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

311058Z Mar 06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 001261 
 
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.  Iraq 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
The major media bannered the killing of four Israelis 
in a suicide bombing last night in the West Bank.  A 
Palestinian who was apparently disguised as an ultra- 
Orthodox Jew hitchhiked a ride with an Israeli car and 
blew himself up at the entrance to the settlement of 
Kedumim.  Israel Radio reported that Fatah's Al Aqsa 
Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the 
bombing.  A Brigades operative speaking to Maariv's 
online service, NRG, identified the bomber as Hebron- 
born Ahmed Masharka, and threatened many more suicide 
bombers.  Leading media reported that the IDF responded 
with air, land, and sea assaults against targets in the 
areas from which Qassam rockets were launched on 
Thursday.  Yediot reported that on Thursday, Mofaz 
instructed the IDF to boost targeted assassinations. 
This morning, Israel Radio reported on an assassination 
attempt in Gaza against Abu Yusuf Guga, a senior leader 
of the Popular Resistance Committees.  It was unclear 
who stood behind the operation. 
 
Major media reported that Secretary of State 
Condoleezza Rice hinted during her visit to Berlin 
Thursday that the US would consider Israel's plans for 
additional territorial withdrawals.  Ha'aretz quoted 
Secretary Rice as saying: "I wouldn't on the face of it 
 
SIPDIS 
just say absolutely we don't think there's any value in 
what the Israelis are talking about."  Ha'aretz quoted 
Israeli and American officials as saying Thursday that 
Rice's statements seemed prepared in advance and 
crafted to avoid committing the U.S. to supporting 
unilateral Israeli measures, but also to put pressure 
on Hamas and the new Palestinian government. 
 
The media reported that Acting PM Ehud Olmert met 
Thursday with Assistant Secretary of State for Near 
Eastern Affairs David Welch and Deputy US National 
Security Advisor Elliott Abrams, who invited him to 
Washington in May.  Ha'aretz, which said that most of 
the talks focused on the Israeli elections results, 
reported that Olmert told the American officials: "Some 
[government] coalitions are more comfortable from a 
foreign-affairs perspective, while others are more 
comfortable in the area of economics."  Ha'aretz wrote 
that Welch and Abrams agreed during their talks in 
Jerusalem that there would be no contact with Hamas 
members in the PA.  They announced that the U.S. would 
not transfer money to the Hamas government or other 
Hamas agents, reiterating the government's commitment 
to the three conditions for Washington's recognition of 
the new Palestinian government: the renunciation of 
violence, the recognition of Israel and the commitment 
to previous agreements signed between Israel and the 
PA.  Ha'aretz reported that the American emissaries 
emphasized the importance to Washington of preventing a 
humanitarian crisis in the PA, hinting that pressure on 
Israel would intensify if conditions in the territories 
worsened.  Israel Radio quoted FM Tzipi Livni as saying 
on Thursday during a meeting with Welch and Abrams that 
the day the Hamas government was sworn in, Israel cut 
all ties with the PA, except humanitarian aid.  Leading 
media quoted FM Livni and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz 
as saying during meetings with the senior US officials 
that Israel views the PA as responsible for acts of 
terror, and it is clear that the Hamas government is 
not prepared to fight terrorism.  Mofaz and Livni were 
also quoted as saying that Israel intends to leave the 
passages with the Gaza Strip open.  Israel Radio quoted 
Mofaz as saying that this would not happen at the price 
of the lives of Israelis.  Hatzofe reported that 
information has reached Jerusalem that the US will soon 
"resume" humanitarian aid to the Palestinians through 
USAID and the UN Development Program.  Hatzofe cited 
the concern of Israeli officials that the funds would 
reach the Hamas government. 
 
All media reported that on Thursday, the Central 
Elections Committee (CEC) published the results of the 
elections, after the special votes (from soldiers, 
diplomats, and others) were counted -- in brackets, 
number of seats as made public on the day after the 
election: 
Kadima: 29 (28); Labor: 20; Shas: 12 (13); Likud: 12 
(11); Yisrael Beiteinu: 11 (12); National Union- 
National Religious Party 9: Pensioners' Party: 7; 
United Torah Judaism: 6; Meretz: 5 (4); Arab parties: 9 
(10) (Balad -- National Democratic Assembly: 3; Hadash: 
3; and United Arab List: 3 (4)).  The CEC will release 
its official announcement on April 5th.  Yediot quoted 
Olmert associates as saying that the two seats that 
Kadima and Meretz gained "increase the chance of 
withdrawals in the West Bank."  Hatzofe reported that 
the 17th Knesset will be sworn in on April 17, during 
Passover week.  Ha'aretz quoted Olmert as saying behind 
closed doors that he is leaning toward bringing Avigdor 
Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu into the coalition instead 
of Shas.  Ha'aretz noted that Olmert can form a 61-MK 
majority coalition without Shas that would support his 
convergence plan: Kadima-Labor-Pensioners' Party- 
Meretz. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that former Mossad chief Ephraim 
Halevy reveals, in a soon to be published book, "Man in 
the Shadows," that a few days before the failed 
assassination attempt on Hamas leader Khaled Mashal in 
Jordan in 1997, the late King Hussein conveyed an offer 
from the Hamas leadership to reach an understanding on 
a cease-fire for 30 years.  Halevy claims that the 
offer, intended for then-PM Binyamin Netanyahu and 
conveyed by a Mossad representative, reached Netanyahu 
only after the botched hit. 
 
Yediot and The Jerusalem Post reported that on 
Thursday, PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas called 
Olmert from South Africa and congratulated him on 
winning the elections.  The newspapers quoted Abbas as 
saying he hoped that Olmert would succeed in forming a 
coalition as soon as possible.  Both newspapers wrote 
that the call was not followed by an announcement of 
any plans for a meeting.  Israel Radio reported that 
Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh wrote in the British 
daily The Guardian that Olmert's unilateralism is a 
recipe for conflict. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Kadima Knesset Member-designate 
and former Shin Bet head Avi Dichter wrote in an 
analysis paper released in Washington and co-authored 
with American researcher Daniel Byman under the 
auspices of the Saban Center for Middle East policy- 
Brookings Institution, that in its fight against 
Palestinian terrorism, Israeli intelligence is 
especially interested in couriers -- the envoys who 
convey messages between underground cells. 
The Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli archaeologists as 
saying that the main road that ran from Jerusalem's 
City of David to the Temple Mount during the time of 
the Second Temple has been uncovered. 
 
Yediot reported that PM Sharon is expected to be 
transferred in two weeks from Hadassah University 
Hospital, Ein Karem, in Jerusalem, to the 
rehabilitation hospital in the Sheba Medical Center at 
Tel Hashomer, in the Tel Aviv area. 
 
Ha'aretz (English Ed.) reported that results from the 
mock Israeli elections that took place among 8,500 
students on campuses across the US last week gave the 
Likud Party control of the government with 44 Knesset 
seats -- about four times what the Israeli electorate 
gave that party.  The newspaper wrote that with an 
estimated 400,000 Jewish college students in the US, 
the number of online voted reflects only a very small 
percentage of the student body. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "However 
regrettable it may be, the Americans have no answers 
that extend beyond the range of immediate events." 
 
Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "The US 
opposes unilateral moves and supports the bilateral 
approach based on the Roadmap.  But this should be 
seen, at most, as an opening position." 
 
Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in 
Ha'aretz: "[Olmert's] national leadership skills will 
be tested by how well he keeps his promises to end the 
occupation." 
 
Senior columnist Nahum Barnea and diplomatic 
correspondent Shimon Shiffer wrote in mass-circulation, 
pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The Labor Party is [Ehud 
Olmert's] preferred partner.  From this standpoint, at 
least, he is following in Sharon's footsteps." 
 
Editorial Page Editor Saul Singer wrote in The 
Jerusalem Post: "If there is sadness to this election, 
it is because of the sense of impotence that Israel's 
news strategy brings when stripped of its global 
context." 
 
Columnist Khaled Abu Toameh wrote in The Jerusalem 
Post: "Olmert, like the rest of the world, will have to 
decide which authority he must deal with -- the 
'irrelevant' one led by Abbas or the 'video-conference' 
Hamas government." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "March Madness" 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (March 31): "The 
question now on the agenda is how to deal with 
Hamas.... However regrettable it may be, the Americans 
have no answers that extend beyond the range of 
immediate events.  During Ehud Olmert's visit to the 
United States -- he has already been invited by the 
President, but probably no date will be set before some 
progress is made in forming the new coalition -- the 
sides will discuss seriously, and in fact for the first 
time, the long-term options that are available.  The 
talks will go beyond trying to resolve current problems 
and extinguishing the small fires that distract the 
leaders' attention from the greater vision." 
 
II.  "Keep Steady Now" 
 
Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (March 31): 
"The US opposes unilateral moves and supports the 
bilateral approach based on the Roadmap.  But this 
should be seen, at most, as an opening position.... 
Only after a mechanism of assisting the Palestinians is 
put in place and the PA's economy is stabilized will 
the US begin to deal with the greater question of 
whether there is any way to revive the Roadmap and push 
for bilateral negotiations, or whether that phase is 
gone forever and it is time to examine Olmert's 
unilateral ideas." 
 
III.  "Go Olmert Go -- Part II" 
 
Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in 
Ha'aretz (March 31): "Kadima didn't get what it wanted, 
but it is still Israel's No. 1 party.... Olmert has a 
majority for putting together a peace government and 
continuing Sharon's legacy.   I see all these gloomy 
faces around me, and I don't understand why.   Kadima 
is a party that came out of nowhere.... But this party 
has made history.... As someone who has never been in a 
front-line leadership position at any stage in his 
political career, now is the time for Olmert to show 
what he's made of.... Olmert is a smart, intelligent 
guy, and an experienced Knesset member, minister, 
mayor, and political activist.  As the stand-in for a 
comatose prime minister, he played it low-key and 
cautious.  From now on, things will not be easy.  His 
national leadership skills will be tested by how well 
he keeps his promises to end the occupation.  I said it 
last week, and there's not much more I can do but say 
it again: Go, Olmert, go." 
 
IV.  "The First Olmert Government" 
 
Senior columnist Nahum Barnea and diplomatic 
correspondent Shimon Shiffer wrote in mass-circulation, 
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (March 31): "The Labor Party 
is [Ehud Olmert's] preferred partner.  From this 
standpoint, at least, he is following in Sharon's 
footsteps.  He is convinced that the Labor Party is 
closest to his foreign policy plan (Peretz agrees with 
him on this point), and be believes that its senior 
members are also close to him in their economic and 
social views....  [Foreign Minister Tzipi] Livni truly 
believes in disengagement.... Israel's governmental 
culture is based on rivalry: Everyone barricades 
himself in his own territory.  This is particularly 
prominent in the relations with the US: The Prime 
Minister on his own, the Foreign Ministry on its own, 
the Defense Ministry and the army on their own.  Livni 
hopes to break this circle of folly." 
 
¶V.  "Converging on Containment" 
Editorial Page Editor Saul Singer wrote in The 
Jerusalem Post (March 31): "Neither a containment 
strategy nor a more realistic victory strategy makes 
sense outside the context of the West's global war to 
defeat the Islamist Jihad.  If America is losing its 
war, our containment won't work; if America is winning, 
containment is not ambitious enough.  If there is 
sadness to this election, it is because of the sense of 
impotence that Israel's news strategy brings when 
stripped of its global context.... Our challenge now is 
to work to integrate our private containment approach 
with a global victory strategy that provides a 
realistic basis for hope and peace." 
 
¶V.  "Burning Issues" 
 
Columnist Khaled Abu Toameh wrote in The Jerusalem Post 
(March 31): "Abbas and some Fatah officials may be 
sincere about their desire to return to the negotiating 
table, but the sounds emerging from the parliament 
chamber on Tuesday, during the vote of confidence, do 
not seem to offer any hope, at least not in the 
foreseeable future.  'Jihad is our path and the Koran 
is our constitution, Allah akbar!' was only one of the 
battle cries sounded by dozens of defiant Hamas 
legislators and ministers.  Abbas did appear, earlier 
in the week, to stand firm against the new Hamas 
cabinet's political program.... Olmert, like the rest 
of the world, will have to decide which authority he 
must deal with -- the 'irrelevant' one led by Abbas or 
the 'video-conference' Hamas government, whose West 
Bank ministers and leaders are, for the time being, 
using public transportation to commute between cities 
and villages." 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iraq: 
--------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev 
Schiff wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: 
"The strategic problem turns into the question of the 
cheapest way to withdraw." 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"The Wrong War" 
 
Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev 
Schiff wrote in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz 
(March 31): "Are the Americans winning the war in Iraq, 
or losing?  From the Six-Day War we learned that even a 
sweeping military victory does not always end the 
military confrontation, when the victorious forces 
remain as occupation forces.  From the Lebanon War we 
learned that a prolonged stay in the field turns 
yesterday's supporters into enemies, and the strategic 
problem turns into the question of the cheapest way to 
withdraw.... An important test will be whether the 
disintegration of Iraq into three entities, and an 
ensuing civil war, will be prevented.... [However,] the 
Iraqi government is on a democratic path.  Saddam 
Hussein has been overthrown, and weapons of mass 
destruction were eliminated even before the war.  One 
of these days, Iraq will once again be a regional power 
-- on condition that it does not fall under the 
influence of Shi'ite Iran." 
 
JONES