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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000078 
 
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 
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PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
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SIPDIS 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
 
SUBJECT: SPECIAL ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
President Bush to Israel, West Bank, January 9-11, 2008 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
All major media bannered President Bush's arrival in Israel late 
this morning to be greeted by President Shimon Peres, PM Ehud 
Olmert, and other dignitaries.  He will be received at President 
Peres's residence in the afternoon.  The media reported that his 
visit will include Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee. 
 
Yediot Aharonot led with moving welcome greetings in English for the 
President (with a Hebrew translation inside the newspaper) by 
veteran journalist Eytan Haber, who was a confidant of the late PM 
Yitzhak Rabin. 
 
Ha'aretz bannered: "Bush in Israel in Bid to Boost Talks."  Like 
other dailies, the newspaper reported that the President will also 
discuss Iran. 
 
Maariv headlined: "President Bush Arrives Today in Israel 
Empty-Handed."  The newspaper clarified that the President will 
leave Israel with the Winograd Report and promises of a diplomatic 
agreement. 
 
The Jerusalem Post's banner: "As Bush Flies In, Crisis Looms over 
Settlements."  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was quoted as 
saying in an interview with the newspaper that the U.S. is 
completely opposed to construction in the East Jerusalem 
neighborhood of Har Homa.  The media reported that a right-wing 
rally, organized by the banned group Kach, took place in Har Homa 
last night, during which demonstrators trampled pictures of 
President Bush, PM Olmert, and PA President Mahmoud Abbas.  The 
Jerusalem Post reported that the police arrested far-right activists 
responsible for the inciting posters, and that a court released 
them, citing freedom of speech.  On Wednesday morning police 
prevented hundreds of rabbis and supporters from entering the Temple 
Mount to demonstrate.  In the afternoon another demonstration 
included a human chain around the Old City of Jerusalem and a rally 
at the Western Wall.  Leading media reported that overnight 
right-wing activists set up two new settler outposts -- one in Efrat 
(Gush Etzion) in the southern West Bank, and the other near 
Ramallah. 
 
The media reported that on Tuesday PM Olmert and PA President Abbas 
agreed to continue talks on the core issues.  The media reported 
that although Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman will not 
quit the government coalition during the President's visit, he is 
maintaining his threat to do so.  Lieberman was quoted as saying 
that he will receive clarifications from PM Olmert next week. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the IDF's Civil Administration in the 
territories recently instituted a rapid evacuation process for 
illegal West Bank outposts. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz (English Ed.) printed various 
letters by right-wing groups expressing their views to President 
Bush in the form of paid ads. 
 
Major media reported that Hamas has added jailed Fatah/Tanzim leader 
Marwan Barghouti to the list of people it wants released in exchange 
for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.  Some media quoted the 
London-based Al-Hayat as saying that Israel has agreed to such a 
move.  Israel Radio and other media cited denials by Israeli 
officials. 
 
Leading media reported that Palestinians opened fire on an Israel 
Navy ship off the coast of Rafah on Tuesday, causing no injuries or 
damage.  Sailors returned fire and IAF helicopters launched an air 
raid on the sources of the gunfire.  Ha'aretz quoted the IDF as 
saying it was investigating a Palestinian report that an IAF rocket 
hit Egypt, and that the ship was involved in routine efforts to 
prevent weapons from being smuggled from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. 
Israel Radio reported that this morning four Qassam rockets were 
launched from the Gaza Strip into the western Negev.  The radio 
quoted Palestinian sources as saying that the IDF attacked alleged 
Qassam rocket launchers from the air, killing one and wounding six 
others. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that an Al-Qaida-linked group is 
believed to be behind the Katyusha fire at the western Galilee on 
Shlomi.  The media quoted Israeli military officials as saying that 
Israel will not inflame the northern border on the eve of the 
President's visit. 
 
Yediot reported that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is joining 
Egypt in the fight against smuggling from Gaza, and that it will 
send an officer to Israel in the next few days for coordination 
talks with the IDF's Southern Command. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Tuesday the PA rejected the idea 
of deploying third-party troops in the West Bank. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that President Bush is expediting plans 
for an arms deal that would give Saudi Arabia "smart bombs."  The 
newspaper reported that Israel is seeking a more advanced version of 
JDAM technology to maintain its qualitative edge. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that a bill that would require any future 
territorial withdrawals to be approved by a referendum suffered a 
serious setback on Tuesday, when the Knesset's legal advisor told a 
Knesset committee that it was unconstitutional. 
 
Yediot reported that in 2007, purchase requests by Israeli Jews for 
homes in the Galilee and the Negev greatly dwindled.  The newspaper 
wryly commented: "Another step toward a Tel Aviv state." 
 
Maariv reported that CBS-TV has named Israel's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi 
Yona Metzger one of the 12 most influential religious leaders in the 
world. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe said that the American presidential candidates 
are saying that they will remove themselves from Bush's legacy. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Tuesday Israeli spy Jonathan 
Pollard expressed outrage at the invitation that Pensioners Affairs 
Minister Rafi Eitan received to attend a dinner with President Bush 
and PM Olmert on Thursday night.  Eitan served as Pollard's handler 
when he spied for Israel in the U.S.  Despite promises from Eitan to 
help him if he were caught, Pollard never received help from him, 
and he has been incarcerated in an American prison for some 23 
years. 
 
Maariv reported that Saudi Prince Al-Walid Ben-Talal earns revenues 
from Israeli cellular phone subscribers who use Arabic music 
channels. 
 
------------------------ 
President Bush to Israel, West Bank, January 9-11, 2008: 
------------------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Eytan Haber, veteran op-ed writer and assistant to the late prime 
minister Yitzhak Rabin, addressed President Bush in a page one 
editorial of the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "You, 
George W. Bush, shall be perpetuated in our history uniquely as one 
of the Righteous of the Nations -- those who helped us in times of 
distress." 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "Bush's visit 
to Israel and Olmert's talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud 
Abbas are meaningless as long as the facts on the ground -- the 
outposts that keep expanding -- clearly show just how unserious the 
Israeli government's declarations are, and to what extent the U.S. 
administration is collaborating with it." 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "If Bush 
can [tell Europe in 2008 that the success of Annapolis ... (and in 
Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and elsewhere) depends on stopping Iran], 
his legacy can be saved and the tables turned back toward the side 
of a freer and safer world." 
 
Meretz-Yahad Party Chairman Yossi Beilin wrote in Ha'aretz: "A visit 
in and of itself will not do the trick.  Moving the parties toward 
an agreement within the coming year requires the presence of a 
permanently based and accessible apparatus that will engage in 
hands-on diplomacy." 
 
Liberal columnist Ofer Shelach wrote on page one of the popular, 
pluralist Maariv: "[President Bush will] come here and shake hands 
and pinch the cheek of a child holding a flag, and then go back home 
to cold places with presidential names like the Oval Office, and 
leave us behind, to continue bleeding." 
 
The nationalist Makor Rishon-Hatzofe editorialized: "There is 
neither American pressure on Israel during this visit -- nor 
sensational promises.  No stick and no carrot.  Thus, it is all the 
more difficult to comprehend the fact that, in order to please its 
guest, the Olmert government has imposed on the Judea and Samaria 
[i.e. West Bank] settlements a cruel freeze." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Welcome, Mr. President" 
 
Eytan Haber, veteran op-ed writer and assistant to the late prime 
minister Yitzhak Rabin, addressed President Bush in a page one 
editorial of the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (1/9): 
"The State of Israel greets you today with gratitude.  Two thousand 
years of exile and persecution have honed our ability to distinguish 
between friend and foe, between well wishers and evil thinkers, and 
you, George W. Bush, shall be perpetuated in our history uniquely as 
one of the Righteous of the Nations -- those who helped us in times 
of distress.... The partnership and friendship of your country are 
essential cornerstones on which the State of Israel depends.  For 
us, America is first among our true friends -- and you, Mr. 
President, are first and foremost of them, even if we differ.  The 
State of Israel thanks you today, and through you we send our 
gratitude to the hundreds of millions of citizens of your country, 
whose support we cherish.  Come in peace, leave in peace, bring us 
peace.  God bless America." 
 
II. "Bush, Accessory After the Facts" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (1/9): "The 
Israelis think they are fooling the world, but they are only fooling 
themselves.  The outposts are the essence of the Israeli bluff.... 
The United States is not seriously demanding that the outposts be 
taken down -- because if it ever had made such a demand 
unequivocally, the outposts would have been eliminated long ago.... 
Bush's visit to Israel and Olmert's talks with Palestinian President 
Mahmoud Abbas are meaningless as long as the facts on the ground -- 
the outposts that keep expanding -- clearly show just how unserious 
the Israeli government's declarations are, and to what extent the 
U.S. administration is collaborating with it." 
 
III.  "To Save His Legacy" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (1/9): 
"Israelis will welcome U.S. President George Bush today with the 
sincere warmth due a great friend of this nation.... At the same 
time, this visit is overshadowed by undeniable tinges of sadness, 
desperation and even a feeling of betrayal.... The most important 
thing Bush can do now is show that he understands [that if the 
Iranian bomb keeps moving ahead, the moderates will sputter] by 
telling Europe that the success of Annapolis (and in Iraq, 
Afghanistan, Lebanon and elsewhere) depends on stopping Iran, with 
the goal of convincing Europe to match the sanctions the U.S. has 
already imposed.  If Bush can do this in 2008, his legacy can be 
saved and the tables turned back toward the side of a freer and 
safer world. If he cannot, whatever has been painfully accomplished 
in recent months -- and indeed in the last seven years -- will 
 
progressively unravel, leaving the next U.S. president to cope with 
a deteriorating world." 
 
IV.  "President in a Bubble" 
 
Liberal columnist Ofer Shelach wrote on page one of the popular, 
pluralist Maariv (1/9): "It is unlikely that George W. Bush knows 
it, and itQs unlikely that he would care if he knew: in honor of his 
visit, as on every holiday in Israel or when the level of alert goes 
up, a closure was imposed on the territories.  This has become an 
automatic step, a security measure meant to prevent a terror attack 
that somebody would no doubt be happy to commit in honor of the 
visit of the U.S. President.  For this, not even a warning is 
necessary.  For the average Palestinian, this is another symptom 
that no amount of experience will diminish its humiliation and 
suffering, of the ongoing occupation, while presidents come and go. 
And Bush?  He, as said, doesn't even know.... Bush will come, Bush 
will go. The spin masters tell us that the visit is meant to help 
the survival attempts of his friend Ehud Olmert. If thatQs the case, 
itQs a waste of his time. Apparently he hasnQt been told about the 
non-existent rating of the Annapolis show.... We too relate to the 
American President, known as the 'most powerful man in the world,' 
like another passing image in the almost entertaining march of 
visitors for a moment, who come here and shake hands and pinch the 
cheek of a child holding a flag, and then go back home to cold 
places with presidential names like the Oval Office, and leave us 
behind, to continue bleeding." 
 
¶V.  "An American Headquarters for Peace" 
 
Meretz-Yahad Party Chairman Yossi Beilin wrote in Ha'aretz (1/9): 
"Seven years after taking office, U.S. President George W. Bush is 
making his first visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority.  But 
if he does not bring with him a serious plan for concluding a full 
peace agreement by the end of his term next year, he might as well 
stay home.  The urgency cannot be overstated.  Bush knows full well 
that if a peace agreement is not achieved in 2008, it won't be done 
in 2009 and perhaps for a very long time afterward. This is because 
of the political timetable in both the Palestinian Authority and the 
U.S.... A visit in and of itself will not do the trick.  Moving the 
parties toward an agreement within the coming year requires the 
presence of a permanently based and accessible apparatus that will 
engage in hands-on diplomacy, set timetables for achieving the goals 
set by Bush and try to ensure that the sides meet them.  If Bush 
comes to our region with such a concrete agenda, his visit may well 
mark a constructive step toward peace.  If, on the other hand, all 
he intends to do is utter his usual platitudes about the hard work 
that needs to be done and the courage he sees in the Israeli and 
Palestinian leaderships, he might as well save the American 
taxpayers the airfare." 
 
VI.  "A Cruel Freeze" 
 
The nationalist Makor Rishon-Hatzofe editorialized (1/9): "America 
is first and foremost busy choosing its next president, and the 
'vision of President Bush' is very low on its priority list.  As far 
as Israel is concerned, there is neither American pressure on Israel 
during this visit nor sensational promises.  No stick and no carrot. 
 Thus, it is all the more difficult to comprehend the fact that, in 
order to please its guest, the Olmert government has imposed on the 
Judea and Samaria [i.e. West Bank] settlements a cruel freeze, 
unprecedented in the history of the Land of Israel [Israel including 
the territories].  During the White Papers period, the British 
Mandate did not forbid construction of homes in existing 
communities.  Under the Turkish occupation, there was no forced 
interdiction to build classrooms for children or to move barracks 
around." 
 
JONES