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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002072 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
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HQ USAF FOR XOXX 
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COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD 
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LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL 
PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
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SIPDIS 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
Mideast 
 
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Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Kadima leadership candidate Shaul Mofaz was quoted as saying in an 
interview with Maariv that if he were elected PM, he would resume 
targeted assassinations against Hamas.  The Jerusalem Post reported 
that FM Tzipi wrote in a letter to 70,000 Kadima members that she 
will work to sign a final-status agreement with the PA if she wins 
next Wednesday's Kadima primary.  In a parallel interview to Mofaz's 
with Maariv, Livni said that all options are open regarding a 
response to Iran.  Makor Rishon-Hatzofe quoted chief Palestinian 
negotiator Ahmed Qurei as saying that Livni's stances are good for 
the Palestinians but that it would be better for the Palestinians' 
sake not to talk about them.  Makor Rishon-Hatzofe also reported 
that a "senior Palestinian official" told the London-based Al-Hayat 
that the Palestinians are satisfied with "new ideas" presented by 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. 
 
Israel Radio quoted Syrian FM Walid Muallem as saying in an 
interview with Aljazeera-TV that Damascus has agreed with Paris that 
France will sponsor the Israeli-Syrian talks, together with Turkey 
and Russia.  Muallem was quoted as saying that the U.S. is not yet 
prepared to place the negotiations under its auspices. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Russian-born businessman Arkady Gaidamak is 
expected to give up on plans to run for mayor of Jerusalem after 
former Shas chairman Aryeh Deri announced on Tuesday he is running 
for the same post.  Even though Gaidamak has not made a final 
decision, his advisers are quoted as saying that Deri's candidacy 
would seriously harm Gaidamak's chances in both the ultra-Orthodox 
and non-religious communities. 
Leading media reported that the OECD's annual education report 
ranked Israel near the bottom of 57 "Westernized" countries.  The 
Education Minister suggested that the latest curriculum reform 
package, "New Horizon," would lead to an improvement. 
 
Ha'aretz and other media reported that Israel's security agencies 
warned former officers of the IDF and other agencies not to travel 
to Muslim states because Hizbullah might try to kidnap them in order 
to avenge the death of Imad Mughniyah.  Reserve IDF officers who do 
business in these countries have also received such warnings. 
Yediot reported that sources in the GOI's counterterrorism unit are 
weighing a prohibition on Israelis crossing the border to Sinai. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that new immigrants and returning 
Israelis will no longer have to declare all their earnings and 
assets abroad, following the Knesset's approval on Tuesday of 
legislation repealing a 2003 tax regulation.  The move could have 
far reaching implications for increasing immigration from Western 
countries and enticing former citizens to return to Israel.  The 
Jerusalem Post quoted former deputy DM Ephraim Sneh as saying 
yesterday at a national security conference in Tel Aviv that Iran's 
success in obtaining a nuclear capability will deter Jews from 
immigrating to Israel, cause many Israelis to leave, and will be the 
end of the "Zionist dream.  The Jerusalem Post reported that at the 
conference, former Mossad director Ephraim Halevy slammed Israeli 
political leaders for calling Iran's nuclear threat "existential." 
 
The Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio reported that today PM Ehud 
Olmert is scheduled to meet with DM Ehud Barak and FM Livni for what 
have been characterized as "security discussions" that are expected 
to focus on Iran and the prospect that it will soon open its first 
nuclear facility.  The Jerusalem Post quoted sources in the Prime 
Minister's Office as saying that it would be a mistake to read too 
much into the meeting.  The Jerusalem Post also reported on the 
arrival of U.S. General James Jones. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that as part of a deal to release Gilad Shalit, 
Israel is expected to free the 40 Hamas Palestinian parliament 
members held in Israeli prisons,. However, if Israel takes this step 
before the end of 2009, it is expected to bring Mahmoud Abbas's term 
as Palestinian president to an early de jure end, though not 
necessarily in practice.  The legislators' release means that Hamas 
will once again have a majority (74 out of 132) in the Palestinian 
Legislative Council.  Makor Rishon-Hatzofe quoted Arab sources as 
saying that Abbas is interested in extending his term through 2010. 
 
The Jerusalem Post cited a recent Defense Ministry report according 
to which jailed Fatah/Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti if unlikely to 
succeed in uniting the split Palestinian factions if he is released 
in a prisoner swap for Shalit. 
 
Ha'aretz quoted President Shimon Peres as saying yesterday at an 
Iftar dinner that the difference between the Israeli and Palestinian 
negotiating positions on the final borders of a Palestinian state is 
less than five percent.  The Jerusalem Post quoted Abdullah Nimr 
Darwish, the leader of the southern branch of Israel's Islamic 
Movement, as saying at the dinner that the "Palestinians have 
nothing left to offer Israel."  Peres was also quoted as saying that 
Israel must not limit the birthrate of its Arab or Jewish citizens. 
Maariv reported that yesterday heads of local councils in northern 
Israel warned that the Jewish majority in the Galilee would be lost 
in 15 years. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that settlers in the West Bank regions 
of Samaria (north) and Benjamin (north of Jerusalem) are making 
preparations to form new citizens' committees to prevent any move to 
evacuate Jews. 
 
Pensioners Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan was quoted as saying 
yesterday in an interview with Ha'aretz that if Israeli officers are 
kidnapped, Israel should respond in kind to fight for the country's 
existence.  He said that his threat to kidnap Iranian President 
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was not a slip of the tongue. 
 
Ha'aretz's web site cited a Reuters report that Iran demanded 
yesterday a "resolute and clear response" from the United Nations to 
what it called dangerous threats against it by Israel, and said 
Tehran would not hesitate to respond to any attack.  A letter from 
Iran's UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazai-Torshizi to UN 
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described comments by two Israeli 
ministers as "vicious threats ... in blatant violation of the most 
fundamental principles of international law."  The Jerusalem Post 
reported that, in response to a report on a web site that stated 
that Croatia has sold an advanced missile system to Iran, Israeli 
intelligence said it could not confirm the story but noted that 
Zagreb did obtain S-300 anti-aircraft weapons after the fall of the 
Soviet Union. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that a leaked Foreign Ministry memo urges 
"bureaucrats" in Israeli embassies to report on any "inappropriate 
behavior" by diplomats abroad. 
 
In The Jerusalem Post, Lenny Ben David, a former Israeli DCM in 
Washington, says that new evidence reveals the "incredible aid that 
the late U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson lent the Jews." 
 
-------- 
Mideast: 
-------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: "Not only will 
a referendum not legitimize a possible peace agreement: It might 
damage the little legitimacy the political system still has." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"A Bad Law for Democracy" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (9/10): "A 
referendum is not part of the political culture in Israel, and never 
has been.  The public was not asked its opinion before Israel 
annexed Jerusalem or he Golan Heights.  It was not asked what it 
thought about an exemption from the draft for yeshiva students, or 
about the New Horizon education reform.  Therefore, it may be said 
with certainty that those promoting the referendum law are not doing 
so out of faith in direct democracy.  Their goal is to cause the 
peace process to fail.  Among the groups supporting the referendum 
are those on the right who are unwilling to accept any democratic 
decision on giving up territory, not even the authority of the 
people.  How ironic: Even the ultra-Orthodox parties, which are 
unwilling to allow their public to elect its representatives, are 
willing to give the people the authority to decide on withdrawal and 
peace.  Those who support taking away authority from the Knesset are 
the same groups that cry out every time the High Court impinges on 
the parliament's authority.  Not only will a referendum not 
legitimize a possible peace agreement: It might damage the little 
legitimacy the political system still has." 
 
CUNNINGHAM