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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 000881 
 
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: 
------------------------- 
 
Maariv and Ha'aretz led with developments on the 
political scene.  The media reported that Likud Party 
Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu's proposal to have the 
party's central committee hold primaries to select its 
Knesset slate was successful.  Ha'aretz reported that 
senior Kadima officials expressed concern last night 
over the party's continued slide in public opinion 
polls, as Ha'aretz said that the party was hurt by the 
publication of Acting PM Ehud Olmert's real estate 
deals (see results of Ha'aretz poll below). 
 
The media reported that an Israeli from Netanya was 
shot and wounded near Qalqilya, further to the murder 
of a settler from Migdalim next to the settlement. 
Israel Radio reported that this morning an Israeli man 
was stabbed and wounded in the Atarot industrial zone 
in northern Jerusalem.  The Jerusalem Post's web site 
quoted Olmert as saying this morning that Israel would 
use an "iron fist" against terror, and wouldn't place 
any restrictions on security forces in their fight 
against terrorism. 
 
Yediot reported that the GOI's anti-terror HQ has 
intensified its travel warnings for Israelis, telling 
them not to visit any Arab country, particularly Egypt 
and Jordan, following alerts about reported intentions 
of terrorist organizations associated with global jihad 
to carry out attacks against Israeli targets.  Israel 
Radio quoted PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas as 
saying that he has evidence that Al Qaida operates in 
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted Abbas as saying Wednesday that he 
intends to transfer broad security powers to the future 
Hamas government, including the national defense 
branch, preventive security, the civilian police, and 
civil defense.  Israel Radio quoted a senior PA source 
associated with Abbas that the US is pressuring Abbas 
to restore full powers to the PA's National Security 
Council as the supreme body concentrating all the PA's 
security branches.  The source was quoted as saying 
that the US hopes that thus Hamas will not have a grip 
on the PA's security forces.  The radio further quoted 
the source as saying that should a Hamas-led government 
contravene the terms of the mandate it receives from 
Abbas, Fatah and Abbas would depose that government. 
Israel Radio quoted Khaled Mashal, the head of Hamas's 
political bureau, as saying in an interview with the 
Egyptian daily Al-Ahram that the Palestinians expect 
unilateral measures from Israel, because diplomatic 
initiatives presented to Israel have not brought forth 
the desired results. 
 
Ha'aretz and Israel Radio reported that Labor Party 
Chairman Amir Peretz will meet with Abbas in Jericho 
today. 
 
Israel Radio quoted Deputy State Department Spokesman 
¶J. Adam Ereli as saying Wednesday that Iran's statement 
that there is no need to seek a moratorium on uranium 
enrichment is a "move in the wrong direction." 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the involvement of 
Dubai Ports World, the company chosen to manage six US 
seaports, in the Arab boycott against Israel has drawn 
sharp criticism in the US Congress and may hamper the 
attempts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to improve 
its trade ties with the US.  Ha'aretz reported that the 
Anti-Defamation League urged the USG not to approve the 
contract with Dubai Ports World until the UAE announces 
it is putting an end to its boycott of Israel. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Wednesday, Hamas 
vowed to punish PA officials in Fatah who are involved 
in land theft in the former settlements of the Gaza 
Strip. 
 
All media reported on President Bush's surprise visit 
to Afghanistan on Wednesday. 
 
Major media reported that on Wednesday, State 
Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss cleared Olmert of any 
wrongdoing regarding the sale of his Jerusalem home. 
 
All media quoted Defense Minster Shaul Mofaz and 
Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra as saying on 
Wednesday before the parliamentary commission of 
inquiry into the events surrounding the evacuation of 
the Amona outpost that the IDF and police will not be 
the commission's "punching bag." 
 
Ha'aretz reported that leading Democratic and 
Republican politicians, representing minority groups, 
will meet Friday in Washington to discuss a plan to 
enlist support for Israel's hard-line position toward 
Hamas from Hispanic and Black members of Congress. 
Ha'aretz reported that on Wednesday, the Jewish- 
American group Israel Policy Forum, urged members of 
the US Congress to thwart a draft resolution that 
provides for the interdiction of assistance to the PA 
and the definition of cooperation with the PA as a 
violation of the law. 
 
Maariv reported that in an announcement referring to 
the "State of Israel," and not the "Zionist entity" as 
usual, Iran responded to attacks made by Israeli 
President Moshe Katsav in an interview with the Greek 
paper Kathimerini during his recent visit to Greece 
against the Iranian nuclear program.  Iran cited the 
Israeli nuclear program in great detail. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted National Infrastructure Minister Roni 
Bar-On as saying Wednesday in the Knesset plenum that 
Israel might agree to supply electricity and water to 
the Palestinians in exchange for natural gas from 
British Gas. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio quoted Olmert as 
telling Kadima supporters in Rishon Letzion on 
Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is 
committed to Israel and that he would fall in line with 
the international stance against Hamas. 
 
Ha'aretz and Hatzofe reported that Bar-Ilan University 
will award an honorary doctorate to former first lady, 
Senator Hillary Clinton.  Professor Moshe Kaveh, 
President of Bar-Ilan University, will make the 
presentation in New York on Sunday. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Defense Minister DG Yaakov 
(Kobi) Toren told reporters on Wednesday that his 
ministry began reissuing export permits to China a few 
months ago.  Toren was quoted as saying that the 
permits, which were issued in coordination with the US, 
allow Israeli companies to negotiate with Chinese 
companies over the sale of Israeli military products. 
Toren confirmed that the ministry wanted to create a 
department to coordinate security-related exports with 
the defense and trade and industry ministries. He was 
quoted as saying that the idea is for the department to 
be under the DG of the Defense Ministry, and emphasized 
that it would not supercede existing mechanisms for 
approving security exports, the main one of which is 
SIBAT, the Foreign Defense Assistance and Defense 
Export Organization.  Toren denied any American 
pressure to create the new body. 
 
Leading media reported that families of Israelis killed 
in Palestinian suicide bombings have collected 32,000 
signatures on a petition to remove "Paradise Now" from 
the Academy Awards competition, saying the film 
glorifies terrorism.  Ha'aretz cited an AP dispatch, 
according to which the academy declined to comment on 
the petition.  Yediot reported that Hany Abu-Assad, the 
Palestinian director of the movie, told the newspaper 
that Israelis are the terrorists, not the suicide 
bombers. 
 
Yediot quoted police officials as saying that a senior 
police officer from Tel Aviv inflated the situation of 
crime in Israel in reports to U.S. officials, thus 
leading to this week's travel warning issued by the 
U.S. State Department. 
 
Channel 10-TV and Ha'aretz published the results of a 
survey conducted by Prof. Camil Fuchs of the Amanet 
Group's Dialogue Institute: 
-"Were elections for the Knesset held today, for whom 
would you vote?"  (Results in Knesset seats -- in 
brackets, results of poll conducted on February 23.) 
-Kadima 37 (39); Labor Party 19 (19); Likud 15 (14); 
National Union-National Religious Party 11 (11); Shas 
10 (9); Arab parties 9 (9); United Torah Judaism 6 (7); 
Yisrael Beiteinu 7 (7); Meretz 6 (5). 
 
Maariv printed the results of a TNS/Teleseker Polling 
Institute survey conducted Wednesday evening -- before 
the Likud Central Committee meeting -- which shows an 
increase in support for the Likud: 
-"Were elections for the Knesset held today, for whom 
would you vote?"  (Results in Knesset seats.) 
-Kadima 39; Labor Party 21; Likud 18 (15 last week); 
National Union-National Religious Party 9; Shas 9; 
Yisrael Beiteinu 7; Arab parties 7 to 9; Meretz 5; 
United Torah Judaism 5. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "All the [Israeli] 
governments, from all the parties, fought to slow down 
the [diplomatic] process, and all gave up more than 
they wanted and invested wasted billions in the 
settlements.  That will also happen to Olmert if he 
doesn't dare to take the initiative." 
 
Liberal op-ed writer Ofer Shelach commented in the lead 
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot 
Aharonot: "It is obvious where the chaos and hardship 
in the PA and the increasing pressure employed by 
Israel are leading us.  Hungry and desperate 
Palestinians have more of a tendency to terror." 
 
Political scientist Dr. Menachem Klein, a senior member 
of the Geneva Initiative, who is presently on a 
sabbatical at MIT, wrote in Ha'aretz: "[Kadima and 
Hamas] are interested in ad-hoc unilateral 
arrangements.... Could such a coalition hold water?  It 
appears that it wouldn't." 
 
Nationalist writer Uri Dan commented in popular, 
pluralist Maariv: "The [Israeli] defense establishment 
must ... prevent future sliding into war." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "Seize the Opportunity" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (March 2): "This is 
Olmert's opportunity to shake off old ways.  Instead of 
pleading with [Palestinian Prime Minister-designate] 
Ismail Haniyeh to accept Oslo, Hamas's victory can be 
exploited to impose the two-state solution.  The 
Palestinians want freedom?  Go ahead.  Israel will 
announce that within a year it is giving up all 
responsibility for Gaza.  No workers, no taxes, no 
electricity, no water.  Let the Palestinians organize 
themselves to receive those services from Egypt, build 
a deep sea port and airport, and take the risk of a 
harsh reaction if the terror continues.  In the West 
Bank, Israel will withdraw to the fence, and announce 
its readiness to negotiate any remaining border 
disputes.  It sounds frightening, but in the north, 
Israel faced Syria and Hizbullah, which are a lot more 
heavily armed than the Palestinians and no less 
hostile, without controlling them through banks and 
food.  And they are not shooting.  For nearly two 
decades, since the first Intifada, Israel has been 
conducting rearguard action for control over the 
territories against a Palestinian uprising and terror 
as well as international pressure to withdraw.  All the 
governments, from all the parties, fought to slow down 
the process, and all gave up more than they wanted and 
invested wasted billions in the settlements.  That will 
also happen to Olmert if he doesn't dare to take the 
initiative." 
 
 
 
 
II.  "War Is On the Way" 
 
Liberal op-ed writer Ofer Shelach commented in the lead 
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot 
Aharonot (March 2): "Very quietly, after all, nobody 
wants to be the one to bring bad news -- particularly 
not on the eve of elections -- the numbers are 
beginning to indicate the return of violence.... It is 
obvious to all that Hamas, the only party in the 
territories capable of waging such a campaign, is being 
quiet so far.  That is in its interest, at least until 
it establishes its regime.  And the Israeli government 
has no interest in cracking the illusion that 'we have 
found the solution to terror' and the so easily 
understandable yearning of its citizens, who hoped that 
quiet had come.  But even if we ignore the data showing 
a clear rise in the number of incidents, even if we 
don't count the Palestinians killed -- and we never 
count them, after all: according to the security theory 
prevailing here there is no connection between what we 
do and the level of terror -- even if we don't do all 
that, it is obvious where the chaos and hardship in the 
PA and the increasing pressure employed by Israel are 
leading us.  Hungry and desperate Palestinians have 
more of a tendency to terror.... In September 2000 all 
Israelis were convinced that Arafat had ordered the 
outbreak of the second Intifada, a narrative that not 
everyone in the security establishment agreed with, but 
which was marketed energetically by the government and 
its spokespeople.  In the summer of 2006, there is no 
Arafat, and it is very unlikely that there is anybody 
who cares what exactly is happening here.  Just like in 
the previous round, very little will be achieved and 
not many things will be of true importance -- except 
for the fact that people on both sides will die." 
 
III.  "A Short-Term Coalition" 
 
Political scientist Dr. Menachem Klein, a senior member 
of the Geneva Initiative, who is presently on a 
sabbatical at MIT, wrote in Ha'aretz (March 2): 
"Neither Hamas nor Kadima are prepared to make 
necessary territorial and ideological concessions to 
institutionalize the connection between them in a long- 
term contract.  Both sides are interested in ad-hoc 
unilateral arrangements in which Israel would carry out 
a partial withdrawal, in exchange for a truce in the 
harsh fighting.... Could such a coalition hold water? 
It appears that it wouldn't, because it contains 
destructive elements, the might of which is bigger than 
that of the bodies including them.  In order for the 
Kadima-Hamas alliance to hold, both sides have to run a 
mutual demonization campaign and to maintain a certain 
level of violence and hostility.... Will both sides be 
able to engage in brinkmanship for a long time?  It 
appears that they won't, particularly if one brings 
into account Shaul Mofaz's political interests and 
brawny conception, and the interests and modi operandi 
of the violent organizations on both sides." 
 
IV.  "And Terror Goes On" 
 
Nationalist writer Uri Dan commented in popular, 
pluralist Maariv (March 2): "Israelis residing in the 
western Negev, or south of Ashkelon, are absolutely not 
interested in the debate whether terror is strategic or 
existential, because they live under the daily threat 
of terror.... The southern front is losing its balance, 
because Israel has no answer to the Qassam rocket 
terror.  It might lead to the depths of war.... The 
[Israeli] defense establishment must therefore find an 
answer to Qassam rocket terror, not only in order to 
restore security to the communities around the Gaza 
Strip, but also in order to prevent future sliding into 
war." 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iraq: 
--------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Liberal columnist Larry Derfner wrote in the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "America and 
Britain launched a war in the name of democracy and 
freedom for the Iraqi people.  They can't abandon it 
now....  It would be too evil to contemplate." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"Arabs Killing Arabs" 
 
Liberal columnist Larry Derfner wrote in the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (March 2): 
"Finally, the war in Iraq has come into focus.... This 
is a civil war that appears out of control, certainly 
beyond the control of the hopelessly undermanned 
American and British armies over there.... The civil 
war going on now in Iraq, however, is America's and 
Britain's responsibility to stop.  America and Britain, 
backed enthusiastically by Israel, much of Diaspora 
Jewry and evangelical Christianity, decided to invade 
Iraq without any invitation.  Regardless of George W. 
Bush's and Tony Blair's intentions, they initiated a 
war whose direct consequence was the current, open- 
ended murderousness between the Shi'ites and Sunnis. 
So America and Britain can't wash their hands of this, 
not if they want to go on being decent countries.  They 
have to send however many troops and spend however much 
money it takes to contain the violence.  I would also 
say that Israel and anybody who endorsed the war have a 
responsibility to give America and Britain at least 
moral support for this cause.  As for those Jews and 
gentiles who cheered on the invasion and who will now 
be rooting for civil war, they're exempt from 
responsibility because they had no morality to begin 
with.  America and Britain launched a war in the name 
of democracy and freedom for the Iraqi people.  They 
can't abandon it now in the name of realpolitik, with 
an exit strategy that improves as the Iraqi civil war 
intensifies.  It would be too evil to contemplate." 
 
JONES