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DE RUEHTV #2221/01 2011010
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P 201010Z JUL 07
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002221 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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 
 
SIPDIS 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶1.  Mideast 
 
¶2.  Iran 
 
¶3.  Iraq 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
The media continued to report on the release of 255 Palestinian 
prisoners this morning.  The released prisoners signed a pledge not 
to return to terrorism and they will be welcomed back in Ramallah 
with a feast. 
 
Jordanian FM Abdelelah Al-Khatib was quoted as saying on Thursday, 
in an interview with Ha'aretz, that there will be no peace in the 
region unless the Palestinian problem is solved. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and other major media reported that on Thursday a 
high-ranking IDF officer called for a large-scale military operation 
to be mounted within a "limited window of opportunity" that might 
close in less than a year.  He claimed that Hamas has jumped light 
years ahead militarily since Israel's disengagement from Gaza.  The 
officer was quoted as saying that Hamas now had 13,000 armed men, 
had dramatically increased weapons smuggling, and was working to 
obtain Katyusha rocket capability.  The officer was quoted as saying 
that the Egyptians, Americans, and Europeans could not be counted on 
to stop Hamas, as Israel would have to do the "final job."  Ha'aretz 
noted: "However ominous the Hamas threat may be, it has nowhere near 
the capability of Hizbullah or Syria. 
 
The Arabic-language Assennara revealed that envoys from Israel, 
Saudi Arabia, and the PA will hold talks today and on Saturday in 
London in an effort to restore the trust between the Saudi King and 
Mahmoud Abbas and assess the situation following Hamas's takeover of 
Gaza. In addition, the Israeli envoy will affirm Israel's 
willingness to withdraw from West Bank cities, remove most of the 
checkpoints, and transfer large areas to the Palestinian Authority 
forces. 
 
Leading media quoted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying 
in Damascus on Thursday that this summer will be "hot" and will 
bring defeat for the "region's enemies." 
 
Maariv quoted a member of the Winograd Commission as saying that the 
commission will present no personal recommendations regarding PM 
Ehud Olmert. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Thursday Hamas leaders condemned 
Chairman Abbas's decision to hold parliamentary and presidential 
electrons and that that they decided to foil the vote.  The 
Jerusalem Post cited claims by Hamas that Abbas and Israel are 
planning to kill its leaders.  The General Secretary of the 
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Nayef Hawatmeh, 
was quoted as saying in an interview with the Arabic-language Kull 
al-Arab that he will return home when the Olmert government stops 
playing around and allows his return without conditions.  As leaders 
we have to be inside our land and stand with our people in order to 
fight for our rights, Hawatmeh added.  He was further quoted as 
saying that there is no other way forward for Abbas and Hamas but to 
return to the path of unity and implement the National 
Reconciliation DocumentQs clauses. 
 
Leading media quoted the Quartet's Mideast envoy, former British PM 
Tony Blair, as saying on Thursday that he was optimistic momentum 
could be regained in talks between Israel and the Palestinians. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted GOI officials as saying on Thursday that 
Israel has no intention at this time to transfer responsibility for 
Palestinian cities in the West Bank to the PA. 
 
Maariv reported that "Israel and the PA are close to reaching a 
historic economic agreement": Israel will purchase natural gas from 
the British company BG, which will drill in Palestinian territory; 
the Israel Navy will protect the gas facilities; and Tony Blair can 
be the "godfather" of the deal. 
 
Ha'aretz cited an AP wire report that on Thursday Israeli President 
Shimon Peres called on Syria to open direct peace talks with Israel. 
 Israel Radio quoted the London-based Al-Hayat as saying that Syria 
has asked Denmark to mediate between it and Israel.  Most senior 
officials in the [Israeli] defense establishment believe that the 
Unites States will not strike Iran during George Bush's term -- 
everybody, that is, except Olmert." 
 
Ha'aretz quoted sources in Jerusalem as saying that senior Egyptian 
officials visiting Washington have failed to convince Congress to 
change course on its intention to freeze USD 200 million in aid. 
The freeze is partially due to Egypt's inaction against weapons 
smuggling across the Egypt-Gaza Strip border. 
 
The media reported that several Qassam rockets landed in and around 
Sderot on Thursday and today.  Maariv reported that last week 
Palestinians almost lynched an Israeli intelligence officer in the 
Nablus refugee camp of Balata. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the Defense Ministry will launch 
its most advanced spy satellite in September aboard an Indian 
rocket.   The Israel Aerospace Industries-made satellite is capable 
of transmitting tiny images in all weather conditions. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli-Arab advocacy center, 
Mossawa, on Thursday pointed to the large gap between the number of 
bomb shelters in the Arab and Jewish sectors.  The Jewish areas have 
more. 
 
Maariv reported that on Thursday the settler-sponsored Council for 
Higher Education in Judea and Samaria decided to turn Ariel College 
into a university.  Maariv reported that the GOI refuses to fund the 
change, and that Peace Now complained that the proposed move will 
strengthen the occupation.  Maariv noted that all Israeli 
educational institutions in the West Bank are under IDF 
responsibility. 
 
Maariv (Jacky Hoogie) present five different scenarios ("The Black 
Hole") after a possible US withdrawal from Iraq.  The Jerusalem Post 
interviewed Israeli and American public figures --  "critics and 
fans" of President Bush -- who said that the reason for delivering 
his speech on the Middle East this week is "Iraq," in a word. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that settlers who were evacuated from Gush Katif 
in 2005 are building a monument to the settlements destroyed during 
disengagement. 
 
Yediot reported that that the heads of the Moroccan Jewish community 
are promoting the idea of Yad Vashem granting the late Moroccan king 
Mohamed V (the grandfather of reigning King Mohamed VI) the title of 
Righteous Among the Nations, in recognition of his saving Moroccan 
Jews during the Holocaust.  The newspaper said that this initiative, 
which was welcomed by President Peres, will have far-reaching 
diplomatic repercussions on Israel-Morocco ties.  Yediot quoted 
sources in Yad Vashem are saying that the institution is not 
influenced by diplomatic or political considerations, but only by 
 
historical and legal ones. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn and Washington correspondent 
Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The 
President, who refuses to specify a time for the conclusion of the 
mission in Iraq, also declines to set a deadline in the secondary, 
Palestinian, arena." 
 
Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick 
wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "In the 
waning days of the Bush administration, and perhaps of the Olmert 
government, the American and Israeli publics need to find ways to 
make it clear that they demand good leaders, not good politicians." 
 
Liat Collins, Editor of The International Jerusalem Post, wrote in 
the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "Bush and Peres 
actually shared several themes, both calling for the development of 
the Negev and Galilee instead of the settlements." 
 
 
 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "One Solution to Two Problems" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn and Washington correspondent 
Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz 
(7/20): "The President made clear to the senior officials in his 
administration that he views Olmert as a partner and ally, and won't 
let anyone stir up trouble between them.  In the disagreement 
between Olmert and Rice, when the Secretary of State proposed 
conducting negotiations over a 'shelf agreement' to end the 
conflict, as opposed to the Prime Minister's position -- Bush backed 
Olmert and not his close friend Condi.  His speech this week was 
meant to reinforce her standing.  Bush indicated that she would lead 
the process, but that she did not have a mandate to press Israel too 
hard.  The demands Bush presented to Israel were mild, almost 
imperceptible, compared to the challenge he gave the 
Palestinians.... The President, who refuses to specify a time for 
the conclusion of the mission in Iraq, also declines to set a 
deadline in the secondary, Palestinian, arena.  He prefers a process 
that lasts years, if necessary, to shortcuts.  The example of his 
predecessor is ever-present in his mind.... Bush has no intention of 
ending up like Bill Clinton, who discovered to his great misfortune 
at Camp David that the parties were not yet ready for an accord, and 
that the Palestinians still had no leadership or institutions with 
which to hold a serious dialogue or whose word could be counted on. 
To Bush's mind, Clinton's Camp David is not a model; it's a warning 
sign." 
 
II.  "Bush, the Talented Politician" 
 
Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist Caroline B. Glick 
wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (7/20): "Bush 
told the Palestinians that this is a 'moment of choice' for them. 
It is time for them to decide if they are for terror or peace.  But 
then, he said the same thing five years ago.  Since then, at every 
decision point, the Palestinians chose terror.... Israel's assigned 
role in this diplomatic farce is the patsy.  Due to the exigencies 
of democratic politics, and in the absence of leadership on either 
side, over the past few years, US-Israel relations have taken on a 
sado-masochistic quality.  To endear himself with the State 
Department and Europe, Bush has chosen to insist that Israel 
endanger itself.  To survive in office, Olmert, like Ariel Sharon 
before him, has agreed to endanger Israel in order to secure the 
support of the Left in his governing coalition, and the State 
Prosecutor's Office.  The one conclusion that cries out from all of 
this is that in the waning days of the Bush administration, and 
perhaps of the Olmert government, the American and Israeli publics 
need to find ways to make it clear that they demand good leaders, 
not good politicians." 
 
III.  "Two Presidents, One Vision" 
 
Liat Collins, Editor of The International Jerusalem Post, wrote in 
the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (7/20): "To describe 
the Bush address as groundbreaking would be as unreasonable as 
portraying Shimon Peres's presidential inauguration speech as 
sensational.  Both have a vision.  Both want to see peace in the 
Middle East.  Both would like that peace to be attributed to them in 
the history books, rather than a failed war in Iraq in the case of 
the former and a failed peace created in Oslo in the case of the 
latter.  I dutifully listened to Bush's plan for an international 
 
parley in September (for this you interrupted my summer viewing 
pleasure?), the call to stop settlement expansion, and the plea to 
the Palestinians to choose between moderates (Mahmoud Abbas) and 
extremists (Hamas).  Peres at the beginning of the week had made 
similar comments proving at the outset of his term in office that he 
could be the 'president of all' by angering settlers one day and the 
Left the next.... Bush and Peres actually shared several themes, 
both calling for the development of the Negev and Galilee instead of 
the settlements." 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the 
popular, pluralist Maariv: "Most senior officials in the [Israeli] 
defense establishment believe that the Unites States will not strike 
Iran during George Bush's term -- everybody, that is, except 
Olmert." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"A Lame Duck Can Also Hit" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the 
popular, pluralist Maariv (7/20): "Economic sanctions bother [Iran] 
much more than the West can imagine.... The only question that 
remains open is who will win the race between the ignominy of 
economic sanctions imposed by the world and the crazy Iranian effort 
to obtain a bomb.  Everyone talks of an American strike, but no one 
knows what will really happen.  Most senior officials in the 
[Israeli] defense establishment believe that the Unites States will 
not strike Iran during George Bush's term -- everybody, except 
Olmert." 
 
--------- 
¶3.  Iraq: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Former Soviet dissident and former Likud Knesset Member and minister 
Natan Sharansky wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "A 
precipitous withdrawal of US forces could lead to a bloodbath that 
would make the current carnage pale by comparison." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Bracing For a Bigger Bloodbath" 
 
Former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky and former Likud Knesset 
Member and minister wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz 
(7/20): "As the hideous violence in Iraq continues, it has become 
increasingly common to hear people argue that the world was better 
off with Saddam Hussein in power and that Iraqis were better off 
under his fist.... The truth is that in totalitarian regimes, there 
are no human rights.  Period.  For most people, life under 
totalitarianism is slavery, with no possibility of escape.  That is 
why, despite the carnage in Iraq, Iraqis are consistently less 
pessimistic about the present and more optimistic about the future 
of their country than Americans are.... No one can know for sure 
whether President Bush's 'surge' of US troops in Iraq will succeed. 
But those who believe that human rights should play a central role 
in international affairs should be doing everything in their power 
to maximize its chances.  For one of the consequences of failure 
could well be catastrophe.  A precipitous withdrawal of US forces 
could lead to a bloodbath that would make the current carnage pale 
by comparison.... Many who supported the withdrawal [from Vietnam] 
in the name of human rights did not foresee the calamity that 
followed, which included genocide in Cambodia, tens of thousands 
slaughtered in Vietnam by the North Vietnamese, and the tragedy of 
hundreds of thousands of 'boat people.'  My hope is that as US 
leaders decide their course, they will make the human rights 
dimension a central part of any decision.  The consequences of not 
doing so might prove catastrophic to Iraqis, to regional peace and, 
ultimately, to US security." 
 
CRETZ