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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002870 
 
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 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Israel Radio reported that FM Tzipi Livni may meet PA Chairman 
[President] Mahmoud Abbas in New York.  The radio reported that in 
her speech to the UN General Assembly, Livni is expected to cite the 
West Bank as the model for the future Palestinian state and to call 
for a world alliance of democratic countries, in which Hamas would 
not have a place. 
 
All Israeli media reported that Hamas warned on Thursday that Israel 
will pay a heavy price for its attacks in the Gaza Strip, which have 
killed at least 12 Palestinians over the last two days.  A spokesman 
for the organization threatened to call on all Palestinian groups to 
undertake all means of defense, which hints at the resumption of 
suicide bombings.  The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that 
Chairman Abbas called for the cessation of the "massacre" of 
Palestinian civilians in Gaza.  Maariv quoted Yasser Abed Rabbo, 
head of the PLO's Executive Committee, as saying that the PA is 
considering bringing the issue to the UN Security Council.  The IDF 
operations began on Wednesday following several hours of mortars and 
Qassam rockets being launched at the border area and the western 
Negev.  Hamas claimed responsibility for firing 54 mortars against 
Israeli targets -- primarily the crossings into Gaza.  At least 10 
Qassam rockets were fired against towns in Israel.  The Jerusalem 
Post reported that Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that Israel 
was getting closer to launching a large-scale military operation. 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF praised the PA for 
thwarting the production of Qassam rockets near Bethlehem. 
 
Leading media reported that the bureaus of Syrian FM Walid Mualem 
and FM Livni denied a report published in the Israeli Arab newspaper 
Assennara that the two met in New York.  Yediot reported that its 
reporter Ron Ben-Yishai spent Yom Kippur in the Great Synagogue of 
Damascus.  Yediot said that dozens of media outlets in the Arab 
world reported on Ron Ben-Yishai's visit to Syria.  All media 
reported that for the second time in less than a week, IAF fighter 
jets were scrambled to the northern border on Thursday after radar 
systems picked up Syrian helicopters making their way towards 
Israel. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted senior Israeli diplomatic sources as 
saying on Thursday that Israel has no intention of stopping work on 
the security barrier to lure Saudi Arabia to the US-sponsored 
meeting on the Middle East later this year.  The sources were 
responding to remarks made by Saudi FM Saudi al-Faisal.  An Israeli 
source was quoted as saying that he is encouraged by positive 
remarks made by al-Faisal. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the US sharply dismissed Iranian 
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's assertion on Tuesday that the 
"nuclear issue is now closed" and that it spent a week gathering 
support for a new round of Security Council sanctions. 
 
Major media reported that on Wednesday during a debate among 
Democratic presidential candidates, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton 
defended Israel's alleged air strike in Syria, saying that it was 
justified by intelligence reports which indicated that North Korea 
was helping Damascus build a nuclear facility. 
 
In Ha'aretz, Middle East commentator Noah Pollack described his trip 
to Beirut.  He wrote that despite the political turbulence and the 
bitterness of last year's war, Israel and Lebanon have more in 
common than meets the eye. 
 
Yediot reported that Western countries have refused to help Israel 
obtain technologies to build a civilian nuclear reactor. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that over 240 members of the (British) 
University and College Union have signed a petition calling for a 
vote over the boycott of Israeli academic institutions. 
 
Yediot reported that the IAF has fired a commander who was involved 
in setting up a "private" bank in an Arrow base two years ago. 
Another commander will be promoted. 
 
Major media reported that compared with 2006, Israel has shown 
improvement in decreasing level of corruption, according to the 
annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) from Transparency 
International (TI).  The same statistics sow that over recent years 
there has been an overall increase in corruption. 
 
All media reported on the deaths of former Ashkenazi chief rabbi of 
 
Israel Avraham Shapiro, 96, who led the struggle for Greater Israel, 
and of Yisrael Segal, a respected journalist and writer.  He was 63. 
 Veteran pollster Hanoch Smith died on Thursday at the age of 85. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Palestinian affairs correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote in the 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The events in the Gaza Strip 
over the past two days, in which 12 Palestinians were killed amid 
dozens of Qassam rocket and mortar attacks, suggests that the logic 
driving the policies of Israel and Hamas are diametrically 
opposed." 
 
Palestinian affairs correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote in Ha'aretz: 
"Israel's conditioning of Barghouti's release on an exchange for 
Shalit is actually liable to result in Hamas holding him for a long 
time." 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: 
"Responses [by the Palestinian Authority] cast enormous doubt on the 
Olmert government's premise that [prisoner] releases are mandated 
and justified by straightforward cost-benefit computations." 
 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Gaza Strip Logic" 
 
Palestinian affairs correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote in the 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (9/28): "The events in the Gaza 
Strip over the past two days, in which 12 Palestinians were killed 
amid dozens of Qassam rocket and mortar attacks, suggests that the 
logic driving the policies of Israel and Hamas are diametrically 
opposed.... As such, a paradox has emerged in which the Israeli 
government, the US, and Fatah believe that by exerting greater 
pressure on the Gaza Strip's residents, the people will overthrow 
... Hamas ... while the Islamic group is doing its best to shut down 
the crossing -- perhaps assuming that if the civilians suffer more, 
they will side with Hamas.... How is shooting at the crossings 
expected to contribute to lifting the siege?  Only Hamas seems to 
know the answer.  Perhaps it is meant to be a message to Israel that 
the organization is not afraid of a direct confrontation with the 
IDF and that only a cease-fire agreement with Hamas -- an offer 
Israel rejected recently -- will end the attacks.  However, it is 
doubtful whether all Hamas factions support this approach." 
 
II.  "Is Barghouti the Answer?" 
 
Palestinian affairs correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote in Ha'aretz 
(9/28): "The Rais [Mahmoud Abbas] coordinated practically every 
significant move with [Marwan] Barghouti.  But according to several 
people close to Abu Mazen, if Barghouti is released and negotiations 
with Israel produce significant understandings on a permanent-status 
accord, only Barghouti would be capable and eager enough to 
undermine Abu Mazen's leadership.  These Abu Mazen associates do not 
forget how in July 2000, on the eve of the current Intifada, 
Barghouti posed the strongest opposition to Yasser Arafat within 
Fatah.... According to ... Barghouti loyalists, the only one who 
enjoys broad public support today and would be capable of 
implementing a peace accord with Israeli is Barghouti.  They are 
right.  There is no other potential heir on the horizon.... National 
Infrastructure Minister [Binyamin Ben-Eliezer] said Israel should 
condition Barghouti's release on the release of Gilad Shalit, who is 
being held by Hamas.  But it appears Ben-Eliezer failed to note that 
Hamas fears Barghouti's release.  Israel's conditioning of 
Barghouti's release on an exchange for Shalit is actually liable to 
result in Hamas holding him for a long time." 
 
III.  "Risky Gesture" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (9/28): 
"Israel is set to free 87 more duly convicted terrorists next week. 
They will join 255 other terrorists who were let loose last 
month.... The rationale underlying these unilateral 'gestures' of 
goodwill' is that the release of terrorists not affiliated to Hamas 
bolsters the position of Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah faction.... The 
PA has not concertedly cracked down on terror, despite abundant 
promises.... There's no PA gratitude to Israel for these releases. 
Indeed each Israeli goodwill measure is greeted with outright ill 
will and fiery rhetoric about how insufficient the concession is. 
Such responses cast enormous doubt on the Olmert government's 
premise that the releases are mandated and justified by 
straightforward cost-benefit computations.  Furthermore, of course, 
each additional release further erodes what remains of the already 
diminished Israeli deterrence.... Rather than a credible calculated 
risk, this could well turn out to be an unwarranted and dangerous 
gamble." 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "The events 
at the UN General Assembly justify Sarkozy's recent declaration that 
the Iranian nuclear plan is the most urgent international problem." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Know Your Enemy" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (9/28): 
"[Ahmadinejad] is a foe who rejects all efforts at compromise 
between Israel and moderate Palestinians and Arab states, and who 
tries to tip in his favor the regional balance of power by 
exploiting the American entanglement in Iraq.  Against Ahmadinejad's 
statements comes the clear voice of France' new President, Nicolas 
Sarkozy, whose election is emerging as a significant event in 
international affairs in general and in Middle East policy in 
particular.  In his first appearance before the UN General Assembly, 
Sarkozy declared that allowing Iran to attain nuclear weapons would 
be an 'unacceptable risk to stability in the region and the world.' 
US President George W. Bush chose to avoid confronting Ahmadinejad, 
but criticized the UN's hypocritical attitude toward Israel.  The 
events at the UN General Assembly justify Sarkozy's recent 
declaration that the Iranian nuclear plan is the most urgent 
international problem." 
 
JONES