VZCZCXRO6935
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #0915/01 1511118
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 301118Z MAY 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1665
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEADWD/DA WASHINGTON DC//DAS-ZD/DACS-ZK//
RUEAHQA/CSAF WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
RHMFIUU/CMC WASHINGTON DC
RUENAAA/CNO WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 7139
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4126
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 3979
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5477
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 3895
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2457

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000915 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS BBG 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC FOR ABRAMS 
CMC WASHINGTON DC FOR POLAD 
 
JERUSALEM ALSO FOR ICD 
LONDON FOR HKANONA AND POL - TSOU 
PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
ROME FOR MFO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KMDR KPAL KWBG KPAO IS
SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (5/30):  WHO WILL BE THE NEXT US 
PRESIDENT? 
 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
 
Internal Israeli politics and the uncertainty of Israeli Premier 
Olmert's political future top coverage in all dailies.  Al-Quds and 
Al-Ayyam lead with reports that Israeli political parties have 
already begun discussions about early elections.  Al-Hayat Al-Jadida 
quotes Israeli Foreign Minister Livni calling on her party, Kadima, 
to prepare for elections.  Washington's reaction also receives 
front-page coverage in Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam, quoting White House 
spokesperson Dana Perino as "acknowledging" that Olmert's political 
troubles could distract attention away from achieving a peace 
agreement by the end of the year.  Al-Quds also cites an Israeli 
daily story by Yediot Ahronot that reports that Secretary Rice may 
cancel her upcoming trip to the region because of the Israeli 
political crisis. 
 
Al-Ayyam front-pages a report quoting unnamed Palestinian officials 
confirming that negotiations with Israel will continue despite 
Israeli political turmoil.  The report adds that, Palestinian 
President Abbas may meet with Israeli Premier Olmert "soon" despite 
Palestinian misgivings about the future of Olmert's government. 
 
The visit by South African nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu to the 
Gaza Strip receives front-page coverage in all dailies.  The papers 
quote Tutu condemning the Israeli "siege" on Gaza and the 
international community's "silence" on the situation of Palestinians 
in Gaza. 
 
Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad's remarks commemorating 
"Palestinian Justice Day" is highlighted by Al-Ayyam, quoting Fayyad 
stating that the rule of law and building government institutions 
are top priorities of his government. 
 
Al-Quds quotes Nasr Yusif, Fatah's Central Committee member, 
announcing that preparations for Fatah's sixth general congress will 
begin in a few days in Amman. 
 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------ 
 
Independent Al-Quds carries its daily editorial entitled, "Truce or 
No Truce... That is the Question!" (5/30): "We continue to receive 
contradictory reports about negotiations between the Hamas movement 
and Israel, currently underway through Egyptian mediation... An 
objective evaluation of the negotiations concludes that the Israeli 
Government does not want to and probably cannot reach a positive 
conclusion to these talks because of the [Israeli] President's 
political weakness.  This is the Hamas leadership's firm belief as 
revealed in their statements despite Egyptian restraint not to make 
any pessimistic statements [about the progress of] negotiations... 
Hamas has made compromises regarding its original position and has 
accepted that the truce will only include the Gaza Strip, not the 
West Bank.  According to media reports, Hamas also accepted that the 
[Gaza/Egypt] Rafah border crossing will not be opened until a trial 
period has passed." 
 
¶2.  Independent daily Al-Ayyam runs an op-ed by veteran columnist 
Mohammed Yaghi, "Palestinian Preparations for What Comes After 
Bush"(5/30):  "This is not the time for achieving a breakthrough in 
Palestinian-Israeli negotiations since Olmert is either on his way 
to court or on his way back home.  President Bush will also leave 
 
JERUSALEM 00000915  002 OF 002 
 
 
the White House soon for his ranch in Texas.  Moreover, Israel is 
now more occupied by attempts to alienate, through Turkish 
mediation, Syria from Tehran and thus isolate Hamas and Hezbollah... 
both parties of the Palestinian conflict must accept that Bush and 
his politics in the region are ending, if they haven't ended 
already.  And if I may take a wild guess, the new American president 
will not be John McCain, the Republican candidate, because the 
American street wants to be rid of Bush's policies... It seems that 
the Democrat Barak Obama will be the new American President... who 
wrote in "Foreign Affairs" magazine, July-August issue 2007 that his 
priority in the Middle East will be to withdraw from Iraq and bring 
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to an end through the establishment 
of a Palestinian state beside Israel..." 
 
WALLES