VZCZCXRO2378
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1412/01 2170725
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 040725Z AUG 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2376
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 7242
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4231
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4084
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5578
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 3996
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2565

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 JERUSALEM 001412 
 
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 (8/04):  A message to those who 
insist on internal conflict:  Enough! 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
The dominant story in all the dailies is the relative calm in the 
Gaza Strip in the wake of the clashes between Hamas and the Hilles 
family on August 3, in which 11 people were killed and 103 injured 
according to reporting in Al-Quds.  All the dailies carry remarks 
made by King Abdullah II following his meeting with Palestinian 
Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on August 3, in which he 
reportedly expressed his concern regarding recent developments in 
the Palestinian Territories and stressed the necessity of ending the 
internal division between Hamas and Fatah and of adopting a dialogue 
to solve it.  Al-Ayyam's lead headline reads, "Palestinian-Jordanian 
summit in Jordan. Abbas: 'dialogue and reconciliation with Hamas are 
necessary.' King Abdullah: 'fighting 'threatens' the establishment 
of a state.'" Al-Hayat Al-Jadida quotes Abbas in its banner 
headline: "We do not have any other option but to work on bridging 
the gap between Fatah and Hamas." In related coverage in Al-Quds, 
the Arab League is reported to have asked the Palestinians in the 
Gaza Strip to stop using weapons between brothers.  In other related 
coverage in Al-Ayyam, Hamas police reportedly arrested, on August 3, 
30 of the 190 members of the Hilles family who initially fled the 
Gaza Strip into Israel during the height of the clashes with Hamas, 
and were later returned to Gaza by Israel.  The lead photo in 
Al-Quds shows Israeli soldiers detaining some of the Palestinians as 
they entered Israel after fleeing Gaza. The photo is taken at an 
Israeli military base bordering the Gaza Strip. 
 
The dailies cover "adjustments" made by Israel regarding the 
prisoners' exchange deal with Hezbollah, reporting that the Israeli 
media announced on August 3 that Israel will release 5 Palestinian 
prisoners in the last stage of the exchange deal, following the 
approval of the Israeli Ministerial Council on August 3. 
 
Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida report that Israeli has ordered the 
demolition of 50 Palestinian-owned houses in the Al-Eisawiya village 
in East Jerusalem under the "pretext" that these houses are built 
without a license, according to a report made by the Legal 
Department of the Jerusalem Center for Economic Rights on August 3. 
 
 
Al-Quds highlights findings of a report published by the Palestinian 
Bureau of Statistics on August 3, according to which the number of 
Israeli settlers in the West Bank has increased by a factor of 39 in 
the past 35 years.  In related coverage, Al-Quds cites the Israeli 
daily Ha'aretz as having reported that 40 Knesset members support 
the reestablishment of evacuated settlements in the northern West 
Bank.  In other related coverage, Al-Quds reports that Jordan has 
urged Israel to stop its settlement activities, according to a 
report made by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 
¶3. 
 
 
--------------- 
Weekend stories 
--------------- 
 
Sunday, August 3, 2008 
 
News of clashes between Hamas and the Hilles family in the Gaza 
Strip dominates the headlines in all three dailies.  The large 
headline in Al-Quds, written in red against a black background, 
reads "Intensive Egyptian calls to Hamas and Fatah to end the 
crisis-9 killed, more than 95 Palestinians injured in clashes 
 
JERUSALEM 00001412  002 OF 004 
 
 
between Hamas and the Hilles family in the Gaza Strip."  This 
headline is accompanied by a large photo showing black smoke rising 
from buildings in Al-Shaja'iya in eastern Gaza, where the clashes 
took place.  Al-Ayyam leads with a large headline also written in 
red, "9 killed and 95 injured, including 16 children, in violent 
clashes between Hamas police and the Hilles family," and carries a 
large photo of armed and masked members of Hamas, wearing military 
garb and brandishing guns, walking on the street in Al-Shaja'iya 
with Hamas police.  In a white headline on a black background, 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida writes, "9 killed and 90 injured, including Ahmed 
Hilles, and dozens of kidnappings in the Hamas attack in the 
Al-Shaja'iya neighborhood," and carries two photos: one of Hamas 
police and armed members of Hamas during the clashes, the other 
showing people on a street in Al-Shaja'iya, seeking shelter from the 
bullets behind walls and large obstacles. 
In detailed coverage of the Hamas attack on the Hilles family, all 
the dailies report that Egyptian officials reportedly placed 
intensive calls to Hamas and Fatah leaders in an attempt to end the 
crisis in the Gaza Strip.  The dailies also write that Palestinian 
Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas called Abu Maher Hilles, a 
member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, on August 2 to confirm 
his solidarity with the Hilles family regarding the Hamas attack 
launched against them that morning.  Abbas reportedly said that this 
attack was "not acceptable" and aims at undermining the 
comprehensive national dialogue which Abbas has called for.  In 
related coverage, the dailies cite a WAFA report that Palestinian 
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called for a halt in the escalation of 
violence in the Gaza Strip, and asked all factions to respond to the 
dialogue initiative, during a ceremony honoring those who had passed 
the Tawjihi exam in a festival held at the Al-Amari refugee camp, 
near Ramallah. 
All dailies report that Hamas released Ibrahim Abu Al-Naja (a member 
of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah and of the Supreme Leadership 
Committee, arrested on August 1) and nine other Fatah members 
arrested 3 days before.  In a press conference held on August 2, Abu 
Al-Naja reportedly said, "we care about Palestinian blood and 
Palestinian national unity," confirming the need to establish a 
comprehensive national dialogue. 
All the dailies report on the killing of two Palestinian youths and 
the injury of three others by unknown armed assailants in Jaba' 
village, near Ramallah.  Palestinian police are reportedly carrying 
out an investigation to determine the reason for the incident, which 
took place on August 2. 
Coverage in all the dailies highlights an AFP story about a 
settlement in an Israeli military camp in Hebron whose existence was 
revealed during a broadcast on Israeli Channel 10.  The existence of 
this settlement reportedly came as a surprise to the Israeli public 
and to the "Peace Now" movement (an Israeli NGO that opposes Israeli 
settlement in the West Bank). 
The confiscation of 11,000 dunums of land in the villages of 
Al-Sawahreh and Abu Dis makes news in all three dailies, which 
report that the confiscated land will be annexed to the Ma'ale 
Adumim and Kedar settlements.  The Al-Sawahreh and Abu Dis village 
councils are said to have written a joint letter of complaint to the 
Israeli authorities. 
A story in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reports that settlers in Hebron 
dropped a 15-year-old Palestinian boy off the roof of a house, 
causing injury to his back.  His condition is described as 
"serious."  Settlers in Hebron also reportedly attacked Palestinians 
attending a wedding in Hebron. 
 
Saturday, August 2, 2008 
 
All the dailies lead with news about the arrest campaign launched by 
 
JERUSALEM 00001412  003 OF 004 
 
 
Hamas against Fatah members on August 1.  Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam write 
in banner headlines that "Hamas police arrested a number of Fatah 
leaders and Secretaries General in the Gaza Strip."  Al-Hayat 
Al-Jadida carries a similar headline but also names two of the most 
prominent arrestees:  Zakariya Al-Agha [member of both the Fatah 
Central Committee and the Executive Committee of the PLO] and 
Ibrahim Abu Al-Naja [member of both the Fatah Revolutionary Council 
and the Supreme Leadership Committee of the Gaza Strip], as well as 
specifying that three governors were also arrested.  In Al-Hayat 
Al-Jadida, Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri is reported to have announced 
on August 1 that this latest arrest campaign is intended to pressure 
Fatah security forces to release Hamas activists arrested in the 
West Bank.  In related coverage, all the dailies report that 
Palestinian police in Nablus released on August 1 a number of 
recently arrested members of Hamas, including Hamas leader Dr. 
Mohammad Ghazal. 
All the dailies carry large, above-the-fold photos of clashes during 
a reportedly peaceful demonstration against the separation wall in 
Ni'lin village, near Ramallah, on August 1.  The photo in Al-Quds 
and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida shows Palestinian protesters trying to remove 
barbed wire, while the photo in Al-Ayyam shows a Palestinian holding 
a Palestinian flag. In related coverage, the dailies report on 
injuries sustained by Palestinians in demonstrations against the 
separation wall in four locations: in Ni'lin and Bei'lin villages 
outside of Ramallah, and in Al-Ma'sara and Al-Khudar villages 
outside of Bethlehem.  Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reports that six 
Palestinians were injured, including one child.  Al-Hayat Al-Jadida 
also reports that Israeli settlers attacked a car with a Palestinian 
mother and child south of Nablus on August 1, causing injury to the 
child in the particular.  Both mother and child were taken to 
hospital following the incident. 
Al-Quds front-pages a large, below-the-fold article entitled, 
"Officials at the U.S. State Department are worried about the 
Israeli delays.  Elliott Abrams is doubtful that a final agreement 
can be reached before the end of Bush's presidency."  The article 
reports that the negotiations held between the Palestinian and 
Israeli delegations to Washington last Wednesday [July 30] did not 
achieve any results and that according to reliable sources, the 
State Department and the White House have different attitudes 
regarding this agreement.  The story goes on to say that while 
Secretary Rice is trying to bring the parties to an agreement before 
the end of 2008, Elliott Abrams of the NSC met Jewish-American 
leaders in New York on July 23 and expressed skepticism regarding 
the Livni-Qureia talks that have been going on since the Annapolis 
Conference, reportedly informing his audience that even if an 
agreement is reached between Qureia and Livni, it will remain 
between the two of them only, and will not be between Israel and the 
Palestinian Authority (PA). Al-Quds also claims that State 
Department officials are worried about Israeli delays in 
implementing the first part of the Roadmap and that the 
newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador to Israel, James Cunningham, has 
expressed frustration regarding Israel's lack of commitment in 
implementing Roadmap details, ceasing settlement activities, 
removing checkpoints, and reinforcing the PA's status.  Al-Quds also 
claims that the U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem, Jake Walles, has 
said that the Palestinians have implemented their Roadmap 
commitments to a much greater extent than Israel has done. 
Al-Quds reports that the weekly Israeli newspaper Kol Ha'ir wrote on 
August 1 that there are Israeli plans to establish 735 new 
settlement units in Pisgat Ze'ev in Jerusalem. 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida and Al-Ayyam highlight news that Russia will 
provide the PA with $10 million to help the PA pay the salaries of 
its employees and to support the Palestinian people in Gaza in 
"several domains."  The agreement was signed on August 1 by 
 
JERUSALEM 00001412  004 OF 004 
 
 
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the Representative of 
the Russian Federation to the PA, Sergei Kosolov. 
 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------ 
 
¶1. Independent Al-Quds runs its daily editorial entitled, 
"Enough...!!" (8/04): "The sad events in the Gaza Strip during the 
last three days and their results have shocked and surprised 
Palestinians throughout the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, in refugee 
camps and abroad, not only because they form a new step in the 
[internal] division and because such incidents deform the image of 
the patient Palestinian people in the eyes of the world, but also 
because they deny and harm all the sacrifices of the Palestinian 
people and their dream of freedom and independence.  And also 
because they create a gap in the Palestinian and social relations 
... What is happening harms each Palestinian and constitutes a 
denial of the martyrs' blood and the suffering of the injured and 
the imprisoned.  In fact, it is a denial of the entire Palestinian 
cause ... In view of this sad and dangerous situation, we reiterate 
that it is time for our people to speak up and determine their 
future and destiny through frameworks and political mechanisms.  And 
it is time to tell those who insist on internal conflict, those who 
encourage Palestinian bloodshed and the killing of the innocent, 
those who act to scare people, increasing their pain and 
suffering...Enough. 
 
¶2. Independent Al-Ayyam carries its daily editorial by Talal Okal 
entitled, "What is left for us?" (8/04): "Regret and condemnation 
are no longer useful for the events occurring in the Palestinian 
arena, due to the division and conflict between the main parties 
that control the destiny of the Palestinian people ... Why is this 
conflict continuing, why is this division deepening, where are 
things headed, what do the political leaderships want...? The latest 
round of this painful conflict exceeded all the "red lines" [i.e. 
limits] and all the values that reinforce the strength of 
Palestinian rights ... Why doesn't the Arab league, or the nearby 
and far away Arab countries, intervene to stop this conflict and 
violence, and this misuse of Palestinian national powers, and Arab 
nationality?  Why did they move quickly as soon as they heard that 
there was a crisis between the Lebanese factions, and then they 
stand still when it comes to the Palestinian national dialogue?  At 
least, why don't they move to prevent the ongoing conflict? 
 
 
WALLES