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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TEL AVIV 001178 
 
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.  US-Israel Relations 
 
--------------- 
Election polls: 
--------------- 
 
A Yediot/Mina Zemach (Dahaf Institute) poll held this 
week: 
-"Were elections for the Knesset held today, for whom 
would you vote?"  (Results in Knesset seats -- in 
brackets, results of last week's poll.) 
-Kadima 36 (39); Labor Party 21 (19); Likud 14 (15); 
Shas 11 (11); Yisrael Beiteinu 11 (10); National Union- 
National Religious Party 9 (8); Arab parties 7 (8); 
Meretz 6 (4); United Torah Judaism 5 (6). 
-Yediot says that 35 percent of the public do not 
intend to cast their votes. 
 
Maariv printed the results of a TNS/Teleseker Polling 
Institute survey: 
-"Were elections for the Knesset held today, for whom 
would you vote?"  (Results in Knesset seats -- in 
brackets, results of last week's poll.) 
--Kadima 37 (39); Labor Party 21 (20); Likud 14 (15); 
National Union-National Religious Party 11 (8-9); 
Yisrael Beiteinu 10 (8); Shas 9 (9-10); Arab parties 7- 
9 (9); United Torah Judaism 5 (5); Meretz 5 (6). 
 
The Jerusalem Post published the results of a Smith 
Institute poll conducted for the newspaper: 
-"Were elections for the Knesset held today, for whom 
would you vote?"  (Results in Knesset seats -- in 
brackets, results of last week's poll.) 
-Kadima 34 (36-37); Labor Party 19-20 (18-19); Likud 15 
(15); Shas 11 (9-10); Yisrael Beiteinu 10-11 (9-10); 
National Union-National Religious Party 10 (9-10); Arab 
parties 9 (9-10); United Torah Judaism 5-6 (5-6); 
Meretz 5 (5); 
 
Hatzofe printed the results (in Knesset seats) of a 
poll conducted for the newspaper by Prof. Yitzhak 
Katz's Maagar Mohot Institute: 
-Kadima 34; Labor Party 20 ; Likud 15; Shas 8; Yisrael 
Beiteinu 1; National Union-National Religious Party 7; 
Meretz 6-7; Pensioners' Party 2.; 
 
Maariv reported that an internal Likud poll conducted 
among 450,000 "historical" Likud members registered 
since 1992 found that most of them will vote for 
Kadima, Shas, and various right-wing parties in 
Tuesday's elections. 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that next Wednesday, Deputy 
US National Security Advisor Elliott and Assistant 
Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch 
 
SIPDIS 
are scheduled to arrive in the region for three days of 
talks in Israel and the PA.  The Jerusalem Post quoted 
US diplomatic officials as saying that now that the 
elections were coming to a close, the visibility of the 
US diplomatic role would increase.  The Jerusalem Post 
reported that James Wolfensohn, the Quartet's special 
Middle East envoy, is scheduled to arrive Monday for 
three days of meetings. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Thursday, the 
Defense Ministry met with a team of US defense 
officials for a round of strategic talks based on a 
memorandum of understanding signed between Israel and 
the US in 1987.  The newspaper wrote that the talks 
take place once a year and focus on cooperation in arms 
development and production. 
 
All media (leading stories in Yediot and Ha'aretz) 
quoted Acting PM Ehud Olmert as saying on Thursday that 
FM Tzipi Livni will become deputy prime minister should 
Kadima win next week's elections.  Olmert was also 
quoted as saying that Livni could retain the foreign 
ministry portfolio should she want to do so.  Speaking 
on Israel Radio this morning, a senior Kadima member 
said that Shimon Peres would play an important role in 
the government's foreign policy if Kadima won the 
elections. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted Likud Chairman MK Binyamin 
Netanyahu as saying Thursday at a campaign rally that 
the Right could still win enough support to prevent 
Olmert from forming a coalition.  His remarks came 
after Olmert limited Kadima's prospective coalition 
partners to parties that accept his plan to withdraw 
unilaterally from most of the West Bank.   However, 
Minister-without-Portfolio Tzachi Hanegbi, who is 
considered Kadima's most rightwing candidate,  was 
quoted as saying in an interview with The Jerusalem 
Post that even the Likud would end up joining a 
government led by Olmert, and that he did not think 
Olmert had veered from the path that PM Sharon had 
intended to follow.  Maariv quoted Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, 
the Shas party's spiritual mentor, as saying that 
Israelis voting for Kadima will "go to hell."  The 
newspaper cited a response from Kadima that Rabbi 
Yosef's remarks will cause Shinui voters to move to 
Kadima.  Israel Radio cited a denial by Yosef 
associates. 
 
PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas was quoted as 
saying Wednesday in an interview with Ha'aretz that a 
peace deal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
Abbas was quoted as saying that he had proposed to the 
US to open covert negotiations for a final status 
settlement.  The talks would be spearheaded by 
President George Bush, after the new Israeli government 
is set up.  Abbas was quoted as saying that he had also 
raised the idea at a meeting with Shimon Peres (Kadima) 
two weeks ago in Jordan.  However, Ha'aretz quoted a 
senior Palestinian source as saying that Bush had not 
responded to Abbas's suggestion to pressure the new 
Israeli government to abandon its unilateral policy and 
resume the peace process.  Abbas was quoted as saying 
that the Hamas government would not stop him from 
negotiating with Israel and that if both sides reached 
an agreement, he would be the one to sign it and if 
necessary, would even put it to a referendum. He was 
quoted as saying that he would act to moderate Hamas 
and that at least one Hamas minister told him he would 
be ready to talk to Israel on ministerial issues. 
Abbas reportedly said he feared Israel was not 
interested in negotiations and was avoiding them under 
the pretext of having no Palestinian partner. 
Addressing the Israeli voter Abbas reportedly said, 
"These are historic times.  I can assure you that you 
have a peace partner.  Perhaps this is the last chance 
to give both our nations the right to live safely.  The 
future generations would not forgive us if we pass it 
up." 
The Jerusalem Post reported that FM Livni phoned Paul 
Wolfowitz, Wolfensohn's successor as president of the 
World Bank, and asked for the bank's involvement in 
encouraging poultry growers in Gaza to immediately 
destroy their infected fowl.  The newspaper said that 
Livni's call came amid growing Israeli concern that 
without international intervention -- both in 
compensating the farmers and physically helping them 
destroy the poultry -- the necessary steps to stop the 
spread of bird flu would not be taken.  Israel Radio 
cited suspicions raised by Agriculture Minister Zeev 
Boim that cases of bird flu broke out in the PA several 
weeks ago, but that the PA pretended that those were 
occurrence of Newcastle disease.  Yediot cited the 
concern of the Agriculture Ministry that if the 
Palestinians do not destroy enough fowl, the virus 
could break out again in Israel.  Israel Radio reported 
on full Israel-PA cooperation on the matter of bird flu 
at this time.  The radio reported that bird flu has 
reached Jordan.  Israel Radio reported that FM Livni 
asked UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to help eradicate 
bird flu in the PA. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the regime of restrictions on 
movement imposed by Israel on the Palestinians has 
divided the West Bank into dozens of closed or 
partially closed enclaves isolated from each other 
despite their geographical proximity.  The newspaper 
wrote that permanent and mobile checkpoints, along with 
physical barriers of various kinds, fenced-off main 
roads, and limitations on Palestinian traffic on east- 
west and north-south arteries, have cut off direct 
transportation links between areas of the West Bank. 
The newspaper concluded that a new geographic, social 
and economic reality has emerged in the West Bank. 
 
Israel Radio reported that two Qassam rockets were 
fired at the western Negev last night.  There were no 
injuries or damage. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Harvard University has decided 
to remove its logo from a study by Professor Stephen 
Walt of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and 
Professor John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago 
that denounces the pro-Israel lobby's impact on 
American foreign policy, in order to distance itself 
from the study's conclusions.   Ha'aretz also wrote 
that Harvard University appended a more strongly worded 
disclaimer to the study, stating that it reflects the 
views of its authors only.  The former disclaimer said 
merely that the study "does not necessarily" reflect 
the university's views. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted Ernst Uhrlau, President of 
the German Foreign Intelligence Service, as telling an 
American Jewish Committee delegation in Berlin on 
Thursday: "More than ever, Israel and Europe are a 
single risk area caught in the crosshairs of 
international terrorism." 
 
Yediot reported that the PA's Hamas government will be 
sworn in on Monday. 
 
Yediot cited a delegation of Jews of Libyan origin as 
saying, following talks in Tripoli with Libyan cabinet 
ministers, that Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi will 
provide compensation to the Jews who fled Libya, and 
that negotiations on the matter will begin in one 
month.  Yediot quoted Rami Kahlon, the President of the 
Israel-based World Organization of Libyan Jews, as 
saying that recent talks with Libyan officials are 
meant to please Europe and the US. 
 
Maariv reported that over the past year, Israel's 
Consulate General conducted seminars with students from 
Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and San Jose State 
University in order to acquaint them with Israeli high- 
tech's success stories. 
 
Israel Radio cited the Israeli software security 
company Check Point as saying Thursday that it will 
withdraw its USD 225-million proposal to acquire 
Sourcefire, a smaller US rival.  The radio said that 
that the USG vetoed the planned deal for reasons of 
national security. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: " Less than a 
week before the elections in Israel, the US seems to 
have all but forgotten about them." 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: 
"Anyone who admires the courage demonstrated by Ehud 
Olmert ... should vote for Kadima, or for Labor or 
Meretz, both of which support an additional 
withdrawal." 
 
Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev 
Schiff wrote in Ha'aretz: "The mistake that was made 
before the PA elections, and the criticism of 
Washington [by Israeli officials], is spilled milk." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "No Great Expectations" 
 
Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (March 24): 
"Less than a week before the elections in Israel, the 
US seems to have all but forgotten about them.  The 
American media hardly mentions the Israeli democratic 
process, and the issue is rarely raised in 
administration briefings.  The election whose results 
are likely to lead to Israel making one of his most 
historic decisions -- to determine its borders -- is 
almost unnoticed in the capital of the free world.... 
The reason for the lack of interest in Washington is 
the sense that these elections won't make much of a 
difference.  The victory of Hamas in the Palestinian 
elections shut the door on any American-led Middle East 
peace initiative and buried any remaining Roadmap.... 
Another reason for American apathy may have to do with 
Israel's political leaders not making much of an 
attempt to bring either US public opinion or American 
Jewish donations into these elections." 
 
II.  "Yes, It Is a Referendum" 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (March 
24): "Binyamin Netanyahu defined the upcoming elections 
as a referendum on the future of the West Bank, and 
this is indeed how they should be viewed.  Anyone who 
wants to perpetuate Israel's control over the 
Palestinian people should vote for one of the parties 
on the right.  Anyone who admires the courage 
demonstrated by Ehud Olmert, who presented the voters 
with his plan for a withdrawal from most of the West 
Bank and a corresponding evacuation of settlements, and 
even promised that his coalition will include only 
parties that promise in writing to support the 
withdrawal, should vote for Kadima, or for Labor or 
Meretz, both of which support an additional 
withdrawal.... Any apathy toward the elections, or any 
sense of being above it all, any self-indulgence, 
immature attitudes toward democracy or quests for an 
unattainable political ideal, could easily lead to 
victory for the right, whose voters are more vigilant - 
especially when what is at stake is a government 
committed to withdrawal." 
 
III.  "A Mistake Under US Duress" 
 
Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev 
Schiff wrote in Ha'aretz (March 24): "Israel repeatedly 
blames Abbas for the rise of Hamas, but Israel has a 
part in it; although it wanted Fatah to return to 
power, it provided the movement with only minimal 
assistance.  The Hamas victory has led to another 
phenomenon -- harsh criticism of the US administration 
on the part of senior political figures who are 
speaking on condition of anonymity.  And much criticism 
is also coming from professional entities such as 
[Israel's] intelligence services.  They are speaking 
angrily about capitulation in the face of the 
Americans, who adopted a tone of issuing a directive. 
In meetings that were held, US representatives said 
that President George W. Bush's instructions were to 
allow anyone who wanted to participate in democratic 
elections to do so, 'and this directive will be 
followed!'  Now, they are saying that it's a shame that 
Israel did not find the courage to reject the American 
'advice.'  The critics should recall that neither 
Israel nor Washington uttered any criticism when Abbas 
promised Hamas members to include them in the elections 
under their terms, and even promised that when it came 
to the issue of the refugees, he would support the 
Hamas demand that they be allowed to return to their 
homes and their property.  The agreement to a period of 
calm was a heady elixir for Israel, too.... The mistake 
that was made before the PA elections, and the 
criticism of Washington, is spilled milk.  Now we have 
to reduce the damage and examine the various 
possibilities. Washington is not pleased with the Hamas 
victory either, and wants to bring about a change in 
the situation, in spite of the fact that it was 
determined through democratic elections." 
 
------------------------ 
¶2.  US-Israel Relations: 
------------------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Columnist Tom Segev wrote in independent, left-leaning 
Ha'aretz: "One gets the impression that [American 
Professors Stephen] Walt and [John] Mearsheimer attack 
U.S. support for Israel because they don't like 
President Bush." 
 
Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist 
Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post: "On the eve of Israel's 
elections, Israelis should be deeply concerned about 
the state of our relations with the United States." 
 
Daniel Levy, the lead Israeli drafter of the Geneva 
Initiative, who served as a negotiator with the 
Palestinians, wrote in Ha'aretz: "Defending the 
occupation has done to the American pro-Israel 
community what living as an occupier has done to Israel 
-- muddied both its moral compass and its rational self- 
interest compass." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "The Protocols of Harvard and Chicago" 
 
Columnist Tom Segev wrote in independent, left-leaning 
Ha'aretz (March 24): "What begins as an attack on 
Israel and its lobby, soon turns out to be part of a 
domestic debate: One gets the impression that [American 
Professors Stephen] Walt and [John] Mearsheimer attack 
U.S. support for Israel because they don't like 
President Bush.  One can understand them.  Apparently, 
they won't be angry if the Israel lobby decides that 
Bush is bad for Israel, and works against him.  Nor 
would they be opposed if someone were to convince the 
administration to force Israel to withdraw from the 
territories.  They are right: Had the United States 
saved Israel from itself, life today would be better. 
Therefore, the authors are also correct in the most 
important argument in their essay, which unfortunately 
is too incidental: The Israel lobby in the US harms 
Israel's true interests.... Now there is great 
excitement there in America on account of this essay, 
but maybe not really.  Israel's influence is based on 
an ancient anti-Semitic myth about the Jews who rule 
the world.  This is a myth that is self-fulfilling as 
long as the world believes in it: If you shatter it, 
you have eliminated Israel's influence.  From that 
point of view, Walt and Mearsheimer are doing the 
Israel lobby a good service." 
 
II.  "The Jewish Threat" 
 
Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist 
Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post (March 24): "On the eve of 
Israel's elections, Israelis should be deeply concerned 
about the state of our relations with the United 
States.... If it does nothing else, [American 
Professors] Walt and Mearsheimer's screed proves the 
absolute stupidity of the claim that Israeli land 
giveaways and expulsions of Israelis from their homes 
increase international sympathy and support for Israel. 
Their article not only gives Israel no credit for 
coming to the brink of civil war this summer when it 
ethnically cleansed Gaza of Jews in the hopes of 
appeasing international opinion, it claims that Israel 
intended to bring about Hamas's electoral victory in 
January in order to force the US to continue to support 
it..... Finally, Walt and Mearsheimer's decision to 
publish their essay points to Israel's desperate need 
for a leader who understands international politics 
generally and American politics specifically.... Today 
there is only one Israeli leader capable of rebuilding 
Israel's standing in the international community 
generally and in American society particularly.  We 
have only one leader who is capable of bringing about a 
renewed delegitimization of views like those expressed 
in Walt and Mearsheimer's essay.  His name is Binyamin 
Netanyahu." 
 
III.  "So Pro-Israel That It Hurts" 
 
Daniel Levy, the lead Israeli drafter of the Geneva 
Initiative, who served as a negotiator with the 
Palestinians, wrote in Ha'aretz (March 24): "The new 
John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt study of 'The Israel 
Lobby [AIPAC] and US Foreign Policy' should serve as a 
wake-up call, on both sides of the ocean.... Defending 
the occupation has done to the American pro-Israel 
community what living as an occupier has done to Israel 
-- muddied both its moral compass and its rational self- 
interest compass.... Avoidance of candid discussion 
might make good sense to the Lobby, but it is unlikely 
to either advance Israeli interests or the U.S.-Israel 
relationship.  Some talking points for this coming 
debate can already be suggested: First, efforts to 
collapse the Israeli and neoconservative agendas into 
one have been a terrible mistake.... Second, Israel 
would do well to distance itself from our so-called 
'friends' on the Christian evangelical right.... Third, 
Israel must not be party to the bullying tactics used 
to silence policy debate in the US and the McCarthyite 
policing of academia by set-ups like Daniel Pipes' 
Campus Watch.... Fourth, the Lobby even denies Israel a 
luxury that so many other countries benefit from: of 
having the excuse of external encouragement to do 
things that are domestically tricky but nationally 
necessary.... In short, if Israel is indeed entering a 
new era of national sanity and de-occupation, then the 
role of the Lobby in U.S.-Israel relations will have to 
be rethought, and either reformed from within or 
challenged from without." 
 
JONES