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Viewing cable 07TELAVIV2692, ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07TELAVIV2692 2007-09-06 10:31 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Tel Aviv
VZCZCXYZ0027
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #2692/01 2491031
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061031Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3156
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHQA/HQ USAF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEADWD/DA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 2695
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 9399
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 2783
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 3492
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 2725
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 0721
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 3457
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0328
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0797
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 7380
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 4819
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 9729
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 3885
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 5827
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 7843
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMSIXTHFLT  PRIORITY
UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002692 
 
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 (lead stories in Ha'aretz and Makor Rishon-Hatzofe) 
reported that on Wednesday Defense Minister Ehud Barak told his 
senior staff and the heads of the military industries that it was 
very likely that the IDF was moving closer to an extensive ground 
action in the Gaza Strip, "in order to halt the rocket fire and the 
strengthening [of militant organizations]."  Israel Radio cited 
denial by senior political sources associated with PM Ehud Olmert 
that the Security cabinet made such a decision.  Barak's statement 
came a few hours after the security cabinet decided not to 
significantly alter the IDF's actions in the Gaza Strip.  The 
cabinet also decided to examine the legal implications of imposing 
sanctions on the civilian population, such as disrupting the supply 
of electricity.  Ha'aretz reported that no troop buildup or other 
preparations are being made in the Southern Command for immediate 
action.  Ha'aretz reported that senior Israeli military sources told 
the newspaper that as long as the tension is high along the Syrian 
border, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi objects to large-scale 
action in Gaza because of the difficulty of operating on two fronts 
without a massive call up of the reserves. The sources said Israel's 
position might change if a large number of casualties resulted from 
the Qassam fire. 
 
The media reported that on Wednesday IDF troops discovered 11 Qassam 
launchers aimed at Israel in the northern Gaza Strip. Leading media 
reported that concrete cubicles capable of sheltering several people 
have been placed on the streets of Sderot. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Wednesday Israel and the Arab 
world "jostled" over the content and makeup of the international 
meeting on the Middle East scheduled for the US later this year, as 
FM Tzipi Livni strove to deflate expectations and Arab League 
Secretary-General Amr Moussa warned against a "useless political 
 
SIPDIS 
demonstration." 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Israel recently sent Hamas a new proposal in 
its negotiations to secure the return of kidnapped IDF Cpl. soldier 
Gilad Shalit.  However, details of the proposal are not known and 
Hamas has yet to respond.   Ha'aretz further quoted a senior Hamas 
official as saying on Wednesday that European officials recently 
began mediating between Israel and Hamas over Shalit.  He declined 
to specify which countries, but said that he was not referring to 
Norway, which recently announced that it was involved in the issue. 
The Jerusalem Post cited denial by a delegation of the International 
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Israel and the Palestinian 
territories of an AP report on Wednesday that Shalit's kidnappers 
"may permit" ICRC representatives to visit him. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that Foreign Ministry officials are 
currently putting together a basket of decisions with the goal to 
radicalize the difference in Israel's approach to the Gaza Strip 
versus the West Bank.  The daily quoted a political official in 
Jerusalem as saying that the fundamental purpose of this policy was 
the desire to demonstrate to Palestinian society that there is a 
price to pay for supporting Hamas. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe and Israel Radio reported that on Wednesday 
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano told President Shimon Peres, 
who is visiting Italy, that he will strive to obtain signs of life 
from the IDF soldiers abducted by Hizbullah. 
 
Kadima Knesset Member Otniel Schneller, a former settler leader, was 
quoted as saying in an interview with Maariv that he will not 
prevent PM Olmert from leaving the party.  The newspaper reported 
that he presented Olmert with a diplomatic plan setting strict 
guidelines for negotiations with the Palestinians. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted GOI sources in Jerusalem as saying that UN 
cartographer Miklos Pinter is in Israel this week to move ahead on 
the marking of the controversial boundaries of Sheba Farms. 
Ha'aretz noted that although PM Olmert and other officials have 
indicated that Israel may relinquish the Sheba Farms, Israel may not 
agree in the near future to serious discussion of a pullout from the 
Farms, due to national consensus, political, and 
historical/religious reasons. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the High Court of Justice ruled on Wednesday 
that even though the East Matityahu neighborhood of the settlement 
of Modi'in Illit was set up illegally on Palestinian lands, the 
houses that have already been built need not be dismantled.  The 
court therefore canceled the injunction preventing the houses from 
being occupied that it issued in January 2006.  Yediot reported that 
on Wednesday the High Court ruled that Israel will retain some land 
in the Palestinian village of Bil'in, in whose favor the court had 
ruled on Tuesday. 
 
Ha'aretz cited a party manifesto drafted by Yisrael Beiteinu 
Chairman and Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman as saying: 
"The principle of land for peace is a mistaken and misleading 
principle that is destined to fail." 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Wednesday Shraga Brosh, the 
President of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, called on Tony 
Blair to hold an economic regional summit parallel to the upcoming 
to the US-sponsored meeting on the Middle East. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that Iranian President 
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to meet with Damascus-based 
Palestinian factions leaders in Tehran today. 
 
The Jerusalem Post cited a report released today by Human Rights 
Watch (HRW) that most of the Lebanese civilian casualties during 
last summer's war came from "indiscriminate Israeli air strikes." 
The newspaper said that his was HRW's harshest condemnation since 
the war. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted the family of Omar Masalma, a Palestinian prisoner 
from the West Bank, as saying that he died in his cell in Ma'asiyahu 
prison on August 25, due to medical negligence. 
 
Maariv reported that the IDF plans to impose severe sanctions 
against draft dodgers, such as not allowing them to obtain a 
driver's license, become MDs or psychologists, or be employed in 
government offices.  Yediot reported that while the number of 
Orthodox officers in elite IDF units is rising, an increasing number 
of Orthodox high school students choose to be exempted of military 
service for religious reasons. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the Interior Ministry has prepared 
a preliminary draft of citizenship criteria that would disqualify 
some converts to Judaism -- Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform -- 
from automatically qualifying for citizenship under the Law of 
Return.  The Jerusalem Post reported that young non-Orthodox US Jews 
are feeling increasingly alienated and disconnected from Israel. The 
tendency was based on a study released on Thursday by Professors 
Steven M. Cohen and Ari Y. Kelman. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Yehiel Horev, the former head of security at 
the Defense Ministry, is now working for a private company that 
sells weapons to India. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Germany has issued a protest to Israel on the 
activities of Nativ, a secret branch of the GOI, which is 
facilitating the immigration of Jews from the former Soviet Union 
but are currently in Germany. 
 
Yehuda Avner, Israel's former ambassador to the UK, revealed in an 
article for The Jerusalem Post today that Diana, Princess of Wales, 
thought Israel to be a "plucky little country," and that she and her 
then-husband Prince Charles accepted an invitation to visit "at the 
appropriate time."  Reporting on HRH Prince Edward's private visit 
to Israel, media noted that British royals made numerous official 
visits to most Arab countries, but none to Israel. 
 
Maariv reported that FOX-TV is acquiring the rights of the concept 
of the Channel 2-TV series "Mesudarim" (Settled in Life). 
 
Maariv cited the results of a poll conducted among Israeli Arabs by 
the Israeli Arab Mada el-Carmel Center: 
-"Is it easier today to defeat Israel on the battlefield?"  Yes: 
49.1 percent; no: 17.2 percent; no change: 28 percent. 
- "Has the [Second Lebanon] War harmed Israel's deterrence?"  Yes: 
52.4 percent; Israel's deterrence is greater: 20 percent; no change: 
22.6 percent. 
 
 
 
-------- 
Mideast: 
-------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "If Olmert wants his political interest to be 
translated into diplomatic advantage, he has to think carefully 
about the day after the summit in Washington.  He should ask Shimon 
Peres and Ehud Barak what happens when the beautiful expectations 
are destroyed." 
 
Liberal op-ed writer Yael Paz-Melamed commented in the popular, 
pluralist Maariv: "Will the world's superpower and the strongest 
country in the region subordinate an international conference to the 
whims or madness of a few murderers from Islamic Jihad, who find a 
plot of land from which they launch Qassam rockets and then flee? 
Yes." 
 
Ha'aretz editorialized: "There is no proof that making the 
Palestinian public suffer would cause Hamas to take pity on it and 
embark on a cease-fire.... What is being presented as a way to avoid 
war is counterproductive, immoral and illegal." 
 
Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote on page one of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "Among the reasons 
cited for not launching an operation is the regional peace 
conference in November.... Terror, like always, will be the one to 
decide on a date least amenable to Israel." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
ΒΆI.  "A Process for its Own Sake" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (9/6): "Olmert's problem is that neither his 
decision to hold talks with Abbas, nor his agreement to discuss the 
'core issues' -- permanent borders, Jerusalem, and the refugees, 
which he once feared -- is sufficient.  Even if he arrives at the 
Washington summit without any additional terror attacks being 
perpetrated until then and reaches a reasonable agreement of 
principles with Abbas, and even if the Saudis come to the meeting 
with their senior leadership, the path he has chosen leads through 
dangerous minefields.  The first minefield consists of the vague 
definition of the negotiations' aims.... The second minefield is 
Abbas's weakness.... The third minefield is the negotiators' total 
lack of room to maneuver.... If Olmert wants his political interest 
to be translated into diplomatic advantage, he has to think 
carefully about the day after the summit in Washington.  He should 
ask Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak what happens when the beautiful 
expectations are destroyed.  A picture with the Saudi prince in a 
white djellabah would be a nice diplomatic achievement for Olmert, 
but the results of his policy will be decided in the West Bank and 
in Gaza, and not on the lawn in Washington." 
 
II.  "Do Not Give in to Qassam Rockets" 
 
Liberal op-ed writer Yael Paz-Melamed commented in the popular, 
pluralist Maariv (9/6): "Will the world's superpower and the 
strongest country in the region subordinate an international 
conference to the whims or madness of a few murderers from Islamic 
Jihad, who find a plot of land from which they launch Qassam rockets 
and then flee?  Yes.  This is the situation, which has been 
maintained for a long time.  For many years we have not evacuated 
illegal outposts so as not to reward the other side's violence.  We 
are not even considering any kind of meetings -- secret or overt -- 
with Hamas members over a discussion of a truce ... otherwise they 
may understand that violence pays, and so on." 
 
III.  "Faced with Sderot and Gaza" 
 
Ha'aretz editorialized (9/6): "The distress of Israel's government, 
which is responsible for defending its citizens, periodically gives 
rise -- and with greater force than usual this week -- to desperate 
ideas.  One such idea, which is being advocated by Minister Haim 
Ramon and, more guardedly, by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, is 
hitting Gaza's water and electricity networks.  Stopping the flow of 
water and electricity is a painful and punishing step, but 
ostensibly not a fatal one.  Its goal is to cause the Palestinian 
public to pressure Hamas and Islamic Jihad to stop the fire.  This 
idea is complete nonsense.  Factually speaking, cutting off water 
and electricity can kill.  Moreover, there is no proof that making 
the Palestinian public suffer would cause Hamas to take pity on it 
and embark on a cease-fire.  On the contrary: Hamas consistently 
sabotages the flow of essential goods through Gaza's border 
terminals.  What is being presented as a way to avoid war is 
counterproductive, immoral and illegal." 
 
IV.  "Buying Time" 
 
Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote on page one of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (9/6): "In the wonderful 
world of euphemisms it is referred to as 'preserving the political 
echelon's flexibility.'  In plain Hebrew it means: to buy a little 
more time.  And if weQd like to be a bit more precise, what the 
security cabinet decided on Wednesday was to try, as much as 
possible, to get through the Jewish holidays safe and sound.  That 
is a legitimate decision for a government to make, provided it 
doesnQt create, in tandem, the false impression that it is actually 
doing something; provided it doesn't deceive the public and delude 
it into believing that it is on the way to solving the problem 
decisively.... Among the reasons cited for not launching an 
operation is the regional peace conference in November.  A military 
operation is liable to derail the plan.... Everyone is right.  The 
government is right in seeking to buy time.  The army is right in 
saying that it doesnQt want to launch an operation that doesnQt go 
all the way.  The Shin Bet is right when it says that a price needs 
to be exacted.  The residents of Sderot are right when they demand 
security now.  Ehud Barak was also right when he said on Wednesday 
that in the end there would be no choice but to operate in the Gaza 
Strip.  But all that energy that Israelis invest in being right, 
logical and balanced is for naught.  Because it isn't we who are 
going to set the timetable for the military crisis in the Gaza 
Strip.  Terror, like always, will be the one to decide on a date 
least amenable to Israel.  The date will be set by the next Qassam 
rocket and the next terror cell that crosses the fence." 
 
JONES