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RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 2713
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 0709
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002662 
 
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: 
-------------------------------- 
 
Mideast 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Major media reported on President Bush's surprise visit to the Al 
Asad US base in Iraq on Monday. 
 
On Sunday Ha'aretz reported that in recent conversations with 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and in a meeting last Monday 
 
SIPDIS 
with Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad, FM Tzipi Livni said that all of 
the parties would serve to benefit from reasonable expectations for 
the expected November summit. 
 
All media reported that on Monday Palestinians fired seven rockets 
at the western Negev.  The rockets caused no casualties, but one 
landed near a kindergarten while it was in use.  Leading media 
reported that PM Ehud Olmert and other senor GOI officials warned 
that Islamic Jihad, which the officials said was responsible for the 
attacks, would pay a hefty price.  Israel Radio reported that 
Ambassador to the UN Danny Gillerman filed an official complaint 
with the UN over the continued rocket attacks.  He was quoted as 
saying that there was a limit to Israel's restraint, adding that he 
would speak to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and demand that the 
organization intervene.  Yediot quoted Vice PM Haim Ramon as saying 
that Israel should tell Hamas that it will cut off power and water 
supply to the Gaza Strip for a couple of hours following every 
attack. 
 
On Sunday Ha'aretz reported that Egypt has decided, for now, to turn 
down Israel's request to reprise its role in mediating the 
negotiations for abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit's release. 
Ha'aretz cited the belief of Egyptian officials that renewing talks 
with Hamas would reverse the recent slippage in the group's standing 
-- particularly if Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as part of 
a deal. 
 
The media reported that on Sunday an interministerial committee 
discussed the issue of unauthorized settler outposts.  On Monday 
Ha'aretz cited an argument the occurred on Sunday between Strategic 
Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman and FM Livni.  While Lieberman 
said that "there are no illegal outposts," Livni replied: "There is 
a government commitment [to remove the outposts], so we have to 
remove them." 
 
Major media reported that on Monday Transportation Minister Shaul 
Mofaz warned PM Olmert not to make "irreversible concessions" in the 
peace plan being discussed with the Palestinians.  Mofaz demanded a 
debate in the Kadima party to set "red lines" before November's 
international meeting in Washington.  Internal Security Minister Avi 
Dichter also urged holding a debate in the party about the peace 
negotiations. "Our duty is to make sure the PA passes several stages 
before we can conduct peace talks with it," Ha'aretz quoted him as 
saying at a Kadima forum.  Leading media reported that criticism of 
Olmert on this matter among Kadima members is growing. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that 80,000 illegal weapons are believed 
to be in the hands of West Bank terrorists, according to the IDF's 
latest assessments of the ongoing power struggle between Hamas and 
Fatah.  The newspaper quoted Israeli defense officials as saying 
that Hamas could pose a genuine threat to PA Chairman [President] 
Mahmoud Abbas's security forces. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe quoted a senior Israeli defense source as 
saying on Monday that Syria's budgetary investment in shoring up its 
military is equal to its growth during the preceding eight to nine 
years. 
 
All media reported that on Monday female Israeli tennis player 
Shahar Pe'er reached the quarterfinals of the US Open. 
 
Major media reported that on Monday IDF Chief of Staff Gabi 
Ashkenazi approved a multi-year, multi-dimensional procurement 
program for the IDF.  If the political leadership approves the 
program, its implementation will begin early next year.  The 
procurement program, code-named Tefen, includes advanced systems for 
all branches of the IDF but much of the emphasis is placed on 
equipping the ground forces while sustaining the right mix "to 
ensure that we are not preparing for the last war," as one senior 
officer was quoted as saying in Ha'aretz. 
 
Ha'aretz and other media reported that Tony Blair, the Quartet's 
Mideast envoy, is returning to the region for the second time since 
he was appointed. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that a plan to reduce the number of internal 
checkpoints by nearly 50 percent has been lying in the Defense 
Ministry's inbox for almost a year.  Ha'aretz quoted US defense 
officials as saying that the program is in line with Israeli 
promises to boost Chairman Abbas's status.  The program was prepared 
by a former Defense Ministry adviser on Palestinian Affairs, Haggai 
Alon. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted Jordan's King Abdullah II as saying in an interview 
with the French daily Le Monde that Hamas takes orders from Iran. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that on Monday PM Olmert and visiting Austrian 
Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer discussed the need to reduce tensions 
between Israel and Syria.  On Monday EU foreign policy chief Javier 
Solana was quoted as saying on Sunday in an interview with Ha'aretz 
that he saw no reason for any forthcoming military conflict between 
Israel and Syria.  On Sunday Maariv quoted an Israeli Foreign 
Ministry official, whose task involves maintaining Israeli-Russian 
relations, as saying: "Russia is definitely likely to profit from a 
war here."   The official was further quoted as saying: "This is not 
the first time that the Russians have heated up the sector here in 
an attempt to impose their influence" 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe quoted jailed Fatah-Tanzim leader Marwan 
Barghouti as saying in an interview with Arab media that Fatah is to 
blame for Hamas's takeover of Gaza. 
 
Ha'aretz ran a feature on Afif Safieh, the PLO's representative in 
Washington, who "maneuvers between political forces in the Jewish 
lobby, the PLO in the territories, and the PLO abroad to show 
Americans that a 'moderate Palestinian' exists." 
 
On Sunday Yediot reported on an Israeli Internet site called 
"Israeli Terrorism" which gives advice on how to perpetrate acts of 
error against Arabs. 
 
Leading media reported that on Monday Finance Ministry 
Accountant-General Yaron Zelekha asked State Comptroller Micha 
Lindenstrauss for protection against his four-year contract not 
being extended.  The state comptroller is empowered to do so in 
cases when an employee has been harmed because he has complained 
that his employer (in this case, PM Olmert) or a fellow employee was 
guilty of corruption. 
 
On Monday all media reported that on Sunday the police recommended 
that former finance minister Abraham Hirchson be indicted on charges 
of embezzlement. 
On Monday Yediot reported that candidates from oligarch Arkady 
Gaidamak's Social Justice party will run for mayor or for seats on 
the municipal councils in the November 2008 local authority 
elections. 
 
Lenny Ben-David, who was Israel's deputy chief of mission in 
Washington, wrote in Ha'aretz that convicted spy Jonathan Pollard 
could have been released seven years ago, between the November 2000 
presidential elections and President George Bush's inauguration in 
January 2001, but that Israel failed to make the requisite moves. 
 
On Monday Maariv reported that HRH Prince Edward will arrive on 
Wednesday for a three-day visit to Israel, during which he will 
attend a Jewish New Year banquet and place the last stone in the 
Peace Mosaic in Jerusalem, which bears the symbol of the dove and 
the inscription "ask for peace and pursue it."  The prince will be 
the guest of the Israel Youth Prize movement. 
 
------- 
Mideast 
------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The Americans have not learned the bitter 
lesson of the failure of the second Camp David summit and the 
Intifada that followed it: Peace summits are not child's play.  They 
are like playing with fire." 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "The 
entire settlement debate must be put into its proper context.  The 
obstacle to peace is not those who advocate Greater Israel, who have 
lost the debate here, but terrorism in the name of Greater 
Palestine, meaning the destruction of Israel." 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the 
popular, pluralist Maariv: "Olmert's fate is going to be sealed 
soon.... Abu Mazen?  He is in similar shape.... Everything is based 
on Olmert's gut feeling ... [and] on an aggregate of coincidences 
and circumstances." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
¶I.  "Expectations, Anyone?" 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (9/3): "President Bush demanded that Israel 
stop expanding settlements.  He even demanded that it evacuate the 
illegal outposts -- a relatively new contribution to the list of 
euphemisms.... But mere statements are not enough.  George W. Bush 
also said that Israel 'must reduce its presence in the territories.' 
 Or, to use less watered-down language, Israel must finally carry 
out its recycled promise to reduce the number of internal 
checkpoints in the West Bank.  So he said it.  Big deal.  During his 
July 16 speech, Bush did not make do with general talk about a 
'vision' and a 'political horizon.'  He did not hesitate to relate 
to the 'core issues.'  The President said that negotiations on 
borders, refugees, and Jerusalem must begin, and that the borders 
should be based on both the lines of the past and the reality of the 
present, with agreed changes.  So he said it.  What has happened 
since?"  Fall (the general time for holding the international, or 
regional, conference or 'meeting') is nearing and there are still no 
invitations, no hall, no date, no guest list, and no agenda.  Were 
it not for the fact that the US is the most powerful country in the 
world, and that this summit is meant to alter the regional balance 
of power between moderates and extremists, it would be possible to 
laugh.... The Americans have not learned the bitter lesson of the 
failure of the second Camp David summit and the Intifada that 
followed it: Peace summits are not child's play.  They are like 
playing with fire." 
 
 
 
II.  "Line-Drawing for Peace" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (9/4): 
"Why should not the US and Europe, which support the two-state 
concept and oppose the maximalists, quietly rejoice at an internal 
Israeli agreement that acts to solidify the consensus in favor of 
retaining areas that no Israel government can concede and toward 
parting from areas that most Israelis regard as rightfully theirs 
but do not want to rule?  Meanwhile, the entire settlement debate 
must be put into its proper context.  The obstacle to peace is not 
those who advocate Greater Israel, who have lost the debate here, 
but terrorism in the name of Greater Palestine, meaning the 
destruction of Israel.  It is on confronting the latter genocidal 
mindset, which is far from defeated and openly regards all of Israel 
as an illegal settlement, that the international community must 
focus if the hopes for peace are to be advanced." 
III.  "For Your Eyes Only" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the 
popular, pluralist Maariv (9/2): "Imagine Rabin, or Netanyahu, or 
Sharon or Barak sitting with the other side's elected leader for a 
series of meetings in which they try to formulate together the 'core 
principles' of resolution.  What uproar would have broken out.  How 
extensive the coverage would have been.  How many journalists would 
have surrounded the event and how many cameras would have clicked 
around it.  And now?  It is met with indifference.  The talks are 
secretive, barely make their way to the first pages of the 
 
SIPDIS 
newspaper, and sometimes fail to do even that.... The thing is that 
nobody seems to be taking seriously are the talks between Olmert and 
Abu Mazen.  Both men's status is questionable.  Two lame ducks 
quacking together?  Let them quack as much as they like.  Olmert's 
fate is going to be sealed soon.  The High Court of Justice is to 
hear petitions next week against the Winograd Commission.  The 
court's ruling will have tremendous impact on the Prime Minister's 
political future.  His public standing is shaky and, despite a 
certain recovery, it is hard to envision any radical change in the 
visible future.  Abu Mazen?  He is in similar shape.  He has already 
announced that he will not seek office again (even though this is a 
reversible decision), he enjoys scant support, he lost Gaza, is 
fighting for the West Bank, knows that he will not be able to secure 
the support of his public on every aspect of the final status 
arrangement, knows that he cannot enforce law and order, that his 
chances of exterminating terrorism are about equal to George Bush's 
chances of putting Iraq in order.  And still, the talks are being 
held.  On various levels.... The problem is that these talks have no 
formal father.  They are not regulated.  They are not planned. 
Everything is based on Olmert's gut feeling, on his chemistry with 
Vice Prime Minister Haim] Ramon, on an aggregate of coincidences 
and circumstances." 
 
JONES