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DE RUEHTV #0973/01 1231130
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P 021130Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000973 
 
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: 
------------------------- 
 
Heralded by a Channel 2-TV story last night, the media reported that 
PM Ehud Olmert is being questioned by police today at his residence 
in Jerusalem.  Although the reason for the questioning is unknown, 
Yediot reported that Olmert is suspected of accepting a bribe from 
an American businessman with interests in Israel before he was 
appointed Prime Minister.  Maariv and Israel Radio reported that 
this latest probe into Olmert's questionable past is related to the 
questioning of  Olmert's bureau chief Shula Zaken earlier this week. 
 Maariv reported that the police, with approval from the Attorney 
General, are moving forward very quickly out of concern that given 
time, Olmert and Zaken would coordinate their version of events. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted defense officials as saying yesterday that 
Amos Gilad, the head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security 
Bureau, will meet Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman in Cairo 
in a few days to discuss the proposed cease-fire with Hamas.  The 
newspaper reported that Israel has several reservations about the 
deal, including the reopening of the Rafah crossing.  Israel Radio 
quoted Egyptian FM Ahmed Abu al-Gheit as saying in an interview with 
the BBC's Arabic service that the truce is not limited in time. 
Maariv quoted Shin Bet head Avraham Diskin at saying at the latest 
cabinet meeting that the GOI is holding secret meetings with Hamas 
behind the Shin Bet's back.  The media reported that the IAF 
assassinated a Hamas terrorist involved in the capture of Gilad 
Shalit, and that IDF troops killed a civilian in another incident. 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that Hamas threatened to cancel the 
hudna [truce] following the assassination. 
 
All media quoted IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi as saying 
yesterday that Israel took "very seriously" calls for its 
destruction.  He was speaking on Holocaust Memorial Day at the March 
of the Living ceremony in the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in 
Poland. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that donor states to the PA are expected to 
express concern for the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.  Israel 
Radio quoted Henrietta Fore, the U.S. representative to the donors 
conference, as saying that the U.S. administration will look 
favorably on a PA request for additional economic aid.  Ha'aretz and 
The Jerusalem Post cited a report from the UN's Office of the 
Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as saying that millions 
of liters of sewage have been released over the past three months 
into the Mediterranean Sea from Gaza.  OCHA says that unless there 
is a consistent electrical supply,  it is impossible to make regular 
use of the sanitation equipment in the Strip.  The UN is also 
calling on Israel to allow the transfer of materials and spare parts 
that are necessary to upgrade and expand the sewage system., 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Nof Zion (View of Zion), a new 
neighborhood in East Jerusalem that straddles an Arab residential 
area with sweeping vistas of the Old City and the Temple Mount will 
be populated this summer.  Leading media reported that Ma'aleh 
Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel plans to protest lack of construction in 
the controversial E-1 area by spending Independence Day in a tent on 
a West Bank hilltop. Maariv, Israel Radio, and Ha'aretz's website 
quoted Secretary Rice as saying Thursday en route to London that 
Israel and the Palestinians must agree "once and for all" on final 
borders and settle the contentious matter of settlement expansion in 
the West Bank. 
 
Defense Minister Ehud Barak was quoted as saying in an interview 
with Yediot that a solution to the Gaza problem cannot be reached 
without the use of force and that no option can be ruled out on 
Iran.  He also added  that 80 percent of Israelis are prepared for a 
peace accord with Syria even if it means painful concessions.  As 
far as Lebanon, Barak opined that the presence of 40,000 missiles in 
the hands of Hizbullah is a threat to the entire territory of 
Israel. 
 
Yediot (Nahum Barnea) reported that an associate of Vice President 
Dick Cheney may have been behind the leak to reporters of the video 
on Israel's attack of the alleged Syrian nuclear reactor.  Barnea 
noted that Cheney is opposed to Secretary Rice's agreement with 
North Korea. 
 
Makor RIshon-Hatzofe reported that Ehud Barak has instructed the IDF 
to remove the roadblock between Ramallah and the settlement of 
Beit-El. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted Israel's Ambassador to the UN in Geneva as 
saying yesterday that he was relieved that South Africa had 
withdrawn its offer to host next year's "Durban II" event.  The 
newspaper quoted a Foreign Ministry source as saying that Israel was 
still worried about the racism parley. The Jerusalem Post quoted the 
Jerusalem-based watchdog NGO Monitor as saying in a report issued 
this week that Human Rights Watch has systematically condemned 
Israel for "collective punishment" in Gaza, undermining its stated 
agenda of promoting human rights universally. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted PA officials as saying that over 100,000 
Palestinians living in Lebanon are expected to march toward the 
border with Israel on May 14 in the context of the PA's plan to mark 
the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Israel.  Leading media 
reported that the PA leadership has announced that it would boycott 
any world leader who arrived in Israel to participate in the 
anniversary celebrations.  Leading media reported that yesterday an 
Israeli-Arab judge from the Nazareth District Court ruled in favor 
of allowing a Nakba (Catastrophe) Day parade planned by the northern 
branch of Israel's Islamic Movement in the Israeli-Arab community of 
Kafr Kana.  Right-wing politicians condemned the ruling. 
 
Major media reported that this week the Great Rabbinical Court in 
Jerusalem revoked the conversion to Judaism of a woman who does not 
observe the principles of Judaism (neither do many converts, NB). 
The ruling might retroactively reverse the status of many converts, 
who will effectively no longer be able to marry. 
 
Israel Radio reported that Yuval Rabin, the late PM Yitzhak Rabin's 
son, may run for Tel Aviv mayorship. 
 
Yediot reported that on the occasion of Israel's 60th anniversary 
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will allow Israeli inmates 
in his state to serve the remainder of their prison terms in 
Israel. 
 
Yediot reported that the American Embassy in Tel Aviv has doubled 
the fee to schedule a visa appointment.  The newspaper quoted the 
embassy as saying that the upgrading of the Internet service and 
expenses related to the maintenance of the system are the causes of 
the hike, and that the embassy is currently working with Israel Post 
(the Post Office) to implement a payment system which would allow 
MRV fees to be paid at the prevailing exchange rate instead of being 
fixed far in advance. 
 
-------- 
Mideast: 
-------- 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Military correspondent Yaakov Katz wrote on page one of the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: "What is likely to happen 
is that Israel will 'silently' accept the [truce] offer.... And 
Israel would have a tough time explaining its policies abroad if it 
continues firing in Gaza when Hamas and other factions have all 
announced their readiness to lay down their weapons." 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented from Aqaba in the 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The talk of an alleged 
breakthrough in the attempts to renew negotiations between Jerusalem 
and Damascus are nothing more than camouflage for a major setback in 
Israel's talks with the Palestinians." 
 
The Jerusalem Post editorialized: "With so much attention focused on 
the Hamas threat and Independence Day security concerns, and given 
the degree to which Israel was taken by surprise in summer 2006, all 
we're urging is: Keep an eye on southern Lebanon." 
 
Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev wrote in Ha'aretz: "The Nazis' goal 
was to murder every single Jewish person in Europe, and ultimately 
in the world.... In contrast, the current situation in the Middle 
East is a classic one of adversaries." 
 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Edging toward 'silent acceptance' of a Truce" 
 
Military correspondent Yaakov Katz wrote on page one of the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (5/2): "One of Israel's 
greatest concerns with a truce is the possibility that Hamas will 
continue smuggling weapons into Gaza and build up its military 
infrastructure at an unprecedented rate.  It will be up to Egypt to 
prevent this.  In the end what is likely to happen is that Israel 
will 'silently' accept the offer.... Israel also has to be concerned 
about its image abroad and what the international community will say 
if it respects the cease-fire.  The U.S., The [Jerusalem] Post has 
reported, is pressuring Jerusalem to wrap up the deal ahead of 
President George W. Bush's visit to Israel in two weeks.  And Israel 
would have a tough time explaining its policies abroad if it 
continues firing in Gaza when Hamas and other factions have all 
announced their readiness to lay down their weapons." 
 
II.  "The Syrian-Palestinian Lie" 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented from Aqaba in the 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (5/2): "Olmert's attempt to 
reopen the Syrian channel at the expense of the talks with the 
Palestinians will not only accomplish nothing on either front, with 
the long  arms of Iran and Al-Qaida (a new periodical the 
organization published in Gaza received the blessing of Ayman 
Al-Zawahiri), reaching every corner of the region, such a move might 
unsettle even the fragile peace with Jordan and Egypt and bury the 
Arab peace initiative.... Olmert is part of a big charade being held 
for the upcoming visit by President Bush, patron of the Annapolis 
declaration: 'an effort to reach an agreement by the end of 2008.' 
The talk of an alleged breakthrough in the attempts to renew 
negotiations between Jerusalem and Damascus are nothing more than 
camouflage for a major setback in Israel's talks with the 
Palestinians.... When the negotiations with the Palestinians come to 
a noisy end, and Hamas, having obtained calm in Gaza, drives the 
remnants out of the Muqata ...Syria will also pop loudly.  The 
supposed negotiations in two simultaneous channels will become a 
case of double Israeli recalcitrance.  Assad will wave around his 
fruitless wooing of Olmert and the violation of the Annapolis 
declaration.  He will call for the implementation of the Arab 
Leagues' Damascus declaration from March, he will claim that the 
peace initiative with Israel must be reexamined, and he will demand 
that Egypt and Jordan adhere to the standard of making normalization 
with the Jewish state conditional on its withdrawal to the June 4, 
1967 borders.  That is the danger of which King Abdullah spoke to 
Bush.  That is why he invited Olmert to Amman." 
 
III.  "An Eye on the North" 
 
The Jerusalem Post editorialized (5/2): "Something odd may be going 
on in southern Lebanon, and the Israeli security apparatus needs to 
be watching.... Of course, UN Security Council Resolution 1701 
mandates no military activity in southern Lebanon save for the 
10,000 soldiers of the Lebanese Army deployed there, supported by 
13,000 UNIFIL troops and 1,500 personnel of the UNIFIL Maritime Task 
Force stationed along the coast.... In practice, Hizbullah 
shamelessly violates the cease-fire.... Hizbullah watcher Guy 
Bechor, writing on [the Hebrew-language site] www.gplanet.co.il, 
does not foresee a Hizbullah assault in the near term.  But he 
doesn't discount the prospect of a large-scale surprise attack down 
the line.  He warns that hundreds of guerrillas could burst through 
the entire length of the border, seize territory, and take hundreds 
of hostages.  Nasrallah could then claim to be the fist Arab leader 
to have successfully invaded 'Palestine' since 1948, thus 
solidifying Hizbullah's hold on the Arab imagination.  With so much 
attention focused on the Hamas threat and Independence Day security 
concerns, and given the degree to which Israel was taken by surprise 
in summer 2006, all we're urging is: Keep an eye on southern 
Lebanon." 
 
IV.  "If Everything Is Genocide..." 
 
Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev wrote in Ha'aretz (5/2): "Recently, 
yet another Hamas spokesperson compared the situation in Gaza to 
events during the Holocaust. Coming from an official who represents 
an organization that unabashedly declares its commitment to 
terrorism and the destruction of Israel, this is in itself not 
surprising.... Language has power.  The words we choose to use carry 
weight, and are meaningful. If we elect to label every event 
'genocide,' or equate every event with the Holocaust, then we 
detract from the real meaning of those words and reduce their 
ability to represent true horror.  Subsequently, when faced with a 
real incident of genocidal murder, people will be less likely to be 
moved to act. If everything is genocide, nothing is genocide..... 
The Nazis' goal was to murder every single Jewish person in Europe, 
and ultimately in the world.... In contrast, the current situation 
in the Middle East is a classic one of adversaries.  The conflict 
between the Palestinians and Israel is fundamentally about land and 
sovereignty, with tangible issues and a long, convoluted history. 
It is legitimate to criticize both sides in this conflict.  But to 
employ outright lies in place of legitimate criticism undermines any 
possibility of building understanding.  Despite assertions to the 
contrary, a lie, no matter how big and how often it is told, does 
not become truth.... Doing this to the Holocaust, arguably one of 
the most significant and horrific events of modern history, 
dishonors the victims, and trivializes the events themselves." 
 
MORENO