VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #3187/01 3061302
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021302Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3998
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 2943
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 9626
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 3083
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 3731
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 2969
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 1034
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 3696
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0564
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1030
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 7607
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 5059
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 9975
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 4121
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 6059
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 8324
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMSIXTHFLT  PRIORITY

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 003187 
 
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: 
------------------------- 
 
Ha'aretz reported that over the past few days PM Ehud Olmert told 
Israeli officials and foreign diplomats that he hopes to reach an 
agreement on all the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 
within a year.  Ha'aretz quoted senior GOI officials as saying that 
this time frame stemmed from the political timetable in the US.  The 
newspaper reported that in conversations with Israeli officials, 
Olmert cited two reasons for wanting to reach an agreement with PA 
Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas before President Bush leaves 
office.  One is Bush's April 2004 letter to former PM Ariel Sharon 
in which he expressed support for Israel's retention of the major 
settlement blocs.  The second is the Roadmap.  Ha'aretz reported 
that an Olmert associate quoted him as saying: "We'll never have a 
more comfortable administration.  And the next administration will 
not be committed to these principles to the same degree."  Moreover, 
the associate was quoted as saying that Olmert does not believe that 
a new president will have the time and energy at the outset to 
invest in Israeli-Palestinian talks.  However, Ha'aretz noted 
Olmert's opposition to a rigid timetable for implementation. 
Ha'aretz quoted Olmert associates as saying that the PM has 
concluded that he and Abbas will have to be much more involved than 
he had expected in order to produce a joint declaration for 
Annapolis.  He would reportedly prefer that the US not present its 
own proposal, and he realizes if the parties do not seem to be 
progressing on their own, US involvement will become increasingly 
likely.   Citing the impatience of the US administration, Maariv 
reported that a senior US official told an Israeli counterpart on 
Thursday that the joint Israeli-Palestinian document of 
understandings should already have been prepared ahead of 
Annapolis. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted an Israeli official as saying that Secretary of 
State Condoleezza Rice "is simply going to park here until the 
conference to ensure that things happen and to help formulate the 
declaration."  Ha'aretz quoted Olmert associates as saying that he 
is pleased with the progress of his talks with Abbas, but worried by 
the lack of progress on the ground.  "So far, the Palestinians 
haven't done anything," one associate quoted him as saying. 
Nevertheless, Ha'aretz cited Olmert's belief that Abbas, despite his 
weakness, is the last chance to prevent a Hamas takeover.  Ha'aretz 
quoted Olmert aides as saying that his main hope for Annapolis is 
that it will mobilize Arab countries behind his talks with Abbas. 
To end the conflict, he was quoted as telling associates, it is 
essential that Arab countries stop aiding Hamas and support Abbas in 
making necessary concessions. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted PM Olmert as saying at a conference in Tel Aviv on 
Thursday that he hoped that Annapolis would "create a suitable 
atmosphere for continuing bilateral talks between Israel and the 
Palestinians.  I promise that for our part, we will make every 
effort.  For the first time, there's a Palestinian government that 
says it's willing to make peace with us, and I'm not willing to miss 
this opportunity."  The premier acknowledged that final-status talks 
will be difficult, "but I'm convinced that at the end of the day 
we'll be able to reach an agreement.  Then we'll need to implement 
it according to the road map, cautiously ... in order not to lose 
control of this delicate process, and to progress step by step to 
full implementation."  The first order of business, he declared, is 
to stop the rocket fire from Gaza.  "No country in the world would 
tolerate this, and Israel also won't tolerate continued rocket fire 
on a daily basis.  The Palestinians will have to deal with this with 
courage and determination.  At the same time, we want to continue 
the negotiations, with no excuses." 
 
All media quoted IDF sources as saying that Israeli security forces 
acting in and around the Gaza Strip over the past three days have 
uncovered several tunnels that served Palestinian militants in 
smuggling arms from Egypt.  Altogether, 14 Qassam rockets fell on 
Sderot and the surrounding area on Thursday. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad as saying on Thursday 
that a Palestinian-American-Israeli commission on implementing the 
first stage of the Roadmap will soon begin work, but Israeli 
officials deny the report.  According to Fayyad, the commission will 
consist of himself, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and U.S. security 
coordinator Keith Dayton.  However, Ha'aretz quoted Israeli 
officials as saying that while the creation of such a commission was 
discussed during last week's visit by US National Security Advisor 
Stephen Hadley, neither its composition nor its powers have been 
finalized.  According to Ha'aretz, Israel would apparently prefer 
that the commission not have the power to make binding decisions on 
who should do what first. 
Maariv reported that one of the goals of PM Olmert's recent visit to 
Moscow was to prevent the sale of S-300 missiles to Syria, which he 
fears would endanger Israel's aerial supremacy.  The newspaper 
reported that the missiles might jeopardize air traffic at 
Ben-Gurion Airport.  Maariv noted that since 2001, reports have been 
published that ostensibly indicate the great effort invested by 
Syria in nuclear development. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe quoted Yair Ramati, Deputy CEO of Israel 
Aerospace Industries and former head of the Arrow Project, as saying 
that central Israel is not protected from missiles that could be 
fired from the West Bank. 
 
All media reported that on Thursday the Tel Aviv District Court 
approved the holding of the brit milah (Jewish circumcision 
ceremony) of the son of Yitzhak Rabin's assassin Yigal Amir on 
Sunday, November 4, the civil-calendar anniversary of Rabin's 
murder.  The event will take place in the prison where Amir is 
jailed. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that an underground passage is being planned in 
Jerusalem's Old City to link the reconstructed Ohel Yitzhak 
synagogue in the Muslim Quarter with the Western Wall tunnels in the 
Jewish Quarter.  The passageway, which is being planned by the 
Western Wall Heritage Foundation, will utilize existing spaces 
created by archaeological excavations beneath the Muslim Quarter. 
Ha'aretz reported that the Rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel 
Rabinowitz, told the newspaper that this would minimize the need for 
new digging.  The idea still needs approval from the government, 
security services, and the Israel Antiquities Authority. 
 
Yediot reported on tension between the bureaus of Olmert and Barak. 
 
Major media marked the 90th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, 
in which the British government expressed its support for the 
establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. 
 The media also marked 60 years of the Exodus odyssey. 
 
Ha'aretz, Maariv, and Israel Radio reported that hundreds (300, 
according to the radio) of Palestinian police officers are expected 
to deploy today in Nablus, following talks on Thursday on the issue 
between Israel and the PA.  Nonetheless, Israel has made it clear 
that the IDF will continue to operate in the West Bank city when 
needed and will retain overall security responsibility in the Nablus 
area, while the police officers will focus on imposing law and 
order.  Ha'aretz reported that Israeli intelligence officials share 
the pessimistic assessment of US security coordinator in the PA Lt. 
Gen. Keith Dayton, and have told the political leadership that the 
PA will be unable to exercise security control over West Bank cities 
in the near future.  The Jerusalem Post quoted sources in the 
Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry as saying that scores of Fatah 
policemen who used to serve in the PA security forces in the Gaza 
Strip have now joined an al-Qaida-affiliated group calling itself 
the Army of Islam. 
 
Visiting German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier was quoted as saying in 
an interview with Ha'aretz that he does not understand why Israel is 
so concerned over the Iranian nuclear program.  However, The 
Jerusalem Post quoted him as saying during a news conference with FM 
Tzipi Livni on Thursday that Germany is in sync on the issue with 
other Western powers.  Ha'aretz cited Steinmeier's optimism about 
Annapolis. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that a Coordinating Council on 
Jerusalem, comprising conservative Jewish organizations, has 
coalesced in the US with the purpose of opposing Israeli 
negotiations that would include any discussion of ceding sovereignty 
over part or all of Jerusalem. 
 
Israel Radio reported that Lebanese forces are on alert following 
reports that Israeli planes have flown over Lebanon in alleged 
violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.  Maariv reported 
that over the past three months Hizbullah has been interfering with 
the reception of Orange network cell phone signals by residents of 
northern Israel. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that foreign volunteers frequently have problems 
with the Interior Ministry in obtaining volunteer visas.  The 
newspaper quoted the ministry as saying that it makes an effort to 
ease the process in cases where the request has to do with 
philanthropic organizations. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will 
visit Israel in two weeks, making her the first African leader to do 
so in years. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Thursday the Israeli cable 
provider HOT terminated its contract with CNN, despite having said 
on Tuesday that it would continue to broadcast the international 
news channel. 
 
Maariv noted that Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dennis 
Kucinich (Ohio) refused to condemn Iranian President Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad's statement that Israel should be wiped off the map and 
that his opposition to Israel is so great that "it might deter 
non-Jewish voters."  Ha'aretz (English Ed.) reported that a new 
Internet service introduced last week in Washington --- 
www.overseasvotefoundation.org, [supported by the Pew Foundation 
Trusts], -- is expected to ease and streamline absentee voting in US 
elections for eligible voters living abroad. 
 
-------- 
Mideast: 
-------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon wrote on page one of the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "[The Annapolis meeting] 
is not solely -- or even primarily -- about the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict.  It is also about American needs, and American interests 
in the Middle East." 
 
Editor-in-Chief David Horovitz wrote in The Jerusalem Post: "Now 
looms Annapolis, an unpopular and domestically discredited 
administration's improbable effort to produce a rabbit out of the 
Middle East that it had left discarded for most of its two terms." 
 
Palestinian affairs correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote on page one 
of the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The Palestinian 
organizations responsible for the massive firing of Qassam rockets 
and mortar rounds at Israel over the past few days may harbor 
hostility toward one another, but they share a common goal: Dragging 
Israel into a massive activity in the Gaza Strip." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Israel Bound to Feel the Heat as US Strives for Success at 
Annapolis" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon wrote on page one of the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (11/2): "As [the Annapolis 
meeting] approaches, Israelis should buck up for a degree of 
pressure from Washington that has not been felt for a long time. 
Because the Annapolis meeting is, on the surface, about the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and President George W. Bush's efforts 
in his last year in office to put his two-state vision on track, it 
is not solely -- or even primarily -- about the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict.  It is also about American needs, and American interests 
in the Middle East.... Now, just two weeks prior to one of the dates 
being bandied about for this meeting, November 26, it is still not 
clear whether Saudi Arabia -- a key in making Annapolis a success 
because of its unique standing in the Arab world -- will even 
attend.  Hence the pressure on Israel from Washington.  The Bush 
administration simply cannot afford another Mideast failure." 
 
II.  "Doubts over Annapolis" 
 
Editor-in-Chief David Horovitz wrote in The Jerusalem Post (11/2): 
"Now looms Annapolis, an unpopular and domestically discredited 
administration's improbable effort to produce a rabbit out of the 
Middle East that it had left discarded for most of its two terms. 
And amid the failures on Iraq and the inability to present more than 
superficial rhetoric on Iran, the belated diplomatic push begs 
another question not only for the doubting American public, but 
also, most urgently for those of us directly and immediately 
affected: Has the administration really though this one through, 
either?" 
 
III.  "Blood Brothers" 
 
Palestinian affairs correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote on page one 
of the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (11/2): "The Palestinian 
organizations responsible for the massive firing of Qassam rockets 
and mortar rounds at Israel over the past few days may harbor 
hostility toward one another, but they share a common goal: Dragging 
Israel into a massive activity in the Gaza Strip.  On Thursday, it 
was the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades that fired a 
heavy salvo of rockets at Sderot.  But despite their affiliation, 
the men who launched the rockets are not taking orders from Fatah 
chief and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.  They are a 
group of militants embroiled in a protracted conflict with Hamas.... 
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades men want to place Hamas and Israel on 
a collision course leading up to a large-scale Israeli incursion. 
The men who fired the mortars on Thursday see this incursion as a 
possible means of overthrowing Hamas's grasp on the Gaza Strip.... 
But before the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades fired rockets, Islamic 
Jihad and Hamas fired rockets.  They, too, are trying to provoke 
Israel into launching an offensive, which would quash all hope for 
the Annapolis peace summit scheduled to take place next month. 
However, Hamas itself is divided with regard to the U.S. conference. 
Some of the so-called moderate forces within the organization 
maintain that Hamas should refrain from launching suicide attacks 
within Israel or escalating hostilities near the Strip before the 
conference.  They argue that the meeting is doomed to fail either 
way.... Hamas extremists believe Hamas should not wait for the 
results of the summit -- it should instead cause it to fail." 
 
JONES