with the 
Palestinians. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that on Thursday, a Palestinian was 
killed and another wounded by IDF gunfire in an attempt 
to infiltrate the evacuated Gaza Strip settlement of 
Atzmona.  Yediot reported that the Sharon communities, 
including Kfar Sava, Hod Hasharon, and Kochav Yair, are 
demanding that the Defense Ministry and the police 
install alarm systems against Qassam rockets in their 
areas.  The newspaper also cited Hamas threats on 
Ashkelon. 
 
Ha'aretz and Yediot cited FM Silvan Shalom's denial 
Thursday of any Israeli interference that could have 
caused the death of former PLO chairman Yasser Arafat. 
Ha'aretz reported that the differences between Ha'aretz 
and The New York Times' reports on the cause of 
Arafat's death resulted from use of different medical 
evaluations by the two newspapers.  Jerusalem Post 
quoted Bassam Abu Sharif, an aide and advisor to 
Arafat, as saying: "No way Arafat had AIDS ... unless 
somebody infected him with the AIDS virus." 
 
Jerusalem Post reported that the Austrian Justice 
Ministry has appointed a state prosecutor to conduct an 
independent investigation into allegations that PM 
Sharon received a bribe from an Austrian businessman 
with business interests in Israel via the Vienna-based 
bank BAWAG. 
 
Jerusalem Post reported that Mofaz attempted Thursday 
to refute a report published that day in Yediot, 
according to which the defense establishment would 
order that the IDF be used as a tool to aid Sharon 
politically. 
 
Ha'aretz and Israel Radio reported that on Thursday, 
Israel handed over the corpse of a Hizbullah gunman who 
was killed two months ago in a clash with the IDF on 
the northern border.  Israel Radio quoted an Israeli 
official as saying that Israel made that decision 
because Israel does not bargain over bodies and because 
Lebanon addressed Israel directly for the first time. 
 
In an interview broadcast on Israel TV last night, 
Jordan's King Abdullah II stated his belief that Al 
Qaida has planted cells in Israel.  Jerusalem Post and 
other media reported that Muhammad Mutlak Waridat of 
Dahariya, southwest of Hebron, was charged in the Judea 
[southern West Bank] Military Court on Thursday for 
undergoing military training in Pakistan and 
Afghanistan with Al Qaida. 
 
Leading media cited Prison Service data that show the 
PA is making monthly payments of 300 to 400 shekels 
(around USD 66-90) to Tali Fahima, who is suspected of 
having provided intelligence information to terrorists 
to assist in the planning of terror attacks. 
 
Leading media reported that Eliran Golan, who was due 
to stand trial for a series of bombings against Israeli 
Arabs in 2001-2003, died Thursday as the result of a 
suicide attempt earlier this week. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that support for Binyamin Netanyahu 
among leaders in New York has plummeted recently.  The 
newspaper quoted a senior American Jewish leader as 
saying that the current ties with the White House are 
ideal for the Jewish community. 
 
Maariv reported that Shas party mentor Rabbi Ovadia 
Yosef's remarks that Hurricane Katrina is retribution 
for President Bush's support of disengagement, which 
were broadcast by many U.S. radio stations, have 
angered the U.S. public.  Saying that Foreign Ministry 
representatives in the U.S. are trying to limit the 
flak, Maariv quoted Israel's Consul General in New 
York, Arye Mekel, as telling a popular New York radio 
station that the Rabbi's comments do not reflect 
Israeli public opinion. 
 
Yediot featured the personal tragedy of the Levenhar 
family, whose head Shay disappeared from the 103rd 
floor of the North Tower in the 9/11 attack in New York 
City. 
 
The banner of Yediot's weekly magazine featuring Nahum 
Barnea's report from New Orleans reads "Decline of the 
Empire."  Maariv's matching heading reads: "The Storm 
Is on Its Way to Washington." 
 
Ha'aretz (English Ed.) quoted Dr. Gerald Fischbach, the 
dean of the Columbia University faculty of medicine, as 
saying this week at a conference held at Bar-Ilan 
University that American scientists are looking to 
Israel for guidance on the scientific and ethical 
issues related to embryonic stem cell research. 
 
Leading media reported that Google has chosen a general 
manager for Google Israel -- Meir Brand, who until last 
week served as small business manager at Microsoft 
Israel.  One of the purposes of the establishment of 
Google Israel is to "pose a threat" (Ha'aretz) to 
Israeli search and portal sites. 
 
A Ha'aretz/Dialogue Institute poll among Likud Party 
members found that 53.6 percent of respondents said 
that a scenario in which Binyamin Netanyahu is chosen 
to lead the party and Sharon resigned to create an 
independent list would increase the chances of Likud 
losing power.  Some 27.5 percent said that such a 
scenario would increase the party's chance of winning a 
national election.  18.9 percent were undecided. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Editorial Page Editor Saul Singer wrote in 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "If Bush does 
not lift a finger to save Sharon in the next few weeks, 
it will be hard to argue with those who said that the 
President's April letter was worthless." 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: 
"After mid-September 2005, free Gaza will become the 
Palestinian national laboratory.  If management allows 
the lab to blow up, it will have no hope of success, 
either in the January elections or in its efforts to 
persuade the Israeli public that it should support 
additional withdrawals." 
 
Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote from New 
Orleans in Jerusalem Post: "Bush can no longer afford 
to center his attention on foreign policy.  A shift is 
inevitable and it will be felt especially in the Middle 
East, where American intervention both in Iraq and in 
Israel are at crucial stages." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
 
¶I.  "Saving Sharon" 
 
Editorial Page Editor Saul Singer wrote in 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (September 9): 
"It is wrong for the U.S. to act as if the Palestinians 
can have their cake and eat it too.  They cannot be 
allowed to reject a state, start a terror war, and then 
complain when Israel, against all odds, begins to 
implement the two-state solution on its own.... If Bush 
does not lift a finger to save Sharon in the next few 
weeks, it will be hard to argue with those who said 
that the President's April letter was worthless and 
therefore disengagement produced nothing meaningful for 
Israel.  The lesson will certainly not be lost on 
Netanyahu, who will in any case have returned to office 
on the basis of opposing disengagement." 
 
II.  "New Disorder in Gaza" 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized 
(September 9): "Next week, something of great moment 
will take place in the Middle East: the State of Israel 
will leave the Gaza Strip.  Although this will not be 
the first Israeli withdrawal from Arab territory, it is 
nevertheless unique: it will be Israel's first full 
withdrawal from Palestinian territory, and an important 
stage on the road to establishing an independent and 
sovereign Palestinian state that will live in peace 
alongside Israel.  If one accepts the view that the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the heart of the 
Israeli-Arab conflict, then the transfer of Gaza to the 
Palestinians, free of settlements and Israeli troops, 
goes far beyond a mere shortening of the lines or a 
tactical move a few kilometers eastward.  There is 
something that cannot be denied: Israel is giving. 
What is less clear is the other side of the equation: 
whether the Palestinians are taking.... This week's 
murder of Moussa Arafat indicates that Gaza is liable 
to degenerate into chaos if Mahmoud Abbas and his 
security services do not pull themselves together, with 
American and Egyptian support, and firmly hold the 
reins of government.... The Abbas government has been 
shown to lack any ability to impose law and order and 
to meet the challenge posed by the armed groups, which 
are working to advance personal interests, even at the 
expense of the general welfare.  When it suits them, 
these groups also operate against Israel, to pressure 
Abbas to give in to their demands.  After mid-September 
2005, free Gaza will become the Palestinian national 
laboratory.  If management allows the lab to blow up, 
it will have no hope of success, either in the January 
elections or in its efforts to persuade the Israeli 
public that it should support additional withdrawals." 
 
II.  "Tempest in a Teacup" 
 
Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote from New 
Orleans in Jerusalem Post (September 9): "History has 
shown that when the U.S. budget becomes tight and 
American domestic needs grow, the voices in Congress 
calling to cut foreign aid become louder and more 
influential.  And it's not only about money.  America 
may now be entering a period of introspection -- of 
healing its physical and social wounds and of focusing 
on recovery.  President Bush, criticized heavily for 
his belated response to the disaster, is facing tough 
political times.... In other words, Bush can no longer 
afford to center his attention on foreign policy.  A 
shift is inevitable and it will be felt especially in 
the Middle East, where American intervention both in 
Iraq and in Israel are at crucial stages." 
 
 
----------------------------------- 
¶2.  Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: 
----------------------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Editor-in-Chief Lutfi Mashour wrote in independent, 
moderate Arabic-language Assennara: "Without comparing, 
this reminds us of the fall of the Berlin Wall or the 
collapse of the Soviet Union, which revealed back then 
that the shiny Soviet Union's pomegranate was nothing 
but rotten from the inside." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"Unbelievable" 
 
Editor-in-Chief Lutfi Mashour wrote in independent, 
moderate Arabic-language Assennara (September 9): "In 
the recent history we have never seen a natural 
disaster such as New Orleans'.  That French city, which 
was sold by Napoleon to the Americans and was 
considered the pearl of the southern U.S. coast, was 
flooded, and thousands of people were killed.... It was 
first announced that the city would be torn down, and 
later, however, that it might not be possible to 
rebuild it.... All of this happens in the great United 
States -- the most powerful entity in the world!  Could 
that be??  The central authorities abandoned an entire 
major city as if it wasn't an American city, and we 
don't want to get into ... reasons related to the skin 
color of its inhabitants and their economical 
condition.  It's unbelievable!  What shocks us most is 
the childish and stupid response to such a disaster and 
the fact that the city is destined to vanish!  What's 
really a shock, furthermore, is that the 'greatest and 
powerful' country is to receive huge donations of basic 
products from poor counties.... Without comparing, this 
reminds us of the fall of the Berlin Wall or the 
collapse of the Soviet Union, which revealed back then 
that the shiny Soviet Union's pomegranate was nothing 
but rotten from the inside." 
 
KURTZER