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P 141116Z NOV 07
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 003271 
 
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 
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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 mentioned that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice 
spoke to the United Jewish Communities (UJC) General Assembly in 
Nashville and quoted her as saying that "Now the opportunity before 
us does not obviate the need for hard, even unprecedented choices by 
all parties involved. Israelis and Palestinians alike need to 
recognize that peace will require difficult, painful sacrifices to 
some of their longest-held aspirations." 
 
Major media (banner in Ha'aretz) reported that Israel will announce 
a freeze on settlement construction and declare its willingness to 
dismantle illegal West Bank outposts.  Leading media reported that 
last night PM Olmert aides Yoram Turbowicz and Shalom Turgeman, 
along with Foreign Ministry Director-General Aharon Abramovitch, 
flew to Washington to clarify the details of this move with 
administration officials.  Ha'aretz reported that in recent weeks 
the US has demanded significant movement on the issue of settlements 
and outposts to compensate for Israel's refusal to discuss "core 
issues" until after the Annapolis meeting.  Ha'aretz quoted GOI 
sources as saying: "Of the two [options presented by the U.S.], a 
settlement freeze is easier than evacuating the outposts, because 
this only involves a declaration, not a confrontation with settlers 
in the field."  The settlement freeze is also meant to help persuade 
Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab 
Emirates, and Indonesia, to attend the Annapolis meeting. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that PM Ehud Olmert intends to present this move 
to the Israeli public  as a mere reconfirmation of the commitments 
Israel took upon itself when it accepted the Roadmap. All media 
reported that on Tuesday Olmert met with leaders of the Yesha 
Council of Jewish Settlements in the Territories for the first time 
since taking office, and told them that the "first stage of the 
roadmap speaks of dismantling outposts and freezing settlements, and 
that's a document that all Israeli governments, including Likud 
ministers, have accepted."  Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that 
Olmert admitted during the meeting that the issue of construction in 
the settlements was raised in his talks with US officials.  Ha'aretz 
and other media quoted the settler leaders as saying after the 
meting that they feel as if a "tsunami" is approaching.  Ha'aretz 
noted that Olmert would like the large settlement blocs  of Ariel, 
Ma'aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion, and the settlements around Jerusalem to 
be exempted from this freeze. 
 
Ha'aretz (Aluf Benn) reported that the joint declaration for the 
Annapolis meeting will focus on the format and goals of negotiations 
for a permanent agreement.  The declaration will reference previous 
decisions, such as UN Security Council resolutions and the Roadmap. 
It will also present the sides' goals for a solution, and mention 
the "core issues."  Media reported that the two negotiating teams, 
headed respectively by FM Livni and chief Palestinian negotiator 
Ahmed Qurei Abu Ala), met again on Tuesday and disagreed on most 
issues. Ha'aretz reported that  Israel has asked the US to pressure 
the Palestinians into being flexible and to go ahead and hold the 
Annapolis meeting as planned on November 26-27. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a senior 
advisor to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, told the newspaper that not 
"a single word" of the joint declaration has yet been written. 
Ha'aretz quoted Abu Rudeineh as saying that the Palestinians want 
the US to "pressure Israel so as to be able to reach an agreed-on 
declaration."  He was quoted as saying that FM Livni and Defense 
Minister Barak were both creating obstacles.  Major media quoted 
President Shimon Peres as saying on Tuesday before the Turkish 
Parliament in Ankara that Israel wants a two-state solution and that 
Annapolis cannot be allowed to fail.  Mahmoud Abbas was quoted as 
saying at the same venue that the Palestinians will never give up 
East Jerusalem. 
Major media (lead story in Yediot) quoted diplomats as saying on 
Tuesday that Iran has met a key demand of the International Atomic 
Energy Agency (IAEA) by delivering blueprints that show how to mold 
uranium metal into the shape of warheads, in an apparent concession 
meant to stave off new UN sanctions.  However, Yediot quoted the 
diplomats as saying that Tehran has failed to meet other requests 
made by the IAEA.  Yediot quoted Western intelligence sources as 
saying that Iran was forced to divulge the blueprints only after 
evidence of their existence had accumulated. 
The Jerusalem Post's web site reported that the newly formed 
Genocide Prevention Task Force, indicated on Tuesday that it will 
not examine whether Israel has committed genocide in the Palestinian 
territories.   The newspaper had earlier quoted former Defense 
Secretary William Cohen, a member of the Task Force, as saying that 
 
SIPDIS 
the body would consider looking into the issue. 
 
Leading media quoted Science, Culture, and Sport Minister Raleb 
Majadele as saying at the Knesset on Tuesday that Israeli law does 
not apply to the Temple Mount.  He said he was entitled to express 
his private views. 
 
Leading media quoted Defense Minister Barak as saying on Tuesday 
that Washington and Jerusalem agree that Syrian participation at 
Annapolis would be "positive."  Ha'aretz quoted Internal Security 
Minister Avi Dichter as saying that Syria is the only country among 
Israel's neighbors that keeps a quiet border and meets its 
obligations to prevent smuggling.  Maariv cited the concern of the 
Israeli defense establishment that Syria might try to retaliate over 
Israel's attack in September by hitting Israeli airliners. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that on Tuesday Israeli sources denied Hamas 
claims that new proposals for freeing Gilad Shalit were recently 
given to Hamas. 
 
All media quoted IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi as saying on 
Tuesday during a visit to a conference of NATO commanders in Belgium 
that the "war in Lebanon achieved a few important accomplishments 
for the security of Israel and strengthened Israel's deterrence 
[capability].  At the same time, I am now just as convinced, that 
these accomplishments -- and possibly even greater ones -- could 
have been achieved more quickly and at a lower cost." 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the state is reusing to hand over the list of 
properties belonging to the Waqf -- Muslim property trust -- in Tel 
Aviv and Jaffa, claiming that revealing such information could 
possibly damage Israel's foreign relations. 
 
Israel Radio reported that 2,073 Italian intellectuals have signed a 
petition comparing Israel to the Nazis.  They are demanding that the 
Italian government cut  diplomatic ties with Israel and repeal the 
Berlusconi government's declaration of Hamas as a terrorist 
organization. 
 
The Jerusalem Post presented the results of a poll sponsored by the 
Israel Policy Center for Promoting Parliamentary Democracy and 
Jewish Values in Israel Public Life and conducted by Maagar Mohot: 
 
Some 55% of respondents said that the Knesset should remove PM 
Olmert because of the investigations. 
Some 65% of respondents said that due to the results of 2005 
disengagement from Gaza, they opposed a large withdrawal from the 
West Bank. 
Some 61% said they opposed removing IDF soldiers from most of the 
West Bank and giving control over the territory to the 
Palestinians. 
 
Maariv presented the results of a TNS/Teleseker poll conducted on 
Monday: 
 
Do you support the [Israeli government's] intention to release 400 
Palestinian prisoners? 
No: 70%;  Yes: 22%; Undecided: 8%. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Peres Center President Uri Savir wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post: "Now is the time for the Palestinian 
side to bite the bullet, to set forth realistic positions in order 
to find a common platform with Israel." 
 
Dan Patir, who was the late prime minister Menachem Begin's media 
advisor and took part in the first Camp David summit, wrote in the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The Camp David summit 
ended successfully and with a signed agreement -- with an 
agreed-upon agenda ... without early commitments to priorities, 
solutions or concessions.  Success may have resulted from that." 
 
The nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe editorialized 
(11/14): "It is not (only) from the police [a reference to the 
investigations Olmert is going through] that the government is 
fleeing to Annapolis, but mostly) from the problems with which it 
is supposed to -- and cannot -- deal with." 
 
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in the 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "When it comes to Saudi Arabia, 
Washington tends to close its eyes." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "What the Palestinians Must Do" 
 
 
Peres Center President Uri Savir wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post (11/14): "To insist that strengthening 
Fatah is the task of Israel alone is paternalistic.  Only an 
internal political process can strengthen the Palestinian peace camp 
so that it can better manage Palestinian affairs.  And nothing can 
strengthen Abu Mazen more than success at Annapolis.  To that end, 
the Palestinian leadership must aim for a substantive Annapolis 
declaration with Israel, offering a timeline  for declarations -- 
say, about one year.  So now is the time for the Palestinian side to 
bite the bullet, to set forth realistic positions in order to find a 
common platform with Israel.... It is time for both Israelis and 
Palestinians to pursue a policy of Realpolitik.  Israel must make 
painful concessions, and so must the Palestinian side.... But I 
genuinely believe that both Abu Mazen and Olmert understand the 
importance of this opportunity, and I hope -- for the sake of both 
peoples -- that our leaders will act accordingly.  Annapolis must be 
successful.  It must provide a solid and implementable basis for 
real peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, and act 
as an impetus for regional peace." 
 
 
 
 
II.  "Making Peace Without Planning" 
 
Dan Patir, who was the late prime minister Menachem Begin's media 
advisor and took part in the first Camp David summit, wrote in the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (11/14): "The extreme 
differences separating those who hope that Annapolis will lead to 
solutions and those who already consider it a failure ... should not 
come as a surprise.... The first Camp David conference was not 
planned ahead of time; it was not built or conducted according to 
previous plans.  There were no precedents or recipes.  It was born 
as a timely necessity, as a constraint, in order to get 
Egyptian-Israeli contacts out of the rut.... Some valuable lessons 
can be learned: The Camp David summit ended successfully and with a 
signed agreement -- with an agreed-upon agenda ... without early 
commitments to priorities, solutions or concessions.  Success may 
have resulted from that." 
 
III.  "A Government That Senses Failure" 
 
The nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe editorialized 
(11/14): "Our government is deeply immersed in a failure dictated 
ahead of time and a lack of trust in Israel's ability to cope with 
the existential issues it faces.  It is not (only) from the police 
[a reference to the investigations Olmert is going through] that the 
government is fleeing to Annapolis, but mostly) from the problems 
with which it is supposed to -- and cannot -- deal with." 
 
IV.  "The King of the Castle" 
 
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in the 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (11/14): "It was [current Saudi 
King] Abdullah, as crown prince, and not King Fahd, who articulated 
the idea of the 'Saudi initiative' that became the 'Arab initiative' 
-- an initiative that promises peace and normalization with the 
entire Arab world if in return Israel withdraws to the 1967 
armistice lines.... This is the position that has transformed Saudi 
Arabia from a 'country that joins' initiatives by others into a 
country that initiates.  In fact it has been establishing its 
position as the Arab world's hegemon over the diplomatic discourse 
in the Middle East....Its support for the Annapolis conference -- 
although it is not yet clear whether it will send a senior 
representative -- and the financial backing it is providing and will 
continue to provide to the Palestinian Authority are turning Saudi 
Arabia into President George W. Bush's most reliable ally when it 
comes to managing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his Middle 
East policy as a whole..... The upshot of this is that when it comes 
to Saudi Arabia, Washington tends to close its eyes.  Secretary of 
State Condoleezza Rice, for example, has no problem publicly 
chastising Egypt for human rights violations.  Bush has 
unhesitatingly called for the release of the leader of the 
opposition Al Raad party, Ayman Nour, from Egyptian prison.  Yet 
apart from the periodic State Department reports on the human rights 
situation in Saudi Arabia, no presidential or other governmental 
statement has been heard from Washington concerning the state of 
human rights in the kingdom.  Today, too, despite Abdullah's 
promises to revise the curriculum, one can still read in Saudi 
textbooks about the need to hate Jews and Christians, about the 
Jews' evil plans and about how some Jews -- true, not all of them -- 
are devil-worshippers.  But what is all this compared to a handshake 
between a senior Saudi representative and an Israeli prime 
minister?" 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "It's not necessarily the stance of the 
[Democratic] candidates [towards Iran] that has changed, but rather 
their political standing.  That will become increasingly common as 
the Iowa caucus approaches." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Between Tehran and Des Moines" 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (11/14): "It is clear that Democratic voters 
-- especially those who will be voting in the primaries -- are in 
the camp that fears any hint of another confrontation in the Middle 
East.  That is exactly the case for the Democratic voters of Iowa, 
too.  That may explain the huge gap between the tough tone taken by 
[John] Edwards when he spoke about Iran at the Herzliya Conference 
in Israel and the conciliatory tone he used two weeks ago in the 
last debate.  It could also explain the gaps found by an American 
columnist between what Obama told Ha'aretz a few months ago and what 
he now says about making overtures to Iran.  It's not necessarily 
the stance of the candidates that has changed, but rather their 
political standing.  That will become increasingly common as the 
Iowa caucus approaches." 
 
JONES