VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #2890/01 2751037
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021037Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3488
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 2797
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 9494
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 2898
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 3596
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 2831
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 0853
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 3561
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0425
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0896
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 7475
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 4922
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 9830
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 3981
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 5926
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 8051
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMSIXTHFLT  PRIORITY

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002890 
 
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: 
------------------------- 
 
Reflecting various reports in the Israeli media, The Jerusalem Post 
quoted PA officials in Ramallah as saying on Monday that the 
Palestinians will only participate in the US-sponsored meeting if a 
general agreement is first reached with Israel on all the 
fundamental issues.  Makor Rishon-Hatzofe quoted the Lebanese 
newspaper Al-Nahar as saying that the Palestinians have readied a 
detailed draft for a final-status agreement that includes the 
removal of all settlements within three years.  The Jerusalem Post 
quoted Yisrael Beiteinu party officials as saying on Monday that PM 
Olmert need not fear the party leaving his coalition over 
territorial concessions made to Abbas at Annapolis as long as he 
does not cross the party's "red lines." 
 
Last night Channel 2-TV (lead story in Yediot) reported that IDF 
Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi sent a letter to PM Ehud Olmert and 
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, expressing his reservations about the 
release of 29 Gazan security prisoners and noting that Cpl. Gilad 
Shalit is captive in Gaza.  Ashkenazi had already signed a 
recommendation to release the prisoners.  In a possibly related 
development, President Shimon Peres delayed his signing of the 
release document for the 29 prisoners until late Monday afternoon. 
 
The media reported that Syrian President Bashar Assad implied in an 
interview with BBC-TV on Monday that Syria will not retaliate 
militarily for the alleged Israeli strike last month, but that Syria 
still reserves the right to respond.  Assad was quoted as saying 
that the incident showed Israel's "visceral antipathy toward peace." 
 He was further quoted as saying that the attack targeted an unused 
military building.  Assad also said he was not sure Syria would 
participate in the US-sponsored international peace meeting set for 
November.  "If they don't talk about the Syrian occupied territory, 
no, there's no way for Syria to go there.  It should be about 
comprehensive peace, and Syria is part of this comprehensive peace," 
Assad was quoted as saying.  Ha'aretz reported that a top GOI 
official in Jerusalem responded to Assad's speech by saying the 
planned meeting "is not meant to replace direct negotiations." 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe quoted the British weekly The Sunday Times as 
saying that Russia has sent experts to Syria to upgrade its air 
defense systems. 
 
The media reported that on Monday FM Tzipi Livni told the UN General 
Assembly: "Too many see the danger [of Israel's annihilation] but 
walk idly by, hoping that someone else will take care of it."  She 
added that Iran was the world's primary sponsor of terrorist 
activity.  She was quoted as saying: "There are still those who, in 
the name of consensus and engagement, continue to obstruct the 
urgent steps ... to bring Iran's sinister ambitions to a halt." 
Ha'aretz noted that Livni's message was apparently directed at 
Russia and China, who pressed to restart negotiations with Tehran 
based on the findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency 
before voting on sanctions.  Livni said that Iran is a major source 
of instability in the entire Middle East.  Regarding recent 
developments with the Palestinians and the perceived opportunities, 
Livni was quoted as saying: "There is no substitute for the 
bilateral process.  Failure is not an option -- but it is for the 
parties themselves to define success.  It is time to reclaim 
democracy, and this begins by rejecting those who abuse it ... No 
true democracy on earth allows armed militias, or groups with racist 
or violent agendas, to participate in elections." 
 
Ha'aretz quoted Israeli security sources as saying that Israel has 
issued a message to Egypt expressing the seriousness with which it 
regards Cairo's decision to allow at least 80 Hamas members to cross 
into Gaza last Sunday, because some of those who crossed  recently 
underwent military training in Iran and Syria.  Ha'aretz quoted an 
Israeli spokesman as saying that Egypt appeared to want to play down 
its level of coordination with Hamas, and that Israel was told that 
those who crossed on Sunday had broken through the border fence. 
 
All media (banner in Maariv) quoted Daniel Seaman, Director of the 
Government Press Office (GPO), as saying on Monday that the 
September 2000 death of Palestinian child Mohammed Al-Dura in the 
Gaza Strip was staged by a Gaza cameraman.  Seaman made the comments 
in an official letter, representing the Prime Minister's Office, in 
response to demands he strip France 2-TV journalists of their GPO 
credentials.  France 2-TV had broadcast the original footage of 
Al-Dura's death on September 30, 2000, the second day of the Second 
Intifada.  Seaman also wrote that "Israel was accused of murdering a 
small child after the event by the world press and his image has 
been burned into the collective Arab memory as a symbol of the 
brutality of the Zionist state."  Ha'aretz quoted PM Olmert's Bureau 
as saying that it had not received Seaman's letter, did not know of 
 
its contents nor did it grant its approval.  However, it seems that 
the Prime Minister's Office's legal adviser approved the letter. 
Conversely, Yediot reported that on Monday Olmert's Bureau claimed 
that it did not approve or review the letter sent to the French TV 
station.  Maariv cited France 2-TV's denial of the accusations. 
 
Major media reported that on Monday security forces evacuated most 
of the hilltops taken over by right-wing activists in a declared 
attempt to establish illegal outposts.  Several media reported that 
on Monday the State Attorney's office accepted a petition by Peace 
Now against delaying the evacuation of Hebron shops invaded by 
settlers. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that last week the US Congress adopted a 
resolution congratulating Israel on chairing a UN committee for the 
first time.  The director of the Israel Foreign Ministry's UN 
Political Affairs Department, Ron Adam, was appointed chair of the 
33-member Committee on Program and Coordination, which examines and 
approves the work plan for all UN agencies and bodies.  The House 
Foreign Affairs committee congratulated Adam and the "government and 
people of Israel on Israel's first ever appointment to chair a UN 
committee."  The resolution was initiated by Rep. Alcee Hastings 
(D-FL). 
 
Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter (Kadima) was quoted as saying 
in an interview with Ha'aretz that it would be preferable if the 
Attorney General would delay the probes against PM Olmert until 
Olmert finishes his term.  Furthermore, Dichter was quoted as saying 
that he believes that Israeli politics could benefit from a change 
in the law  that would introduce rigid criteria for initiating 
criminal investigations against senior officials. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that during a meeting with Rep. Jim 
Moran (D-VA), six AIPAC members spurned him for saying recently that 
that AIPAC pushed the US into war in Iraq. 
 
Leading media reported that on Monday several dozens of protestors 
gathered in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Tel Aviv. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Spacenet, a subsidiary of NASDAQ-listed 
Israeli company Gilat Satellite, has teamed up with Verizon to 
supply SkyEdge satellite-bases communications systems to the United 
States Postal Service.  Verizon was quoted as saying that the entire 
project is worth USD 25 million. 
 
Leading media reported that AT&T is making its first acquisition in 
Israel -- the startup Interwise, for USD 121 million.  The company 
makes software for conferencing via the Internet. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that last month an Israeli scientist, Dr. Michael 
Graber, the former deputy executive secretary of the UN Environment 
Program (UNEP) Ozone Secretariat received an award for his work. 
The Montreal Protocol to protect the earth's ozone layer was signed 
20 years ago. The treaty was the first agreement banning or limiting 
chemicals that harm the ozone layer.  Graber received a Montreal 
Protocol Outstanding Service Award, as part of the UNEP's 
acknowledgment of the program's success. 
 
All media reported that on Monday the US dollar reached the low 
point of 3.96 shekels. 
 
-------- 
Mideast: 
-------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "If there is 
no significant softening in the position of the leaders to the point 
where Bush will be able to bridge their differences at Annapolis, 
the whole effort may break down -- heaven forbid -- with terrorist 
attacks terrorist attacks the enemies of an agreement are 
planning." 
 
Giora Eiland, former director of Israel's National Security Council, 
wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "It is 
clear that Israel has already given up the principle of not 
discussing the final status issues before there is a solution to the 
security problems.  It is likely that this Israeli concession is 
appropriate, but what exactly did we receive in exchange?" 
 
Washington correspondent Orly Azolai wrote in Yediot Aharonot: 
"Washington wants Syria at the discussion table so that it will not 
try to destroy the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and in order to get 
it away from Iran.  In order to do this, the United States is also 
willing to discuss the future of the Golan Heights, which is also 
part of the Saudi initiative." 
 
Arab affairs correspondent Smadar Perry wrote in Yediot Aharonot: 
"Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mualem, who made a fiery speech 
against Israel at the UN on Monday, will not get the green light to 
propose peaceful relations with Israel when he arrives at the 
conference.  Therefore, Assad knows perfectly well that the 
Washington peace conference will not get the Golan Heights back for 
him." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "More Flexibility Required" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (10/2): "[The 
recent] toughening in Palestinian positions is aimed at scoring 
points with the Palestinian public and Arab states, which are 
supposed to back Abbas on his way to the summit.  Abbas would like 
to bypass the leadership of Hamas and gain the support of the 
Palestinian public; however, the Palestinians apparently support the 
Hamas policy, even though they are not pleased with the hardships 
being endured in the Gaza Strip.  Even key states, like Saudi 
Arabia, may demand that Abbas not moderate his positions, in return 
for their seal of approval on the summit.... Israel can contribute 
to [the] effort [to give substance to a future Palestinian entity] 
by spurring economic activity in the Palestinian Authority, in part 
by removing roadblocks, and bolster Abbas by releasing more 
prisoners.  However, in spite of the importance of these measures, 
if there is no significant softening in the position of the leaders 
to the point where Bush will be able to bridge their differences at 
Annapolis, the whole effort may break down -- heaven forbid -- with 
terrorist attacks the enemies of an agreement are planning." 
 
 
 
II.  "Is It Better to Talk?" 
 
Giora Eiland, former director of Israel's National Security Council, 
wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (10/2): "A 
political initiative could be welcome, and negotiations are a 
preferable way to solve conflicts, but the assumption that it is 
always better to talk is mistaken.  Moreover, it is not right to 
conduct negotiations, certainly not public negotiations under 
international sponsorship, before holding a complete and real 
analysis that includes three stages: 1) A clear definition of our 
interest (and order of priorities). 2) An analysis of the interests 
of all the players (including the Americans, the Saudis and others) 
and 3) on the basis of the two previous articles, a definition of 
the 'required achievement,' which means how the process will end if 
we conduct it as we should.  Only when the subject is completely 
clarified is it possible and right to issue statements and make 
promises in the name of the state.  I am not sure that such a 
complete procedure is taking place now.... On the other hand, it is 
clear that Israel has already given up the principle of not 
discussing the final status issues before there is a solution to the 
security problems.  It is likely that this Israeli concession is 
appropriate, but what exactly did we receive in exchange?" 
 
III.  "The United States' Deal" 
 
Washington correspondent Orly Azolai wrote in Yediot Aharonot 
(10/2): "Washington officially wants the countries of the Arab 
League, led by Saudi Arabia, at the discussion table, and therefore 
will be forced top include elements of the Saudi initiative on the 
agenda.... The Americans surprised everyone when they decided to 
invite Syria to the conference even though it is considered a state 
that sponsors terrorism.  The United States accuses Syria of 
undermining the Lebanese government and of giving terrorists on 
their way to strike at American troops, passage to Iraq through its 
territory.  Washington wants Syria at the discussions so that it 
will not try to destroy the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and in 
order to get it away from Iran.  In order to do this, the United 
States is also willing to discuss the future of the Golan Heights, 
which is also part of the Saudi initiative." 
 
IV.  "AssadQs Goat" 
 
Arab affairs correspondent Smadar Perry wrote in Yediot Aharonot 
(10/2): "Assad already knows that Syria will be invited to the 
conference in Washington, like a problematic family member who is 
better brought along, lest he stay home and break the furniture.  He 
also knows that even though his enemies in Saudi Arabia have been 
shunning him since the assassinations in Beirut, they will still do 
the work for Damascus.  It makes no difference who represents the 
Saudi royal palace in the meetings; at the discussion table he will 
have to raise the Arab peace initiative, which offers normal 
relations with Israel in exchange for withdrawal to the 1967 
borders.  For Assad, this proposal sketches the departure route from 
the Golan Heights.  But Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mualem, who 
made a fiery speech against Israel at the UN on Monday, will not get 
the green light to propose peaceful relations with Israel when he 
arrives at the conference.  Therefore, Assad knows perfectly well 
that the Washington peace conference will not get the Golan Heights 
back for him." 
 
JONES