VZCZCXRO6563
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1745/01 2630840
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 190840Z SEP 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2822
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 7326
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4308
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4161
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5655
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4076
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2642

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001745 
 
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 (9/19):  PREDICTIONS ABOUT LIVNI 
AND HAMAS NEXT STEPS 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Kadima elections continue to receive highlighted coverage in all 
dailies.  Leading with the story, Al-Ayyam headlines, "[Kadima 
winner] Livni, the weak, embarks on the difficult job of forming a 
new government 'as soon as possible.'"  The dailies run reports 
outlining a carefully-gauged official Palestinian reaction, quoting 
President Abbas saying that the elections are internal Israeli 
affairs and that the Palestinians will negotiate with whoever is 
chosen by Israelis.  Al-Ayyam quotes PLO's Abed Rabbo saying that 
following her victory, Livni has to provide a "different model" and 
"clearer positions" than those adopted by previous Israeli 
governments, especially in regards to ending occupation and halting 
settlement activities.  Other reports quote representatives from 
Hamas and Islamic Jihad dismissing Livni's victory as "meaningless" 
for the Palestinian people, and one that will only maintain the 
Israeli policy of aggression against Palestinians. 
 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida quotes Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaynah 
refuting reports that any Palestinian refugees would be resettled in 
Jordan.  In a related but separate report, the paper cites a 
statement issued by the PLO's Department of National and 
International Relations, welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Olmert's 
willingness to apologize for the "expulsion of the Palestinian 
people," noting however that such an apology, "would not be 
enough." 
 
Al-Quds front-pages a report quoting President Bush that the U.S. 
administration will intervene in financial markets in order to 
restore investor confidence.  The papers also run in-depth inside 
reports about global financial turmoil. 
 
Al-Quds quotes a Hamas spokesman announcing that the Rafah 
Gaza-Egypt crossing point will be opened on September 20, 21 to 
allow for the travel of students and those needing medical care, as 
well as those going to Mecca to perform the Omra rites. 
 
Several front-page stories in the dailies quote South Africa's 
Desmond Tutu's statement that the 2006 Israeli shelling of the Gaza 
town of Beit Hanun, "may be a war crime."  Tutu is heading up a 
fact-finding mission on the 2006 shelling.  Leading with the story, 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida highlights Tutu's statement that Palestinians are 
paying the price for Western guilt over the Holocaust. 
 
Reports about "fierce" settler attacks being conducted against 
Palestinian land near the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Nablus 
receive highlighted coverage in Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida.  In 
a separate article, Al-Ayyam quotes Robert Serry, UN special 
coordinator for the Middle East peace process, describing ongoing 
settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as 
"unacceptable." 
 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------ 
¶1.  The main editorial in Al-Quds independent runs under the title 
"The Ramifications of Livni's Win of the Leadership of Kadima" 
(09/19):  "Palestinians have always dealt with Israeli political 
developments on the basis of them being an internal issue that 
chiefly concern Israelis only.  The Palestinian leadership has 
always been willing to interact... with all Israeli governments and 
presidents... regardless of their political affiliations...  The 
Palestinians' welcoming [of Kadima election results has nothing to 
 
JERUSALEM 00001745  002 OF 002 
 
 
do with internal Israeli politics... but rather with the fact that 
she has headed the Israeli negotiations team and she, more than the 
others, is aware of where negotiations are, and what obstacles they 
will face.  Therefore, Livni is not expected to waste a long time 
studying this complicated file before negotiations resume... The 
question now is whether or not Livni will reactivate the negotiation 
process that has been frozen even under her leadership of the 
negotiation team or will these negotiations remain stagnant, moving 
the region into a critical stage, as suggested by current 
indicators? 
 
 
¶2.  Columnist Samih Shbaib of Al-Ayyam independent argues under the 
title "What Mish'al Said" (09/10):  "What Mish'al said is dangerous, 
extremely dangerous since it means that after January 9, Hamas will 
declare a void in the [office of the] presidency and eventually name 
the [Palestinian Authority's] Legislative Council [PLC] Chief to the 
position of transitional president until elections are held.  Since 
the PLC chief is in [Israeli] detention, however, Sheikh Bahar 
(acting speaker of the PLC) will be named as interim president. 
Following this course of action, Hamas and its emirate in Gaza, will 
escape having any institutional or administrative ties to the 
institution of the presidency.  In addition, the PLO will no longer 
be recognized by Hamas as [the representative of Palestinians]. 
Hamas will sever its connection with the organization (PLO) and 
consequently assert itself as the Palestinian reference at the Arab 
and international levels... It seems that Hamas scheme to separate 
geographically [from the West Bank] is now assuming a constitutional 
dimension and Hamas has chosen January 9, as D-Day for the launch of 
its overt scheming!" 
 
MARCHESE