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DE RUEHTV #0887/01 1381158
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P 171158Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000887 
 
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. Italy: Parliamentary Elections 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
All media reported on the killing of three IDF soldiers and the 
wounding of three others in a Hamas ambush yesterday. Major media 
characterized what was the most intense day of fighting in Gaza in 
over a month to the "Lebanese quagmire" before 2000. The media 
reported that IDF forces subsequently killed 20 Palestinians. 
Ha'aretz and other media reported that Palestinian fatalities 
included at least 10 civilians, five children, and a Reuters 
cameraman. Israel Radio reported that Hamas instructed its military 
wing to respond to Israel's action in every possible way, but that 
talks to achieve a truce are still continuing in Egypt. Israel 
Radio reported that Palestinians later launched rockets at Israel. 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel is considering a large-scale 
incursion into Gaza soon after President Bush's visit. Ha'aretz 
quoted Defense Minister Ehud Barak as saying at a Labor rally 
yesterday that the plight of Gazans is a concern, but secondary to 
the security of Israeli civilians nearby. In a side story, Ha'aretz 
reported that the state had earlier issued a demolition order for 
the home of a Bedouin soldier Manhash al-Bayat, who was among the 
three IDF soldiers killed. 
 
Leading media reported that NSA Hadley has begun preparations for 
next month's visit by President Bush with a 24-hour stopover in 
Jerusalem to discuss the negotiations with the Palestinians and the 
sanctions against Iran. Hadley met with PM Olmert on Tuesday, and 
with FM Tzipi Livni on Wednesday. The Jerusalem Post quoted a 
statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, according to which Hadley 
and Livni discussed the diplomatic process with an emphasis on 
Israel's security arrangements in any future agreement. The 
Jerusalem Post reported that Hadley and Livni also discussed the 
necessity of "continued international action" to increase sanctions 
on Iran. Livni, according to her office, briefed Hadley on her trip 
earlier this week to Qatar. Ha'aretz reported that Likud Chairman 
MK Benjamin Netanyahu told Hadley yesterday that President Bush 
should proclaim that Israel's borders are "defensible." 
 
Leading media reported that senior Hamas leaders Mahmoud Zahar and 
Said Siam traveled to Cairo yesterday for talks with former U.S. 
President Jimmy Carter and Egyptian officials on the latest 
developments in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post quoted Hamas spokesman 
Ayman Taha as saying that Zahar and Siam would brief Carter on the 
"suffering of the Palestinians as a result of the Israeli-imposed 
siege of Gaza." The Jerusalem Post quoted sources close to Hamas as 
saying that the talks would focus on Egypt's efforts to release 
Gilad Shalit. However, the sources told The Jerusalem Post that 
they were unaware of any progress on the Shalit case. The Jerusalem 
Post reported that Kadima MK Yohanan Plesner told Carter on 
Wednesday that Olmert did not mean to insult him. Leading media 
quoted Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman as saying that he 
told Carter: "Meeting a terrorist like Khaled Mashal only encourages 
and increases terrorism." 
 
All three major Hebrew-language dailies included pre-Passover 
interviews with PM Olmert (full transcripts in tomorrow's 
newspapers). He told Ha'aretz and Maariv that "Iran will not go 
nuclear." In the interview with Yediot, Olmert admitted that Israel 
and Syria are exchanging messages and said that "Israelis are not 
being threatened by a nuclear Syria." Israel Radio quoted Syrian 
President Bashar Assad as sayQ that his country is prepared to go 
to war with Israel -- but not in the near future. 
 
Israel Radio reported that yesterday, in a phone conversation with 
PA President Mahmoud Abbas who is currently in Moscow to discuss 
possible Middle East peace talks, Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik 
sharply criticized Abbas's granting of awards to two female 
Palestinian terrorists detained in Israel. The radio quoted Abbas 
as saying that the PA has rescinded its decision. The Jerusalem 
Post reported that Livni pointed out to National Security Advisor 
Stephen Hadley on Wednesday the message it sends about the PA's 
willingness to fight terror. 
 
Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post quoted Polish President Lech 
Kaczynski as sayng at a meeting with President Peres yesterday that 
his country will take a firm stance on Iran. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has decided 
to suspend proceedings against the Jerusalem Waqf, in the wake of a 
complaint lodged by some 150 people. The complainants accused the 
Waqf of causing repeated damage to the antiquities on the Temple 
Mount, and to the nation's heritage. 
The Jerusalem Post quoted sources to Olmert as saying yesterday that 
he will make a series of political appointments in an effort to 
strengthen his coalition as soon as Passover is over (in the middle 
of next week). 
 
Yediot reported that real estate "sharks" in Tehran might pull down 
synagogues and construct high-rise buildings in their stead. The 
newspaper said that his is not anti-Semitism, but greed. Yediot 
quoted Menashe Amir, who is in charge of Israel Radio's 
Persian-language broadcasts, as saying that is painful to watch the 
destruction of the Jewish heritage in Iran. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the private, New York-based Nefesh 
B'Nefesh organization will likely be closely integrated into Jewish 
Agency immigration operations. The two groups sparred for two years 
over the sharing of funds and publicity, and severed ties last year. 
Maariv reported that veteran Ethiopian immigrants are opposed to 
the immigration of Falash Mura to Israel, who the old-timers say are 
Christians who only pretend to be Jews. The Falash Mura are 
Ethiopians whose Jewish ancestors converted to Christianity. 
 
------------ 
¶1. Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "An Israeli 
show of seriousness about a two-state solution might speed up the 
[normalization] process. We are likely to discover that peace with 
the Gulf states will be the warm kind." 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in Ha'aretz: "The 
choice of those who still continue to insist on the need to listen 
to [Jimmy] Carter is based on lies -- it is possible to ignore him, 
protest his manipulative tricks, and still continue to work for true 
peace between Israel and the Arabs. There is no contradiction." 
 
Senior columnist Moshe Ishon wrote in the nationalist, Orthodox 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe: "During his last days in the White House 
President Bush may grasp the understandings between Olmert and Abu 
Mazen in a way contradicting Israel's interests." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I. "The Gulf Is not Persian" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (4/17): "If 
Oman took a one-millimeter step toward Israel this week, Qatar, 
which extended its hospitality to Livni, advanced a respectable few 
meters. The Foreign Minister, too, believes that Qatar went almost 
all the way.... Qatar and Oman are prominent recent examples, but 
other Gulf states, too, seem to have undergone a certain change 
where Israel is concerned.... The need to resolve the Palestinian 
issue does concern the regimes of the Gulf, but they are no less 
preoccupied with regional stability, economic growth, the 
international stock markets and investment and development 
possibilities. There is another factor at play here, regional 
realignment away from old, obsolete camps and the common fear of a 
radical Shiite axis led by Iran, which, once armed with nuclear 
weapons, could render the wealth of the Gulf nations irrelevant. 
Livni's visit to Qatar and her meetings with Gulf state leaders were 
not unprecedented. Nevertheless, a broader and more overt bridge 
has now been established between Israel and these countries, and 
there is now a greater possibility of deep, sincere and serious 
dialogue, held directly and without requiring Israel to ingratiate 
itself in exchange for a handshake or a joint photo. There is still 
a long road to normalization, and the basic distrust of Israel's 
intentions will not disappear tomorrow or even a year from now. 
However, an Israeli show of seriousness about a two-state solution 
might speed up the process. We are likely to discover that peace 
with the Gulf states will be the warm kind." 
 
II. "Just Say No to Carter" 
 
Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in Ha'aretz (4/17): 
"The honor due [Jimmy] Carter for his help in reaching the peace 
treaty between Israel and Egypt is written in the history books, but 
he did not come to the Middle East this week for honor, but to work. 
And his work, for years, has had one goal: undermining the status 
of Israel, thwarting its policies and ridiculing its hopes. That is 
why Israel acted correctly in having him meet with only the 
ceremonial echelon -- President Shimon Peres -- and avoided having 
him meet with those who are supposed to be doing the work: Prime 
Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.... Carter, 
once the exaggerated attention is stripped away, is nothing but a 
nuisance -- a painful reminder of the electorate's failure. His 
views do not represent the American public, his actions are not 
viewed favorably by the administrations that followed him -- 
Democrats and Republicans alike -- and his righteous trouble-making 
is just a guise for continued hostility to Israel, which he views as 
partially responsible for ending his presidential career after only 
a single term. In any case, the choice of those who still continue 
to insist on the need to listen to Carter is based on lies -- it is 
possible to ignore him, protest his manipulative tricks, and still 
continue to work for true peace between Israel and the Arabs. There 
is no contradiction." 
 
III. "A Confidential Meeting" 
 
Senior columnist Moshe Ishon wrote in the nationalist, Orthodox 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe (4/17): "According to media reports, the Prime 
Minister relies on the position of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, 
according to which Jerusalem will be divided into two capitals -- an 
Israeli one and a Palestinian one. The debate is about the Temple 
Mount and the Western Wall. Israel demands that the Temple Mount 
remain in its hands, or in an international autonomous authority in 
which Israelis and Palestinians will have equal rights in this holy 
place, while the Western Wall would remain under exclusive Israeli 
control. There is another debate on control of holy places in the 
Old City.... It seems that the [latest] brief encounter between 
Olmert and Abu Mazen was neither timely nor appropriate. Not only 
did it not contribute to progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace 
process. It could present controversial issues to the international 
scene in a distorted fashion. During his last days in the White 
House President Bush may grasp the understandings between Olmert and 
Abu Mazen in a way contradicting Israel's interests." 
 
----------------------------------- 
¶2. Italy: Parliamentary Elections: 
----------------------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "This 
week's dramatic elections in Italy promise to redraw that country's 
political map and to change its relations with Israel -- both to 
propitious effect." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Congratulazioni, Signor Berlusconi" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (4/17): 
"This week's dramatic elections in Italy promise to redraw that 
country's political map and to change its relations with Israel -- 
both to propitious effect.... In once again casting their lot with 
Berlusconi, with all of his faults, Italians have expressed the hope 
that the realignment over which he now presides may redress Italy's 
chronic political instability and volatility.... The main cause for 
optimism in Jerusalem is Berlusconi's long-standing warmth for 
Israel. The new Italian Right, led by his Forza Italia, has to a 
large extent legitimized pro-Israel positions in Italy. His last 
administration, it will be recalled, spearheaded the campaign to 
force the European Union to list Hamas as a terror organization. 'I 
feel the suffering of the people in Israel personally, he told 
Yediot Aharonot last month.... Israel's political relationship with 
this critical European ally needs to be deepened, and the time for 
that deepening is now. We hope and believe that Italy under its new 
leadership will give firmer backing in international fora to Israel, 
that Rome will play a role in building warmer relations between 
Israel and the European Union generally, and that we can henceforth 
more concertedly grapple with our common threats and challenges." 
 
JONES