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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 003227 
 
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.  Iraq 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Major media quoted PM Ehud Olmert as saying on Tuesday that the 
Annapolis meeting will take place during the last week of November. 
(Ha'aretz quoted chief PA negotiator Qurei as saying that the 
meeting will convene on November 26.  Ha'aretz reported that US 
Consul-General in Jerusalem Jacob Walles told Palestinian reporters 
that the US would send invitations to the meetings within a week to 
ten days.)  Ha'aretz reported that Olmert added it would be the 
"right thing" for Syria to take part in the meeting.  "I hope that 
if the process with the Palestinians succeeds, it will encourage a 
similar process with Syria," he was quoted as saying. 
 
Leading media quoted Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak as saying 
on Tuesday before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense 
Committee that while Israel is prepared to go "very far" at 
Annapolis, it expects the Palestinian leadership to dismantle the 
terrorist infrastructure in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 
Ha'aretz quoted Barak as saying before the committee that Israel 
will not grant the Palestinians a direct territorial passage between 
the two parts of the PA.  Israel Radio quoted Barak as saying on 
Tuesday at a meeting of veterans of the armed forces that as far as 
Israel is concerned, diplomatic agreements can only be reached from 
a position of strength, as Israel's left hand looks for peace and 
its right hand is massaging a gun's trigger.   Ha'aretz reported 
that criticism is growing among senior Labor Party officials about 
the failure of Barak, their party chairman, to take political 
advantage of the upcoming summit in Annapolis.  Former Labor Party 
leader and defense minister Amir Peretz was quoted as saying in an 
interview with Israel Radio that Barak has become a right-wing 
politician. 
 
Ha'aretz cited the belief of IDF Intelligence (MI) that if talks at 
Annapolis fail, PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas might step 
down.  (Both Ha'aretz and Maariv said that MI views a failure at 
Annapolis as a distinct possibility.)  The newspaper quoted IDF 
Intelligence officers as saying that the PA's main function has been 
reduced to paying salaries to PA workers and security forces. 
However, Ha'aretz said that the IDF also notes that security 
cooperation between the Shin Bet and the PA's preventive security 
forces and its general intelligence force has been renewed recently 
and that ties are much closer.  The PA security forces have been 
transmitting important information to Israel and have frequently 
thwarted terror attacks.  Ha'aretz quoted former senior IDF officers 
who took part in the 2000 Camp David talks as saying that they are 
also concerned that over the lack of experience of Israeli 
representatives to the Annapolis talks, especially in the face of 
the years of experience the PA's negotiators have had in talks with 
Israel.  Citing the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Israel Radio 
reported that differences have arisen in the Palestinian team, as 
chief PA negotiator Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) is demonstrating rigid 
positions, while Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad tends to be more 
flexible.  The Jerusalem Post quoted right-wing Knesset members as 
saying on Tuesday that they would be mounting a renewed public 
campaign against Annapolis. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that several congressmen recently held a 
closed-door meeting with a delegation of diplomatic officials from 
countries expected to participate in the Annapolis conference, 
including Jordan, Egypt, and Israel.   The Jerusalem Post reported 
that Congress has been urging greater Arab support for Palestinian 
engagement in the peace process in order to give the effort broader 
legitimacy. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli sources as saying on Tuesday that 
while Palestinian prisoners might be released ahead of the upcoming 
Annapolis meeting, it is unlikely that illegal outposts will be 
removed.  The Jerusalem Post quoted an Israeli official as saying 
that other moves, such as reducing the number of roadblocks and 
checkpoints, "can be done."  Israel Radio quoted Peace Now as saying 
that "do-it-yourself" construction in 88 West Bank settlements and 
34 outposts is continuing. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Transportation Minister, former 
defense minister, and former IDF chief of staff Shaul Mofaz told the 
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in 
New York on Tuesday that next year will be a critical one in efforts 
to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities.  Leading media 
reported that on Tuesday IDF intelligence head Brig. Gen. Yossi 
Baidatz told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee 
that if Iran's nuclear program goes unchecked Iran could have 
nuclear weapons by the end of 2009.  Leading media quoted Defense 
Minister Ehud Barak as saying on Tuesday before the Knesset's 
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the resolution of the 
Iranian issue would be through actions and not words. 
 
Citing a warning by US sources that there could be a coup in 
Pakistan, Yediot reported that the West is concerned that al-Qaida 
will take over Pakistan's nuclear facilities.  Yediot cited the 
belief of former senior US official Bruce Riedel, who recently 
attended the Saban Forum in Israel, as saying that in that case 
Israel would be al-Qaida first target. 
 
Maariv reported that the Shin Bet is worried about increasing 
threats to the life of PM Ehud Olmert. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Tuesday a visiting group of 
Muslim, Jewish, and Christian clerics from Israel and the 
Palestinian territories met with American Jewish leaders and urged 
them to back the Annapolis process. It was seen as the first time a 
prominent group of Holy Land clerics had publicly joined together to 
promote peace, codified by a document expected to be released today. 
 The group, which will be meeting with high-level State Department 
and White House officials, comprises around 20 people and includes 
Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger and Sheikh Hamed Tamimi, who 
heads the shari'a court system in the West Bank.   Hamimi described 
the Annapolis meeting as a "truly unique" opportunity for peace, 
according to audience members, and, like many of the clerics, urged 
the American Jewish community to support the process. 
 
The Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz, and Israel Radio reported that on 
Tuesday, speaking before a UNGA forum, Ambassador to the UN Danny 
Gillerman slammed the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) for failing to 
deal with human rights violations around the world, and for 
disproportionately singling out Israel.  He dubbed the HRC a 
"horrendous monster." 
 
Ha'aretz reported that on Tuesday diplomatic sources in Jerusalem 
defined the Lisbon meeting between FM Tzipi Livni and her Egyptian 
counterpart, which revolved around the issue of weapons smuggling 
from the Sinai into Gaza, as "harsh." 
 
Israel Radio quoted Syria's Deputy PM Abdullah Dardari as saying 
that one of the reasons for Syria's lack of response to the Israeli 
incursion was his country's desire to avoid war. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that several government ministries have recently 
decided that Egypt and Jordan should no longer be defined as 
"dangerous countries" in the infiltration prevention law.  Ha'aretz 
reported that sources in the ministries have told the newspaper that 
the law is due to be amended in the coming weeks.  The infiltration 
prevention law states that people entering Israel without 
authorization from dangerous countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, 
and Iran risk a jail term of seven years instead of the five-year 
maximum for infiltrators from non-dangerous countries.   Ha'aretz 
also reported that in the framework of the amendment the Justice 
Ministry is promoting the establishment of a special court to 
determine the state's responsibility toward infiltrators from Egypt, 
the majority of whom are refugees escaping the genocide in Darfur in 
western Sudan. 
 
Yediot reported that ahead of the Annapolis meeting an increasing 
number of Jerusalem Palestinians have been requesting Israeli 
citizenship to ensure the future of their social and other rights. 
Such a gesture was until recently considered an act of treason in 
the eyes of the Palestinians. 
 
Ha'aretz noted that President Shimon Peres is expected to address 
the Turkish Parliament next week, which would be the first speech by 
an Israeli president in a Muslim parliament.  The Jerusalem Post 
reported that Mahmoud Abbas will also address the Parliament in 
Ankara next week. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that a new subcommittee of the 
Knesset's Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, which will 
deal with internal security, will be open to Arab legislators. 
Conversely, The Jerusalem Post reported that there are no Arabs on 
the panel. 
 
Senior sources in Yisrael Beiteinu, Strategic Affairs Minister 
Avigdor Lieberman's party, were quoted as saying to Maariv that the 
far Right is trying to win the votes of Russian-Israelis.  Their 
comments came in the wake of the alleged wiretapping affair of 
Lieberman. 
 
Major media cited IDF statistics released on Tuesday that 28 percent 
of Israelis born in 1989 did not enlist in the IDF, amplifying the 
trend of recent years 
 
Ha'aretz presented the results of Tel Aviv University's Peace Index 
poll conducted among Jewish Israelis on October 29-30: 
-A large minority -- 40 percent -- thinks the Annapolis meeting 
could yield a basic clarification of the dispute between Israel and 
the Palestinians, while a majority of 50 percent does not think so. 
The rest do not know. 
-Asked whether the meeting can significantly advance the chances of 
reaching a permanent peace agreement, only 40 percent said yes, 
while 51 percent said no.  The pollsters noted that these findings 
are very similar to those from September, and that time has not 
increased expectations for Annapolis. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "There is an 
unsurprising similarity between statements by [outspoken Likud 
Knesset Member Gideon] Sa'ar and Hamas political leader Khaled 
Mashal.  Each sees concessions to the other side as a trap.  Each 
prefers the status quo to a historic compromise." 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the 
popular, pluralist Maariv: "The tension between the Prime Minister 
and the Defense Minister, who were by now supposed to have gone 
marching, hand in hand, into the sunset, is getting worse than ever, 
day by day." 
 
Senior columnist Moshe Ishon wrote in the nationalist, Orthodox 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe: "[Abbas] is delivering [Hamas's] goods to 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and through her to the 
 
SIPDIS 
government of Israel and all those involved in foreign policy." 
 
Jeff Halper, the coordinator of the Israeli Committee against House 
Demolitions, wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: 
"If it is true that Olmert intends that Israel permanently retain 
the settlement blocs, an Israeli 'greater' Jerusalem, and effective 
control of the entire country to the Jordan River, then we will 
merely be substituting a sophisticated form of apartheid for 
occupation." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "If Not Annapolis, Then What?" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (11/7): "Gideon 
Sa'ar, Likud's most fluent spokesman, believes that after Hamas took 
 
over Gaza, Israel should have understood the trap it had fallen into 
and 'run for its life' instead of getting into another round of 
talks in Annapolis.  The question is, of course, where does Likud 
want Israel to run to.  Likud has no solution to the conflict with 
the Palestinians and has made do for 40 years with taking the wind 
out of the sails of every agreement.  From this point of view there 
is an unsurprising similarity between statements by Sa'ar and Hamas 
political leader Khaled Mashal.  Each sees concessions to the other 
side as a trap.  Each prefers the status quo to a historic 
compromise.... At Annapolis, Israel has a partner.  It may be weak, 
it may represent only part of the Palestinian people, but finally 
there is another side that sees eye to eye with most of the people 
in Israel, a side that opposes using terror to achieve political 
goals and is willing to give up some of its original aspirations to 
reach an agreement.  The refusal to negotiate with Palestinian 
Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his Prime Minister, Salam 
Fayyad, is like spitting in the faces of the moderates.  If there is 
any chance to strengthen the moderates in the Palestinian street, it 
is only by presenting achievements.  Those who do not make do with 
Fatah will get more Hamas, and according to the US Secretary of 
State, they will in the end get Al-Qaida in the West Bank.... The 
Annapolis conference is an opportunity to forge an agreement with 
people who are willing to sign it, while hoping that the entire 
Palestinian people follows suit." 
 
II.  "Olmert and Barak on Collision Course" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one of the 
popular, pluralist Maariv (11/7): "Incredible as it sounds, Ehud 
Olmert is beginning to miss Amir Peretz.  That is how bad things 
have gotten.  The tension between the Prime Minister and the Defense 
Minister, who were by now supposed to have gone marching, hand in 
hand, into the sunset, is getting worse than ever, day by day.   Now 
the talk is about Barak's harsh criticism of Olmert for his remarks 
at a closed session of the Saban Forum.  According to these 
accounts, Barak said that Olmert's conduct as the Annapolis 
conference draws near is problematic, that Haim Ramon is pulling in 
dangerous directions, that the proliferation of channels in the 
talks with the Palestinians is causing damage, that raising 
expectations of the Annapolis summit could cause a catastrophe, that 
the entire business is not sufficiently prepared, that the 
Palestinians are simply not prepared to recognize Israel a Jewish 
state, and so on and so forth.  These are tough statements, when 
spoken by a defense minister to a prime minister who is trying to 
move forward towards a decisive conference.... This political 
romance, which was to have carried the government forward to new 
horizons, has turned into a fight with long knives.  Sources close 
to Olmert express astonishment at the way things are going.  They 
say that Barak's plan was to join the government, to become 'Mr. 
Defense,' to steal half of Kadima from Olmert before the elections, 
to launch a blitz, and to defeat Bibi [Netanyahu].  Instead of that, 
the exact opposite has happened. Olmert is stealing half of the 
Labor Party from Barak." 
 
III.  "Creeping towards Annapolis" 
 
Senior columnist Moshe Ishon wrote in the nationalist, Orthodox 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe (11/7): "It is very likely that Hamas is taking 
direct actions against [Mahmoud Abbas], thus causing him to conduct 
an extremist policy in his talks with Israel.  This policy is 
dictated by the Hamas leaders.... [Abbas] is delivering [Hamas's] 
goods to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and through her to the 
government of Israel and all those involved in foreign policy.... It 
is very doubtful whether an end can be put to the debate [between 
Israel and the Palestinians] by the end of next year.  The debate is 
too complex.  One must admit that as of now there is nobody to talk 
to.  Abu Mazen is not a partner for a dialogue.... Unfortunately, 
Israel's behavior has not been characterized by predicting the 
future." 
 
IV.  "Whose Roadmap?" 
 
Jeff Halper, the coordinator of the Israeli Committee against House 
Demolitions, wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post 
(11/7): "As did his pronouncements last August in Jericho, where 
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert indicated a willingness to withdraw from 
an area equivalent to 100 percent of the occupied territories, his 
latest declarations to the Saban Forum, in the presence of 
Condoleezza Rice and Tony Blair, sounded promising, even 
stirring.... When ... Olmert speaks of 'conforming to the Roadmap,' 
he speaks of withdrawal from all the occupied territory outside 
those settlement blocs, since the Bush letter [to Sharon] de facto 
annexes them to Israel..... In the end, the Palestinians may get 
80-90 percent of the West Bank, but they do not get a viable 
state.... The Palestine state is deprived of a viable economy. 
Given that 60 percent of Palestinians are under the age of 18 and 
that that mini-state must absorb hundreds of thousands of refugees, 
its prospects for being a viable, stable, and truly independent 
state are nil, given the unspoken parameters outlined in the Bush 
letter.  There will be a Palestinian state.  Israel has an urgent 
demographic need to get the almost four million Palestinians of the 
occupied territories off its hands.... The crucial question is: Will 
it be a viable state?  If it is true that Olmert intends that Israel 
permanently retain the settlement blocs, an Israeli 'greater' 
Jerusalem, and effective control of the entire country to the Jordan 
River, then we will merely be substituting a sophisticated form of 
apartheid for occupation.  The devil is in the details." 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iraq: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Eytan Haber, veteran op-ed writer and assistant to the late prime 
minister Yitzhak Rabin, opined in an editorial of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "Over 3,800 US soldiers 
have already paid with their lives for this idiocy, which was born 
in the feverish mind of a dubious chemistry student who cannot make 
out a bacteria from a bug." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"The Chemistry Student" 
 
Eytan Haber, veteran op-ed writer and assistant to the late prime 
minister Yitzhak Rabin, opined in an editorial of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (11/7): "The recently 
published story, according to which an Iraqi chemistry student was 
behind the information conveyed by the United States about Iraq's 
chemical and possibly nuclear capability, looks as if it was taken 
from the adventures of Baron Munchausen.  Good Lord, how can this 
be?.... Is a colossal country such as the US, whose astronauts have 
stepped on the moon ..., the great America, being led astray by a 
half-eccentric young Iraqi?  Over 3,800 US soldiers have already 
paid with their lives for this idiocy, which was born in the 
feverish mind of a dubious chemistry student who cannot make out a 
bacteria from a bug.... God save us ... and also America!" 
 
JONES