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

200508Z Jan 06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 000236 
 
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.  Iran: Nuclear Program 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Leading media reported that the IDF is taking steps to 
restore law and order in Hebron, following rioting by 
Jews against security forces in the city Friday through 
Sunday, which dominated the headlines over the weekend. 
Leading media reported that Israelis who are not Hebron 
residents were ordered to leave the city by 10:00 a.m. 
Israel Time today.  Ha'aretz quoted a senior Israeli 
security source as saying that the dismantling of three 
outposts in the northern West Bank, which have been 
served with evacuation orders, has been delayed. 
 
Israel Radio reported that last night IDF forces shot 
dead Thabet Salah a Din, the Hamas commander in 
Tulkarm.  The station quoted a source in the Hamas 
leadership as saying that the group would avenge the 
militant's killing. 
 
Yediot and Israel Radio reported that Acting PM Ehud 
Olmert is dispatching a delegation headed by Israel's 
National Security Adviser Giora Eiland and Israel 
Atomic Energy DG Gideon Frank to Russian President 
Vladimir Putin to ask him to help stop Iran from 
acquiring nuclear capability.  Yediot wrote that this 
is Olmert's first diplomatic move.   The Jerusalem Post 
noted that the U.S. administration is expecting a UN 
Security Council resolution concerning Iran by the end 
of next month and that it is pushing for a decision 
that would mention the possibility of future sanctions 
against Iran if it does not obey the demands by the 
international community regarding its nuclear program. 
On Sunday, The Jerusalem Post quoted President Bush as 
saying after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela 
Merkel in Washington on Friday that Israel was in the 
greatest danger from Iran's nuclear developments. 
 
On Sunday, The Jerusalem Post led with statements 
reportedly made by Israeli diplomatic officials on 
Sunday, citing a warning by the U.S. to the PA that a 
Hamas victory in Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) 
elections could imperil continued U.S. aid.  Major 
media cited the alleged warning.  On Monday, Hatzofe 
cited the concern of GOI officials in Jerusalem that 
the U.S. may be resigned to Hamas representatives being 
elected to the PLC.  On Sunday, Hatzofe reported that 
officials in the security and political establishments 
in Jerusalem agree that Hamas is likely to win the 
Palestinian parliamentary elections in Jerusalem, and 
to have all of its candidates from Jerusalem enter the 
Palestinian parliament.  Israel Radio quoted U.S. 
Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones as saying in Haifa 
this morning, following a meeting with the city's 
Mayor, Yona Yahav, that the U.S. views Hamas as a 
terrorist organization and that it has not intention to 
engage in dialogue with it.  The Ambassador was quoted 
as saying that the existence of Hamas and its 
supporters cannot be denied, and that the U.S. does not 
intend to intervene in the PA elections.  On the issue 
of Iran's nuclear program, the Ambassador was quoted as 
saying that the U.S. fully supports Europe's efforts to 
find a way to respond to the Tehran government's 
attempts to develop its nuclear program. 
 
On Monday, all media reported that the cabinet decided 
on Sunday to allow 5,000 East Jerusalem Arabs to vote 
in the upcoming PLC elections.  The Jerusalem Post 
quoted PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas as saying 
Monday that he will resign if he fails to implement his 
political platform, and that he has no plans to run for 
a second term. 
 
Leading media reported that on Monday, PM Sharon opened 
his eyes for the first time since his hospitalization. 
Media quoted senior physicians as saying that Sharon's 
blinking is insignificant. 
 
The media reported that over the weekend, Qassam 
rockets were fired at Israel from the northern Gaza 
Strip. 
 
On Monday, Ha'aretz reported that AG Menachem Mazuz 
informed Olmert on Sunday that he cannot appoint Shimon 
Peres, Dalia Itzik, and Haim Ramon to the transition 
government before the elections. 
 
All media reported that the Labor Party is holding its 
primaries today.  Israel Radio reported that Knesset 
Member Haim Oron was the big winner in Monday's Meretz- 
Yahad primaries.  The Jerusalem Post reported that 
sources close to Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu told 
the newspaper on Monday that the Likud is expected to 
adopt a diplomatic platform that calls for negotiating 
a peace agreement with the Palestinians that would 
ensure that Israel will maintain secure and defensible 
borders.  The Jerusalem Post quoted Yuval Steinitz 
(Likud), Chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and 
Defense Committee, as saying that a Palestinian state 
would not be ruled out in the plan, but that there 
would be no talk of a final-status agreement until the 
Palestinians stopped terrorism, violence, and 
incitement.  On Sunday, Yediot also noted a possible 
change of attitude in the Likud on the issue of 
Palestinian statehood. 
 
On Sunday, Maariv wrote that Olmert is considering 
attending the annual convention of the Davos Economic 
Forum in Switzerland, which will take place next week. 
The newspaper reported that the directors of the forum 
are interested in having Olmert meet for the first time 
with the rulers of several Arab states, including King 
Abdullah of Jordan and the prime ministers of Egypt and 
the United Arab Emirates. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that one of the last things that 
Sharon did before his stroke was to appoint former 
Justice Minister Dan Meridor as sole arbitrator in the 
dispute between IDF Intelligence, the Mossad, and the 
Shin Bet.  The newspaper wrote that the dispute between 
the three branches of the security services is, on the 
whole, a professional dispute, but that occasionally it 
has descended into vicious personal rivalries. 
 
All media reported that Transportation Minister Abraham 
Hirchson announced on Monday that he would grant the 
Israeli airline Israir a license to operate regular 
flights on the Tel Aviv-New York route.  The media 
quoted Israir CEO Sabina Biran as saying Monday that 
competition on the line should reduce prices "by up to 
10 percent compared to the prices charged by El Al." 
The media reported that El Al and the Israeli airline 
Arkia are expected to appeal Hirchson's decision. 
 
Ha'aretz cited statistics presented at a Jewish Policy 
Planning Institute conference this week, according to 
which this year will mark the first time in history 
that there will be as many Jews living in Israel as in 
the U.S.  The newspaper wrote that the greater Tel Aviv 
area has already replaced New York as the city with the 
most Jews. 
 
On Sunday, Maariv reported that State Comptroller Micha 
Lindenstrauss is examining allegations that Peres 
received hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal 
contributions which helped him during the Labor party 
primary in which he was elected chairman. 
 
Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that on 
Monday, the High Court of Justice rejected a petition 
by convicted spy Jonathan Pollard seeking Prisoner of 
Zion recognition.  (A Prisoner of Zion is a Jew 
officially recognized by Israel for having been 
prevented from immigrating to Israel.) 
 
Maariv reported that the U.S. intends to ban imports of 
poultry from Israel beginning Wednesday.  The newspaper 
reported that a delegation from the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service 
visited Israel a month ago and found that Israeli 
poultry slaughtering facilities do not comply with U.S. 
standards and are unhygienic.  Saying that the USDA had 
suggested that Israel suspend its poultry exports to 
the U.S. on its own initiative, Maariv quoted an 
American source as saying: "We want to prevent 
unpleasantness from Israel." 
 
Israel Radio reported that last night in Los Angeles, 
Paradise Now won the Golden Globe Award for Best 
Foreign Award Film.  The movie, directed by Palestinian 
filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad and co-produced by Israel, 
among other countries, tells the story of two childhood 
friends from Nablus who are about to undertake a 
suicide mission in Tel Aviv. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Terrorism expert Dr. Boaz Ganor wrote in mass- 
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The social and 
economic agenda that flashed into the Israeli public's 
consciousness, and rightfully so, several weeks ago ... 
gives way to a security agenda." 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: 
"Someone who, like Olmert, supported the disengagement 
and sees himself as Ariel Sharon's heir cannot explain 
away his weakness on [rioting by settlers in Hebron] 
when confronted by a group of hooligans." 
 
Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized: "There is 
no justification for removing [the Jewish community of 
Hebron] from its land that, as everyone knows, is an 
indivisible part of the Jewish People's heritage." 
 
Very liberal columnist Gideon Levy wrote in Ha'aretz: 
"Still at hand is the Israeli occupation in its full 
cruelty and hopelessness, and apparently only America 
is capable of announcing its denouement.... The bad 
news is that there is no way George Bush will be this 
bold president." 
 
Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist 
Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post: "What American interest is 
served by the exacerbation of the Arab-Israeli conflict 
and the establishment of operational bases for 
international terrorism in the Middle East?" 
 
Hebrew University Political Science Prof. Shlomo 
Avineri, a former Foreign Ministry director-general, 
wrote in Yediot Aharonot: "[A majority of Israelis] 
have expressed the need to cope with the fact that both 
the Left and the Right have failed so far to find a 
solution in our relations with the Palestinians." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "On a Powder Keg " 
 
Terrorism expert Dr. Boaz Ganor wrote in mass- 
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (January 16): 
"The calm on the Palestinian front is making it 
possible for Israel, on the eve of elections, to behave 
like a normal country and place urgent economic and 
social issues at the top of the political agenda.  But 
we must not be deluded: the relative security calm is 
no more than a lull, which will not last for long.  In 
fact, Israel is simultaneously facing three strategic 
security threats that are among the most severe that it 
has known in the past decade -- chaos in the 
Palestinian Authority with an increase in Hamass 
strength, infiltration of the activity of global Jihad 
organizations into the boundaries of Israel and the 
territories, and Iranian acquisition of nuclear 
capability, accompanied by explicit threats against 
Israel.... The social and economic agenda that flashed 
into the Israeli public's consciousness, and rightfully 
so, several weeks ago, therefore gives way to a 
security agenda." 
 
II.  "Challenge of the Hebron Hooligans" 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized 
(January 16): "There is no doubt that Sunday's rioting 
[in Hebron] was intended to present Acting Prime 
Minister Ehud Olmert with the demand that the settlers 
in general, and the settlers of Hebron in particular, 
present to every prime minister, and in effect to every 
government: Leave the extremist enclave in Hebron 
outside the realm of any law.... This is the moment for 
Olmert and his government, however temporary, to do 
away with protests and denunciations, and to make it 
clear which is the government of Israel.... Someone 
who, like Olmert, supported the disengagement and sees 
himself as Ariel Sharon's heir cannot explain away his 
weakness on this matter when confronted by a group of 
hooligans." 
 
III.  "The Jews' Right in Hebron" 
 
Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized (January 
17): "The [Hebron] settlers' outcry that resounds in 
the ears of the Prime Minister [sic]: 'We won't be 
deported like sheep,' must make him reconsider his 
erroneous decision.  He must avoid harming the Jewish 
community in Hebron, the City of the Patriarchs.  There 
is no justification for removing it from its land that, 
as everyone knows, is an indivisible part of the Jewish 
People 's heritage.  The Prime Minister [sic] must view 
the City of Patriarchs with Jewish eyes." 
IV.  "One Little Telephone Call" 
Very liberal columnist Gideon Levy wrote in Ha'aretz 
(January 15): "The dismantling of several 'illegal' 
outposts in the West Bank, and even the exalted 
disengagement, were modest steps compared to what is 
really required.  Still at hand is the Israeli 
occupation in its full cruelty and hopelessness, and 
apparently only America is capable of announcing its 
denouement.  In light of the absolute dependence of the 
Israeli economy and army on the U.S., this is a 
possible mission -- were it not for the fact that the 
last president one could expect to do this is sitting 
in the White House.... It only remains to hope for a 
bold American president who will know how to overcome 
pressures from the powerful Jewish and Christian 
lobbies, who will understand that a true friend, 
concerned for the future of Israel, is only one who 
brings about the dismantling of all settlements, and 
that a fearless warrior against international terror, 
who truly wants to strike a blow against one of its 
important infrastructures, is only one who puts an end 
to the Israeli occupation of 38 years.  The good news 
is that this is possible.  The bad news is that there 
is no way George Bush will be this bold president.  He 
has already fulfilled his role in this region: he 
commended Ehud Olmert for his 'courage.'" 
 
 
 
¶V.  "A Question For President Bush" 
 
Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist 
Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post (January 17): "To date, by 
ostentatiously inviting Ehud Olmert to Washington ahead 
of the general elections, the Bush administration has 
made clear that it hopes to see him form the next 
government.  By pressuring Israel to allow Arab 
residents of its capital city to vote in the 
Palestinian elections next week -- notwithstanding 
Hamas's participation in the elections and a Fatah 
slate dominated by terrorists and led by convicted 
murderer Marwan Barghouti -- the Bush administration 
has made clear that it supports maximalist Palestinian 
territorial demands regarding Jerusalem and backs a 
Palestinian proto-state governed and dominated by 
active terrorist groups.  As Israelis ask just how far 
the Bush administration is planning to go in making 
itself an actor in our electoral process, the White 
House would be well advised to ask itself some hard 
questions of its own. It could start with this one: 
what American interest is served by the exacerbation of 
the Arab-Israeli conflict and the establishment of 
operational bases for international terrorism in the 
Middle East?" 
 
VI.  "The Way, Not the Man" 
 
Hebrew University Political Science Prof. Shlomo 
Avineri, a former Foreign Ministry director-general, 
wrote in Yediot Aharonot (January 17): "The majority of 
Israel's citizens -- between 65 and 70 percent -- who 
supported the disengagement were not homogeneous: there 
were people from the Right, who worried about Israel's 
fate as a Jewish state; and there were people from the 
Left, who supported any move that would put an end to 
at least part of the Israeli occupation.  Whatever the 
case may be -- and as there was a reasonable 
expectation that this was the beginning of a 
[diplomatic] path in the absence of a partner on the 
Palestinian side -- this is a public that has expressed 
the need to cope with the fact that both the Left and 
the Right have failed so far to find a solution in our 
relations with the Palestinians.  One can learn much 
from the fact, which surprised many people, that 
support for Kadima has not diminished despite Sharon's 
disappearance from the political scene.  This is a 
substantial makeover on Israel's political map; as 
Gaullism survived De Gaulle in France, the same will 
apparently happen to Sharon." 
 
-------------------------- 
¶2.  Iran: Nuclear Program: 
-------------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post 
editorialized: "Cutting off diplomatic ties ... in 
addition to the menu of sanctions that were imposed on 
Libya, would deal a devastating blow to the legitimacy 
of the Iranian regime." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Time For 'Libya-Plus' Sanctions on Iran" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post 
editorialized (January 17): "Iran is not Libya, Iraq, 
or North Korea.  It does not consider itself a pariah 
state, nor is it as self-isolated from the world. 
Though an oil exporter, Iran must import 40 percent of 
its refined fuel from abroad.  Cutting off diplomatic 
ties, scientific exchanges, and the right to 
participate in sports events, such as the 2006 World 
Cup, in addition to the menu of sanctions that were 
imposed on Libya, would deal a devastating blow to the 
legitimacy of the Iranian regime.   What matters most 
now is speed and seriousness.  Weak, lowest common 
denominator sanctions could be worse than nothing. If 
China or Russia are unwilling to allow the Security 
Council to impose a 'Libya-plus' sanctions package, the 
U.S., UK, France, and Germany should impose such 
sanctions as a group, and encourage all free nations to 
join them.  Iran is betting, even though it much weaker 
than the democracies it confronts, that the West will 
not have the will to stand up to its threats.  The UN 
may continue fail its own Charter by proving an 
obstacle to, rather than a vehicle for, such collective 
action.  But this is not a reason for free nations to 
allow a single rogue state to usher in a future of 
increasing terrorism and nuclear blackmail -- at best." 
 
JONES