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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 003244 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC FOR NEA STAFF 
 
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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.  Iran 
 
¶2.  Mideast 
 
¶3.  Global Democracy 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Israel Radio reported that on Wednesday Transportation Minister 
Shaul Mofaz, who is in charge of the strategic dialogue with the US, 
met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary of 
State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns.  The radio reported that 
Israel presented the US with intelligence on Iran.  Mofaz told the 
radio that Iran's nuclear program has not yet reached the point of 
"no return" and that IAEA Director Mohamed ElBaradei's attitude is 
"endangering the world."  Israel Radio also reported that Mofaz told 
the administration officials that the PA is not honoring its 
commitments under the Roadmap.   The Jerusalem Post reported that 
Defense Minister Ehud Barak told a Labor Party forum that a military 
operation is a viable option for dealing with the Iranian nuclear 
threat. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the PA wants the preface to the joint 
statement at Annapolis to say that a final-status arrangement will 
be completed within six months.  The newspaper noted that Secretary 
Rice has already informed PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud Abbas that 
the US will not support his time line for a final-status agreement. 
The Palestinian negotiating team recommends that the preface 
indicate that both parties are to fulfill their mutual obligations 
under the first stage of the road map within six months.   The 
proposal, if adopted, would require Israel to dismantle illegal 
outposts and halt construction in the West Bank settlements.  The PA 
claims it has already fulfilled its obligations for the first stage: 
creating an independent government, rejecting terror and violence 
and acting to dismantle terror infrastructures.  Ha'aretz said that 
the PA team even advised Erekat not to link the statement to 
implementing the first stage of the road map in order to head off an 
Israeli attempt to condition the implementation of the Annapolis 
document on the roadmap. 
Yediot Washington correspondent Orly Azolai reported that the US 
administration is shaping a formula that will ensure Syria's 
participation in the Annapolis meeting.  Azolai said that the US is 
preparing two follow-up conferences to Annapolis: one between Israel 
and the Palestinians, and the other between Israel and Syria. 
Azolai reported that Secretary Rice will return to Israel next week 
to discuss the Syrian initiative.  Israel Radio and other media 
reported that Syrian Ambassador to the US Imad Mustafa has 
recommended against participating in the Annapolis meeting, which he 
said would be a waste of time and money.  Yediot also reported that 
North Korean experts are arming Syria with ballistic missiles and 
advanced sea vessels. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the perceived undermining of PM Ehud Olmert's 
peace drive by Defense Minister and Labor leader Ehud Barak is 
drawing increasing fire from within his own party ranks.  Labor left 
wingers were the first to accuse Barak of sabotaging the peace 
effort and the Annapolis conference, but now central figures like 
MKs Ophir Pines-Paz, Ephraim Sneh and Amir Peretz have joined the 
chorus of criticism. Ha'aretz reported that Barak has supposedly 
noted that the cabinet has not conducted a thorough debate on 
Annapolis, including the implications of failure. Ha'aretz also 
reported that Barak is troubled over the numerous channels in which 
the peace process is being conducted.  According to Barak, this 
enables the Palestinians to spot the weaknesses in the Israeli 
system, such as Vice PM Haim Ramon's frenzied swoop into the peace 
process.  Ha'aretz reported that Barak's third concern is that the 
Annapolis meeting has set a bar of expectations that would be 
difficult to live up to. 
 
In its lead story, Ha'aretz quoted reserve-duty paratroopers who 
completed a month of duty in the Gaza Strip last week as saying that 
facing militant groups such as Hamas was like taking part in a 
"mini-war."  One reservist was quoted as saying: "We are facing an 
army, not gangs."  Major media (banner in Maariv) reported that on 
Wednesday celebrated author David Grossman, whose son Uri died in 
last year's Lebanon War, snubbed PM Olmert at an award ceremony. 
 
Major media reported that on Wednesday Interpol issued wanted 
notices for six Iranians in connection with the 1994 bombing of the 
Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina (Argentine Israelite Mutual 
Association) Jewish center in Buenos Aires in which 85 people were 
killed.  Despite heavy diplomatic pressure from Iran, delegates at 
Interpol's annual general assembly in Morocco voted by 66 percent in 
favor to issue "Red Notices" seeking the extradition of these 
people.  The media noted that Iran has repeatedly denied any link to 
the bombing. 
 
Maariv reported that on Wednesday IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi 
surreptitiously visited the Gaza Strip with other officers. 
 
Maariv reported that the two houses of Congress have passed the US 
defense budget, which includes USD 155 million for Israel to equip 
itself with missile interception systems.  The newspaper cited the 
extreme satisfaction of Israeli sources over the report. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Wednesday the Yisrael Beiteinu 
and Shas parties coordinated their "red lines" before Annapolis. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Wednesday the High Court of 
Justice gave the state one week to present data backing up its 
assertion that the newest sanctions against the Hamas-controlled 
Gaza Strip will not cause unreasonable damage to Gaza residents. 
The justices also demanded that the state demonstrate how it will 
ensure, on an ongoing basis, that the electric cuts are not harming 
the civilian population. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that PA Chairman Abbas slammed Israeli military 
activity around Nablus.  In a conversation on Wednesday with MK 
Nadia Hilu (Labor) at his Ramallah office, Abbas said that IDF 
activity in the Balata refugee camp on Tuesday night undermined PA 
efforts to impose order. 
 
Yediot reported that Egypt is delaying passage to the Gaza Strip of 
over 100 Hamas members who underwent training in Iran 
 
Ha'aretz reported that on Wednesday Strategic Affairs Minister 
Avigdor Lieberman demanded that Defense Minister Barak outlaw the 
Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, the senior leadership body of 
Israel's Arab citizens, although its official recognition is 
limited. 
 
Maariv reported that a few weeks ago US military officers discovered 
that U.S. ammunition stockpiles in Israel have disappeared. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that National Infrastructure Minister 
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer has appointed a team of experts to advance the 
negotiations for an undersea infrastructure corridor to ship oil, 
natural gas, water, and electricity from Turkey to Israel.  The 
Jerusalem Post reported that a thwarted terrorist plot in Azerbaijan 
showed the shakiness of that country's oil supplies to Israel. 
Yediot reported that Israel has secretly pledged to Morocco to 
support its hosting of the prestigious Expo exhibition in 2012 at 
the expense of South Korea and Poland.  The newspaper reported that 
Israel's decision has caused diplomatic tension with South Korea. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that Israel has 
contributed USD 10,000 to Mexico and a similar sum to the Dominican 
Republic following the damage caused by the tropical storm Noel. 
 
Yediot reported that since 2000, 40,000 Israelis have moved from the 
Galilee and the Negev to central Israel. 
 
All media reported that on Wednesday the rate of the US dollar in 
Israel was 3.923 shekels -- the lowest in nine years. 
 
Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that PM Olmert was judged 
the most corrupt member of government for the second year in a row 
according to the Sderot Conference.  According to the poll, Israelis 
believe that FM Tzipi Livni to be the Knesset's "most honest" 
minister, as they did in last year's poll. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
--------- 
¶1.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Professor Eyal Zisser, the Chairman of the Department of Middle 
Eastern History at Tel Aviv University, wrote in the independent 
Israel Hayom: "The problem does not necessarily lie with 
Ahmadinejad, it lies with the Iranian regime....  Iran -- as a 
state, regime and society -- has decided to move forward on the path 
to nuclear weapons, and all that remains to see is how determined 
the international community will be to stop it." 
 
Intelligence affairs correspondent Yossi Melman wrote on page one of 
the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The importance of the oil 
emirates, which are located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, is 
growing as it becomes less likely that the United Nations Security 
Council will impose additional sanctions against Iran." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Pressure on Tehran Ineffective" 
 
Professor Eyal Zisser, the Chairman of the Department of Middle 
Eastern History at Tel Aviv University, wrote in the independent 
Israel Hayom (11/8): "There is nothing new in the declaration by the 
Iranian president that his country is fully operating 3,000 
centrifuges.... It is not the accuracy of these declarations that 
should trouble Israel.  After all, whether Tehran is currently 
operating 3,000 centrifuges or only 2,000, what is clear -- and this 
is demonstrated by AhmadinejadQs statements -- is that Tehran is 
determined to continue to move ahead full speed, and at all costs, 
on the road to developing nuclear weapons.  Indeed, the importance 
of Ahmadinejad's statements does not necessarily lie in their 
content, it lies in the fact that they were made.   More than this, 
it lies in the fact that the Iranian President takes care to repeat 
these statements at every opportunity and occasion, despite the 
growing international pressure on Iran.  Apparently, this 
international pressure is proving to be ineffective.  His statements 
also hold a veiled threat that Iran will not cease from these 
efforts, no matter what the cost, and anyone who tries to stop Iran 
in this path will pay a high price.  We should remember that the 
problem does not necessarily lie with Ahmadinejad, it lies with the 
Iranian regime, including all its leaders.  Iran -- as a state, 
regime and society -- has decided to move forward on the path to 
nuclear weapons, and all that remains to see is how determined the 
international community will be to stop it." 
 
II.  "The Race against the Bomb" 
 
Intelligence affairs correspondent Yossi Melman wrote on page one of 
the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (11/8): "The United Arab 
Emirates has assumed a central place in the United States' strategy 
to tighten an economic siege against Iran.  The importance of the 
oil emirates, which are located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, is 
growing as it becomes less likely that the United Nations Security 
Council will impose additional sanctions against Iran.... What makes 
the UAE one of the key players in the worldwide struggle being led 
by Washington against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime is the 
fact that it serves as a transfer point for Iranian business -- more 
importantly, its clandestine business affairs.... The UAE is a 
particular favorite of companies and offices operated by the 
Revolutionary Guards.... But the Guards is not only a military 
force.  In fact, it is a financial empire, with hundreds of 
companies catering to every facet of life in Iran.... It is still a 
long way before the sanctions and the punitive measures - both those 
of the Security Council and the unilateral ones - will lead to 
Iran's surrender." 
 
------------ 
¶2.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Middle East affairs commentator Dr. Guy Bechor, a lecturer at the 
Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist 
Yediot Aharonot: "Nothing Hamas does today in the Gaza Strip 
succeeds, as if a spell has been cast on it.... The method is to 
tighten the blockade and not to let up on the terror from the Gaza 
Strip." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Hamas Has Lost" 
 
Middle East affairs commentator Dr. Guy Bechor, a lecturer at the 
Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist 
Yediot Aharonot (11/8): "Gaza has cursed all those who ruled it.... 
Nothing Hamas does today in the Gaza Strip succeeds, as if a spell 
has been cast on it.  The Hamas leadership has willingly imprisoned 
itself in a narrow prison, isolated from Israel, the PA and Egypt, 
and from all Arab parties.  This is a victory inside a stopped-up 
capsule.... The relationship with Iran is proving to bring more harm 
than benefit.  It brings in several dozen millions of dollars every 
year, but makes Hamas look bad in the eyes of the Arab world and in 
the eyes of some of the Palestinians themselves.... The Qassam 
rockets being fired by cells and gangs in Gaza boomerang back at the 
Hamas leadership.  When they fire at Israel, it is blamed by the 
world.  Even when the IDF operates in Gaza, Hamas is blamed, because 
it is perceived as a provocateur.... Embarrassingly enough, Hamas 
thought that a completely-dependent entity such as the Gaza Strip 
 
could detach itself from Israel, which supports and nourishes it. 
Now they are paying the terrible price.... If we were to launch a 
large ground operation, Hamas and Islamic Jihad would only gain from 
it, since this would mean a complete reshuffle of the deck.  It 
would be enough for us to have a great many fatalities or for the 
cities of the south to enter their shelters, for Hamas to be able to 
assert victory and achievements, as Hizbullah did [in the Second 
Lebanon War].  The method is to tighten the blockade and not to let 
up on the terror from the Gaza Strip.  A new war would be a kind of 
reconnection, while we are lucky enough to have disengaged from Gaza 
and its curse.  We have already suffered enough in this terrible 
place.  Let the curse of Gaza rest on others." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
--------------------- 
¶3.  Global Democracy: 
--------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Foreign News Editor Arik Bachar wrote in the popular, pluralist 
Maariv: "The US must condemn, even if faintly, all withdrawals from 
democracy.... But the option of losing Pakistan to the camp of 
radical Islam and the return to power of Moscow's cronies in Georgia 
now seems a price that the Americans are not prepared to pay." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"America's Troubles" 
 
Foreign News Editor Arik Bachar wrote in the popular, pluralist 
Maariv (11/8): "On Wednesday Georgia joined the ever-longer list of 
America's troubles.... Over the past few years the West has been 
busy nurturing Georgia and has even talked about it joining NATO. 
The Russians do not like the belt that the US is trying to fasten 
around them from all sides, by positioning advanced missiles in the 
Czech Republic and Poland, and certainly not the expansion of the 
North Atlantic alliance in the direction of the Caucasus.  All this 
is happening only days after the proclamation of the state of 
emergency in Pakistan, a nuclear state whose role in fighting terror 
[the US has praised].... The US must condemn, even if faintly, all 
withdrawals from democracy.... But the option of losing Pakistan to 
the camp of radical Islam and the return to power of Moscow's 
cronies in Georgia now seems a price that the Americans are not 
prepared to pay." 
 
JONES