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P 040950Z AUG 08
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 001690 
 
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: 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶1.  Mideast 
 
¶2.  Iran 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
All major media reported that Israel admitted 188 Fatah-aligned 
Palestinians who fled Gaza after intense fighting with Hamas.  The 
media reported that PA President Mahmoud Abbas refused to admit some 
of them.  Leading media reported that by Sunday evening close to 35 
members of the group had been transferred back to Gaza where some of 
them were immediately arrested by security forces.  Maariv wrote: 
"What started as a gesture ended in an entanglement."  Leading media 
reported that yesterday Association of Civil Rights in Israel 
petitioned the High Court of Justice not to allow the return to Gaza 
of those who fled the Strip.  This morning electronic media reported 
that the remainder of the group will eventually arrive in Ramallah. 
 
Israel Radio reported that last night Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the mentor 
of the Shas party, which still belongs to the government coalition, 
blessed Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu. 
 
Over the weekend the media reported that Transportation Minister 
Shaul Mofaz warned on Friday in Washington that Iran is on the verge 
of a "major breakthrough" in its quest to produce nuclear weapons 
and that he assessed that Tehran would be able to enrich uranium to 
military levels as early as the end of 2009.  Yesterday The 
Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli diplomatic officials dismissed 
as "Syrian spin" intended for Western ears reports that Syrian 
President Bashar Assad was in Tehran over the weekend trying to 
persuade Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to provide proof that 
his country is not pursuing nuclear weapons. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that today the Lebanese council of 
ministers is expected to make a draft policy statement that could 
secure Hizbullah's existence as an armed organization and guarantee 
its right to "liberate or recover occupied lands.Q  The draft will 
be presented to the parliament in the coming days. 
 
The media quoted Arab media that Mohammed Suleiman, a top military 
aide to Syrian President Bashar Assad whom Israel believes was in 
charge of arms transfers from Syria to Hizbullah, was killed by a 
sniper on Friday.  Yediot reported that Suleiman was "in charge of 
the Syrian atom."  The media speculated that Israel or Syria, among 
others, could be behind the assassination. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that police arrested a border policeman on 
suspicion of shooting and killing a 10-year-old boy last week during 
clashes at Na'alin, west of Ramallah.  Electronic media reported 
that a 17-year-old Palestinian died of wounds sustained last week in 
Na'alin. 
 
Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday the High 
Court of Justice severely criticized the fact that the state has 
ignored a last yearQs ruling regarding the route of the security 
fence on lands of the village of Bil'in. 
 
Maariv cited the belief of officials involved in the negotiations 
between Israel and Hamas for the release of Gilad Shalit that 
Shalit's kidnappers will demand from Israel a "life insurance 
policy" to ensure that they will not become targets for 
assassination after Shalit is released. 
 
Ha'aretz and Yediot (lead story in Ha'aretz) reported that Israel 
has received a specific warning of Hizbullah's intent to attack 
Israeli citizens in West Africa. 
 
All media reported that yesterday the cabinet voted to support a 
bill proposing a biometric database containing information about all 
its citizens.   Ha'aretz reported that the Association of Civil 
Rights in Israel wrote to Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann that Qno 
Western democracy would dare establish such a dangerous database." 
 
Yediot reported that PM Ehud Olmert has removed FM Tzipi Livni from 
the circle of ministers advising about criteria for the release of 
Palestinian prisoners "with blood on their hands. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the Jerusalem Municipality is working to 
prevent the evacuation of a seven-story building in an East 
Jerusalem neighborhood, which was built by settlers without 
authorization. 
 
Media reported that yesterday the cabinet approved the release of 
five Palestinian prisoners as part of the final stage of a prisoner 
swap with Hizbullah. 
Major media reported that yesterday the NGO Physicians for Human 
Rights charged that the Shin Bet is the arbiter of life and death 
for gravely ill Gazan Palestinians.  The media quoted the Shi Bet as 
saying that the evaluation process was aimed at eliminating a 
potential threat or danger posed by the applicant. 
 
Yesterday The Jerusalem Post reported that the Pentagon notified 
Congress over the weekend of a possible $1.9 billion sale of nine 
brand new C-130 J model Hercules transport aircraft to Israel. 
 
Leading media reported that John McCain is considering placing 
Jewish Congressman Eric Cantor (VA) on his ticket.  Maariv noted 
that his cousin Daniel Cantor Wultz was killed in a terrorist attack 
in Israel. 
 
The media reported that yesterday the cabinet approved a sweeping 
plan to cut government spending in 2008 by 6 percent, except for 
defense, education, and local authorities, to free up 740 million 
shekels (around $243 million). 
 
Maariv reported that convicted spy Jonathan Pollard has requested 
the Tel Aviv District Court to declare that since his arrest and to 
date, he and his wife have not received any financial help from 
Israel. 
 
 
 
 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Professor Eyal Zisser, the Chairman of the Department of Middle 
Eastern History at Tel Aviv University, wrote in the independent 
Israel Hayom: "Israel is liable, as usual, to pay the price of this 
internal Palestinian conflict." 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: "Lifting 
international sanctions on Hamas would be a flagrant reward for 
Islamist violence and tyranny.  At the same time, Hamas is a 
permanent fixture in Palestinian politics.  Rather than closing its 
eyes to this reality, Israel must more thoroughly integrate 
 
awareness of it into its security and diplomatic strategy." 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "Suleiman, 
Siniora and Nasrallah play with fire in their display of belligerent 
arrogance.  Perhaps this can be attributed to the twilight of the 
Bush and Olmert administrations.  Lebanon must know that these 
provocations are dangerous, and that it will bear the cost of an 
unfortunate renewal of violence." 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in Ha'aretz: "It's hard to 
find an Israeli public figure who damages the country's crucial 
strategic interests more than candidate Mofaz." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "They're Fighting; We're Going to Pay the Price" 
 
Professor Eyal Zisser, the Chairman of the Department of Middle 
Eastern History at Tel Aviv University, wrote in the independent 
Israel Hayom (8/3): "The truce agreement that was reached between 
Israel and Hamas has evidently not produced quiet and tranquility 
for the residents of the Gaza Strip.... Israel is liable, as usual, 
to pay the price of this internal Palestinian conflict.  When 
everyone's eyes are turned toward intra-Palestinian fighting, it is 
difficult to imagine that Hamas will have either the time or energy 
to invest in promoting a deal for Gilad Shalit's release.... 
Hamas's assumption is, apparently, that as long as they have the 
Israeli soldier, Israel will refrain from attacking the Hamas 
leadership, not to mention staging a comprehensive offensive whose 
purpose would be to bring about the collapse of HamasQs regime in 
the Gaza Strip.... The recent turn of events in the Gaza Strip 
exposed once again FatahQs weakness.  This weakness is preventing it 
from reaching any real agreement with Israel, an agreement that 
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would like to complete in the last weeks 
that remain of his tenure.  In any event, any such agreement will 
have only limited validity.  Either way, the vision of a two-state 
solution, of Israel and Palestine, is fading away; instead, we are 
probably going to have to begin to accustom ourselves to a new 
vision of a three-state solution: Israel alongside of two 
Palestinian states -- a hostile state under Hamas's leadership in 
the Gaza Strip and a state led by the Palestinian Authority in the 
West Bank that is dependent on an Israeli military presence 
defending it for the time being against Hamas." 
 
II.  "Weekend in Hamastan" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (8/4): 
"Israel and the West would do well to internalize, given this 
internecine Palestinian violence, that Hamas's rule in Gaza is the 
best indicator to date of how Palestinians would run their affairs 
in a fully independent Palestine.  We need also to recognize the 
failure of institution-building and due process in the Abbas 
component of the PA thus far, as illuminated by the torture of Hamas 
functionaries, on Fatah's behalf, by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. 
Dismally, despite the brutal nature of its Gaza rule, Hamas remains 
more popular in the West Bank and Gaza than Abbas.  This ongoing 
triumph of bellicosity and intransigence over relative moderation is 
greatly assisted by Abbas's abject failure to root out corruption 
from Fatah.  In such a climate, there arn't enough checkpoints in 
the West Bank Israel ca dismantle to 'help' Abbas.  Indeed, IDF 
pullbacs and eased security conditions in the West Bank wuld 
simply set the stage for a Hamas takeover an leave Israel more 
vulnerable to terrorism.  Planly, lifting international sanctions 
on Hamas would be a flagrant reward for Islamist violence andtyranny.  At the same time, Hamas is a permanent fxture in 
Palestinian politics.  Rather than closing its eyes to this reality, 
Israel must more thoroughly integrate awareness of it into its 
security and diplomatic strategy." 
 
III.  "Provocation and Responsibility" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (8/3): "In July 
2006, [the] Bush administration denied Olmert the chance to follow 
through on then-IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz's reasonable proposal 
to respond to Hizbullah's aggression by striking at Lebanese 
government targets, thus challenging the Siniora government to 
restrain Hizbullah and move forward in implementing signed 
agreements calling for the decommissioning of all armed militias in 
Lebanon.  All groups abided by those agreements, with the exception 
of Hizbullah.  Israel thus surrendered to the facade of the good 
Lebanon headed by Siniora alongside the bad one manipulated by 
Hassan Nasrallah and his patrons in Tehran.  The result was a tie 
that was depicted as a victory for Hizbullah.  Israel should only 
deal with one address in Lebanon: the government. Siniora's survival 
was of no benefit to Israel.  He has made common cause with 
Hizbullah.  Suleiman, Siniora and Nasrallah play with fire in their 
display of belligerent arrogance.  Perhaps this can be attributed to 
the twilight of the Bush and Olmert administrations.  Lebanon must 
know that these provocations are dangerous, and that it will bear 
the cost of an unfortunate renewal of violence." 
IV.  "The Gospel According to Mofaz" 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in Ha'aretz (8/4): "As the 
United States tries to reach an agreement with Iran via diplomatic 
channels, Mofaz is announcing that Israel must be prepared to use 
all options to defend itself.  He rejected criticism regarding his 
statement's influence on the oil market with the crushing argument 
that Israel's existence is more important than oil prices.... As 
chief of staff and defense minister, Mofaz did more than Netanyahu 
to contribute to the fall of the centrist-secular rule in the 
territories and the strengthening of the settlers' hold on it.... 
Early last week, Mofaz expressed his vehement opposition to 
negotiations with the Palestinians over a final-status agreement.... 
None of the candidates vying to succeed Ehud Olmert has major news 
to share.  They did not initiate a single important project or 
achieve anything exceptional as ministers or cabinet members.  They 
have all reached the top because they jumped from the Likud to Ariel 
Sharon's party at the right time.  Each is responsible, to some 
degree, for the failures of the Second Lebanon War, the trampling of 
the peace process and the spread of the settlements.  Middling 
politicians like them come and go by the dozens without leaving a 
mark on history, for better or for worse.  But it's hard to find an 
Israeli public figure who damages the country's crucial strategic 
interests more than candidate Mofaz." 
 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Prof. Uzi Arad, the Director of the Institute for Policy and 
Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center, who was a senior advisor 
to former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, wrote in 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "The most urgent of 
efforts must be directed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear 
weapons.  The investment of diplomatic time on the Palestinian or 
Syrian channel at the expense of time devoted to the diplomatic 
effort toward Iran could make us miss all three." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"A Waste of Time" 
 
Prof. Uzi Arad, the Director of the Institute for Policy and 
Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center, who was a senior advisor 
to former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, wrote in 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (8/3): "The approaching 
end of the Bush administration is what gave rise to the Annapolis 
process, in which a year was allocated for accomplishing an 
Israeli-Palestinian final status arrangement. At the same time, 
Israel opened a channel of dialogue with the Syrians. In both cases, 
some people among us hoped for quick progress, since after all Qthe 
prices are already obviousQ and Qthe final result is known in 
advance.Q All that remains is to pack up recycled formulae from Taba 
or Geneva, return the deposits to the Syrians and as for the restQgo 
and learn it.... It turns out that the American administration whose 
authority is expiring, in cooperation with the Israeli government 
whose authority is in doubt, with problematic partners, all continue 
in a limping process that appears divorced from all reality.... It 
looks like the present exercise in endism is the result of that same 
naove optimism that led in its time to the Oslo process, at the same 
time that others announced the end of history.... The most urgent of 
efforts must be directed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear 
weapons.  The investment of diplomatic time on the Palestinian or 
Syrian channel at the expense of time devoted to the diplomatic 
effort toward Iran could make us miss all three.  Until the 
radicalizing and oppressive element of Iranian nuclear weapons is 
removed, we must regulate diplomatic activity.  If nothing is 
accomplished, it is a waste of time." 
 
MORENO