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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000509 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC FOR NEA STAFF 
 
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HQ USAF FOR XOXX 
DA WASHDC FOR SASA 
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JERUSALEM ALSO ICD 
LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL 
PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
ROME FOR MFO 
 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶1.  Mideast 
 
¶2.  Iran 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Israel Radio reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will 
arrive in Israel on Saturday and meet with FM Tzipi Livni.  The 
station said that on Sunday Rice will hold separate meetings with PM 
Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and PA Chairman 
[President] Mahmoud Abbas.  The tripartite talks will take place on 
Monday.  The Jerusalem Post and Maariv quoted Olmert as saying in 
Ankara that cutting ties with Abbas is out of the question.  This 
morning Israel Radio reported that, in an interview with Al 
Arabiya-TV, Secretary Rice urged Olmert and Abbas to start 
discussing the establishment of a Palestinian state, and quoted her 
as saying that she hopes that the issue will be raised during the 
upcoming talks. 
 
All media reported that the Hamas cabinet resigned on Thursday to 
make way for a coalition with the rival Fatah party of Abbas, who 
gave his blessing despite what his aides said was a warning by the 
US that Washington would shun the new coalition.  Abbas presided 
over the ceremony in which PM Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas submitted the 
resignation of his cabinet after months of stop-and-go power-sharing 
negotiations and asked him, as head of a caretaker government, to 
form a Hamas-Fatah coalition within five weeks.  In his letter of 
appointment, Abbas said the new government must respect 
international agreements, a wording that implies acceptance of 
Israel but falls short of international demands of an explicit 
recognition.  Abbas was also quoted as saying that he was extending 
the three weeks he had given Haniyeh to form the new cabinet to five 
weeks. 
 
Ha'aretz and Israel Radio reported that State Department Spokesman 
Sean McCormack would not confirm the report of a possible US 
boycott, saying only that the US will not judge a Palestinian 
government until it has been formed, and its performance reviewed. 
The Jerusalem Post reported that PA officials confirmed that the US 
has informed Abbas it will boycott all the ministers in the unity 
government.  The Jerusalem Post quoted chief PA negotiator Saeb 
Erekat as saying that Washington was insisting that any government 
meets the three conditions of the Quartet.    The Jerusalem Post 
reported that a senior PA official told the newspaper: "We are aware 
of Washington's threat, but we had no other choice.  President Abbas 
will try to persuade US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during 
their meeting next week that the new government will honor all the 
previous agreements with Israel."  Ha'aretz reported that on 
Thursday US Consul-General in Jerusalem Jacob Walles met with Abbas 
and made it clear that the US would boycott the unity government 
because of its refusal to recognize Israel explicitly.  Ha'aretz 
reported that on Thursday Palestinian sources told the newspaper 
that the crisis that almost sabotaged the government's resignation 
announcement was solved in a telephone call between Abbas and Hamas 
political chief Khaled Mashal in Damascus. 
 
All media reported that Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on 
Thursday during a joint press conference with Olmert in Ankara that 
a delegation led by Turkey's Ambassador to Israel would visit the 
site of the Mugrabi Ascent in the near future.  The delegation will 
investigate whether the walkway causes damage to the foundations of 
Al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy sites on the Temple Mount.  The media 
said that Olmert agreed to the Turkish delegation's visit, because 
"Israel has nothing to hide."  He was also quoted as saying: "We 
shall cooperate with everyone and we will be happy to host the 
delegation, in order to show that the Israeli version is correct and 
accurate."  Israel's Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar was quoted as 
saying in an interview published on Thursday in the Shas party's 
mouthpiece Yom Leyom that the digs are a "superfluous provocation." 
 
 
Ha'aretz quoted Olmert as saying at a meeting with Israeli reporters 
in Ankara on Thursday that Iran is not as close to developing 
nuclear weapons as it claims.  Yediot quoted Turkish PM Erdogan as 
saying on Thursday that Turkey will not allow Iran to produce 
enriched uranium for military purposes.  The Jerusalem Post detailed 
the heavy financial costs involved in fighting against Iran 
militarily.  The Jerusalem Post reported that Andrei Demidov, 
currently Russia's top diplomat in Israel, has told the newspaper 
that Russia believes it is "crucial" to have a nuclear-free Iran. 
The newspaper said that Demidov was distancing himself from those 
saying that a nuclear Iran is inevitable. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that US Senator Barack Obama (Illinois), who is 
competing for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, told 
the newspaper on Thursday that the US should help protect Israel 
from its sworn enemies.  Ha'aretz wrote that Obama intends to 
present his policy regarding Israel soon, and that his staff has 
been drafting a speech.  Obama was quoted as saying in the 
interview: "In my opinion, the special relationship between the US 
and Israel obliges us to help it look for serious partners with whom 
it can make peace agreements.  At the same time, we must help Israel 
defend itself against those enemies that have sworn to destroy it." 
Ha'aretz said that in his speech he intends to remove any doubts the 
Democratic Party's donors and constituents, many of whom are Jewish, 
may have about his support for Israel in his speech.  "Israel wants 
peace with its neighbors more than anything else," he was quoted as 
saying. 
 
Ha'aretz said that an analysis of testimonies and investigation 
reports, some of which were available to the Winograd Commission 
probing the second Lebanon war, suggests that while the Air Force 
and the intelligence branches focused on Hizbullah's arsenal of 
medium- and long-range rockets, dealing with Hizbullah rockets was 
neglected. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that a number of Israeli academics -- 
including author Yitzhak Laor, filmmaker Eyal Sivan, and historian 
Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin -- are taking a leading role in the four-day 
"Israeli Apartheid Week" in London, eliciting criticism from the 
Board of Deputies of British Jews. 
 
Hatzofe reported that Jewish communities in the US have contributed 
USD 2.5 million to the rehabilitation of the evacuees of the Gaza 
Strip's Gush Katif. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted Olmert as saying in Ankara on Thursday that Israel 
does not intend to intervene in moves by the US Congress toward 
recognition of the Armenian genocide. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority 
Rights in Israel has presented to a UN commission in Geneva a 
strongly worded report about Israel's policy vis-a-vis its Arab 
citizens.  The newspaper said that the move is intended to form the 
basis for an investigation into whether Israel respects the charter 
against racial discrimination. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that too much publicity may jeopardize 
plans by Saudi Prince Al-Walid bin Talal to build an eight-story 
hotel in Tel Aviv together with the Abulafia family of Jaffa. 
 
The media reported that Likud MK and former health minister Danny 
Naveh is likely to retire from politics and join the business 
world. 
 
All media reported on, and most led with, the story that the Zeiler 
Commission report into police failures surrounding the reputed 
Parinyan crime family, due on Sunday, recommends the dismissal of 
police officers and sharply criticizes the current police chief, 
Moshe Karadi. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "[Messages from Ehud Olmert's bureau indicate 
that] there will be no talks on the permanent settlement, no 
negotiations under US mediation, no avoidance of the Roadmap." 
 
Palestinian affairs correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote in Ha'aretz: 
"A summit with no results will only help the Hamas enlist more 
supporters." 
 
Political parties correspondent Nadav Eyal wrote in the popular, 
pluralist Maariv: "The first aim of the Israelis and Americans will 
be to force Abu Mazen to clarify his agreements with Hamas, and 
these clarifications will 'put him back among the good guys.'" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: 
"Prematurely relieving pressure will reduce the prospects for the 
real change in Syrian behavior that would be the objective of any 
peace process." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "He's a Nay-Sayer" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (2/16): "Tough messages begin to emerge from 
the Prime Minister's Bureau, which make clear what will not happen 
at the February summit: There will be no talks on the permanent 
settlement, no negotiations under US mediation, no avoidance of the 
Roadmap.  Olmert invites his senior ministers to the summit, so that 
they will not present independent plans to Rice, and so he will come 
across as having the country's best interests at heart and as taking 
part in decisions.  But that's not enough.  At night Olmert dreams 
about an encouraging note from Ariel Sharon that he found in his 
desk drawer. When things get rough and the pressure mounts, his 
predecessor wrote him, trust the Palestinians to get you out of the 
jam.  They will always do something idiotic that will save you." 
 
II.  "Summit of Doubts" 
 
Palestinian affairs correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote in Ha'aretz 
(2/16): "Though Washington is saying that the unity government must 
fulfill the Quartet's demands, it has been emphasizing that the new 
government will be evaluated first of all by its deeds, and that it 
is not rushing to dismiss the Mecca accord outright.  According to 
Palestinian sources, the reason is the United States' desire not to 
hurt Saudi Arabia or to enter into a confrontation with it.  Thus 
far the Americans have preferred to transmit messages to Abu Mazen 
that clarify, though not openly, their negative attitude toward the 
idea of unity, but they are not coming out with aggressive 
statements against Saudi King Abdullah's support of it.  Even if the 
summit fails, Hamas can be pleased.... A summit with no results will 
only help the Hamas enlist more supporters.  In the meantime, the 
organization is evincing considerable suspicion toward the PA 
Chairman's actions.  Hamas's greatest concern is that Abu Mazen will 
ultimately succumb to American pressure, and that immediately after 
PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh submits his resignation, the 
chairman will find an excuse and avoid appointing him prime minister 
in the unity government." 
 
III.  "Summit of Despair" 
 
Political parties correspondent Nadav Eyal wrote in the popular, 
pluralist Maariv (2/16): "This is a summit to which everybody is 
limping out of breath.  It will not have the atmosphere of a summit, 
and the efforts to endow it with a touch of formality are doomed to 
failure.... The first aim of the Israelis and Americans will be to 
force Abu Mazen to clarify his agreements with Hamas, and these 
clarifications will 'put him back among the good guys.'  He will 
have to clarify, for example, whether he will still be able, even in 
a unity government, to submit a permanent settlement to a referendum 
of the Palestinian electorate.  That was the agreement before he 
embarked upon his love affair with Hamas.  The Israelis are holding 
this summit in spite of their disappointment over Mecca, for in 
their rosy dreams senior Kadima figures are hoping for 'dramatic 
progress,' which will lead to a 'historic agreement' over a 
'courageous political step,' which will include 'painful 
concessions,' and other developments of this kind which will grant 
the government a breathing space.... There are some who are watching 
this with less enthusiasm.  'It seems to me,' said [conservative 
Strategic Affairs Minister] Avigdor Lieberman cautiously, 'that it 
is other things that Olmert needs right now.  The only thing which 
has to be done at next weekQs summit is to present Condoleezza Rice 
with the fact that the Palestinian unity government agreement is a 
Hamas dictate, that Abu Mazen has spat in the AmericansQ face. 
Negotiations on a permanent settlement?   If they start opening maps 
it will be a problem for us, but we have already seen a lot of photo 
opportunities in the past. Believe me, it's all theoretical.'" 
 
IV.  "Pressure the Rogues" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (2/16): 
"Syria's proposal to Israel, if there is one, is 'you talk to me 
while I shoot at you and your American allies.'  There is nothing 
particularly tempting about such an offer, even aside from the 
question of whether any conceivable deal with Syria could be 
worthwhile.  Assad is essentially offering to remove the pressure on 
himself, in the form of the UN investigation into the assassinations 
of Rafiq Hariri and Pierre Gemayel, without ending his proxy warfare 
against Israel and the US.  Rather than accepting Assad's 'offer,' 
the alternative is for the West to see Syria and Iran in the context 
of what has happened with Libya and North Korea.... if we want to 
see real, meaningful concessions from Syria or Iran, then the West 
has to show it can turn up the diplomatic and economic heat, and can 
keep turning it up if they choose to 'retaliate.'  The US and 
Israel, then, are not in conflict with respect to Syria, but in the 
same boat.  Prematurely relieving pressure will reduce the prospects 
for the real change in Syrian behavior that would be the objective 
of any peace process.  By the same token, continuing to turn up the 
pressure on Damascus will not squander opportunities but create 
them." 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick 
wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "By sending a 
message of weakness now, in order to purchase maneuvering time that 
may not be obtained, the US this week has accelerated rather than 
distanced the moment of truth." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Bush's Inevitable Showdown" 
 
Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick 
wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (2/16): 
"President George W. Bush asserted Wednesday that the State 
Department achieved with North Korea in the six-party talks 'will 
bring us closer to a Korean Peninsula that is free of nuclear 
weapons.'  But it is hard to see how this is so.... Kim [Jong-il] 
understands that the only way he can remain in power is to force the 
international community to subsidize his tyranny.  The only way he 
can get foreign powers to do hat is by using nuclear blackmail.  By 
removing his banking sanctions, the US effectively destroyed its 
only effective bargaining chip against North Korea and so ensured 
that Kim's brinkmanship will continue.... By sending a message of 
weakness now, in order to purchase maneuvering time that may not be 
obtained, the US this week has accelerated rather than distanced the 
moment of truth while doing nothing to build support or increase its 
chances of triumph when the inevitable occurs." 
 
JONES