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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 006256 
 
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.  UNSC Vote on Syria 
 
¶2.  Iran 
 
¶3.  Mideast 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Almost all media led with PM Sharon's political 
situation in the Knesset.  The media reported that 
Sharon decided on Monday to postpone a fateful Knesset 
vote on the appointments of Likud ministers by a week, 
avoiding a defeat that could have led to early 
elections and a split in his party.  Banners in both 
Yediot and Maariv talk of a "cease-fire" within the 
Likud.  Ha'aretz cites a legal opinion prepared by A-G 
Menachem Mazuz.  The opinion reportedly states that, if 
the Knesset does not approve Vice PM Ehud Olmert's 
permanent appointment as finance minister by November 
9, when his three-month appointment as acting finance 
minister expires, the political and administrative 
consequences are liable to be so severe that they could 
force early elections.  The media quoted Sharon as 
saying in his address at the opening of the Knesset 
winter session that Israel will press ahead with 
intensive construction of the separation fence, that 
"the Palestinians must understand that only a 
determined fight against terrorism, including 
dismantling its organizations, will ensure the quiet we 
all yearn for," and that "the government's policy is to 
work toward implementing the Roadmap with the 14 
Israeli qualifications."  The media said that Sharon's 
comments contained no surprises. 
 
Major media reported that Sharon will convene the 
diplomatic-security cabinet today to approve an 
agreement on the Rafah border crossing that will 
include the stationing of third-party monitors, most 
likely from the EU.  The media reported that under the 
agreement, Palestinians would be able to cross from 
Gaza to Egypt and vice versa, through the Rafah 
crossing, which would be manned by Palestinian, 
Egyptian, and EU officials.  The Jerusalem Post 
reported that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met 
Sunday night with representatives of Quartet 
disengagement envoy James Wolfensohn, who has been 
facilitating negotiations over this matter for months. 
Israel Radio reported that further contacts on the 
issue will include PA ministers.  The Jerusalem Post 
reported that Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who 
Ha'aretz says engineered the agreement with Egypt's 
President Hosni Mubarak and intelligence chief Omar 
Suleiman in Cairo last week, is slated to leave for 
Washington tonight and that he is believed to be keen 
to enter meetings with Bush administration officials, 
who have been long eager to see an agreement reached, 
with one in hand to present to them. 
 
All media cited the UN Security Council's unanimous 
vote for a resolution demanding that Syria cooperate 
fully with a UN probe into the death of former Lebanese 
PM Rafiq Hariri or face possible "further action."  The 
media note that the UNSC did not mention the 
possibility of imposing sanctions if Damascus does not 
comply.  Ha'aretz reported that on Monday, Secretary of 
State Condoleezza Rice threatened Syria with "serious 
consequences."  Ha'aretz reported that Israel welcomed 
the resolution but that it urged the international 
community to keep up the pressure on Damascus until it 
halts its support for terrorism.  The newspaper quoted 
a GOI source in Jerusalem as saying, "This was a 
positive resolution.  The fact that the international 
community is no longer acting forgivingly toward Syria 
constitutes extremely significant progress in 
comparison with the past." 
 
Ha'aretz's web site and other media cited U.S. National 
Security Advisor Stephen Hadley as saying on Monday 
that PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas must crack 
down on Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the wake of last 
week's suicide bombing in the coastal city of Hadera. 
The remarks, which were reportedly prepared for AIPAC's 
National Summit 2005 in Los Angeles, were released by 
the White House.  Leading media reported that Monday 
and last night, the IDF continued its arrest operation 
in the West Bank, and that Qassam rocket fire from Gaza 
persisted.  Several media reported that the IDF fired 
rockets and shells into Gaza Strip areas where 
Palestinian fire originated.  Yediot reported that 
members of an organization calling itself "Al-Qaida's 
Jihad in Palestine" are active in the Gaza Strip, in 
the mosques of which they have distributed a brochure 
including a greeting: "Al-Qaida's Jihad in Palestine 
greets the Islamic nation upon the month of Ramadan." 
The newspaper reported that the IDF's Intelligence 
Branch told the cabinet on Sunday that the Iranian 
government funds the group.  Yediot cited the concern 
of the defense establishment that the Strip would 
become a base for world terror. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that PA Interior Minister 
Nasser Yousef was a surprise guest at the fourth annual 
Iftar dinner for Arab dignitaries hosted by President 
Moshe Katsav on Sunday. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the PA has decided to 
turn the former Gaza Strip settlement of Neve Dekalim 
into a university campus. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the U.S. Federal Bureau of 
Prisons web site's entry for the convicted spy Jonathan 
Pollard shows that he is expected to be released from 
prison in 2015.  Ha'aretz notes that this is the first 
time a release date has been mentioned for Pollard. 
 
Hatzofe cited the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam as 
saying that senior Palestinian Legislative Council 
member Rahim Abu al-Naja told reporters on Monday that 
the Palestinian factions agreed to a lull under the 
assumption that Israel would withdraw from additional 
areas.  Hatzofe also reported that on Monday, the 
Palestinian daily Al-Quds blasted Arab states that 
maintain ties with Israel.  Hatzofe reported that last 
Friday, the Voice of Palestine broadcasting on Radio 
Damascus praised the attack in the "settlement of 
Hadera." 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli and Greek 
navies began three days of joint maneuvers near Crete 
on Monday in a sign of warming defense ties.  The 
newspaper reported that Greece invited all seven of 
NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue partners -- Israel, 
Algeria, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Egypt, and 
Tunisia -- to send delegations to the exercise.  The 
Jerusalem Post quoted an Israeli naval officer as 
saying that Israel was the only country that accepted 
the offer. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that "The Skies Are 
Weeping," a classical music piece inspired by Rachel 
Corrie, the pro-Palestinian American activist killed by 
an IDF bulldozer in March 2003, will premiere tonight 
in London. 
 
Globes reported that on Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to 
Israel Richard Jones hosted Israel's senior businessmen 
on the occasion of "America Month" in the leading 
supermarket chain Super-Sol. 
 
Citing news agencies, Yediot reported that 40 Iraqis, 
including many civilians, were killed in a U.S. 
bombardment near the Iraq-Syria border on Monday. 
 
Leading media reported that a proposal to set January 
27 as a world Holocaust Day is expected to be approved 
at the end of a special General Assembly session that 
began at the UN on Monday. 
 
All media reported that on Monday, President Bush 
nominated Samuel Alito to the post of Supreme Court 
justice, after Harriet Miers' nomination fell through. 
The media note that Alito is a conservative judge 
opposed to abortion. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
----------------------- 
¶1.  UNSC Vote on Syria: 
----------------------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "After the lofty 
words about unacceptable behavior ... the forces lined 
up in their usual pattern: West versus East, democracy 
versus dictatorship.  The Security Council can reach an 
agreement only when it is sterilized, at least 
partially." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"A Return to Power Politics" 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (November 1): "On 
Monday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice threatened 
Syria with 'serious consequences' if it refuses to 
cooperate with the international community's continuing 
investigation of the murder of former Lebanese prime 
minister Rafiq Hariri.... However, it is unclear how 
much substance Rice's threat could have without the 
cooperation of Russia and China.  They may not have 
stopped the international steamroller lumbering toward 
Syria, but they have managed to stall it.... Rice 
agreed to give up the main demands that were originally 
supposed to appear in the Security Council's 
resolution.  The sanctions were not the only thing 
missing from the final version -- so was the demand 
that the Syrian government sever ties with the militant 
organizations that maintain offices in Syria.... After 
the lofty words about unacceptable behavior and the 
shock, real or feigned, of the assassination of a 
neighboring state's prime minister, the forces lined up 
in their usual pattern: West versus East, democracy 
versus dictatorship.  The Security Council can reach an 
agreement only when it is sterilized, at least 
partially." 
 
 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
The Director of the Interdisciplinary Center's Global 
Research in International Affairs Center, columnist 
Barry Rubin, wrote in the conservative, independent 
Jerusalem Post: "What [Ahmadinejad's] speech really 
shows is how millions of young Muslims are being 
systematically indoctrinated with the idea that they 
should sacrifice living standards, democracy, and 
common sense in pursuit of the fantasy of destroying 
Israel and defeating the West." 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"'Osama Bin Ahmadinejad'" 
 
The Director of the Interdisciplinary Center's Global 
Research in International Affairs Center, columnist 
Barry Rubin, wrote in the conservative, independent 
Jerusalem Post (November 1): "Read Ahmadinejad's words 
and then try to find some differences between his 
ideology and that of Osama bin Laden.  It is precisely 
the same worldview even though, of course, 
Ahmadinejad's inspiration is Ayatollah Ruhollah 
Khomeini, the founder of Islamist Iran.... It should 
also be noted that outside of Saudi Arabia, most Gulf 
states are increasingly indifferent to the Arab-Israeli 
conflict.  But what [Ahmadinejad's] speech really shows 
is how millions of young Muslims are being 
systematically indoctrinated with the idea that they 
should sacrifice living standards, democracy, and 
common sense in pursuit of the fantasy of destroying 
Israel and defeating the West.  Few will become suicide 
bombers; many more will participate actively in 
encouraging their own societies to commit suicide." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
------------ 
¶3.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post 
editorialized: "Sharon, as a former right-winger, the 
author of disengagement and as prime minister, has the 
primary responsibility to heal the divisions that his 
policies have induced." 
 
Liberal columnist Dr. Gadi Taub wrote in popular, 
pluralist Maariv: "If the choice is between anarchy and 
Hamas, Hamas is not necessarily the worse among the 
two." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "Missing Magnanimity" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post 
editorialized (November 1): "By shepherding through 
disengagement, Sharon has fundamentally changed the 
political and diplomatic landscape.  It is his job now, 
as leader of the nation, to build a more solid 
political foundation under this new reality, either 
within the Likud or outside of it.... This is not to 
say that what the country needs is a politics that is 
based entirely on the logic of disengagement. On the 
contrary, reconciliation with the right would be 
advisable precisely because it is not healthy for a 
large section of the electorate to feel 
disenfranchised.... Sharon can make, and no doubt has 
made, the argument to the right that his policy is the 
best way for Israel to both defend itself and define 
its permanent borders in a way that best fulfills our 
national interests.  The responsibility does not fall 
entirely on Sharon; the right is ultimately culpable 
for the extent it is able to adapt to the new reality. 
But Sharon, as a former right-winger, the author of 
disengagement and as prime minister, has the primary 
responsibility to heal the divisions that his policies 
have induced." 
 
II.  "Better that Hamas Should Rule" 
 
Liberal columnist Dr. Gadi Taub wrote in popular, 
pluralist Maariv (November 1): "If Defense Minister 
Shaul Mofaz is right, and Abu Mazen is truly just a 
'one-man show' and is incapable of controlling affairs 
on the ground, and if there really isn't a partner for 
negotiations in the Palestinian Authority, it could be 
that Israel needs to reconsider a few of its positions 
vis--vis Hamas.... It could be that if Hamas were to 
become the governing force in the Gaza Strip and would 
have to shoulder responsibility for both the 
achievements and the prices paid in all areas of life 
... the Israeli responses would exact a price from 
someone who might be deterred by them.... Israel's best 
interest is to have a stable, central Palestinian 
government that is capable of forcing the extremists to 
bow to its authority.  But if the choice is between 
anarchy and Hamas, Hamas is not necessarily the worse 
among the two.  If Gaza is beset by complete anarchy, 
Israeli attacks might be able to strike at the 
terrorists physically, but they would prove to be 
completely ineffective in their effort to 'dry the 
swamp' of its ideology; on the contrary, these attacks 
would achieve the opposite: terrorism would become more 
pervasive, and people in despair would join it.  The 
final calculation should be, in the event that the 
collapse of the PA forces us to make this choice -- 
between anarchy and Hamas -- that we would best be 
served, before we find ourselves in the corner, by 
exhausting all possible ways of helping our partner, 
even if it isn't a partner, to establish maximum 
control over the Palestinian territories.  Both of the 
two options we will have to choose from in the event of 
the PA's collapse are bad." 
 
JONES