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Leza L Olson  11/28/2006 02:20:24 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Leza L Olson

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 004649 
 
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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 
CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL FOR POLAD/USIA ADVISOR 
COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD 
COMSIXTHFLT FOR 019 
 
JERUSALEM ALSO ICD 
LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL 
PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
ROME FOR MFO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IS KMDR
 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
PM Olmert's November 27 Speech 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Israel Radio reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is 
likely to meet this week with PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas 
and PM Ehud Olmert.  The radio quoted a senior US official in 
Washington as saying that the meetings will probably take place in 
Jerusalem and the PA on Thursday. 
 
All media highlighted remarks made by Olmert in Sde Boker in the 
Negev on Monday that Israel will resume talks with Abbas and 
"evacuate ... any communities which were established [in the West 
Bank] " in order to provide continuity for a future Palestinian 
state.  Ha'aretz reported that Olmert's speech elicited mixed 
reactions from the Palestinians.  Media quoted Abbas spokesman Nabil 
Abu Rudeineh as saying that what is needed now are actions and not 
words.  Leading media reported that the government coalition's 
Yisrael Beiteinu, as well as well as rightist factions, criticized 
Olmert's speech.  Ha'aretz reported that State Department Spokesman 
Sean McCormack told Reuters that the US viewed Olmert's speech as 
constructive. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted senior GOI sources as saying on Monday 
that confidants of Olmert and Abbas are in "constant contact" trying 
to reach an agreement to expand the cease-fire in Gaza to include 
the West Bank.  Israel Radio quoted Defense Minister Amir Peretz as 
saying that the cease-fire only applies to the Gaza Strip and that 
Israel's military activity will continue in the West Bank.  The 
radio said that Egypt is applying pressure on Israel to put an end 
to its activity in the West Bank as well. 
 
Israel Radio reported that FM Tzipi Livni attended a meeting in 
Finland with foreign ministers from Europe, the PA, Arab states, and 
Iran.  The radio quoted Livni as saying on Monday at the conclusion 
of the meeting that durable peace can be achieved only if the 
international community assists Palestinian moderates and isolate 
extremist elements such as Hamas.  The station quoted Egyptian FM 
Ahmed Ali Abu al-Gheit as saying at the meeting that what is needed 
at this time is the stabilization of the cease-fire, followed by a 
prisoner-swap deal. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the IDF has altered its rules of engagement 
along the Israel-Gaza border after two Qassam rockets were fired 
from the northern Gaza Strip on Monday despite the cease-fire.  The 
new rules allow troops to fire should they positively identify 
militants preparing to launch a rocket.  Yediot reported that on 
Monday Olmert conveyed a message to Abbas, saying that there is a 
limit to Israel's self restraint regarding Qassam rocket fire. 
Maariv and The Jerusalem Post's web site reported that Israel has 
agreed to the posting in the Gaza Strip of around one thousand 
Jordanian soldiers of Palestinian origin from the Bader Division. 
 
Yediot reported that over the past two years Meretz MK Haim Oron has 
held contacts with jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti in order to 
help Barghouti contribute to the PA's stability, prevent the 
strengthening of Hamas, and maintain open channels between Israel 
and the Palestinians.  The newspaper wrote that Ariel Sharon and 
later Olmert have been fully cognizant of the Oron-Barghouti 
connection. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that this week King Abdullah II of 
Jordan will separately host Abbas and Iraqi PM Nuri Al-Maliki, as 
the latter will hold meetings with both Abdullah and President Bush. 
 Israel Radio cited The New York Times quoting a senior US official 
as saying that Hizbullah has trained Iraqi Shi'ite fighters in 
Lebanon. 
 
Hatzofe cited a report by the American Consulate-General in 
Jerusalem that 70 percent of its FSN employees are Arabs and that 
less than 30 percent of its FSN staff are Jews.  The newspaper noted 
that the Consulate-General was created in order to perpetuate the 
division of Jerusalem. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that US Ambassador to Israel Richard 
Jones hosted the Israel America Chamber of Commerce's annual awards 
dinner at which the guest of honor was Vice PM Shimon Peres.  Peres, 
who was the keynote speaker, emphasized the importance of 
technological cooperation between Israel and the US, especially in 
the field of Homeland Security. 
 
Leading media reported that Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh will leave 
for a foreign trip today that includes Egypt, Syria, and Iran. 
Yediot said that his trip would delay the formation of a Palestinian 
unity government and the release of abducted IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad 
Shalit. 
 
Maariv reported that a few days ago Hashem Salah, a senior 
Palestinian columnist at the London-based Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat, 
praised the speech that liberal Israeli novelist David Grossman 
delivered at the memorial rally for the late PM Yitzhak Rabin. 
Salah criticized Arab intellectuals and called on his readers to 
listen to voice of peaces within Israeli society. 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the UN Human Rights Council 
"continued its record of censuring only Israel" when it passed two 
anti-Israel resolutions in Geneva on Monday in which it declared the 
annexation of the Golan Heights was illegal and issued a broad 
condemnation of settlement activities.  Other media reported on 
these developments.  The Jerusalem Post quoted Yitzhak Levanon, 
Israel's Ambassador to the UN Institutions in Geneva, as saying in a 
telephone interview with the newspaper that events were proving that 
the new council is worse than the older one, the Human Rights 
Commission 
 
Israel Radio, Hatzofe, and other media reported that on Monday in 
Jerusalem around 250 Israeli and Palestinian dentists attended the 
First Middle East Symposium on Dental Medicine, organized by the 
Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Al-Quds University.  The 
Jerusalem Post reported that Kibbutz Metzer, which was the target of 
a brutal terrorist attack four years ago, is engaged in a joint 
organic farming venture project with the neighboring Palestinian 
village of Kafr Kaffin. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that on Monday Israel's Islamic Movement rejected 
compromise proposals put forth by the Museum of Tolerance management 
regarding Muslim graves discovered at the museum's construction site 
in Jerusalem. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that YES, Israel's satellite TV company, 
will broadcast Al Jazeera International-TV to its subscribers.  The 
cable company HOT, YES's main Israeli competitor, may also begin 
airing the new channel in the coming weeks. 
 
Channel 2-TV reported that a leak of radioactive material from the 
Dimona nuclear reactor into the Negev's "Small Crater" two years ago 
was not reported to the public. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted AP as saying that the first privately owned 
English-language daily, The Palestine Times, was launched on Monday 
in the West Bank and Gaza, with its editors aiming to provide news 
about the region to English speakers abroad.  The new publication's 
web site can be found at: www.times.ps. 
 
Maariv reported that on Sunday US troops became suspicious of the 
funeral of David Avraham Shakuri, one of the last remaining Jews in 
Iraq, and started firing at the mourners. 
 
Yediot reported that the Israeli Aharon Ciechanover, a Nobel 
prizewinner in Biology, has been admitted into the prestigious 
Pontifical Academy of Sciences. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that two disk jockeys, one Israeli and one 
Palestinian, are planning to put on a joint performance in London on 
December 21. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Monday members of the Knesset's 
Labor, Welfare, and Health Committee condemned the growing trend of 
Israelis visiting China for organ transplants. 
 
------------------------------- 
PM Olmert's November 27 Speech: 
------------------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: " After 
despairing and losing his way in the wake of the Lebanon war, Prime 
Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday presented a clear political 
strategy." 
 
Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev Schiff wrote on 
page one of Ha'aretz: "What is particularly worrying is that Hamas 
succeeded in securing calm in order to better entrench itself." 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the 
popular, pluralist Maariv: "The one thing that is for sure is that 
this speech was a 'last chance' speech." 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "If the 
US, Europe and the Arab states all joined in encouraging the 
Palestinians to accept Israel's offer, there is a chance to finally 
reverse the trend of Palestinian radicalization." 
 
Political parties correspondent Sima Kadmon wrote on page one of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "In the ocean of 
violence and hatred there is indeed room to admire a leader's call 
for peace....  [But] actions are what will determine [reality] -- 
those of Olmert and of his non-partner." 
 
Senior columnist Haggai Huberman wrote in an editorial on page one 
of the nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe: "Two initiatives that Olmert 
adopted within two days turned Israel into a defeated state.  The 
first was the cease-fire with the Palestinians and the second was 
his speech of defeat at Sde Boker, where he promised, once again, 
withdrawals and uprooted settlements." 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Clear Political Horizon" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (11/28): "After 
despairing and losing his way in the wake of the Lebanon War, Prime 
Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday presented a clear political strategy. 
 In the speech he gave at Sde Boker, at the state memorial ceremony 
for David Ben-Gurion, Olmert returned to the approach he exhibited 
when he formed his government:  Withdrawal from the vast majority of 
the territories, the evacuation of most of the settlements and the 
establishment of an independent Palestinian state are essential for 
the long-term existence of the State of Israel. Or, as he has said 
in the past, they are the 'lifeline of Zionism.'  In turning to the 
Palestinian people, Olmert proposed negotiating over the 
establishment of a Palestinian state with territorial contiguity in 
the West Bank, whose borders will be determined in accordance with 
the April 2004 "Bush letter" to Ariel Sharon.... This is the time to 
call on the Palestinians and their supporters in the Arab world to 
take up the Prime Minister's challenge and come to the negotiation 
table.  It's true that Olmert's proposals are still far from the 
Palestinian demands.  It's also true that Olmert was intentionally 
vague about the Jerusalem issue and other final-status questions. 
But that is the nature of diplomatic negotiation, which begins from 
positions that are far apart and tries to bring them closer.  The 
alternative that the prime minister described -- renewed violence 
and many victims -- will only damage both sides and keep them away, 
once again, from a chance at normal life." 
 
II.  "A Tunnel at the End of the Light" 
 
Senior columnist and chief defense commentator Zeev Schiff wrote on 
page one of Ha'aretz (11/28): "Hamas's strategy worked.  In return 
for symbolic concessions to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud 
Abbas -- and due mostly to its employment of force against Israel 
and the IDF's failure to put an end to the launching of Qassam 
rockets -- Hamas is reaping a major achievement.  And anyone who is 
wondering whether the cease-fire will enable Hamas to become 
stronger should remember that following the group's electoral 
victory, Israel decided that it would not allow Hamas to consolidate 
its power unless it met a number of conditions.  These conditions 
have not been met.  The positive aspect of the cease-fire, for both 
sides, is the fact that Abbas, who seeks to resume diplomatic 
negotiations, succeeded in arranging it.  However, Abbas is also 
trying to remove the economic boycott of the Gaza Strip and gain 
international recognition for a Palestinian government in which 
Hamas will be a leading partner.  This can be viewed as a victory 
for Abbas, but it is clearly also a victory for Hamas.... What is 
particularly worrying is that Hamas succeeded in securing calm in 
order to better entrench itself." 
 
III.  "The Ball is in the Palestinian Court" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the 
popular, pluralist Maariv (11/28): "[On Monday Ehud Olmert] spoke 
about very significant concessions: the establishment of a 
Palestinian state with temporary borders... on condition that the 
terrorism stop, that the Palestinian government recognize Israel and 
previous agreements, and an interim arrangement towards a 
Palestinian state begins to take on concrete form and shape.  Those 
are his tenets.  That is the solution that he envisages.  That is 
what he wants.  The question is whether he believes in that as well. 
 The chances of that scenario playing out are not high.  There is no 
real partner with real capabilities on the other side.  There are 
enough extremists on the other side who are capable of torpedoing 
and blowing up any incipient opportunity for sanity.  Therefore, say 
Olmert's aides, the speech is either his peace speech or his war 
speech.  The one thing that is for sure is that this speech was a 
'last chance' speech.  Because if after those explicitly made 
statements it becomes evident once again that we have nobody with 
whom to do business and no one with whom to make progress, 
legitimacy will be ours once again.  Legitimacy for what?  For a 
large-scale military operation in Gaza, for instance." 
 
IV.  "Echo Olmert's Offer" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (11/28): 
"On Monday, at the grave of David Ben-Gurion in Sde Boker, Prime 
Minister Ehud Olmert extended an olive branch to the Palestinians on 
behalf of the people of Israel.  The Palestinians should know:  The 
offer is real.  Take it.  Take yes for an answer.   Olmert's offer 
is simple -- stop attacking us and we will release thousands of 
prisoners, give you a state and help you economically.  What's the 
catch, Palestinians might ask.  Well, the border between Israel and 
Palestine would have to be negotiated, and would not go exactly 
along the 1949 cease-fire lines.  Palestinians would have to agree 
that their 'right of return' would be limited to the new Palestinian 
state itself (just as Jews may only 'return' to Israel), so there 
would be no option of destroying Israel by flooding it with 
Palestinians.  That's about it.... The United States could play a 
critical role here as well.  Though President George W. Bush's April 
14, 2004, letter to Sharon was a good start, the key is to more 
openly and regularly endorse Israel's requirement that the 
Palestinians drop the 'right of return' to Israel, to push Arab 
states to do so as well and to lead a process of normalization with 
Israel by example.   If the US, Europe and the Arab states all 
joined in encouraging the Palestinians to accept Israel's offer, 
there is a chance to finally reverse the trend of Palestinian 
radicalization.  All of these external forces claim to support the 
two-state solution. Now Israel's support for this same solution is 
more explicit than ever.  Unfortunately, unless the international 
community takes the opportunity to endorse and echo Israel's offer, 
the trend of Palestinian rejectionism will likely continue." 
 
¶V.  "He Has Nothing to Lose" 
 
Political parties correspondent Sima Kadmon wrote on page one of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (11/28): "It is not 
difficult to guess what brought Olmert to come up with a political 
plan now whose main parts he stated already in the past, though what 
is new here is that it speaks of disengagement by agreement.  What 
has brought Olmert to this today is precisely what brought Sharon to 
come up with the disengagement plan: his situation in the polls, the 
lack of political vision and hope that led to the increase of 
violence, frequent political plans and, cynics will say, the threat 
of proliferating investigations.  But all this does not reduce the 
significance of the speech.  Olmert extended a hand of peace to the 
Palestinian people.  His courage cannot be scorned: the political 
plan he proposed completely contradicts the recommendations and the 
warnings of the security establishment.  It could also endanger his 
[government] coalition.... In the ocean of violence and hatred there 
is indeed room to admire a leader's call for peace.  But even 
confirmed optimists are permitted to take the Sde Boker speech with 
a grain of skepticism.... We have already heard a plethora of 
speeches.  In the end, our reality will not be determined by 
speeches. Actions are what will determine it-those of Olmert and of 
his non-partner." 
 
VI.  "Olmert's Speech of Defeat" 
 
Senior columnist Haggai Huberman wrote in an editorial on page one 
of the nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe (11/28): "Two initiatives that 
Olmert adopted within two days turned Israel into a defeated state. 
The first was the cease-fire with the Palestinians and the second 
was his speech of defeat at Sde Boker, where he promised, once 
again, withdrawals and uprooted settlements.  The terror 
organizations can now rub their hands together in glee.  Is it any 
wonder that they feel as if they were the ones who are dictating 
demands to Israel, such as an end to counter-terrorism activity in 
Judea and Samaria [i.e. the West Bank]?  They have been given a 
respite to reorganize without giving anything in return, Israel 
conceded victory, and the Prime Minister commits himself in advance 
to realize the Palestinian interests: an independent state, the 
destruction of Jewish settlements, the release of terrorists.  And 
all that, as noted, without demanding from them even the most 
minimal commitment, barring that they temporary hold their fire for 
as long as the situation suits them.  They were not even required to 
release the kidnapped soldier in exchange for lifting the IDF 
pressure off of them." 
 
JONES