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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 003441 
 
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.  Iran 
 
¶2.  Mideast 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
The release of the U.S. National Intelligence Assessment on Iran 
received top billing in major media.  The Jerusalem Post headlined 
"US: Iran Stopped Its Nuclear Arms Program 4 Years Ago".  Ha'aretz 
reported that PM Ehud Olmert, FM Tzipi Livni, and Defense Minister 
Ehud Barak were briefed on the report's content while in Washington 
last week.  According to the paper, GOI sources in Jerusalem told 
the newspaper on Monday that the Bush administration appears to have 
lost its sense of urgency towards Iran's nuclear program, making a 
military strike in 2008 increasingly unlikely.  The Jerusalem Post 
reported that Israeli and American concerns over Iran's nuclear 
program are not alleviated.  Israel Radio, which cited initial 
satisfaction in Jerusalem over the U.S. report, quoted senior 
Israeli defense sources as saying that the picture has not changed 
and that 2009 remains a critical date for the program.  Yediot, 
which quoted Israeli defense experts as saying that the only 
difference between the U.S. and Israel lies in interpretation and 
that the report is a blow to Israel's attempts to convince the world 
an urgent solution is needed before Iran reaches the point of 
no-return. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted PM Olmert as saying on Monday that he hoped to reach 
an agreement with the Palestinians as soon as possible even though 
he has refused to set a time line.  "We refused to set target dates, 
but we want to hold negotiations at the pace required, to try to 
reach an agreement as quickly as possible," he was quoted as saying 
at a meeting with Kadima Knesset members.  Olmert emphasized that 
Annapolis was not a meeting for negotiating or reaching a deal, but 
that it was certainly an important opportunity to start talks to 
reach an agreement on Kadima's basic platform: two states for two 
peoples.  He added, however, that there are stumbling blocks to be 
overcome.  "We do not belittle either the difficulties or the 
chances; neither the uncertainty nor the lack of necessary responses 
that we still consider vital, which the Palestinian leadership must 
meet."  Ha'aretz also reported that at the meeting FM Livni gave a 
 
positive assessment of the results from Annapolis. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel, the PA, and the U.S. are 
working to launch three parallel tracks to keep the Annapolis 
process alive and active: (1) bilateral negotiations; (2) 
implementation of the Roadmap,  including the U.S. monitoring 
mechanism; and (3) encouraging Arab countries and the international 
community to produce a favorable regional environment for advancing 
a two-state solution. 
 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was quoted as saying on Monday 
 
SIPDIS 
in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that she sees a "strong 
desire" in Israel to aid Palestinian economic development, though 
she acknowledged the difficulties posed by security concerns. 
 
Israel Radio reported that last night the IAF bombarded a Hamas 
target in the central Gaza Strip.  The radio quoted Palestinians as 
saying that two people were killed and two others were wounded on 
the hit of a suspected training base.  The radio reported that 
another Hamas activist was killed in a clash with the IDF. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Health Ministry officials confirmed to 
Ha'aretz on Monday that Israeli hospitals are no longer authorized 
to schedule medical appointments for Palestinians without first 
providing the security services with the patients' names for 
vetting.  The policy change requires hospitals to disclose patients' 
profiles to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the 
Territories, (COGAT), which is a unit in the Defense Ministry that 
is entrusted with coordinating civilian issues between the 
government, the IDF, international organizations, diplomats, and the 
PA.  Only after patients are approved by the security services are 
hospitals allowed to summon the patients for an appointment inside 
Israel.  A Health Ministry official told Ha'aretz that the procedure 
is designed to prevent infiltration by suicide bombers via bogus 
appointments.  Ha'aretz quoted Physicians for Human Rights-Israel as 
saying that the new policy constitutes another hurdle that sick 
Palestinians will have to overcome in order to receive basic medical 
treatment for their conditions. 
 
Maariv reported that in the last few days security at the Prime 
Minister's offices in the Knesset has been increased.  Shin Bet is 
apparently concerned that the offices could be attacked with 
rockets. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio cited a Hamas denial of Red 
Cross reports that Gilad Shalit may be allowed to receive visits by 
the international organization or correspond with his family. 
 
Israel Radio reported that the Yesha Council of Jewish Settlements 
in the Territories plans to thwart Defense Minister Barak's 
compensation plan for settlers if they leave the West Bank. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and other media quoted the Indian press as saying 
that the September launch of an Israeli spy satellite from India, 
which now faces months of postponement, was canceled due to 
"last-minute" pressure by the U.S. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli and Palestinian officials as 
saying that Israel has held up the transfer of 25 Russian armored 
vehicles to Palestinian police in the West Bank, because the 
Palestinians want to have them mounted with machine guns. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Peace Now charges that thousands of 
structures in scores of West Bank settlements are illegal and that 
demolition orders for them have been ignored.  It further alleges 
that public officials as well as construction companies were 
involved in the illegal construction. 
 
Leading media quoted Olmert as saying at the Knesset on Monday that 
the government will provide communities living under the threat of 
missiles the necessary defensive measures, but it will not make an 
unlimited investment in such means.  His remarks came in response to 
criticism at the way authorities handled the home front during the 
Second Lebanon War. 
 
Leading media reported that contradicting the PA's view, Egypt 
allowed 700 Palestinians to leave through the Rafah crossing for the 
hajj.  Ha'aretz cited the PA's concern that Hamas activists would 
take advantage of the religious occasion to reach training camps in 
Iran and Lebanon.  The Palestinians' travel was not coordinated with 
Israel, which only heard about it afterwards. 
 
Leading media reported that on Monday the Jerusalem District Court 
sentenced Hamdi Quran, who assassinated cabinet minister Rehavam 
Zeevi in 2001, to two life terms plus 100 years in prison. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that U.S. "Marranos," who believe that their 
ancestors were Jews who fled Spain and Portugal during the 15th 
century, are seeking a home in Israel, but that they are not 
welcome. 
 
--------- 
 
¶1.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn and Washington correspondent 
Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: 
"However successful or flawed [the new U.S. intelligence]  report 
may be, there is a new, dramatic reality, in all aspects of the 
struggle against the Iranian bomb: The military option, American or 
Israeli, is off the table, indefinitely." 
 
Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote on page one of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: " Israel has no 
intention of either slowing or stopping its efforts [against the 
Iranian nuclear program].  Only now we are going to be, maybe, a bit 
more on our own." 
 
Historian and defense expert Dr. Cellu Rosenberg wrote on page one 
of the nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe: "The American 
intelligence agency would do well to put pressure on the President 
and on the Secretary of State to adopt a heavy-handed policy against 
Iran." 
 
 
 
 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "The End of the Military Option" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn and Washington correspondent 
Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz 
(12/4): "Intelligence officers, like anyone else, 'are reluctant to 
change their minds' and admit they made a mistake or were caught by 
surprise.  So the U.S. intelligence services should be given credit 
for trying to correct their mistake.... Professionals will now argue 
passionately, continuing the debates between Israel's assessment (an 
Iranian bomb in 2009-2010) and the American one (a bomb in 
2012-2013).  The Americans failed to explain on Monday how they 
reached their new conclusions.... It does not really matter. 
However successful or flawed this report may be, there is a new, 
dramatic reality, in all aspects of the struggle against the Iranian 
bomb: The military option, American or Israeli, is off the table, 
indefinitely." 
 
II.  "Coping Alone" 
 
Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote on page one of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (12/4): "There can be no 
doubt that the folks in Tehran are celebrating.  [The new U.S. 
intelligence] report was a blow ... to the fight that Israel has 
been waging in the international arena against the Iranian nuclear 
program..... The Israeli security establishment does not understand 
where the Americans got the information as if the Iranians decided 
to suspend their nuclear weapons production program in 2003 and have 
not renewed it since.  The information the Israeli espionage 
agencies have, which  is the same information that the Western 
espionage agencies have, is that the Iranians, under diplomatic 
pressure, indeed suspended the process of producing fissionable 
material for military purposes in 2003.  However, that information 
also stipulates that the Iranians renewed that process some two 
years later and that that process has continued to this very day. 
Officials in the Israeli security establishment have been careful 
not to argue publicly with the leaders of the American espionage 
agencies, but behind closed doors Israeli officials are convinced 
that the American agencies are simply mistaken in their 
assessments.... Security officials stress that Israel will continue 
to adhere to its ... assessments.  Even if there is a disparity of 
information with the Americans, Israeli officials say, the two sides 
are in full agreement on the core issue: the connection between the 
current regime in Iran and its determination to obtain nuclear 
weapons is a danger to world peace.... Israel has no intention of 
either slowing or stopping its efforts.  Only now we are going to 
be, maybe, a bit more on our own." 
 
III.  "American Fantasy" 
 
Historian and defense expert Dr. Cellu Rosenberg wrote on page one 
of the nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe (12/4): 
"Apparently Iran is continuing with its plans, with the help of 
anti-Western countries, i.e., Russia and China, and any American 
attempt, even by the famous intelligence agency, not to take this 
seriously and postpone the inevitable, is not very respectable.  The 
American intelligence agency would do well to put pressure on the 
President and on the Secretary of State to adopt a heavy-handed 
policy against Iran.  The sooner the pressure is levied, the better 
for everyone.  And if this pressure does not help, the U.S. must ... 
employ a great military force to chop down the terrifying Iranian 
regime." 
 
------------ 
¶2.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Peres Center President Uri Savir wrote in Yediot Aharonot: "Contrary 
to many others, I am convinced that such an agreement can be reached 
even earlier than the end of 2008..  The key lies with the 
leadership on both sides." 
 
Yossi Ben-Aharon, who was director-general of the Prime Minister's 
Office under former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir, argued in the 
popular, pluralist Maariv: "There can be no doubt that the Americans 
will ... present demands by which Israel does not want to or cannot 
abide." 
 
Columnist Calev Ben-David wrote in the conservative, independent 
Jerusalem Post: "[Defense Minister Ehud] Barak's call for a 
[settler] compensation bill is a classic flanking move, at least in 
the public relations sphere." 
 
Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer wrote in Maariv: 
"Following the Annapolis meeting, the Prime Minister is obligated to 
... check whether Syria is willing to reach an agreement based on 
the principles of the peace treaty with Egypt." 
 
Foreign affairs commentator Adar Primor wrote in  the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "[The new British] administration, together 
with that of President Nicolas Sarkozy in France and Chancellor 
Angela Merkel in Berlin, has created in the trinity of the main 
capitals of Europe a rare constellation of support for Israel." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "How to Achieve a Breakthrough" 
 
Peres Center President Uri Savir wrote in Yediot Aharonot (12/4): 
"From my acquaintance and conversations with the Palestinians I am 
convinced that the Abu Mazen-Fayyad-Abu Ala [Ahmed Qurei] troika can 
lead to a permanent status agreement following intensive 
negotiations that would resolve core issues.... Contrary to many 
others, I am convinced that such an agreement can be reached even 
earlier than the end of 2008..  The key lies with the leadership on 
both sides.  I admit having been impressed by Olmert's appearance 
and performance.... If we do not want to find ourselves in a few 
years facing Hamas and Al-Qaida, the government must adopt a 
strategy that serves Israel's interests -- in this case, 
strengthening Abu Mazen through diplomatic negotiations, along with 
jointly fighting terror." 
 
II.  "A Dangerous Statement at Annapolis" 
 
Yossi Ben-Aharon, who was director-general of the Prime Minister's 
Office under former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir, argued in the 
popular, pluralist Maariv (12/4): "The Annapolis statement says that 
a three-way U.S.-led security mechanism will be created to implement 
the Roadmap, as the American side plays the role of an arbiter 
monitoring implementation by both sides.  This clause has dealt a 
harsh blow to Israel's status as a sovereign state and laid 
potential mines in the negotiations.  There can be no doubt that the 
Americans will later present demands that Israel will not like or 
will be unable to meet." 
 
III.  "Barak's West Bank Maneuvers" 
 
Columnist Calev Ben-David wrote in the conservative, independent 
Jerusalem Post (12/4): "[Defense Minister Ehud] Barak's call for a 
[settler] compensation bill is a classic flanking move, at least in 
the public relations sphere.... If Barak is serious about the 
measure, it's likely part of a broader political strategy in line 
with recent political reports that he may be looking for Labor to 
incorporate at least parts of Meretz in its fold prior to the next 
elections, offering voters a single clear alternative on the Zionist 
Left in a field split with a weak Kadima in the center and Likud as 
part of the fractured Right.... But [Barak] will also have to 
confront a settler community, and their supporters, determined not 
to surrender the right to claim new ones -- and Barak won't be able 
to buy his way out this challenge." 
 
IV.  "A Chance for Syria to Disconnect from Iran" 
 
Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer wrote in Maariv 
(12/4): "Syria's decision to return to the negotiating table with 
Israel is bold and dramatic .... Following the Annapolis meeting, 
the Prime Minister is obligated to leave aside assessments and 
commentaries and check whether Syria is willing to reach an 
agreement based on the principles of the peace treaty with Egypt.... 
If [Syria] stays out of the diplomatic process, it will return to 
the fold of Iran and sow the seeds of the next war along Israel's 
northern border." 
 
¶V.  "A Penguin in Pace of the Poodle" 
 
Foreign affairs commentator Adar Primor wrote in  the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (12/4): "In [Gordon] Brown's new lexicon, one 
says fighting poverty and cluster bombs -- instead of radical Islam; 
multilateralism -- instead of a single-power world and a 'network of 
alliances' -- instead of a 'special relationship' with the United 
States.  In Israel no one is upset by this analysis.  First of all, 
it is said, the difference between Brown and Blair boils down to 
style, not essence.... While Blair continues to stand out in the 
international arena as the Quartet's envoy to the region, presumably 
Brown -- who at the moment is in any case bothered by scandals at 
home that are shaking up his party -- will also in future leave his 
Foreign Secretary David Miliband more rope than was left to his 
predecessors.  As far as Jerusalem is concerned, this is good 
news... Miliband, and ultimately Brown as well, are faithful to the 
British tradition of Euro-skepticism and pro-Americanism.  Their 
administration, together with that of President Nicolas Sarkozy in 
France and Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, has created in the 
trinity of the main capitals of Europe a rare constellation of 
support for Israel." 
 
JONES