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DE RUEHTV #3612/01 3611113
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P 271113Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 003612 
 
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.  U.S.-Israel Relations 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
All media reported on the outcome of Defense Minister Ehud Barak's 
visit to Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday.  Media reported that Barak 
and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak set up a joint team to fight 
weapons smuggling along the Philadelphi corridor into the Gaza 
Strip.  The Jerusalem Post reported that Egyptian Intelligence 
Minister Omar Suleiman told the newspaper on Wednesday that Egypt 
will crack down on smugglers until Israel no longer has anything to 
complain about.  The Jerusalem Post reported that Suleiman and 
Egyptian Defense Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi told Barak about 
Egypt's recent million-dollar purchase of tunnel-detection systems, 
first reported by the Post on Tuesday, which they plan to begin 
using along the corridor in the next few months. Mubarak was quoted 
as saying in an interview with Yediot that FM Tzipi Livni crossed 
the line when she criticized the Egyptian forces along the 
Sinai-Gaza border.  Israel Radio quoted the French press agency AFP 
as saying that Mubarak conveyed to Barak a message from Syrian 
President Bashar Assad during their meeting.  Barak's office refused 
to comment on the report. 
 
All media reported that PM Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud 
Abbas are scheduled to meet in Jerusalem today for the first time 
since the Annapolis conference in an effort to move forward 
negotiations.  The Jerusalem Post quoted GOI sources as saying that 
the Olmert-Abbas channel has been "more fruitful" in the past than 
meetings between the wider negotiating teams headed by Foreign 
Minister Tzipi Livni and former PA prime minister Ahmed Qurei.  The 
Jerusalem Post reported that government officials recently expressed 
frustration that the more conciliatory positions Abbas took during 
recent meetings with Olmert were not passed on to the Palestinian 
negotiating team. 
 
Leading media quoted PM Olmert as saying on Wednesday during a 
meeting with the Meretz party's Knesset faction that he will not 
resign in the aftermath of the publication of the Winograd report. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted Hadash party Chairman MK Muhammad Barakei 
as saying on Wednesday in an interview with the Palestinian Quds 
Press agency that Israel's plan to build a new neighborhood near the 
disused Atarot Airport in northeastern Jerusalem reveals the 
government's true face as a "government of war and occupation" that 
is guilty of warmongering against the Palestinians and the Arab 
world. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that on Wednesday Social Justice, the party of 
tycoon Arkady Gaidamak, began its formal foray in Israeli politics. 
The new party will participate in municipal elections throughout the 
country, seeking the mayor's post in 22 communities and positions on 
the local council in 55 others. The candidates were mostly drawn 
from other parties, including Likud, Shas, and Yisrael Beiteinu, but 
there are also behind the scenes talks with retired and active 
officers in the IDF and the police.  So far, Gaidamak has personally 
focused on broadening his party's appeal in Jerusalem, where he 
intends to run for mayor.  In the near future, the party is expected 
to be reinforced with Uri Shani, Ariel Sharon's former bureau 
chief. 
 
Major media quoted Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar 
as saying on Wednesday that Russia will supply Iran with 
state-of-the-art air defense systems.  The media said that a 
military offensive against Iran will consequently become much more 
complex.  Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that on Wednesday 
Ciamak Morsathegh, the head of the Tehran Jewish Committee, 
described the recent immigration of 40 Iranian Jews to Israel as 
part of a misinformation campaign.  He was quoted as saying that 
Jews in Iran were not in danger.  The media reported that senior 
government sources have criticized the Jewish Agency over the "media 
festival" that accompanied the arrival of those Jews, which might 
endanger the lives of those Jews who stayed behind.  The Jewish 
Agency defended its decision to publicize the event. 
 
Maariv reported on a steep increase -- 36% -- in new investigations 
in 2006 of soldiers susupected of hurting Palestinians. 
 
Ha'aretz wrote that the Turkish Daily News will report today that 
crews from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), operating unmanned 
aerial vehicles (UAV's), are participating in Turkish military 
operations against PKK militants in northern Iraq.  Ha'aretz also 
cited the Turkish newspaper, which observed that a senior Turkish 
officer expressed criticism that IAI and Elbit, which is also part 
of the Heron UAV program, have failed to meet their contractual 
obligations and have delayed the supply of UAV's ordered for the 
Turkish Air Force in 2005. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted an official as saying on Wednesday that the Interior 
Ministry will form a tribunal presided over by a judge to hear 
petitions by applicants who have been denied permanent residency 
status. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Military correspondent Amos Harel wrote from Sharm el-Sheikh on page 
one of the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Foreign Minister 
Tzipi Livni demonstrated a shocking lack of caution.... Barak found 
himself in a rare position: The Defense Minister suddenly became the 
'good Israeli' in Arab eyes." 
 
Military correspondent Yaakov Katz wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post: "With very few friends in the 
neighborhood, Egypt stands out.  On the other side, Egypt views its 
relations with Israel as a strategic asset." 
 
Columnist Ari Shavit wrote in Ha'aretz: "Yes, Olmert must resign. 
But his resignation is not an end in itself.  His resignation must 
signal and bring about an overall change in concepts and values. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Becoming the 'Good Israeli'"" 
 
Military correspondent Amos Harel wrote from Sharm el-Sheikh on page 
one of the independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (12/27): "Foreign 
Minister Tzipi Livni demonstrated a shocking lack of caution on 
Tuesday when she dared to speak the truth about Egypt's job 
performance in preventing weapons smuggling from Sinai into Gaza.... 
The Egyptians were insulted to the depths of their souls -- and 
Barak found himself in a rare position: The Defense Minister 
suddenly became the 'good Israeli' in Arab eyes.  The fact that 
Barak privately agrees with Livni changes nothing.  Egypt's 
President Hosni Mubarak, his intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and 
Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi took pains to treat Barak warmly, 
with the requisite public embraces.... Apart from the insult, 
something else is worrying the Egyptians: The fear that Israel is 
behind the initiative to freeze $100 million in U.S. aid to Egypt, 
out of a total of $2 billion, as punishment for the smuggling. 
Barak explained that it is not the Israeli government that is 
involved, only a few right-wing Knesset members who raised the idea 
in Congress.  But Barak, his deputy, Knesset Member Matan Vilnai, 
and Amos Gilad, head of the Defense Ministry's political-security 
department, all said the atmosphere at the talks was good and 
constructive.  Was any real progress made?  Apparently not.  In any 
event, both sides chose not to go into detail." 
 
II.  "Israel, Egypt Need Each Other" 
 
Military correspondent Yaakov Katz wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post (12/27): "Despite [the current] tension 
... Israel and Egypt are not ready give up the strategic alliance 
they have managed to forge since they signed a peace agreement 
almost 30 years ago.  Both countries are also aware that they need 
one another.  Israel sees its peace with Egypt as a model for other 
Arab and Muslim countries in the region with whom it would like to 
normalize relations in the future.  Israel also needs Egypt to 
mediate its informal talks with Hamas, both over the possibility of 
a hudna (cease-fire) with the terror group in the Gaza Strip, but 
also about a possible prisoner exchange under which Shalit would be 
released.  With very few friends in the neighborhood, Egypt stands 
out.  On the other side, Egypt views its relations with Israel as a 
strategic asset.  Cairo recognizes the fact that Israel and the 
Jewish lobby have a great deal of influence in Washington and would 
not like to see that influence turned against them, as it almost did 
with the videotapes [that showed the apathy of Egyptian forces to 
arms smuggling]." 
 
III.  "One Last Chance" 
 
Columnist Ari Shavit wrote in Ha'aretz (12/27): "If even after the 
Winograd report Ehud Olmert continues to serve in his position, the 
concept of responsibility will be of no significance in our lives. 
However, there was another broad and profound meaning to the war. 
It exposed that there is no congruence between 21st-century Israel 
and the challenges it faces.  The war exposed that the national 
leadership is not worthy:... Another fact exposed in the war is that 
the Israel Defense Forces is not the outstanding army that it has to 
be.... Yes, Olmert must resign.  But his resignation is not an end 
in itself.  His resignation must signal and bring about an overall 
change in concepts and values.  In about two weeks from now the 
Winograd Commission report will be published.... In a sense, it will 
be the day of the last chance.  It will give all of us a belated and 
final opportunity to internalize what we discovered during the 
Second Lebanon War, and to heal Israel." 
 
-------------------------- 
¶2.  U.S.-Israel Relations: 
-------------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Obama did try once or twice to reassure 
those who are concerned over his cool policy toward Israel, and he 
may succeed in doing so." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Obama Backs Israel as Jewish State" 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (12/27): "Israelis who are following the [U.S. 
presidential] elections and Obama have had difficulty understanding 
his approach.  He is certainly not naive, as some thought at the 
outset.  He is an idealist, but more sober than could be gleaned 
from his first public appearances, which swept away his 
audiences.... Among the three leading [Democratic] candidates he has 
the least support in the Jewish community, with the highest 
percentage of those who say they disapprove of him.  Obama did try 
once or twice to reassure those who are concerned over his cool 
policy toward Israel, and he may succeed in doing so.  He spoke to 
the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and he promoted a law 
allowing funds to be pulled out of companies doing business with 
Iran.  Last week in a foreign policy forum in Des Moines, Iowa, 
whose main points were publicized on the blog of the Institute for 
Public Affairs of the Orthodox Union, he spoke again about Israel. 
His key statement was: 'The Palestinians would have to reinterpret 
the notion of right of return in a way that would preserve Israel as 
a Jewish state.  It might involve compensation and other concessions 
 
from the Israelis but ultimately Israel is not going to give up its 
state.'" 
 
JONES