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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002642 
 
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.  Turkey 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Leading media reported that three Palestinian children from one 
family were killed in a strike against rocket launchers in the 
northern Gaza Strip.   The media quoted the IDF as saying that it 
"wishes to express sorrow for the use of teenagers in terror 
attacks."  Media quoted a relative of the children as saying: "We 
are victims of the occupation and victims of the misbehavior of some 
of the fighters, who are randomly choosing our area to target 
Israel."  The media quoted Hamas as saying that the attack reaffirms 
Israel's aggressive intentions and its disinterest in reaching an 
understanding with the Palestinians.  It called on PA Chairman 
[President] Mahmoud Abbas to stop meeting with PM Ehud Olmert. 
Ha'aretz reported that chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat 
condemned the killing of the children, predicting that violence 
would breed more violence. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that a new plan by the US security coordinator in 
the territories, Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, calls for the deployment of 
five new Palestinian battalions throughout the West Bank.  The 
newspaper quoted political sources in Jerusalem as saying on 
Wednesday that the plan, whose aim is to bolster Chairman Abbas, 
requires the approval of Israel if arms and equipment are to be 
transferred to the new forces.  The plan, which is still in its 
early development, is likely to call for the staged creation of the 
force, with relatively small units undergoing the necessary 
training. 
 
Maariv cited Israel's belief that Russia has greatly contributed to 
tensions between Israel and Syria over the past few weeks. 
According to the newspaper, Russia passed on to Syria inaccurate 
information about Israel's intention to start a war.  Maariv 
reported that Israel is unable to find an explanation for Russia's 
move, except for the fact that it is Syria's main arms supplier. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted senior Israeli defense officials as saying 
on Wednesday that, contrary to various news reports, the IDF had not 
reduced its level of forces on the Golan Heights.  However, The 
Jerusalem Post noted that "certain messages" had been received by 
both Israel and Syria indicating that neither was interested in 
going to war. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Chairman Abbas has appointed a 
special adviser on Jerusalem affairs -- Adnan Husseini, the former 
director-general of the Waqf department in Jerusalem.  Husseini was 
quoted as saying in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that one of 
his first tasks would be to persuade Israel to reopen Palestinian 
institutions in the city that were closed down by Israel over the 
past seven years.  One of these institutions, Orient House, served 
as the unofficial headquarters of the PLO in Jerusalem. 
 
Maariv reported that on Wednesday Strategic Affairs Minister and 
Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman informed PM Olmert 
that he was empowering Israel Hasson, a Knesset member from his 
party and a former deputy director of the Shin Bet, to supervise the 
negotiations with senior Palestinian officials.  Likud Chairman 
Binyamin Netanyahu confirmed on IDF Radio on Wednesday a report 
published on Friday by The Jerusalem Post that he was interested in 
recruiting Lieberman to run on a joint list for the next Knesset. 
 
Israel Radio reported that Michael Williams, the UN envoy for the 
Middle East process, has asked Hizbullah to provide signs of life 
from the two IDF soldiers it abducted last year.  The Jerusalem Post 
cited Lebanese news reports that Hizbullah is setting up an 
independent wireless phone network throughout southern Lebanon and 
in Beirut.  Israel Radio quoted a senior Lebanese official as saying 
that this represents a blow to Lebanese sovereignty. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that over the past few weeks the 
Israeli defense establishment has significantly slowed down the 
construction of the security fence along the Green Line for 
financial reasons.  The Jerusalem Post reported that on Wednesday 
the High Court of Justice rejected conflicting petitions against the 
security barrier proposed by the IDF to protect the Alfei Menashe 
settlement, located in the northern West Bank just four kilometers 
east of the Green Line. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that the Shas party is considering 
quitting the government, following PM Olmert's intention to sign an 
agreement of principles with Chairman Abbas.  The newspaper reported 
that the Yisrael Beiteinu party is also opposed to the diplomatic 
moves but cited its belief that no agreement will be signed. 
 
Leading media quoted President Bush as saying on Wednesday at the 
Annual Convention of the American Legion in Reno: "Iran's active 
pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons threatens 
to put a region already known for instability and violence under the 
shadow of a nuclear holocaust." 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Kadima and Likud politicians 
reacted negatively to Defense Minister and Labor Party Chairman Ehud 
Barak's call on Tuesday for general elections in 2008. 
 
The media reported that on Sunday the IDF will award commendations 
to soldiers who served in the Second Lebanon War.  Major media ran 
features about some casualties and heroes of the war.  Israel Radio 
reported that Saloum Don, an Israeli Arab who was wounded in a 
Katyusha rocket attack on his home in Haifa, passed away on 
Wednesday. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe quoted the London-based Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat as 
saying on Wednesday that Chairman Abbas has agreed to solve the 
crisis between Fatah and Hamas. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that a group of Israeli law professors 
has submitted a brief to the US Supreme Court on behalf of prisoners 
who have been held at the Guantanamo Bay naval prison for several 
years without access to courts or lawyers.  The authors of the brief 
explain the Israeli system for guaranteeing the rights of security 
suspects without sacrificing national security.  Two of the 
signatories told The Jerusalem Post about this on Wednesday. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees told 
the Israeli Foreign Ministry that the 48 infiltrators Israel sent 
back about 10 days ago will not be returned to Sudan.  The newspaper 
reported that the Foreign Ministry has embarked upon a worldwide PR 
campaign, mainly in the US, saying that Israel has done a lot for 
Darfur refugees but that it must take its own security 
considerations into account. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that a cabinet 
subcommittee has unanimously recommended ending a visa requirement 
for Russian visitors to Israel, a step that could lead to millions 
of dollars in additional annual revenue for the country's tourism 
industry.  The Jerusalem Post quoted Tourism Ministry spokesman 
Amatzia Bar-Moshe as saying that FM Tzipi Livni might pursue a 
parallel modification that would cancel the visa requirement for 
Israelis visiting Russia. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Oslo Accords architect Uri Savir wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The [Israeli-Palestinian] accord will 
eventually be signed -- even if it is called the Pardes Hanna accord 
[after an insignificant Israeli town], it will still be Oslo." 
 
Middle East affairs commentator Dr. Guy Bechor, a lecturer at the 
Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist 
Yediot Aharonot: "The next time the Syrians accuse us, as they 
always do, of not wanting peace ... we should stand up and announce 
in the clearest way possible a declared change in policy: No, with 
this Syrian regime we do not want any peace." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Still the Only Solution" 
 
Oslo Accords architect Uri Savir wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (8/30): "Without political compromises, this 
country would have been torn to pieces by terrible bloodshed -- just 
as happened in Yugoslavia.  The Oslo Accords should have gradually 
led to this country's partition into two nations to prevent the 
creation of a binational state, by gradually transferring civilian 
powers to the Palestinians and freeing Israel from the burdens of 
occupation.... Like any compromise agreement, this is no ideal 
accord.  However, it grants the Palestinians a diplomatic horizon of 
freedom and allows Israel to continue to exist as a national, Jewish 
state that will also bring security to the region.... I know every 
word in those accords and can attest to the fact that both sides 
have violated them countless times; the harshest blow the agreements 
suffered was the result of Jewish terror -- the Rabin assassination. 
 Further problems were Arafat's failure to establish a proper, 
non-corrupt regime; the failure of the Palestinians to fight the 
terrorist organizations ... Israel's failure to fight transgressors 
of the law against settlements; and so forth.... However, it should 
be remembered that this is about weaknesses in the implementation of 
a just and correct agreement, of a historic decision that is most 
crucial to those who hope for the continuation of the existence of a 
Jewish, national, and democratic state.... The accord will 
eventually be signed -- even if it is called the Pardes Hanna accord 
[after an insignificant Israeli town], it will still be Oslo." 
 
II.  "To Sing a Different Song" 
 
Middle East affairs commentator Dr. Guy Bechor, a lecturer at the 
Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist 
Yediot Aharonot (8/30): "The next time the Syrians accuse us, as 
they always do, of not wanting peace, instead of stammering we 
should stand up and announce in the clearest way possible a declared 
change in policy: No, with this Syrian regime we do not want any 
peace.  We want no relations with the tyranny of the Alawite 
minority, and certainly not peace.  Syria is an important country 
and a central neighbor.  Once it is democratic, it will understand 
the meaning of peace and will concede its demand for territories, 
behind which lie no peaceful intentions.  Then we will have peaceful 
relations with them.  But with the regime that is responsible for 
the brutal murder of tens of thousands of Syrians in the 1982 events 
at Hama, the murder of the Tadmor prison inmates, the murder of 
dozens of Lebanese politicians and leaders, harsh incitement over 
many years against Israel and the Jews, and the people in Damascus 
who are responsible for the murder of the Lebanese prime minister 
and are soon to be indicted -- with those people we want no 
relations.... From the Syrians' point of view, such a new Israeli 
position would be a source of embarrassment, since if they try to 
cast it as Israeli intransigence they will be turning the spotlight 
on the list of their crimes and failures.  Here is a paradox for 
you: When we claim that we want peace, the senior officials of the 
Alawite regime attack us; when we simply say that we don't want 
peace with them, theyQll relent.  And another comment: Syria does 
not have relations of peace with any Arab country.  At best 
Damascus' relations with the Arab states, and certainly with its 
neighbors, are somewhere between hostility and reciprocal loathing. 
Syria's relations are somewhere between hostile and cold with 
Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian 
Authority, and so forth.  So what about Israel?  Are we beginning to 
understand just how absurd our belief was?" 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "Sarkozy has 
shown that he recognizes the seriousness of the Iranian threat and 
is willing to stand up to it, and is not trying to pass on the 
problem to Israel's doorstep." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"A Realist at the Elysee Palace" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (8/30): "For 
Israelis, the most important part of Sarkozy's [inaugural 
diplomatic] address was his statement that Iran's nuclear program is 
the central problem on the international agenda today.... Sarkozy's 
assessment is similar to the view of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and 
his colleagues in the Israeli leadership, who have made similar 
statements and have presented the Iranian bomb as an international 
problem that requires an urgent diplomatic solution.  Sarkozy has 
shown that he recognizes the seriousness of the Iranian threat and 
is willing to stand up to it, and is not trying to pass on the 
problem to Israel's doorstep.... It is too early to tell how his 
approach will shape relations with Israel.  It should not be 
expected that France will withdraw its traditional objections to the 
occupation and Israel's actions in the territories, but it is 
possible that France will not appear at the head of the line of its 
critics, as in the past.  Regarding the US, Sarkozy has stuck to the 
adamant opposition of his predecessor regarding the war in Iraq, and 
has called for a timetable for an American withdrawal.  This way, he 
has kept his distance from the views of President George W. Bush. 
Sarkozy's statements about Iran and Iraq, and his criticism of 
Russia and China, leave no doubt: He considers France under his 
leadership a leading player on the international scene.  This will 
certainly find expression in the Middle East as well." 
 
----------- 
¶3.  Turkey: 
----------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "What is 
required in facing down those who would commit genocide ... is an 
alliance of all enlightened nations, taking concerted action to 
thwart such ambitions long before they are implemented.  Striving 
for a better future, however, also requires acknowledging and 
internalizing the crimes of the past." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Facing Up to the Past" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (8/30): 
"While Israel is acutely and understandably sensitive to its 
relationship with the current Turkish government, a key ally, the 
Jewish state, which rightly protests Holocaust denial wherever it 
occurs, cannot possibly be complicit in the denial of genocide 
elsewhere.... To denounce the Armenian Genocide is not to denounce 
Turkey and its current government: It did not perpetrate these 
killings.  But its responsibilities are those of a successor 
government, and must not be ducked.  Our global tragedy is that what 
the former Canadian justice minister has described as a 'genocide in 
the making' is being perpetrated, right now, in Darfur, in an era of 
globalized communication where no nation can claim to be unaware of 
what is unfolding.  And the next potential tragedy is developing 
before our eyes as well, similarly unobstructed by the international 
community.  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Iranian regime 
openly call for Israel's destruction and are seeking the means to 
achieve it -- in open breach of the UN's post-World War II 'Never 
Again' convention.... What is required in facing down those who 
would commit genocide, of course, is an alliance of all enlightened 
nations, taking concerted action to thwart such ambitions long 
before they are implemented.  Striving for a better future, however, 
also requires acknowledging and internalizing the crimes of the 
past." 
 
JONES