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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000475 
 
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.  U.S.-Israel Relations 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Yediot reported that Vice President Dick Cheney will arrive in 
Israel in late March for a farewell visit and to pay tribute to 
Israel's 60th anniversary. 
 
A few media (banner in Maariv) outlets reported that the IDF is now 
prepared for a large-scale operation in Gaza.  Defense Minister Ehud 
Barak was quoted as saying on Thursday that Israel must be prepared 
for further escalation and if it should come to it, a large-scale 
ground incursion to put an end to the incessant attacks. "We are not 
afraid of taking such a step," Barak said.  The defense minister 
said that Israel would strike at those responsible for the attacks 
and vowed that Hamas would pay for its actions.  The leading 
Internet news site Ynet reported that Barak also sought to clarify 
Israel's position to regional and international leaders, among them 
Tony Blair and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman. 
Ha'aretz reported that in Tokyo, PM Ehud Olmert "appeared to 
suggest" that a major Israeli ground operation against militants in 
Gaza was not imminent, saying that Israel's fight against them was a 
"long process" and that it had "no magic formula."   However, 
Israel's Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying later that the 
violence "may leave us no choice" but to send troops back into Gaza. 
 Yediot reported that all the terror organizations active in Gaza 
have started to operate joint command rooms.   Hamas has placed all 
its units on the highest alert:  All the Hamas leaders have gone 
underground, and the organizationQs installations and government 
institutions have been vacated.  The imams were asked to hold a 
special prayer today in the Gaza mosques for the "victory of the 
mujahideen [fighters]," but the hospitals and clinics in the Gaza 
Strip are already preparing to receive a large number of 
casualties. 
 
Speaking on Israel Radio this morning, Meretz leader MK Yossi Beilin 
said that Hamas approached Israel twice via a third party, 
requesting a cease-fire. 
 
All media reported that on Thursday night Defense Minister Ehud 
Barak approved the installation in Ashkelon of the "Color Red" 
warning system (it will be activated today).  The system has long 
been in use in Sderot and gives residents a few seconds to seek 
shelter before rockets thunder in. 
 
All media reported that 17 to 20 Palestinians were killed in IDF 
strikes on Thursday, including six children.  The media reported 
that five of the children were sent to pick up Qassam rocket 
launchers from their launching site. 
 
Ha'aretz and other media quoted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice 
as saying in Tokyo that the issue of rocket attacks must stop. 
 
Yediot reported that starting this morning, the security 
establishment will open the Gaza crossings for the transfer of goods 
to enable the Palestinians to fill the food warehouses, and prevent 
a humanitarian crisis that is liable to break out in the coming 
days.  Israel also hopes to show the world that it does not intend 
to starve the residents of Gaza. 
 
Yediot reported that a GOI delegation headed by Foreign Ministry 
Director General Aharon Abramovitch visited Egypt on Thursday. 
Abramovitch reportedly told his Egyptian interlocutors that if 
issues related to the Philadelphi route and blocking smuggling are 
not raised, no real solution will be found for the Gaza problem. 
The newspaper reported that Egypt raised its demand to double the 
number of Egyptian border policemen in Sinai from 750 to 1,500.  The 
Egyptian request to open the Rafah crossing was also raised.  Yediot 
said that Abramovitch's visit was meant to pave the way for a 
meeting between FM Tzipi Livni and Egyptian FM Ahmed Ali Abu 
al-Gheit. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted former Foreign Ministry director-general Alon Liel 
as saying that Syria would like to restart peace talks with Israel 
immediately.  Last week Liel met with Syrian Ambassador to 
Washington, Imad Mustafa. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that on Thursday the Israeli-Arab group Adalah 
petitioned the High Court of Justice to overrule a police decision 
barring an event to commemorate the 40-day anniversary of the death 
of George Habash, the founder of the Popular Front for the 
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).  Police told the event's organizers 
that the PFLP is recognized as a terrorist organization.  Among 
other acts, its members assassinated Israeli minister Rehavam Zeevi 
in 2001. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted the Israeli human rights orgainzation B'Tselem as 
saying that 146 Palestinians have been killed by the IDF in the 
territories in the past two months.  At least 42 of those who died 
were not fighting at the time and 11 were minors.  Ha'aretz noted 
that the group also condemned Qassam rocket attacks from Gaza. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that American media have started 
revealing that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has 
had ties with Muslim millionaires, terrorists, and enemies of 
Israel 
 
Leading media quoted the Israel Antiquities Authority as saying on 
Thursday that an ancient seal bearing an archaic inscription dating 
back to the 8th century BCE has been uncovered in an archeological 
excavation in Jerusalem's City of David. 
 
Over the past couple of days the media reported that on Wednesday 
Microsoft bought Israeli startup YaData for tens of millions of 
dollars.  Ha'aretz said that the companies wouldn't name the final 
price, but YaData investors say they will see "a very nice return on 
their investment." 
 
Ha'aretz presented the results of a Dialog poll: 
 
"Were elections held today, for whom would you vote?" 
(Results in Knesset seats -- in brackets, 2006 elections results.) 
Likud: 35 (12); Labor Party 17 (19); Kadima: 14 (29); Yisrael 
Beiteinu: 12 (11); Shas: 9 (12); United Torah Judaism: 7 (6); 
Meretz-Yahad: 6 (5); National Union-National Religious Party: 4 (9); 
Arab parties: 10 (10); Social Justice (under Arkady Gaidamak) 3; 
Pensioners Party: 3 (7). 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Military correspondent Amos Harel and Palestinian affairs 
correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote in the independent, left-leaning 
Ha'aretz: "The decision to put Ashkelon, and its 120,000 residents, 
within permanent range of their rockets from Gaza may turn out to 
have been a mistake on [Hamas's] part." 
 
 
Security and intelligence affairs commentator Amit Cohen wrote in 
the popular, pluralist Maariv: "Within Hamas, particularly among 
those who are defined as the 'moderate camp' headed by Ismail 
Haniyeh, there are people who are willing to engage in pragmatic 
talks with Israel." 
 
The nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe editorialized: "Hamas 
is winning.... Israel's representative leadership must recover and 
take the necessary steps to put an end to the rocket terror, be it 
through deterrence or physical occupation of vital territories." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Long-Range Strikes Could Spark Invasion" 
 
Military correspondent Amos Harel and Palestinian affairs 
correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote in the independent, left-leaning 
Ha'aretz (2/29): "In another few months, when Hamas leaders find 
time to retrace the steps that led to a large-scale IDF operation in 
the Gaza Strip, it may be that they will focus on the events of this 
past week.  The decision to put Ashkelon, and its 120,000 residents, 
within permanent range of their rockets from Gaza may turn out to 
have been a mistake on their part.... Hamas ... has adopted an 
extreme, uncompromising stance.  Conversations with its leaders 
sometimes give rise to the suspicion that they are out of touch with 
the military reality on the ground, in which their forces are 
suffering more and more casualties.... Hamas is in trouble.  This 
stems not only from the losses it is suffering, but also from a 
decline in its level of support among the Gazan public.  The 
organization has been criticized in the Strip, inter alia, for the 
way it distributes humanitarian aid from Arab states, providing food 
only to its supporters.  When four out of every five Gazans live 
below the poverty line, this is not the kind of behavior that makes 
Hamas popular, even if residents do not dare express their anger in 
public or in the media." 
 
II.  "Break the Taboo and Talk" 
 
Security and intelligence affairs commentator Amit Cohen wrote in 
the popular, pluralist Maariv (2/29): "This is considered the 
greatest taboo today.  Talking with Hamas means recognition -- even 
if partial -- of the terror organization responsible for the most 
severe terror attacks that Israel has known.  Hamas's unwillingness 
to recognize Israel and to try to reach a final status arrangement 
 
also makes the question almost theoretical.  But within Hamas, 
particularly among those who are defined as the 'moderate camp' 
headed by Ismail Haniyeh, there are people who are willing to engage 
in pragmatic talks with Israel.  There are no aspirations or 
pretensions here to a peace agreement or conciliation, only a 
long-term hudna [truce], for pragmatic considerations, as proposed 
by Sheikh Yassin back in 1996.  Hamas knows that they will sacrifice 
the rocket fire in exchange for establishing their rule in Gaza. 
Israel's logic in going for such a deal with Hamas is self-evident. 
Gaza finally has a clear boss, which can instate order there.... On 
the other hand, the consensus in the political and military 
establishments overwhelmingly rejects any contact with Hamas. 
Israeli officials understand that normalizing relations with Hamas 
in Gaza would prevent any shred of hope, even the slimmest, for the 
collapse of the Islamic regime there.  Such a step would eliminate 
Abu Mazen, Fatah and perhaps the entire political-secular stream 
among the Palestinians.  Another fear is of an even greater military 
buildup of Hamas in Gaza.... Among ... released Hamas prisoners, who 
are ostensibly softened, nothing has changed with regard to their 
ideology, which remains extreme and uncompromising.  They believe 
fervently, as only a devoutly religious person can believe, that 
Israel is a temporary matter.  They say openly that Hamas will never 
recognize Israel and that there will never be peace with a 
Jewish-Zionist state.  But a hudna is a different story, and that 
may be possible to achieve." 
 
 
 
 
III.  "Hamas Is Winning" 
 
The nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe editorialized (2/29): 
"The Israeli government must reconsider the grave meaning of a 
victory of Hamas that freely launches rockets at [Israeli] citizens. 
 Hamas is winning.  Israel's activity signals to the world that its 
legal status is weakening; as far as Israel's citizens are 
concerned, demoralization is deepening.  There is a feeling of 
impotence in front of [Israel's] security, political, and judicial 
leadership that is incapable of getting together in order to provide 
Israelis with a proper response.  Israel's representative leadership 
must recover and take the necessary steps to put an end to the 
rocket terror, be it through deterrence or physical occupation of 
vital territories.  If this means contradicting the High Court of 
Justice, the Attorney General, or the international collaborators of 
terror, we should not constrain ourselves." 
-------------------------- 
¶2.  U.S.-Israel Relations: 
-------------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "At the 
feverish height of a close-fought campaign, those who take on the 
responsibility of authoring and spreading news and analysis about 
Obama, and about his rivals, should redouble their guard against 
disseminating resonant falsehoods." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Resonant Falsehoods" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (2/29): 
"The debate about Sen. Barack Obama's policies on Israel is 
intensifying.  Some opponents have distributed venomous e-mails and 
articles claiming he is anti-Israel and a closet Muslim, while his 
supporters insist that he is a staunch ally of the Jewish state.... 
Some of the critics are indeed false.  Some of the legitimate 
concerns are being directly addressed by the candidate.... American 
voters are closely evaluating their candidates for president.  Those 
who care passionately about Israel will try to gauge whether Obama 
-- and his rivals -- will take positions likely to safeguard the 
well-being of our state.  They will look at the candidates' records, 
listen to their speeches, read the newspaper profiles, and compare 
impressions with friends.  Conventional wisdoms may prove 
well-founded or way out of line.  Few observers, to take only the 
latest example, would have anticipated the incumbent being regarded 
by the Israeli mainstream as an exemplary president given the 
frictions that scarred Washington-Jerusalem relations under his 
father.  Voters have the right to expect accurate information and 
responsible commentary in order to reach their conclusions.  At the 
feverish height of a close-fought campaign, those who take on the 
responsibility of authoring and spreading news and analysis about 
Obama, and about his rivals, should redouble their guard against 
disseminating resonant falsehoods." 
 
JONES