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DE RUEHTV #0805/01 0981115
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P 071115Z APR 08
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000805 
 
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: 
------------------------- 
 
Maariv reported that Israeli diplomatic sources said that President 
Bush will spend his May 14 visit celebrating Israel's 60th 
anniversary and not use the visit to push diplomatic issues. 
 
Leading media reported that PM Ehud Olmert will meet PA Chairman 
[President] Mahmoud Abbas today for the first time in over a month. 
Maariv quoted Israeli diplomatic sources as saying that PM Olmert, 
along with FM Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Barak, want to 
increase the frequency of contacts with the PA.    Israel Radio 
reported that Abbas is likely to request an end to the Gaza siege. 
On Sunday Israel Hayom reported that PM Olmert intends to draft by 
summer a joint declaration of principles that will establish a 
framework for a permanent status arrangement.   The declaration of 
principles will address the "usual land mines" that derailed the 
previous agreements. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the U.S. and Israel seek to pressure North 
Korea to cease its nuclear cooperation with Iran, which is one of 
the motives behind their agreement to disclose details on the 
air-force strike in Syria last September.  Ha'aretz cited 
information obtained by Washington and Jerusalem according to which 
North Korea transferred technology and nuclear materials to Iran to 
aid Tehran's secret nuclear arms program.  Ha'aretz reported that 
U.S. and Israeli officials agreed last week that the talks between 
the U.S. and North Korea, scheduled to take place in Singapore 
tomorrow, should be used to pressure Pyongyang to disclose its 
nuclear cooperation with countries in the Middle East.  As a 
pressure tactic, U.S. officials could reveal details of North 
Korea's cooperation with Syria to Congress.  Ha'aretz reported that 
during talks in Washington last week, Yoram Turbowicz and Shalom 
Turgeman agreed to the release of details on the air strike.  Media 
reported that Israel would continue to decline commenting on the 
matter, as it has done since September, and would not alter its 
censorship policy. 
 
Maariv and other media reported that Israel warned Syria that it 
would consider   Syria responsible for any attack to avenge the 
February assassination of senior Hizbullah operative Imad Mughniyah 
in Damascus.  On Sunday The Jerusalem Post reported that Hizbullah 
may retaliate by using an explosives-packed drone aircraft.  The 
newspaper reported that Iran provided UAVs to Hizbullah during the 
Second Lebanon War.  On Sunday Maariv reported that the Israeli 
intelligence community has decided to form a special team that will 
be responsible for mapping out the various threats Hizbullah poses 
to Israel. 
 
All media reported on Israel's largest-ever emergency exercise, 
which began on Sunday and will end on Thursday.  Ha'aretz and other 
media quoted PM Olmert as saying: "The drill is no front for Israeli 
bellicose intentions toward Syria."  (The media reported that 
Lebanese FM Fouad Siniora, Hizbullah, and Syria have expressed 
concern over the exercise.)  Maariv reported that one of the drills 
involves an "Iranian attack against Israel."  Ha'aretz reported that 
Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin told cabinet ministers yesterday that 
that Egypt is doing more to prevent weapons smuggling from Sinai 
into Gaza along the Philadelphi strip.  Yediot quoted Diskin as 
saying that Israel's relief measures for the Palestinians that are 
not granted in exchange for anything serious will only invite 
terror. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Sunday Kadima cabinet ministers 
warned Hamas of dire consequences if any harm comes to kidnapped 
soldier Gilad Shalit.  The warning came after top Hamas leaders 
publicly threatened his life.   The Jerusalem Post and Yediot 
reported that Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas's political 
bureau, told the Kuwaiti Al-Qabas newspaper on Sunday that the group 
would negotiate with Israel over Shalit's bones if Hamas prisoners 
were not released.  Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri warned Shalit's 
parents Saturday that Israel was jeopardizing their son by not 
agreeing to release the Palestinian prisoners.  Ha'aretz quoted Abu 
Marzouk as saying in the Kuwaiti daily that Israel has rejected a 
temporary cease-fire brokered by Egypt. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Israel has rejected the Palestinians' offer 
to deploy their national security force's special battalion in 
Hebron. After talks between the two sides and consultations with the 
U.S., Israel and the Palestinians agreed that the battalion would be 
stationed in Jenin instead. 
 
On Sunday The Jerusalem Post reported that veteran Fatah officials 
in Ramallah warned over the weekend that some of their "young guard" 
colleagues were planning to stage a "coup" against the faction's 
leadership. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Peace Now is marking 30 years since its 
inception.  The newspaper said that the group "has apparently never 
before looked or sounded more part of the establishment than during 
the days of the Olmert government."    Ha'aretz quoted former Meretz 
MK Dedi Zucker as saying: "Some of us became Knesset members.  There 
is a minister.  But when I peel away the trappings, then Peace Now 
is a nice non-profit whose vision is really right but whose agenda 
also led to a quarter of a million settlers in the West Bank." 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that all IAF top commanders are Harvard 
graduates. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz reported that in the latest attack 
targeting Yemen's few remaining Jews, rebel Houtni militiamen 
destroyed several homes that had belonged to the now-absent Jewish 
community in the northwestern Saada province.  Ha'aretz reported 
that Magen Avraham, the largest synagogue in Beirut, is in danger of 
being demolished as part of a city center renovation project. 
 
Major media reported that the expected cost of Israel's 60th 
anniversary celebrations is 98 million shekels (around $27 million). 
 On Sunday Ha'aretz cited a statement issued by the Conference of 
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations that the three 
U.S. presidential hopefuls are scheduled to serve as vice-chairmen 
of the National Committee for Israel's 60th. 
 
Over the weekend major media cited the British weekly The Economist 
as saying that the Israeli economy is stable, but that it has shaky 
foundations, particularly in education. 
 
On Sunday Ha'aretz and other media reported that Attorney General 
Mazuz recently instructed the Israel Airports Authority "to 
implement visible equality" between Arabs and Jews in security 
checks at Ben-Gurion Airport. 
 
-------- 
Mideast: 
-------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The least required of the American president 
who forced the elections that brought Hamas to power is to translate 
his 'vision' into a peace treaty." 
 
Veteran journalist and anchor Dan Margalit wrote on page one of the 
independent Israel Hayom: "The declaration of principles that Ehud 
Olmert and Abu Mazen are cooking up is not a diplomatic document.... 
It is a delusional initiative that is devoid of any real content." 
 
Former Mossad director Ephraim Halevy wrote in the mass-circulation, 
pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "Mashal's declaration diametrically 
contradicts al-Qaida's approach, and provides Israel with an 
opportunity, perhaps an historic one, to leverage it for the 
better." 
 
Contributor Dmitri Reisman wrote in the nationalist, Orthodox Makor 
Rishon-Hatzofe: "The question is whether the Roadmap ... may turn 
out to be a great delusion and whether there is ... a different, 
truer map, with which both sides, not just one, can be happy." 
 
Defense commentator Amir Oren wrote in Ha'aretz: "The practical 
result of Bush's enmity [toward Syria] is that Damascus is waiting 
for the next American president." 
 
 
 
 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "The Time Has Come for Bush to Intervene" 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (4/7): "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and 
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have repeatedly said they are 
committed to the two-state solution.  Both of them agree, more or 
less, on the principles of an agreement.  Both of them are 
maneuvering between the fear of being toppled by the camp that 
opposes the political process and the risk that the neighboring 
government will be toppled by opponents of compromise.  It would be 
far easier for both of them to win domestic support for a peace 
agreement that the United States played an active role in preparing. 
 When Bush wants to influence reality, as in the case of Iraq, he 
does not hide behind the dubious excuse that the United States 
cannot interfere in another country's internal matters.  The U.S. 
does not need to send its boys to risk their lives in the Nablus 
market or the outposts of the Hebron Hills. But the U.S. has not 
fulfilled its obligation simply by removing a few roadblocks from 
the West Bank.  The least required of the American president who 
forced the elections that brought Hamas to power is to translate his 
'vision' into a peace treaty." 
 
II.  "A Delusional Initiative" 
 
Veteran journalist and anchor Dan Margalit wrote on page one of the 
independent Israel Hayom (4/6): "The declaration of principles that 
Ehud Olmert and Abu Mazen are cooking up is not a diplomatic 
document.  It is for an election campaign.  It is for elections in 
Israel and perhaps in the Palestinian Authority.  It is a delusional 
initiative that is devoid of any real content.  Its sole purpose is 
to show the Israeli public that  the 'emperor has new clothes' as if 
there were anything of substance to them.  Olmert doesn't have a 
public-moral mandate to engage in political negotiations that lead 
to obligations.  But he still has a parliamentary majority which 
entitles him to engage in dialogue in the name of the people.  He 
can 'go for broke.'  He can try to make the dream he harbors in his 
heart -- the Geneva agreement plus Israeli willingness to take in 
Palestinian refugees -- come true.  If that is the case, let him 
present to the public a whole and courageous draft agreement that 
addresses the issues of the refugees and Jerusalem, and let him face 
the voter and face his fate on election day.  It won't work.  It was 
tried in the past until it became apparent that there isnQt a 
Palestinian partner even for a generous peace of the kind that Ehud 
Barak offered at Camp David.... We could also reconcile ourselves 
with a different course of action in which the government takes 
steps to prevent itself from being perceived by the world as a 
rejectionist country and, as such, talks with Abu Mazen while 
pretending that it and he have a mandate from their respective 
constituencies to close a political deal.  What is the problem? 
Every such document entails one-sided losses.... If Olmert promises 
to take Palestinian refugees into Israel -- and there is a 
discrepancy over which number he discussed with Abu Mazen, but there 
is no doubt that they discussed the matter -- the precedent will 
have been set.... The survival of the government is not worth the 
price of that piece of paper, even if they refer to it with phony 
pomp and ceremony as a 'declaration.'" 
 
III.  "Khaled Mashal's Bombshell" 
 
Former Mossad director Ephraim Halevy wrote in the mass-circulation, 
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (4/7): "Only a weak echo was heard in the 
Israeli and international media after the interview given by Khaled 
Mashal to the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam last week.  Mashal said 
publicly for the first time that his movement would recognize the 
1967 borders for a Palestinian state and that the arrangement would 
have to include the issues of Jerusalem and the refugees.... Hamas, 
and Mashal as one of its spokesmen, does not want to participate 
directly in peace talks with Israel.  If it receives legitimacy as a 
recognized partner in the overall Palestinian equation, it will 
leave it to Abu Mazen to conduct the talks.  Israel is not being 
required, then, to sit down face to face with Hamas representatives. 
 This being the case, why are Israel and the international community 
refusing to permit Hamas's inclusion?  Whoever examines the 
publicly-stated positions of Fatah and Hamas must admit that there 
is no difference between them..... If Israel does not seriously 
consider a change of policy in light of the voices coming from the 
leaders of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and in Damascus, under conditions 
that are optimal for Israel at the present time, we may find 
ourselves quickly falling down a slippery slope.... In the past two 
weeks, Ayman al-Zawahiri has called twice to attack Jews and Israel, 
'in Israel and everywhere else.'  In the eyes of al-Qaida, the 
members of Hamas are perceived as heretics due to their stated 
desire to participate, even indirectly, in processes of any 
understandings or agreements with Israel.  Mashal's declaration 
diametrically contradicts al-Qaida's approach, and provides Israel 
with an opportunity, perhaps an historic one, to leverage it for the 
better.  Are our eyes too blind to see?  Are our ears too deaf to 
hear?" 
 
IV.  "Is the Roadmap Good for the Jews?" 
 
Contributor Dmitri Reisman wrote in the nationalist, Orthodox Makor 
Rishon-Hatzofe (4/7): "Until this very day, at every meeting with 
Condoleezza Rice, U.S. President George Bush, EU envoy [sic] Tony 
Blair, or other important people, Israeli leaders keep repeating the 
same mantra: They swear allegiance to the legendary qualities of the 
Roadmap -- the map of the 'peace treasure' in the Middle East.... Of 
course the Palestinians have not ceased terror and violence; they 
never intended to do so.  As is well known, we removed -- not some 
outpost or community... An entire population -- tens of thousands -- 
who lived in Gaza for years and made them refugees.... What about 
the Palestinian state in interim borders?  It has been standing in 
place for years.  This state is better known by the name of 
Hamastan.... What about the 'peace treasure'?  The battle for peace 
is raging.  The [Hamas] gang ... is holding a prisoner, and as 
abductors would have it, is negotiating over the captive and the 
terms of his release.  Also, the gang is shelling with rockets 
unperturbed.... The question is whether the Roadmap ... may turn out 
to be a great delusion and whether there is ... a different, truer 
map, with which both sides, not just one, can be happy." 
 
¶V.  "Damascus, Ramallah, or Tehran" 
 
Defense commentator Amir Oren wrote in Ha'aretz (4/7): "President 
George W. Bush indeed blatantly abhors the Syrian regime, but 
Israel's pointing to this fact as a reason for the deadlock in the 
channel between Jerusalem and Damascus is a mere excuse.  No 
American administration has ever dared to repudiate diplomatic 
progress between Israel and the Arabs when this was achieved under 
its nose and contrary to its plans.  The practical result of Bush's 
enmity is that Damascus is waiting for the next American president. 
Whether this is John McCain, who supports an Israeli-Syrian 
agreement and respects the advice of Baker and Brent Scowcroft, 
former advisers to Bush Sr., who urged him to achieve this; or 
whether it is Hillary Clinton, who told an Israeli friend that she 
would prefer an effort in that channel to treading water in the 
Palestinian channel; or whether it is Barak Obama, who favors 
conciliation in a pleasant manner and by way of a dialogue between 
rivals, the year 2009 will be one of renewed efforts at contact.... 
But so long as Bush is sitting in the White House, a military move 
by Assad would be an adventurous gamble.  Even if the outcome 
between the countries is a forgone conclusion, on the way there Bush 
is likely to permit Israel to deal a smashing blow to Syria, to its 
regime and even to Assad himself.  And so this is a time of not-war 
and not-peace in the North.  A military conflict would be bad for 
Syria and bad for Israel, which is focused on the nuclear threat 
posed by Iran." 
 
JONES