VZCZCXRO5086
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1339/01 2061217
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 241217Z JUL 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2258
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 7223
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4208
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4061
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5559
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 3977
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2542

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001339 
 
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 (7/24):  "BARAK OBAMA WILL SOLVE 
IT" 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
 
Barak Obama's meeting with Palestinian Authority President Abbas on 
July 23 in Ramallah dominates the front pages.  Al- Quds reports 
that Abbas briefed Obama on the peace process and obstacles 
preventing its progress.  Al- Quds' headline quotes Obama stating, 
"peace is a top U.S. interest and we will not waste time when moving 
towards the achievement of a two-state solution."  Al- Ayyam reports 
under a banner headline that Obama promises Abbas to be a 
"constructive partner" in the peace process if he is elected U.S. 
President.  In Al- Hayat Al- Jadida, Obama confirms to Abbas that he 
will work hard to continue the peace process, saying, "I will not go 
back to zero, if I am elected President of the U.S.A."  As for 
Obama's visit to Sderot in southern Israel on July 23, all dailies 
report that Obama told the press that a nuclear Iran would 
constitute a major threat and the world must prevent that from 
happening.  He also criticized terrorist attacks on Israel, 
according to coverage. 
 
Palestinian Authority President Abbas celebrated Egyptian 
"revolution day" with the Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian 
Authority in Ramallah on July 23, according to front pages.  Abbas 
commented that Palestinian, "national dialogue will be based on the 
Arab (Yemeni) initiative for reconciliation under Egyptian 
sponsorship."  Abbas also called on donor countries "to rush" 
budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority, who the Palestinian 
Minister of Planning says, may not be able to pay employee salaries 
otherwise.  Related reporting in all dailies notes that Hamas 
refused to allow two Fatah leaders to leave Gaza on July 23 to 
travel to Ramallah for Fatah meetings. 
 
Al- Quds' front page reports on Israeli concern over the increase of 
attacks [by Palestinians] in Jerusalem and Israeli plans to 
accelerate the destruction of perpetrators' homes.  Israel has also 
implemented stringent procedures to monitor Palestinian workers in 
Jerusalem following the July 22 bulldozer attack in downtown 
Jerusalem, according to another Al Quds report.  Coverage in all 
papers highlights comments by the father of the July 23 bulldozer 
attacker, in which he denies claims made by the Israeli media that 
his son committed a suicide operation. 
 
Front pages report that Israel will halt security operations in the 
West Bank city of Nablus.  Al Quds attributes the success to the 
intense pressure on foreign countries and Israel exerted by the 
Palestinian Authority, especially Palestinian Authority Premier 
Salaam Fayyad.  Al- Ayyam reports that Israeli Defense Minister 
Barak informed Fayyad during a July 23 meeting, that Israel will 
stop all operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  In related 
reporting, Al- Hayat Al- Jadida notes the Israeli arrest of the 
father of a Palestinian girl who took video footage of two Israeli 
soldiers shooting a bound and blind-folded Palestinian in the legs 
near Ni'lin village near Ramallah.  The footage has attracted 
wide-spread international attention. 
 
Israel is considering the release of long-time prisoner and Fatah 
leader Marwan Al- Barghouti as part of an exchange deal with Hamas, 
as a gesture of good will toward Palestinian Authority President 
Abbas, Al- Hayat Al- Jadida reports.  The exchange deal would 
include the release of captured Israeli soldier Shalit, the paper 
adds. 
 
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JERUSALEM 00001339  002 OF 002 
 
 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------ 
 
¶1.  Independent Al- Ayyam runs an editorial by Abdullah Awwad 
entitled, "Barak Obama will solve it" (7/24): "...the democratic 
candidate is here promising that he will work to solve the Israeli- 
Palestinian conflict, from his first moment in the White House ... 
Bush promised that the two-state solution would be ready by the end 
of 2005... ...now the end of 2008 is approaching fast and there is 
nothing to show but an increase in settlement activities and 
judaization... pretty dreams are a good thing... so let us dream 
that Obama will solve [the conflict]. But how?  This question awaits 
his entrance into the White House and then we will know the 
answer... just be sure that Obama's job, if he does win the 
elections, will be to work on 'African' issues and nothing more." 
 
¶2.  Independent Al- Quds prints an editorial by official Fatah 
spokesperson Ahmad Abdul Rahman, entitled, "Egypt is the only 
strategic guarantee for the establishment of an independent 
Palestinian state..." (7/24): "... Hamas is not aware that Israel 
uses [their takeover of Gaza] to destroy the Palestinian national 
project to free Palestinian land and establish a Palestinian state. 
And Israel can put enormous pressure on the Strip and on Hamas to 
push them in the opposite direction of national independence... in 
fact, it is Egypt that has adopted the attitude that best serves the 
establishment of a Palestinian state and the end to occupation. 
This policy is based on:  ending [internal Palestinian] division... 
and implementing the Rafah crossing agreement of 2005..." 
 
Walles