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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 001218 
 
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STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
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SIPDIS 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶1.  Mideast 
 
¶2.  US-Israel Relations 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Similar to other media, Ha'aretz quoted senior IDF officers as 
saying that on Tuesday the IDF foiled a Hamas attempt to kidnap a 
soldier on the Gaza border.  Apparently as part of this attempt, 
dozens of rockets and mortar shells -- for which Hamas claimed 
responsibility -- were fired at southern Israel.  There were no 
casualties.  The Jerusalem Post said that Hamas has adopted 
Hizbullah's modus operandi.  Yediot reported that Israeli 
intelligence sources made the same comment.  Ha'aretz said that GOI 
and army sources predicted that Israel's response would be localized 
and not involve a major ground operation in Gaza because no one was 
hurt and due to pleas for calm by members of the Palestinian 
government.  Ha'aretz quoted the sources as saying that Hamas's 
claim of responsibility -- the first since it formed a unity 
government with Fatah -- should make it clear to all that this is a 
terrorist government.  On the other hand, Yediot reported that the 
IDF recommends that offensive Israeli activity in the Gaza Strip be 
resumed.  The Jerusalem Post reported that today the IDF plans to 
ask PM Ehud Olmert for permission to carry out "pinpoint" operations 
against Gaza-based Hamas terrorist chiefs and infrastructure.  For 
its part, Maariv reported that the IDF's Southern Command is pushing 
for such a move, but that the Shin Bet is opposed to it. 
 
Israel Radio cited the UAE newspaper Al-Ittihad as saying that a 
senior German intelligence official ("Mayer") is presently in the 
Middle East, secretly mediating between Israel and Lebanon to 
promote a deal with Hizbullah.  Al-Ittihad quoted Lebanese sources 
as saying that the negotiations have stalled following Israel's 
refusal to release Lebanese prisoners in exchange for a sign of life 
from the two abducted IDF soldiers.  The Lebanese sources were 
quoted as saying that the Hizbullah-Israel deal will be completed by 
the end of the summer. 
 
Yediot reported that the Winograd Commission probing the Second 
Lebanon War will hand its report to Olmert only two hours before its 
publication.  Maariv reported that the printing of the commission's 
report will be supervised by the Shin Bet for fear of leaks.  Maariv 
reported that the "Civilian Coalition" head by Uzi Dayan, the head 
of the Tafnit movement, is planning a demonstration in Tel Aviv on 
May 3 after the publication of the commission's report, regardless 
of its conclusions. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that a senior IDF officer told the 
newspaper over the weekend that, despite protests by Green groups 
and orders by Defense Minister Amir Peretz to come up with 
"technological alternatives," the IDF has decided there is no choice 
but to construct a physical structure along the 30 kilometers of the 
security barrier that run through the Judean Desert. 
 
Leading media reported that on Tuesday thousands of settlers and 
right-wing activists streamed to the ruins of the settlement of 
Homesh in the northern West Bank despite a ban by the Defense 
Minister and the IDF Chief of Staff.  The IDF refused to allow buses 
to the site to take demonstrators back and sources estimated that 
about 100 activists remained at the site last night.  The IDF tried 
to set up road-blocks to stop the march, but there were limited 
troops in the area, and they could only prevent vehicles from 
reaching the site.  Ha'aretz also reported that settlers have 
recently been trying to purchase two more Palestinian houses in 
Hebron. 
 
Yediot quoted associates of MK Ami Ayalon, a leading contender for 
Labor Party leadership, as saying that Ayalon agrees to return the 
Golan Heights to Syria -- provided it lease the land to Israel for 
99 years. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the Labor Party's central committee 
is expected to convene next month to consider leaving Olmert's 
coalition, but that Olmert is taking steps to ensure his government 
does not fall even if the committee unexpectedly approves the 
proposal.  The Jerusalem Post wrote that Olmert held a secret 
meeting at the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday with Degel Hatorah 
MK Avraham Ravitz and made significant progress on a plan to allow 
Degel Hatorah MKs Ravitz and Moshe Gafni to join the government 
without their four Agudat Yisrael colleagues from United Torah 
Judaism. 
 
Yediot reported that the State Comptroller deleted a key article in 
its report about irregularities committed at the Trade Ministry's 
Investment Center at the time Olmert was Minister of Industry, 
Trade, and Labor. 
 
Israel Radio reported that this morning the ministerial committee on 
disengagement allocated 640 million more shekels (approx. USD 157 
million) in compensation to Gush Katif (Gaza Strip) evacuees. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that, three months after Avigdor Lieberman was 
appointed national infrastructure minister in Ariel Sharon's cabinet 
a company owned by businessman Michael Cherney (a.k.a. Mikhail 
Chernoy), known as the "Russian oligarch," transferred about USD 
500,000 to bank accounts of Lieberman associates in Cyprus.  Yediot 
reported that Lieberman is interested in operating the confidential 
"Nativ Bureau" in the United States in order to encourage Russian 
Jews to immigrate to Israel.  Yediot reported that the Foreign 
Ministry is opposed to such a move, saying that it would anger the 
US administration, and that Lieberman wants a "foreign ministry of 
his own" in the US. 
 
Maariv reported that three public Israeli bodies have entrusted Eyal 
Sivan, a left-wing Israeli director who dubbed Israel a "historic 
mistake," with the making of an official documentary for the 60th 
anniversary celebrations of the State of Israel.  Maariv wondered 
whether Israel has chosen to commit a "national suicide." 
 
The nationalist, Orthodox newspaper merged with its sister 
publication, the weekly Makor Rishon ("First Source"), and is being 
published as Makor Rishon-Hatzofe starting today.  The newspaper 
reported that Egypt and Saudi Arabia are trying to convince Syria to 
take part in a conference that will take place in Sharm-el-Sheikh 
next week.  Makor Rishon-Hatzofe cited the London-based Al-Hayat 
that the two Arab states will try to arrange a meeting between 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Syrian counterpart Walid 
 
SIPDIS 
Mualem. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted Democratic presidential contender Barack 
Obama as saying on Tuesday that America needs to ask Israel to help 
change the status quo in its conflict with the Palestinians, the 
only candidate at a National Jewish Democratic Council conference to 
suggest that there is any onus on Israel when it comes to making 
peace with its neighbors. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Monday two US Congressmen -- 
Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Chairman of the house Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on the Middle East, and Shelley Berkley (D-NV) -- 
protested to British officials the boycott against Israel by a 
UK-journalists' union and the dropping of some of Holocaust 
curricula in some British schools. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that a Middle East dialogue session held 
at New York University "took place without the protests and the 
uproar typical of such events on campuses across America." 
 
Yediot reported that the Defense Ministry is building a 
300-meter-high tower at the site of the Dimona nuclear reactor. 
 
Ha'aretz printed an AP wire report that on Tuesday Alberto de Jesus, 
a well-known Puerto Rican activist, was under Israeli house arrest 
after he climbed a tower near the separation fence and planted a 
Palestinian flag on it during the weekly protest at Bil'in. 
 
The Jerusalem Post printed a Jewish Telegraphic Agency wire report 
that Boris Yeltsin, who died on Monday at age 76, is remembered by 
Russian Jewish leaders primarily as the man who ended generations of 
state-sanctioned anti-Semitism. 
 
Yediot reported that over the past decade the Jewish Federation in 
New York contributed USD 1 billion to Israeli society and to fund 
immigration to Israel. 
 
Yediot reported that Kobi Alexander, founder of the Israeli hi-tech 
company Comverse, will be brought to a hearing before a Namibian 
court today as part of procedures to have him extradited to the US. 
In an unrelated report, Yediot wrote that a mentally imbalanced 
Israeli managed to enter the US without a passport. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Delek US Holdings Inc., the US 
refiner that had its initial share sale last May, plans to acquire 
plants shed by bigger rivals to capitalize on high fuel prices. 
Delek US Holdings Inc. is 77 percent-owned by the Israeli Delek 
Group, and also operates about 500 US convenience stores. 
 
Yediot reported that Israelis will help eliminate the haze that 
shrouds Los Angeles following sand- and dust-storms.  Equipment made 
by the Israeli company.  Netafim and Kibbutz Dorot will be brought 
to the site of the dried up Owens Lake, where the phenomenon 
originates. 
 
Major media reported that in Houston on Monday a frenzied neighbor 
shot and wounded an Israeli diplomat, the husband of Israel's Deputy 
Consul-General to the Southwest, Belaynesh Zevadia -- the first 
member of the Ethiopian-Israeli community to be appointed to such a 
post.  The assailant murdered the manager of the building before 
committing suicide. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "[Pakistani 
President Pervez Musharraf's] initiative and daring deserve much 
more than the arrogance with which they were met by the Prime 
Minister." 
 
Military correspondent Amos Harel and Palestinian affairs 
correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote in Ha'aretz: "It seems the only 
thing that can save the Gazans from civil war is a large-scale 
Israeli military operation." 
 
Military correspondent Amir Rappaport wrote in the popular, 
pluralist Maariv: "We can only hope that if the IDF is sent to a 
large-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip, an operation that 
could cost many casualties, this will not be for political 
reasons." 
 
 
 
 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Haughty Answer to Pakistan" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (4/25): "Pervez 
Musharraf, the President of Pakistan -- one of the most influential 
Muslim countries in the world, a historic ally of the United States 
and a close ally of Saudi Arabia -- is seeking to advance a 
diplomatic initiative for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
The gist of his initiative, which has been coordinated with the 
leaders of Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia -- other non-Arab Muslim 
states -- expands the scope of the Arab initiative: diplomatic 
relations and normalization in exchange for a solution to the 
conflict.  Musharraf is thus offering Israel a powerful incentive, 
under which not only 350 million Arabs, but some 1.25 billion 
Muslims, would cease to view Israel, at least officially, as an 
enemy that ought to be annihilated.  This is the slow shift for 
which Israel has hoped ever since its founding.  But it seems that 
Israel's government, and particularly the man who heads it, would 
rather adopt the stance of a frightened man being assaulted by 
mediators than that of a statesman and initiator.  Indeed, in 
response to Musharraf's initiative, Ehud Olmert chose to mislead and 
evade.... Israel and the Palestinians need the services of every 
possible mediator, from near or far, in order to extricate them from 
the maelstrom that is dragging them toward a diplomatic and military 
abyss.  Such mediators would replace the language of threats with 
the language of diplomacy and politics.  Musharraf is a leader who, 
in his own country, is confronting radical Muslim groups that attack 
him over his pro-American policies and his struggle against schools 
run by Islamic extremists.  And leaders of this nature are essential 
mediators.  His initiative and daring deserve much more than the 
arrogance with which they were met by the Prime Minister." 
 
II.  "The Inevitable War" 
 
Military correspondent Amos Harel and Palestinian affairs 
correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote in Ha'aretz (4/25): "Olmert will 
remain unenthusiastic about a large-scale operation in Gaza even 
after the report of the Winograd [Commission investigating the 
Second Lebanon War] is published.  But for years, Israel's response 
to Palestinian attacks has been based on one thing only: the 
attacks' results.  A successful kidnapping, or a Qassam rocket that 
causes multiple deaths, will hasten the decision to act..... 
Meanwhile, the army is preparing, and on a scale that some liken to 
the preparations preceding the first Lebanon War in 1982.  In 
Israel, such preparations tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies.... 
[The Palestinian unity] government has not managed to end the bloody 
gang wars in Gaza, nor has it ended the Hamas-Fatah rivalry: Both 
sides are busily arming and recruiting in preparation for renewed 
infighting.  It seems the only thing that can save the Gazans from 
civil war is a large-scale Israeli military operation." 
 
III.  "Searching for a Cause for War" 
 
Military correspondent Amir Rappaport wrote in the popular, 
pluralist Maariv (4/25): "Israel and Hamas have embarked on a 
collision course.  We can only hope that if the IDF is sent to a 
large-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip, an operation that 
could cost many casualties, this will not be for political reasons. 
On paper, both sides have an interest in a large-scale 
confrontation.  In Hamas, a sharp internal debate is taking place 
between elements who are interested in extending the cease-fire and 
the military wing members, who wish to renew the terror attacks 
immediately.  The latest events prove that the second group has 
gained the upper hand, and in any case, it is the one determining 
the rules of the game.  Israel, for its part, has been searching for 
several weeks for reasons to 'incriminate' Hamas.... In any case, it 
would appear that a large-scale IDF operation in the Gaza Strip is 
approaching.... Besides, the IDF has a feeling that the Second 
Lebanon War was a severe failure, which stemmed first and foremost 
from incorrect management of the war.  If another opportunity is 
only granted for a major operation, this time on the Palestinian 
front, military officials believe that it will be possible to 
correct the impression and present the IDF as a winning army once 
again.... Most of the considerations in favor or against a 
large-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip are legitimate, but 
there is one consideration that could influence [the decision], and 
is completely illegitimate: A large operation in Gaza could also be 
the result of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's desire to gain renewed 
public sympathy and improve his political standing.  In the 
discussion that will be held today, proposed reactions may be raised 
by the IDF that do not necessarily include an immediate, large-scale 
operation deep inside Gaza (for example, renewing the assassination 
policy of Hamas leaders).  But when a large-scale operation is on 
the agenda, the political consideration must not be the deciding 
one." 
 
 
 
------------------------ 
¶2.  US-Israel Relations: 
------------------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The feeling that there is perfect policy 
coordination between Israel and the US is slowly eroding.  And that 
is precisely what the Americans want to happen." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"The End of the Era of Perfect Coordination" 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (4/25): "The feeling that there is perfect 
policy coordination between Israel and the US is slowly eroding. 
And that is precisely what the Americans want to happen.... In any 
case, two years remain for the Bush administration, and as the 
President becomes weaker, [Condoleezza] Rice and [Robert] Gates are 
gaining prominence: She is building up experience and confidence, 
including international amity, and he is being viewed as a savior 
following the term of his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld.  In Israel, 
no great fondness or strong emotional attachment has been detected 
in them.  They look at Israel through different eyes than those of 
Bush -- more similar to those of Bush the father.  They also 
identify the weakness of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as an 
opportunity: even if he wants to, it is doubtful whether he would 
dare or be able to stand in their way.  Therefore, Rice and Gates 
are less concerned about whether disagreements with Israel come to 
fore.  Moreover, when disagreements do surface, they will serve 
their purposes well: to strengthen trust in the Arab world in order 
to mobilize assistance for America's No. 1 mission: to depart from 
Iraq, but not with its tail between its legs and without intolerably 
strengthening Iran.  And if a Palestinian state results from this, 
it would also be okay from their perspective." 
 
JONES