VZCZCXRO0749
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1277/01 2001055
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 181055Z JUL 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2166
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 7211
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4196
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4049
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5547
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 3965
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2530

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001277 
 
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 (7/18):  PRISONER EXCHANGE - FIRST 
INDICATION THAT ISRAEL IS SERIOUS ABOUT PEACE 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
For a third day, dailies lead with the Hizbollah/Israel prisoners' 
exchange.  Al-Quds reports on Israeli fears that Hizbollah is now 
preparing a new battle technique in which rockets will target 
Israeli planes flying over Lebanon as well as Israeli warships.  All 
dailies highlight an Israeli official's "threats" made during a July 
17 print interview, to assassinate "liberated Lebanese prisoner" 
Samir Qintar. The papers also remind readers of the Israeli concern 
that Hizbollah will now seek revenge for the February assassination 
of Hizbollah leader Imad Mughniyah.  Al-Quds leads with a photo of a 
truck, decorated with flowers, transporting the remains of 
Palestinian prisoners through a welcoming crowd in Beirut. 
Al-Ayyam's lead photo shows rows of caskets adorned in Palestinian 
and Lebanese flags, awaiting the opening of an official ceremony in 
Beirut.  Al-Hayat Al-Jadida leads with a photo of Samir Qintar 
hugging his mother at his house in Beirut, "moments after his 
arrival." 
 
The visit of Palestinian Authority Premier Salam Fayyad to the 
Palestinian Bureau of Statistics on July 17 in Ramallah is 
highlighted in the three dailies.  During his visit, Fayyad 
emphasized that Palestinian internal division and Israeli "attacks" 
require Palestinians to reconsider the need for national unity 
immediately.  Al-Ayyam reports that Fayyad called on all Palestinian 
factions to accept Palestinian Authority President Abbas' initiative 
for national dialogue and stressed that ending internal division 
should not be linked to reaching comprehensive agreement on other 
matters. 
 
Israeli actions in Jerusalem and the West Bank capture front page 
headlines daily:  The papers detail July 17 Israeli Defense Force 
operations that resulted in injuries in refugee camps near the West 
Bank city of Nablus, injuries to peace activists near Ramallah and 
the confiscation of land near Hebron.  In Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa 
Institution, which works for the restoration of the city's Islamic 
sites, reported that Israeli police removed a sign carrying the name 
"Babul-Rahmah Cemetery," as part of the transformation of the 
cemetery into a public garden.  The transformation comes after 
almost two years of controversy over the Israeli plans. 
 
In more Jerusalem news, all dailies report that the Office of the 
Palestinian Authority President briefed the delegation of 
Palestinian negotiators in Washington on Israeli attempts to 
"occupy" the house of a family in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah 
neighborhood.  Al Ayyam reports that the negotiators subsequently 
called on Washington to intervene and halt all Israeli actions in 
Jerusalem. 
 
Al-Ayyam, in an exclusive July 17 interview with Hamas leader, Fawzi 
Barhum, reports that Hamas believes that Israel continues to violate 
the truce in the Gaza Strip, due to the absence of Egyptian 
pressure. 
 
U.S. Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs 
Glassman is quoted extensively in an article by Al-Quds' Washington 
correspondent on page 2 of the paper.  The article, which draws 
heavily on Glassman's recent editorial, is positive in tone, despite 
a lead paragraph which highlights that Glassman "admits" that the 
U.S. provides financial support to media outlets and 
non-governmental organizations in Arab and Muslim countries to 
improve its image.  Glassman is quoted underscoring U.S. respect for 
Islam while also emphasizing the administration's efforts to counter 
 
JERUSALEM 00001277  002 OF 002 
 
 
extremism and confront terrorist groups. 
 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTESQ 
------------ 
 
¶1.  Al- Quds prints its daily editorial entitled, "And what about 
the 11,000 Palestinian Prisoners?" (7/18): "...the prisoners' 
exchange deal which took place a couple of days ago between 
Hizbollah and Israel was the successful result of difficult 
negotiations conducted under United Nations sponsorship and the help 
of mysterious German mediation.  In addition to the happiness over 
the exchange, feelings of sadness also prevailed in memory of the 
large number of Palestinian and Arab martyrs who have been shot by 
Israeli Defense Forces over the past four decades... One cause 
remains a top priority for Palestinians - the 11,000 Palestinian 
prisoners still in the Israeli prisons, and Israel's insistence on 
keeping them there for several years to come despite on-going peace 
negotiations with the Palestinian National Authority... the release 
of these prisoners is the first and most important indication that 
Israel is really serious [about peace]... what is needed now is for 
the international community to keep this matter alive..." 
 
¶2.  Al-Ayyam runs an editorial by Muhammad Yaghi entitled, "Fourth 
place, in terms of importance" (7/18): "...the Palestinian cause 
will probably not be a foreign policy priority for the new U.S. 
President... because it seems that the destruction in the Middle 
East caused by the current American administration will not provide 
enough [political] space... the first priority [for the new 
president] will be evaluating the American military presence in 
Iraq...the second... will be the Iranian file... because America 
does not want to see a nuclear state...after Iran will come 
Afghanistan... To the U.S., these three issues will be too important 
to delay for the sake of dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict... 
the U.S. administration will not waste its diplomatic clout on a 
matter where the possibility of failure is much greater than 
success..." 
 
Lapenn