VZCZCXRO9097
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1765/01 2670746
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 230746Z SEP 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2858
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 7333
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4313
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4166
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5660
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4082
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2647

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001765 
 
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 (9/23):  "EAST JERUSALEM 
SETTLEMENTS SHOW ISRAELI LACK OF COMMITMENT TO PEACE" 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Front pages highlight news from Jerusalem that a Palestinian driver 
ran his car into a group of Israeli soldiers walking on a downtown 
sidewalk on September 22.  The papers note 19 injuries and the 
killing of the driver. Al Quds calls the driver a "martyr" [shahid] 
and explains that he lived in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of 
Jabal Al-Mukaber. 
 
Palestinian Authority President Abbas' visit to Ireland and his 
meeting with Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin receives 
highlighted coverage on all dailies' front pages.  Abbas is quoted 
reiterating his commitment to working with the new administrations 
of the U.S. and Israel.  The papers note that Abbas is visiting 
Ireland en route to meetings in the U.S.  In related news, Al-Quds 
quotes chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmad Quray expressing pessimism 
over the possibility of reaching a peace agreement with Israel by 
the end of the year. 
 
Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Fayyad's speech before the 
September 22 donors conference in New York is the top story in 
Al-Quds.  The paper highlights his remarks that Israeli settlement 
expansion greatly hinders the growth of the Palestinian economy and 
hampers efforts to realize the two-state solution.  Other 
front-pages quote Fayyad saying that the PA has received pledges 
from donor countries in the amount of $300 million, including $150 
from the U.S. 
 
Several front-page articles report on Israeli Foreign Minister 
Livni's efforts to form a new government, including her call on the 
opposition to join a coalition government. 
 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------ 
¶1.  The main editorial of Al-Quds independent argues under the 
title, "Judaization plans are Non-Stop As Are Efforts to Launch 
Dialogue?!!" (09/23):  "A few days ago construction started near the 
Magreb Gate [Old City, Jerusalem] to build, it seems, settlement 
neighborhoods.  There is also the issue of the planned bridge [in 
Jerusalem's Old City near the Al Aqsa mosque] despite numerous 
Palestinian, Arabic and Islamic objections and demonstrations... 
Here, what is peculiar is the announcement made by Jerusalem mayor 
Uri Lupolianski, that the bridge to the Magreb gate will be 
exclusively for Muslims and that construction is being carried out 
jointly and in cooperation and coordination with UNESCO, the Islamic 
Waqf and Jordan because of an Arab request to UNESCO's Heritage 
Committee...!!!  This issue needs to be clarified so that the public 
understands what is really going on in the sensitive area leading to 
Al-Haram Al-Sharif [Al Aqsa mosque compound].  Last year, after 
Annapolis, the PLO... published a detailed report showing that 
setlement units and tenders for settlement constructon have 
accelerated into the thousands.  Most of the construction is in the 
Holy City, which is an explicit Israeli violation of understandings 
reached at Annapolis... [U.S., Israel and Quartet] have turned a 
blind eye to these violations and not one report has been issued to 
expose the lack of Israeli commitment to its obligations ... Every 
day Israel offers new evidence to skeptics that it is not interested 
in genuine peace and is not serious about its commitments." 
 
¶2.  Under the title "Cairo Dialogue ... A Golden Opportunity", 
columnist Mohannid Abid Al-Hamid argues in independent Al-Ayyam 
(09/23): "It is really strange that Hamas continues to deny reality 
 
JERUSALEM 00001765  002 OF 002 
 
 
and try to prove that its resilience is paying off; that the siege 
is ending without them having had to compromise their positions!... 
The only standard by which Hamas measures its success is by its 
ability to hold onto power at any cost.  Probably [Hamas] considers 
a meeting with a representative... from any country, or winning the 
positive bias of Al-Jazeera as a worthy accomplishment.  To say the 
least, [Hamas] calculations are purely for the benefit of the party. 
 If the goal is to control the community without national 
reconciliation and liberation and with a disregard for democratic 
principles, political and cultural plurality, [Hamas'] authority has 
lost its most fundamental justification [and legitimacy]..." 
 
MARCHESE