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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004521 
 
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TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Middle East - Hamas - Israeli 
Incursion Guantanamo Trials: Supreme Court Ruling 
PARIS - Friday, June 30, 2006 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Middle East - Hamas - Israeli Incursion 
Guantanamo Trials: Supreme Court Ruling 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
The new spiral of violence and the Israeli incursion into Gaza is 
today's lead front-page story. Le Figaro titles: "Israel Wants to 
Break Hamas." Inside, the take in several reports is that Israel 
considers the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit to have given it "free 
reign." "Israel has taken the forceful approach: in the span of a 
few hours, the political leaders of Hamas were neutralized." But in 
his editorial Pierre Rousselin comments on "Olmert's Miscalculation" 
while Georges Malbrunot reports on Syria's "behind the scene" 
manipulations. For Liberation, "operation 'Summer Rain' has turned 
into a violent storm." La Croix headlines: "Israel-Palestine: A War 
of Hostages" while its inside story is entitled "The Crisis Between 
Hamas and Israel is a War Without Remission." (See Part C) La 
Croix's Catherine Rebuffel profiles Israel's Defense Minister Amir 
Peretz, a former 'dove' of the 'Peace Now' movement who "may not be 
in his place as Defense Minister... The latest events are shedding 
new light on Peretz: he seems to be pulled by an army command which 
has chosen the hard approach." 
 
The Supreme Court's ruling on Guananamo is Le Figaro's second major 
story: "The Court Declares Guantanamo Trials to Be Illegal." 
Liberation considers the decision on Guantanamo to be "An Affront to 
Bush." La Croix simply states: "Guantanamo Trials Invalidated." (See 
Part C) 
 
PM Villepin pens an op-ed in Liberation calling for "A Revolution of 
the Mind" and for equality in French society. But Villepin is 
careful to distinguish between "equality of opportunity and 
egalitarianism." Villepin enumerates all the social phases, which 
require more equality: schooling, professional training, housing... 
"We must stop thinking that at 18 all the cards have been dealt. We 
must stop thinking that diplomas and status are everything. We must 
allow France's dynamism and diversity to bloom. Equality of 
opportunity is also a revolution of the mind." 
 
Today's lead domestic story is the continuing good news on 
unemployment, now a fifteen-month trend. Employment Minister 
Jean-Louis Borloo is interviewed in Le Parisien which headlines: 
"Unemployment Is Truly Going Down." In his interview, Borloo 
itemizes the ten programs implemented by the Villepin government to 
help jobseekers find jobs. A sidebar entitled "The U.S., Employment 
Champion" says the U.S. has the lowest unemployment rate in the 
world, 4.6%. But we all know how difficult it is in the U.S. to be 
granted unemployment benefits." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Middle East - Hamas - Israeli Incursion 
 
"Olmert's Miscalculation" 
Pierre Rousselin in right-of-center Le Figaro (06/30): "Israel's 
incursion... is spectacular, excessive and counter-productive. It is 
all the more dangerous because the world is passively watching this 
new tragedy... It is doubtful whether the capture of Hamas leaders 
who were democratically elected, a gesture which does not find its 
equivalent in any other democracy, will resolve anything. When 
Israel's security is at risk, its leaders have the right and the 
obligation to defend it. But in this instance, Olmert will have to 
assess whether his actions might make things worse rather than 
better... It is clear the Israelis are pursuing something other than 
rescuing Gilad Shalit: they want to put an end to the Islamic 
government of Hamas... One hopes that Olmert is not taking advantage 
of the kidnapping to implement a pre-conceived plan of 
unilateralism... Such an attitude, while saving Olmert's political 
plan, could have serious repercussions for Israel. Already Islamic 
moderates have been gagged; and the chaos in Gaza can only disserve 
Israel... Reactions to date have been reserved, including from Arab 
countries. This passivity confirms that Hamas's electoral victory 
has plunged them in disarray and emphasized the lack of a solution 
to the crisis." 
 
"Spiral" 
Dominique Quinio in Catholic La Croix (06/30): "Olmert needs to 
prove to his people that he can be firm and respect Israel's 
long-standing policy of never negotiating with kidnappers... 
Whatever one might think of the extremist Hamas party, the 
Palestinian government has been duly elected... Imprisoning its 
ministers marks a new escalation, if only symbolically, because of 
how humiliating this is for the Palestinians. But despite the 
justification Israel is invoking, it will be hard-pressed to 
demonstrate the proportionality between the initial kidnapping and 
the reprisal..." 
 
Guantanamo Trials: Supreme Court Ruling 
 
"Supreme Court Disavows Bush" 
Bernard Guetta on government-run France Inter radio (06/30): "With 
the Supreme Court ruling, the White House is fully disavowed. Not 
only has the Supreme Court proven Hamdam's lawyers and human rights 
organizations right, but despite it being conservative, the Supreme 
Court has also upheld the honor of America's institutions and the 
right of law. It has given back the U.S. its true face. The ruling 
has also opened the way to legally contesting the existence itself 
of Guantanamo... It also provides the detainees' lawyers with a 
legal basis to demand that their clients be either freed or tried by 
a court of law, whether military or civilian. This ruling will make 
its mark." 
 
"Guantanamo Courts Illegal" 
Philippe Gelie in right-of-center Le Figaro (06/30): "Yesterday, the 
U.S. Supreme Court may have hammered the last nail into the coffin 
of Guantanamo... This is a serious setback for the American 
President in his war against terrorism... American officials reached 
the conclusion that Gunatanamo is a millstone that tarnishes the 
image of the U.S. abroad and in diplomatic circles." 
 
"An Affront to Bush" 
Laurent Mauriac in left-of-center Liberation (06/30): "With the 
Supreme Court's ruling, it is an entire section of President Bush's 
system, implemented in Guantanamo, which has been declared illegal. 
The Supreme Court has ruled the President does not have the 
authority to implement military tribunals in Guantanamo: these will 
have to be given up. This is an affront to the White House... These 
tribunals have been characterized by human rights organizations as 
partial and outside the law... The Supreme Court has ruled by 5 to 3 
that these tribunals violate both the Geneva Convention and American 
laws... This ruling, on the heels of President Bush's recent 
declarations in Europe about wanting 'to end' Guantanamo, may 
accelerate its closing." 
 
"Bush Has Over-Stepped His Powers in Guantanamo" 
Thomas Cantaloube in right-of-center Le Parisien (06/30): "As a 
spokesman for the Center for Constitutional Rights said, 'this 
decision is very important, because it means that while the prison 
may not be closed tomorrow, the President and Congress are urged to 
respect the laws of the United States...' These military tribunals 
were implemented two years ago when the Supreme Court ruled that the 
government could not hold the Guantanamo detainees indefinitely 
without a trial... The President, who said he took the Supreme 
Court's ruling very seriously, is facing a dilemma: the detainees 
must be tried either before a civilian or a military court. But it 
will be very difficult to prove their guilt." STAPLETON