VZCZCXRO9245
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1374/01 2120945
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 300945Z JUL 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2311
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 7234
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4219
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4072
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5570
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 3988
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2553

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001374 
 
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 (7/30): Demolition of Palestinian 
homes, construction of settlements 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
 
All the dailies lead with news about the launching of 
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in Washington on July 30 under 
American sponsorship, with the goal of reaching a comprehensive 
peace agreement in 2008, based on President Bush's vision of 
establishing an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side 
with Israel in peace and security.  In its reporting on the issue, 
Al-Quds claims that the Palestinian public is pessimistic about the 
outcome of the talks. In related coverage, Al-Quds quotes Secretary 
of State Condoleezza Rice that "a peace agreement in the Middle East 
by the end of this year will be difficult," while Al-Ayyam and 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida quote her as saying, "the Middle East will not 
improve unless a Palestinian state is established; Washington is 
annoyed by the Israeli settlement activity 'problem.'"  Al-Ayyam 
also reports on its exclusive phone interview with Palestinian Chief 
Negotiator Dr. Sa'eb Erekat on July 29, in which he asserted that 
the Palestinian delegation in Washington informed American officials 
that the situation is difficult and that the Israeli actions are 
destroying the options for peace. 
 
All the dailies report that one child was killed and twelve people 
were injured by Israeli forces in Ni'lin village near Ramallah on 
July 29 during a demonstration against the separation barrier. 
Al-Ayyam leads with a prominent above-the fold photo of the body of 
nine-year old victim Ahmad Husam Mousa being taken to an ambulance 
after he was shot by Israeli soldiers, while Al-Hayat Al-Jadida 
carries an above-the-fold photo of the young victim's bloodied body 
upon arrival at a Ramallah hospital.  The dailies also report on the 
Israeli incursion into Nablus city on July 29, during which Israeli 
forces bombed and burned down a large mall, causing $30 million in 
damage, as reported to the media by the owner of the building. 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reports that nine people were also arrested 
during the Israeli incursion into Nablus. All dailies cover 
statements made by Israeli President Shimon Peres on Israeli Radio 
on July 29 that a "wall" should be established between Israelis and 
Palestinians in Jerusalem to prevent further Palestinian attacks on 
Israelis in the city. 
 
Coverage of the mutual arrest campaigns being carried out by Fatah 
and Hamas in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip dominates the front 
pages of the three dailies. Al-Quds reports that "the mutual arrest 
campaigns increase tension between Fatah and Hamas," citing a 
statement sent by Hamas to the Palestinian Authority (PA) police on 
July 29 in which Hamas threatened to carry out reprisals in the West 
Bank to "avenge" the arrests of its members in the West Bank by 
Fatah. Al-Quds leads with an above-the-fold photo of Palestinians 
demonstrating in the Gaza Strip on July 29 against the wave of 
arrests. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida writes, "Fatah and Hamas continue their 
verbal war due to the mutual arrest campaigns" and Al-Ayyam reports 
that "Hamas police forces continue their control over 159 
institutions in the Gaza Strip for the fourth consecutive day." 
 
The dailies report that a Palestinian official announced on July 29 
to the media that PA President Mahmoud Abbas does not intend to meet 
any Hamas leaders in Egypt and that Hamas' visit to Egypt on July 28 
is not related to internal Palestinian talks or with Abbas' visit to 
Cairo. All dailies state that Hamas' visit to Cairo is related to a 
prisoners' exchange deal with Israel which would include the Israeli 
soldier Shalit. 
 
Palestinian and European sources report on July 29 that Palestinian 
 
JERUSALEM 00001374  002 OF 002 
 
 
Premier Salam Fayyad has asked the World Bank for assistance in 
obtaining urgent financial support from donor countries in order to 
pay the salaries of PA employees. 
 
 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------ 
 
¶1. Independent Al-Quds runs its daily editorial entitled, "With what 
right are Palestinian houses destroyed?" (7/30): "It has become 
impossible to tolerate the official international, Arab and 
Palestinian silence regarding the Israeli Authority's actions of 
planned and intensive demolition operations against Palestinian 
houses in the West Bank and especially in East Jerusalem. The latest 
of these operations was the destruction of the Abu Eisha building 
[in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem] which housed over 60 people.  In 
the eyes of the international community, Israel is an occupying 
power and does not have the legal authorization to destroy houses, 
since such destruction violates international law ... The Israeli 
Authority destroys the houses of the Palestinian people with one 
hand and constructs houses for settlers with the other ... In many 
cases, [Palestinian] people build houses on their own lands with 
their own money after losing hope of ever obtaining a building 
license. Such licenses require dozens of approvals from various 
Israeli departments and each department charges thousands of shekels 
to consider the request.  Even if approval is granted, it takes many 
months of communication and follow-up with each individual 
department ... And if an applicant is denied a license, he receives 
instead a demolition order, despite having spent huge sums of money 
... The question is, if the end goal [the demolition order] is to be 
executed in any case, why do people have to pay all this money? And 
what is odd is that the [Israeli] municipality requests that the 
owner of the house pay the cost of having his own house demolished 
... This is the extent to which [Israel] undermines the feelings, 
nerves and rights of the Palestinian people..." 
 
¶2. Independent Al-Ayyam carries its daily editorial by Hani Al-Masri 
entitled, "The Gaza beach crime: a step towards the unknown or the 
beginning of a solution?" (7/30): "...who is the beneficiary of the 
crime? ... No one can deny that the occupation is the first and 
biggest beneficiary of this crime because the victims from the 
Al-Qassam Brigades are targeted by Israel...and because the 
Palestinian political and geographic division is in Israel's 
interest and yields huge advantages ... Israel benefits from the 
infighting between 'brothers' and continues with its expansionist, 
racist, and settlement plans. The Palestinian divisions and the fact 
that they are pre-occupied with self-destruction ... exempt Israel 
from its responsibilities and commitments and prove to the world 
that [the Palestinian people] are not worthy of being granted an 
independent Palestinian state ... He who really wants to hold 
dialogue, and really desires dialogue, should prove that by actions 
and not by words, and by suggesting initiatives even if they 
originate with only one side [faction].  This will embarrass the 
other side and force it to either respond or reveal itself to the 
world as being ineffectual and weak ... The division is destructive 
to the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian national project and 
the Palestinian people. Only unity is capable of opening a way to 
resist the occupation and achieve freedom, the right to return [of 
Palestinian refugees], and independence. So, shall we learn this 
lesson before it is too late?" 
 
WALLES