O 060945Z SEP 06
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4731
WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
WHITE HOUSE NSC
SECDEF WASHDC
DIA WASHDC
CIA WASHDC
DA WASHINGTON DC//DAS-ZD/DACS-ZK//
CSAF WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
CMC WASHINGTON DC
CNO WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY TUNIS 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 
AMEMBASSY ROME 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 003996 
 
 
STATE PASS BBG 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC FOR ABRAMS 
CMC WASHINGTON DC FOR POLAD 
 
JERUSALEM ALSO FOR ICD 
LONDON FOR HKANONA AND POL - TSOU 
PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
ROME FOR MFO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KMDR KPAL KWBG KPAO IS
SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (09/06): THE HAMAS GOVERNMENT 
 
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MAIN STORIES 
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For the fourth consecutive day, the main Palestinian press focused 
on the "unrelenting" government employees' strike, noting that 
thousands of Palestinian security services personnel waged 
demonstrations in front of the PLC in Gaza, during which some 
assaulted the parliament building and fired their weapons into the 
air.  In a show of support for those employees, all press reported 
that several demonstrations and massive marches took place 
yesterday.  Other front-page stories maintained that the strike was 
expanding, reporting, for example, that commercial stores and other 
private companies in many Palestinian cities also joined the strike 
for one day yesterday in solidarity with the striking employees. 
The press quoted President Abbas as reiterating his support of the 
employees' "right to strike in order to ensure their essential 
needs." 
 
A day after Prime Minister Olmert was quoted as expressing 
willingness to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, Al-Quds 
today highlighted remarks by deputy Prime Minister Peres that the 
Israeli government would negotiate with President Abbas soon after 
Gilad Shalit, the abducted Israeli soldier, is freed. 
 
Al-Ayyam highlighted a report quoting U.S. Ambassador Gregory 
Schulte as saying in Vienna that Iran is defiant and that it is time 
to impose sanctions. 
 
All dailies ran prominent coverage on the death of four Hamas 
militants resulting from Israeli air strikes on two separate cars in 
Gaza.  Leading with the story, Al-Ayyam headlined that Israel renews 
its shelling of Gaza. 
 
Al-Quds front-paged a Ma'an news report citing Israeli sources as 
stating that a classified U.S. report suggests that the war in 
Lebanon has widened the gap in the strategic relations between the 
United States and Israel.  The report stated that President Bush has 
ordered the U.S. intelligence services to start a comprehensive 
assessment of Israel's internal situation, which is considered one 
of the main aspects of U.S.-Israeli strategic relations. 
 
Reporting on the unstable and deteriorating conditions at the Rafah 
crossing, a front-page story in Al-Quds cited a Reuters piece 
assessing that the Rafah crossing agreement is lost somewhere 
between being changed or cancelled.  The report pointed out that EU 
observers have considered leaving their mission due to Israeli 
"hindrance" from allowing them to perform their duties. 
 
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BLOCK QUOTES 
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¶1. Ahmad Majdalani commented in independent Al-Ayyam under the 
headline, "Is it a Salary Crisis or a Ruling Crisis?" (9/6): "None 
of the slogans of change and reform, the basis on which the current 
parliament and government were voted, has been implemented. 
Although the government would like to blame the [Israeli] occupation 
and the world for not giving the current government the chance to 
rule, the real reason for such a failure is the absence of clear 
mechanisms and sound outlook in the current government's program.... 
 The shallow approach used [by the Hamas-led government] to handle 
international relations and other issues, including the rejection of 
international and Arab legitimacy resolutions..., has placed the 
Palestinian people and their cause in an unprecedented degeneration. 
 Unlike anytime in the past, the Palestinian issue has lost the 
international community's attention, turning it from an issue of 
people struggling for freedom and independence to a merely 
humanitarian and assistance case." 
 
¶2. Omar Al-Ghoul opined in official Al-Hayat Al-Jadida under the 
headline, "Are Prime Minister Haniya's Accusations True?" (9/6): 
"Why don't you [the Hamas government] realize the dangerous 
circumstances of your policies and review your positions and 
mechanisms and programs...?  It is so much better that you quit the 
government now in order to safeguard the interests of the people, 
who are trying to ensure their sustenance.  It is not possible for 
people to continue to suffer from hunger resulting from your bad 
policies.  Employees cannot be made to endure hunger under the 
pretext that Israel and the United States are behind the crisis.  If 
the current government were to stay in power, it would only mean 
that the crisis and hunger would also continue." 
 
WALLES