VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #3639/01 3651108
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 311108Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4787
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHQA/HQ USAF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEADWD/DA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 3196
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 9857
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 3384
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 3965
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 3220
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 1361
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 3958
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0806
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1280
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 7840
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 5306
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 0224
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 4352
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 6296
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 8730
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMSIXTHFLT  PRIORITY

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 003639 
 
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: 
-------------------------------- 
 
Mideast 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Major media reported that on Sunday, during a special meeting with 
cabinet ministers and security officials,  Shin Bet head Yuval 
Diskin warned against relaxing criteria for releasing Palestinian 
prisoners in return for kidnapped Israeli soldiers.  Diskin lashed 
out against Ofer Dekel, Israel's chief negotiator for securing the 
release of abducted soldiers, claiming Dekel backed criteria that 
were too lenient.  Ha'aretz and Maariv reported that IDF Chief of 
Staff Gabi Ashkenazi favors flexibility in the matter.  Ha'aretz 
reported that the row erupted over a new proposal Israel had 
received from Hamas for a possible swap.  The Jerusalem Post 
reported that PM Ehud Olmert told the cabinet that Israel will not 
make any changes on the ground that could endanger its security as 
long as the PA does not act against the terrorist organizations.  On 
Sunday The Jerusalem Post quoted sources close to Hamas as saying 
that Hamas wants the release of Gilad Shalit to be part of a package 
that would include, among other things, a mutual cease-fire with 
Israel and guarantees that Israel will not target Hamas leaders. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that, out of fear that Hamas forces in 
Gaza have obtained anti-aircraft missiles, the IAF now operates only 
helicopters equipped with antimissile defenses over the Strip. 
 
On Sunday Ha'aretz quoted sources close to PM Olmert as saying that 
he intends to refrain from further construction projects in East 
Jerusalem, but that he will allow construction in the neighborhood 
of Har Homa.  The sources added that Olmert is seeking to introduce 
stricter government supervision of construction plans in the region. 
 On Sunday Maariv reported that Olmert has implied that new tenders 
for construction over the Green Line must have his approval.  On 
Sunday Yediot reported that after 40 years of massive marketing of 
land with Israeli government sponsorship, the sale of land by the 
GOI in the West Bank has come to an almost complete halt in 2007. 
 
Ha'aretz, The Jerusalem Post, and Israel Radio quoted the Israeli 
human rights organization B'Tselem as saying that the number of 
Palestinians killed by the IDF decreased by 43% percent since last 
year, to 373, but that the total number of Palestinians killed this 
year reached a record high because of the 344 Palestinians killed in 
the internecine conflict.  B'Tselem's report also found a 
siQficant drop in the proportion of civilians killed.  Israel 
Radio quoted Palestinian sources as saying that a Palestinian woman 
was killed and four other Palestinians were injured by IDF fire at 
the Erez Crossing.  Over the weekend media quoted IDF officials as 
saying that Muassem Rafiq Salah Sharif, the bodyguard of Palestinian 
negotiator Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) who was killed in a gun battle with 
IDF troops early Friday morning, had been party to shooting attacks 
and roadside bombing attacks on behalf of the Fatah Tanzim.  Major 
media quoted the IDF as saying on Saturday that it seized 6.5 tons 
of potassium nitrate in bags labeled as "EEC 2 sugar exported from 
the E.U." aboard a Palestinian truck in the West Bank.  The EU 
denied any connection to the bags that were filled with the 
chemical. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe cited an Al-Hayat report that Israel intends to 
assassinate Hamas PM in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh.  The 
Jerusalem Post reported that on Sunday Fatah's armed wing, the 
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, called for the murder of Palestinian PM 
Slam Fayyad for "collaboration" with Israel and the U.S.  On Sunday 
The Jerusalem Post quoted PA security officials as saying that 
Israel has managed to infiltrate Hamas's armed wing, Izz ad-Din 
al-Qassam, by recruiting some of its members as "collaborators." 
 
Yediot and other media reported that the defense establishment is 
warning of possible attacks by Al-Qaida against Israeli and American 
targets in Turkey.  The Jerusalem Post reported that members of the 
Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee are taking seriously 
a threat made by Usama bin Ladin in a new video released this 
weekend. 
 
The media quoted French President Nicolas Sarkozy as saying on 
Sunday in Cairo that he had instructed his staff to suspend 
diplomatic contacts with Syria until Damascus showed its willingness 
to let Lebanon elect a new president.   Ha'aretz reported that 
Jerusalem is closely monitoring the political situation in Lebanon, 
and that most of the work is being carried out by the Foreign 
Ministry and the defense establishment.  Prime Minister Ehud Olmert 
receives briefings, but the restricted cabinet has not been convened 
to discuss the crisis.  Ha'aretz said that there is no single, 
agreed-upon Israeli approach for dealing with the events in Lebanon 
at present: Some officials believe an independent Lebanon would 
weaken Hizbullah and thereby help Israel, while others say Israel 
should support more Syrian involvement in Lebanon.  Ha'aretz cited 
the Syrian Arab News Agency, quoting Syrian President Bashar Assad 
as saying on Sunday that he views favorably actions that will lead 
to peace. 
 
Yediot reported that President Bush has asked to meet Ariel Sharon's 
sons Omri and Gilad during his visit to Israel.  Maariv reported 
that 8,000 police and other staff will provide security for the 
President.  Maariv also reported that there will be heavy 
disturbances in railway and road traffic during the visit. 
 
Maariv reported that on Sunday the Israel Lands Administration 
approved a plan to give free land to members of communities 
surrounding the Gaza Strip as compensation for losses sustained in 
rocket attacks.  The offer will be valid for one year. 
 
Yediot reported that Hamas announced on Sunday that it will not 
accept any solution to the predicament of the Palestinian pilgrims 
returning from the Hajj except passage through the Rafah Crossing, 
which is not under Israeli control.  Leading media reported that 
Israel permitted some of the pilgrims to cross through the Allenby 
Bridge. 
 
On Sunday Yediot reported that FM Tzipi Livni is considering naming 
veteran Mideast TV commentator Ehud Yaari to the position of 
ambassador to Egypt. 
 
Israel Radio reported that a report that the Knesset's Foreign 
Affairs and Defense Committee issued today on the Second Lebanon War 
pointed at failures of the military and did not blame the political 
echelon.  Leading media reported that a petition signed by 50 
Knesset members will force Olmert to address the Winograd Report in 
the Knesset. 
 
On Sunday The Jerusalem Post reported that Meretz might join the 
government if Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu leaves it.  The 
Jerusalem Post and other media reported that American casino magnate 
Sheldon Adelson met with the heads of Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu over 
the weekend in an effort to convince them to quit the Olmert 
government. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli diplomats are quietly 
working to convince the U.S. and the EU to boycott -- and defund -- 
a possible follow-up to the 2001 World Conference Against Racism 
that took place in Durban, South Africa. 
 
Yediot cited a report by Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Beinhorn, the 
comptroller of the defense establishment, as saying that IDF bases 
are poorly guarded. 
 
-------- 
Mideast: 
-------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "How is 
[Condoleezza] Rice encouraging the Palestinians to build rather than 
destroy when she paints Israeli security measures as 'racist?'" 
 
Former Mossad director Ephraim Halevy wrote in the mass-circulation, 
pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The assassination of Benazir Bhutto 
illustrates that the solutions being concocted by the United States 
for the problems of far-off countries, particularly Muslim ones, are 
failing one after the other.  Not much time is left for a change of 
direction with Gaza.  The challenge lies at our doorstep, here and 
now.  Is it not the first subject that should lead the agenda of 
President Bush and Prime Minister Olmert during their upcoming 
meeting?" 
 
Columnist and French politics expert Daniel Ben Simon wrote in the 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "To a large extent, Sarkozy was 
expressing frustration over his country's enormous diplomatic 
investment, which failed to bear fruit, and he was announcing a new 
tack regarding Syria." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "No Sympathy for Terror" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (12/31): 
"According to The Washington Post, [Condoleezza] Rice's 
recollections as an African-American child in the South, being told 
she could not use certain water fountains or eat in certain 
restaurants, also made her understand the feelings and emotions of 
the Palestinians..... Either the Palestinians are struggling to 
eliminate Israel, or to build a state alongside Israel.  How is Rice 
encouraging the Palestinians to build rather than destroy when she 
paints Israeli security measures as 'racist?'  There is a way to 
empathize with both sides without resorting to libel against Israel. 
President George W. Bush did so constructively in his famous speech 
calling for a new Palestinian leadership in June 2002: 'I can 
understand the deep anger and despair of the Palestinian people,' he 
said.  'For decades, you've been treated as pawns in the Middle East 
conflict.  Your interests have been held hostage to a comprehensive 
peace agreement that never seems to come, as your lives get worse 
year by year.  You deserve democracy and the rule of law. You 
deserve an open society and a thriving economy.  You deserve a life 
of hope for your children.'  Israel is more than ready to do its 
part to fulfill this vision. The international community has pledged 
billions to pay for it.  What is necessary is to stop helping the 
Palestinian leadership make excuses for not doing its part." 
 
II.  "Pakistan Is Here" 
 
Former Mossad director Ephraim Halevy wrote in the mass-circulation, 
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (12/30): "In the arena of Pakistan and 
that of nearby Afghanistan, Iran carries special weight.  The United 
States and Iran have very close interests in both those arenas, and 
they will be tightening their cooperation in the future in order to 
prevent the collapse of those countries.  The death of Benazir 
Bhutto will speed up this trend. Iran is making a significant and 
ethical contribution in Iraq by reducing the level of violence. 
American spokesmen say that publicly and praise Tehran.... In the 
near future, the voices in Washington calling for direct dialogue 
with Iran on all subjects will probably grow louder.... These 
developments are not good news for Israel, and we should hope that 
the countryQs leaders are examining the sense in continuing the 
uncompromising conflict with Hamas.  This is the last subject on 
which the United States has erred in its situation assessment, and 
just as it knew enough to change its policy on Iraq completely when 
it realized its mistake, we should hope that it will know enough to 
reexamine Hamas's case as well.  If Hamas is ripe for a long-term 
cease-fire, maybe it would be worthwhile to take advantage of this 
option before we continue on the current path of unconditional war. 
The assassination of Benazir Bhutto illustrates that the solutions 
being concocted by the United States for the problems of far-off 
countries, particularly Muslim ones, are failing one after the 
other.  Not much time is left for a change of direction with Gaza. 
The challenge lies at our doorstep, here and now.  Is it not the 
first subject that should lead the agenda of President Bush and 
Prime Minister Olmert during their upcoming meeting?" 
 
III.  "France's Lost Honor" 
 
Columnist and French politics expert Daniel Ben Simon wrote in the 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (12/31): "Poor Bernard Kouchner. 
What hasn't France's charismatic, hyperactive foreign minister done 
to demonstrate his country's influence over Lebanon?  The moment he 
was appointed to his post by President Nicolas Sarkozy, Kouchner 
made Lebanon the touchstone of France's foreign policy.  He went to 
Beirut seven times to improve bilateral relations and prepare the 
ground for the election of a successor to the pro-French president, 
Emile Lahoud.... [On Sunday] Sarkozy planted his bomb.  After 
promising that his support for Israel would not affect France's 
relations with Arab states, Sarkozy announced the suspension of 
talks with Syria.  To a large extent, Sarkozy was expressing 
frustration over his country's enormous diplomatic investment, which 
failed to bear fruit, and he was announcing a new tack regarding 
Syria.  As if to say -- you want force, we'll give you force.  He 
was left with no other way to save the lost honor of his country in 
the eyes of its many supporters in Lebanon." 
 
MORENO