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 001995 
 
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 
 
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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
Mideast 
 
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Key stories in the media: 
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Israel Radio reported that today PM Ehud Olmert will 
meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; on 
Tuesday, Olmert will meet with Secretary of Defense 
Donald Rumsfeld, and President Bush for six hours; and 
on Wednesday, Olmert will deliver a speech to Congress, 
meet with the Senate leadership, and later with Jewish 
leaders.  The radio reported that Olmert's advisers Dov 
Weisglass, Shalom Turgeman, and Yoram Turbowicz will 
meet with Deputy National Security Advisor Elliott 
Abrams and Assistant Secretary of State David Welch 
this afternoon to conclude the preparations for 
Olmert's meeting with the President.  Israel Radio 
reported that it was agreed that Abrams and Welch would 
come to Israel in two weeks to continue talks of the 
convergence plan.  Israel Radio reported that political 
sources in Washington told the station that Secretary 
Rice might visit the region in the fall to examine the 
influence of political pressure being put on Hamas and 
the possibility of unilateral steps. 
 
Ha'aretz wrote that during Olmert's visit to Washington 
this week, by prior agreement, President Bush will 
express interest in Olmert's "new ideas" but will not 
offer explicit American support for the plan, and no 
timetable will be set for its implementation.  However, 
in the main point of its lead story, Ha'aretz quoted a 
senior US administration official as saying this week 
that the administration will present "new ideas for 
advancing the peace process, and that American 
officials will present these ideas to Olmert during his 
visit.  The official was quoted as saying that among 
other things, it is necessary to bring "additional 
countries" into the circle of those supporting the 
peace process.  Ha'aretz further quoted the official as 
saying that the administration will make it clear to 
Olmert that America believes the way to solve the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is via the Roadmap and 
direct negotiations with the Palestinian leadership. 
The official was quoted as saying that at the same 
time, the administration recognizes that the current 
Hamas government "is not an address for negotiations," 
and that PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas has not 
lived up to expectations -- and may therefore not be 
able to serve as such an address either.  Ha'aretz 
(today) and The Jerusalem Post (Sunday) wrote that the 
US is also worried about the effects of Olmert's 
convergence plan on Jordan, and that it plans to make 
this clear to the PM during his visit. Ha'aretz said 
that administration officials plan to insist that 
Olmert present ideas on how to prevent the PA from 
degenerating into total chaos.   Nevertheless, the 
senior administration official was quoted as saying 
that Washington is even less enthusiastic about 
funneling aid to the PA, as the US never used to pay 
the salaries of PA employees, and that "there is no 
reason for us to do so now."  Maariv quoted senior 
Israeli officials as saying that during 2006, President 
Bush will announce his support for the convergence 
plan. 
 
Major media (banner in The Jerusalem Post) cited an 
interview Olmert granted CNN's Wolf Blitzer before his 
departure for Washington.  Olmert was quoted as saying 
in the interview that Iran is much closer to mastering 
nuclear technology than previously thought, and that 
Iran was only a few months away from acquiring the 
technology needed for building a nuclear bomb.  On 
Sunday, Maariv reported that Olmert's chief message to 
Bush would be that Iran is accelerating its uranium 
enrichment process.  Israel's Ambassador to the US, 
Danny Ayalon, was quoted as saying in an interview with 
The Jerusalem Post that Iran's nuclear program was 
expected to be a major issue on the agenda of Olmert's 
meeting with President Bush.  On Sunday, Yediot 
reported that Olmert would request that President Bush 
coordinate steps vis-a-vis Iran with Israel.  Leading 
media reported that -- in Yediot's words, "following 
the US model" -- Olmert intends to create a "forum of 
prime ministers" (including former PMs Shimon Peres, 
Ehud Barak, and Binyamin Netanyahu) who would consult 
one another on the issue of coping with Iran's nuclear 
race. 
 
Yediot reported that following Iranian President 
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call to destroy Israel, Israeli 
diplomats will soon file a suit against him at the 
International Court of Justice in The Hague, citing 
conspiracy to carry out crimes against mankind. 
 
Major media reported that on Sunday, FM Tzipi Livni met 
with Abbas at a World Economic Forum meeting in Sharm 
el-Sheikh, Egypt.  Ha'aretz wrote that Livni described 
the meeting as important and positive, and quoted her 
as saying that the next step would be a meeting between 
Abbas and Olmert.  However, following Olmert's comments 
to CNN that although he respects Abbas, he is powerless 
and unable to conduct negotiations with Israel, Israel 
Radio quoted Olmert associates as saying that Olmert's 
remarks constitute a harsh strike in the fight against 
Hamas.  Israel Radio said that an official in Abbas's 
bureau told the station that an Olmert-Abbas meeting is 
not on the horizon.  The station later quoted 
Palestinian sources as saying that on Sunday, Egyptian, 
Israeli, and Palestinian officials decided that there 
would be a three-way meeting between Olmert, Egyptian 
President Hosni Mubarak, and Abbas in Sharm el-Sheikh 
in two weeks.  On Sunday, Yediot quoted Vice PM Shimon 
Peres as saying: "We will not discuss with Abu Mazen 
renewing negotiations until the PM returns from 
Washington."  Israel Radio quoted Egyptian PM Ahmed 
Nazif as saying with the London-based Ash-Sharq Al- 
Awsat that he expects positive developments after 
Olmert's return from Washington and his expected 
meeting with Mubarak (according to Yediot, in Sharm el- 
Sheikh in two weeks), and that Nazif stressed Egyptian 
and US efforts toward the resumption of the Israel- 
Palestinian dialogue.  Ha'aretz quoted Livni as saying 
Sunday that the route of the separation fence can be 
changed during negotiations on a final-status agreement 
with the Palestinians.  Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post 
reported that on Sunday, the government approved the 
transfer of 50 million shekels (around USD 11.2 
million) worth of medical supplies to Palestinian 
medical centers. 
 
Turki al-Faysal, the Saudi Ambassador to the US, was 
quoted as saying in an interview with Yediot that the 
Saudi peace initiative is the only solution to the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that 
Olmert has named Justice Minister Haim Ramon Chairman 
of a new interministerial committee that will deal with 
illegal outposts. 
Ha'aretz reported that over the past few weeks, the IDF 
authorized the expansion of the municipal boundaries of 
four settlements -- Givat Zeev, north of Jerusalem; 
Oranit, on the Green Line in the northern West Bank; 
Maskiot, in the northern Jordan Valley; and Betar 
Illit, southwest of Jerusalem.  The newspaper wrote 
that the expansion of Betar Illit is meant to create 
contiguity between Jerusalem and the Green Line.  The 
Jerusalem Post also reported on the issue. 
 
Over the weekend, all media reported that missiles 
fired by IAF planes slammed into a jeep in Gaza City 
Saturday evening, killing Muhammad Dadouh, considered 
Islamic Jihad's most senior military commander in the 
Gaza Strip.  Three members of his family were also 
killed in the strike.  All media reported that four 
Qassam rockets were fired Sunday from the Gaza Strip 
into Israel, causing no injuries but some damage, as 
one slammed into an empty classroom in Sderot.  Leading 
media reported that the IDF responded with a massive 
artillery bombardment against areas thought to have 
been used to launch the rockets.  Two Palestinians were 
reportedly injured in the retaliatory attack.  Ha'aretz 
cited claims by Palestinians that a 48-year-old woman 
was killed by IDF fire at the Balata refugee camp in 
Nablus on Sunday.  Ha'aretz cited an IDF denial. 
 
On Sunday, all media reported on an assassination 
attempt on Gen. Tareq Abu Rajab, chief of the PA 
intelligence service in the Gaza Strip.  Abu Rajab's 
nephew Ala Abu Hasira was killed in the blast.  The 
media cited assessments that Hamas was behind the 
operation.  Over the weekend, major media reported that 
last Tuesday, Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas's spokesman in Gaza 
attempted to smuggle approximately USD 900,000 into the 
Gaza Strip in an attempt to evade the economic blockade 
imposed on the PA since the movement came to power. 
 
Maariv reported that the US has decided not allow 
Israel to upgrade the Joint Strike Fighter plane (F- 
35).  The newspaper said that this constitutes a 
problem for the Israeli military and aeronautical 
industries, as well as for IAF operations. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel will boycott an 
EU-sponsored conference on "Racism, Xenophobia, and the 
Media" being held Monday in Vienna because the issue of 
anti-Semitism is not on the agenda. 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Sunday, Iran expert 
Menashe Amir discredited a report widely cited over the 
weekend, according to which Iran was preparing to 
require Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians to wear 
colored ribbons on their clothing to distinguish them 
from Muslims.  On Sunday, major media cited an Iranian 
denial of those reports. 
 
Yediot reported that this week, President Bush 
proclaimed a reform in US immigration policy, which 
"would allow tens of thousands of Israelis staying 
illegally in the US to regularize their status." 
 
Ha'aretz reported that on Sunday, Shas mentor Rabbi 
Ovadia Yosef asked Olmert to request that the US 
release convicted spy Jonathan Pollard. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev 
has called on Olmert to grant political asylum in 
Israel to refugees from the Darfur genocide. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that NASDAQ will launch an 
Israeli stock index within the next few weeks, which 
will be the first ever foreign index on the market. 
 
 
 
 
-------- 
Mideast: 
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                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "In the view of 
[President George Bush and his aides], the convergence 
plan is not a fully matured idea; it has many 
shortcomings and is certainly not a 'lifeline.'" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one 
of popular, pluralist Maariv: "George Bush needs a 
great deal of respect now.  On the other hand, Olmert 
needs to be determined, precise, and credible." 
 
Chief Economic Editor Sever Plotker wrote in the 
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot 
Aharonot: "Foreign Minister [Tzipi Livni] was right 
when she said some two months ago that Abu Mazen had 
become an irrelevant political figure.  The contrived 
meeting at Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday did not change 
that assessment; it only reinforced it." 
 
Mark A. Heller, director of research at Tel Aviv 
University's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, wrote 
in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: 
"Israel will have to satisfy American concerns about 
the political context in which convergence takes 
place." 
 
Senior columnist Haggai Huberman wrote in the editorial 
of nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe: "Olmert will not be 
keeping at least one of the promises to his voters this 
term: he will not determine Israel's permanent 
borders." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
¶I.  "Olmert in the US / First Lesson in Diplomacy" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (5/22): "In Israel, 
Olmert presented his plan to withdraw from most of the 
West Bank and evacuate tens of thousands of settlers as 
a 'lifeline for Zionism'.... President George Bush and 
his aides support Israel, and will surely not oppose a 
withdrawal from the territories and an evacuation of 
the settlements; but their priorities differ.  In their 
view, the convergence plan is not a fully matured idea; 
it has many shortcomings and is certainly not a 
'lifeline'.... Olmert views Palestinian Authority 
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as an ineffectual nuisance; the 
US sees him as the final barrier in the way of complete 
chaos in the territories, a situation that may spread 
to Jordan and Egypt.... The conceptual disparity is 
also evident when it comes to the Iranian issue. The 
public in Israel is expecting an aerial assault that 
will wipe out Iran's nuclear facilities and put an end 
to the apocalyptic threats of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.... A 
bellicose Israel sounds logical; but the US has 
different considerations, commitments and timetables. 
It is now trying out a complex and long-winded 
diplomatic approach that will most likely lead it to a 
direct dialogue with Iran.  The differences in views 
will not mar the visit, which both sides want to see 
succeed. From Olmert's point of view, the visit will be 
a test of his approach, which relies heavily on 
interpersonal relations between leaders as the key to a 
successful foreign policy.  For Bush, the meeting will 
be his first with Ariel Sharon's successor, and a 
chance to display involvement in external affairs -- 
and perhaps even capitalize on Jewish support for 
Republican candidates in the Congressional elections in 
November." 
 
II.  "Initiation Ceremony" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one 
of popular, pluralist Maariv (5/21): "The 
administration that welcomes Olmert in May 2006 is far 
from that which welcomed Ariel Sharon in April 2004. 
The President is the same one, but in the meantime he 
has become one of the most ridiculous people of the 
modern era.  He is in trouble in Iraq, getting beaten 
up in Iran, in conflict with Russia and clashing with 
China.  The Americans are stuck with him until January 
¶2009.  Olmert is, too, on the assumption that his term 
lasts until then.  The six hours that they spend 
together on Tuesday will indicate the way things will 
go.  Will there be the famous chemistry that Arik had, 
that Rabin had, and that Shamir, Bibi and Barak did 
not?  Will a relationship be formed?  At the moment, 
nobody knows.  Olmert would do well to let Bush talk 
and not take over the conversation.  To abandon his 
characteristic arrogance and know-it-all tone for a few 
hours, and show respect.  George Bush needs a great 
deal of respect now.  On the other hand, Olmert needs 
to be determined, precise, and credible.  What they 
liked about Sharon most of all was his credibility. 
The feeling that with him, a promise was a promise." 
 
III.  "The Great Missed Opportunity" 
 
Chief Economic Editor Sever Plotker wrote in the 
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot 
Aharonot (5/22): "On Sunday, Foreign Minister Tzipi 
Livni popped over to the World Economic Forum meeting 
in Sharm el-Sheikh for a few hours, and took the 
festive opportunity to meet with the president of the 
Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen.  The meeting, which 
was also attended by Minister Shimon Peres, had no real 
political significance: in the months that have passed 
since the Palestinian parliamentary elections, Abu 
Mazen's grip on the reins of power has grown 
perpetually weaker, while Hamas has entrenched itself 
as the only legitimate authority.  Even though Yasser 
Arafat left behind a regime that grants extensive 
powers to the elected president, Abu Mazen hesitated to 
use any of these powers even once.  He could have, for 
example, refused to recognize the Hamas government 
since its policies contradict his own -- but he chose 
to recognize it and to give it his blessing. He, Abu 
Mazen, had the sole power to command the soldiers and 
police officers in the Palestinian Authority to disarm 
all the armed organizations and groups that are not 
directly subordinate to the president's authority -- 
but he failed to lift a finger to exercise that power. 
He made do with issuing vague warnings and repeated 
calls for 'dialogue' and 'national unity,' which was 
interpreted by Hamas as defeatism and capitulation.... 
Like Abu Mazen, official Israel also missed the last 
date for bringing about -- by means of a combination of 
pressure and temptations -- the downfall of the Hamas- 
led government and new Palestinian elections.  Now 
nothing else can be done but to begin to grow 
accustomed to the reality in which there is no 
government in Palestine except for the Hamas 
government.  The Foreign Minister was right when she 
said some two months ago that Abu Mazen had become an 
irrelevant political figure.  The contrived meeting at 
Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday did not change that 
assessment; it only reinforced it." 
 
IV.  "Mr. Olmert Goes to Washington" 
 
Mark A. Heller, director of research at Tel Aviv 
University's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, wrote 
in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (5/22): 
"If Israel hopes to get some political and/or material 
compensation for its withdrawal, it will have to 
satisfy conditions that meet American requirements. 
These include the actual extent of withdrawal and its 
character: whether along the Gaza model of extracting 
both civilians and the army, or the northern West Bank 
model of pulling out settlers only.  Most importantly, 
Israel will have to satisfy American concerns about the 
political context in which convergence takes place.... 
The idea of negotiating with Abu Mazen has gained a lot 
of currency in the weeks just before Olmert's 
departure, and he will have to adjust to this reality 
by the time he walks into the White House.... There is 
no logical contradiction between coordinating with the 
Americans first about the possibilities of renewed 
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and then discussing 
with them the requirements for convergence if further 
negotiations are judged to be futile.  But moving to 
stage two would almost certainly necessitate American- 
Israeli agreement about when and how that judgment is 
to be made.  And that issue seems guaranteed to provoke 
some serious differences of opinion." 
 
¶V.  "Olmert Will Not Determine the Permanent Borders" 
 
Senior columnist Haggai Huberman wrote in the editorial 
of nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe (5/21): "Prime 
Minister Ehud Olmert will meet with the President of 
the US in two days, as the dose of illusions that he 
tried to foist on the Israeli public melts away. 
Olmert will not be keeping at least one of the promises 
to his voters this term: he will not determine Israel's 
permanent borders.... [Mr. Olmert], why do you need an 
additional commitment from Bush that he will recognize 
the separation fence, which was built along the 1967 
borders except for tiny deviations of settlement blocs, 
as Israel's permanent border?  After all, he already 
promised that in his letter to Sharon, did he not?  It 
is good that nobody asked Olmert that question, because 
then he would have been compelled to blush and admit 
that it is all deception: Bush made no commitment then, 
Bush will make no commitment two days from now.  It is 
all a lie.  The US will not oppose any Israeli 
withdrawal, including a unilateral one, because its 
policy since 1967 is that Israel must withdraw to the 
Green Line.  It will not oppose the withdrawal, but 
neither will it give in exchange what Olmert hopes to 
receive.  No textual or verbal virtuosity issued by the 
White House two days from now will succeed in covering 
up this fact." 
 
CRETZ