VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #2162/01 2671547
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231547Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8523
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHQA/HQ USAF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEADWD/DA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 4425
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 1031
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 4780
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 5215
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 4427
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 2788
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 5188
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 2049
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0271
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 9027
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 6508
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 1432
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 5529
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 7491
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH PRIORITY 0357
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0496
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMSIXTHFLT  PRIORITY

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002162 
 
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. Jerusalem's Vehicle Terror Incident 
¶2. Tzipi Livni's efforts to Form a Government 
 
PLEASE NOTE: Block Quotes only, Tuesday, September 23, 2008. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
¶1. Jerusalem's Vehicle Terror Incident 
-------------------------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Alex Fishman, Veteran Defense Commentator, wrote in the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot  Aharonot: "Demolishing 
murderers' homes and punishing their families is cruel and inhuman. 
But does anyone have a better solution for stopping this wave? 
Should we wait, perhaps, for peace?" 
 
Military Commentator Amos Harel wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The attack - the sixth in Jerusalem since 
the beginning of the year - undermines the personal sense of 
security in the capital after a few years of relative quiet." 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I. "What Does the Terrorist Have to Lose?" 
 
Alex Fishman, Veteran Defense Commentator, wrote in the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot  Aharonot: "There aren't any 
intelligence warnings, there isn't any deterrence and, worst of all, 
the security establishment doesn't have any solutions.   And if that 
weren't enough, the Israeli legal establishment raises obstacles of 
every idea that might possibly create some sort of deterrence. And 
that is why we are going to continue to count, on a nearly daily 
basis, more and more attempts to perpetrate what are known as 
"spontaneous terror attacks," the attacks by lone, non-affiliated 
terrorists, people who get up one morning and decide to settle the 
score with the Jews by themselves and are prepared to that end to 
meet their maker. What has he got to lose? He can die untroubled. He 
knows that no one beside himself is going to pay a price. His family 
will earn a boost in status and will receive ample compensation. In 
certain cases, the National Insurance Institute will continue to pay 
them a next of kin allowance. No one is going to damage his home, 
nothing is going to be destroyed... So it's true that they promised 
us that they would step up supervision over the Palestinian laborers 
who enter West Jerusalem and that they would check the licenses and 
backgrounds of all Palestinians who use heavy mechanical equipment. 
So what? That stopped no one and it certainly didn't deter anyone. 
Stabbing attacks and attempted stabbing attacks have become almost 
daily incidents.... One successful terror attack will draw in its 
wake another successful terror attack and another, until that series 
turns into an existential threat. People will be afraid to walk the 
streets, just like they used to be afraid to take the bus. So we'll 
be just and humane-but we will remain stupid, helpless and 
miserable. Demolishing murderers' homes and punishing their families 
is cruel and inhuman. But does anyone have a better solution for 
stopping this wave? Should we wait, perhaps, for peace? 
 
II. "Prepare for More" 
 
Military Commentator Amos Harel wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: "At midnight the police and Shin Bet security 
service were still piecing together the first details on the 
Palestinian who drove into pedestrians on the Green Line in 
Jerusalem. Eyewitnesses described the incident as a terrorist 
attack, but this was a private car and not a bulldozer as in 
previous incidents, so the police wanted to be sure it was not a 
traffic accident. The attack - the sixth in Jerusalem since the 
beginning of the year - undermines the personal sense of security in 
the capital after a few years of relative quiet. The difficulty in 
fighting this new kind of terror in Jerusalem is clear: They are 
relatively easy to imitate and almost impossible to prevent. The 
freedom with which East Jerusalem residents, who have blue Israeli 
ID cards, move about the western part of the city also makes foiling 
this kind of attack more difficult... Olmert's observation after the 
previous attack in the capital in July is...noteworthy.  Anyone who 
thinks Israel's occupation in East Jerusalem must continue will have 
to take into account more bulldozer attacks.... 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
¶2. Tzipi Livni's Efforts to Form a Government 
--------------------------------------------- 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Senior columnist Yoel Marcus wrote in the independent, left-leaning 
Ha'aretz: "When Tzipi threatens to go to the polls if she fails to 
form a government within a month, I would advise the belittlers to 
take her seriously. This is a lady with iron balls. Maybe that is 
why our macho politicians are in such a tizzy, trying to trip her up 
before she gets going, with talk of elections, hooking up with Bibi, 
and other intimidation. They're just scaredy-cats, that's all." 
 
 
 
Op-ed writer Ofer  Shelah wrote in the popular, pluralist Maariv: 
"The prime minister isn't even a popular job. The actual prime 
minister is automatically a disappointment unless he has a prior 
aura that conforms to a public sentiment, such as Sharon, or unless 
he does something great." 
 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I. "Scaredy-cats" 
 
Senior columnist Yoel Marcus wrote in the independent, left-leaning 
Ha'aretz (12/21): " At the moment, there is no reason in the world 
why Israel should find itself in either of these predicaments, let 
alone both - dawdling for months over forming a new government or 
being dragged into early elections.... What has happened now is that 
a prime minister under police investigation has resigned and a 
candidate for that office untainted in the honesty department has 
been elected to replace him.... What can we look forward to if the 
country is dragged into early elections? In the best case, the same 
parliamentary platform headed by the lady who won the Kadima 
primary. In the worst case, Likud gaining on Kadima and Labor, and 
saddling us with leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor 
Lieberman. What good is that going to do the country? Will it 
promote the peace process? Will it improve Israeli society?... In 
her victory speech, Livni promised a different kind of politics. 
True, politics are politics, with all the tricks and high jinks, but 
I wouldn't be so quick to write her off. With Tzipi at the helm, 
Israel is embarking on a new era. Things could take a surprising 
turn. She is strong and determined, endowed with common sense and a 
sober eye.  When Tzipi threatens to go to the polls if she fails to 
form a government within a month, I would advise the belittlers to 
take her seriously. This is a lady with iron balls. Maybe that is 
why our macho politicians are in such a tizzy, trying to trip her up 
before she gets going, with talk of elections, hooking up with Bibi, 
and other intimidation. They're just scaredy-cats, that's all." 
 
 
 
II. "Livni's Solution" 
 
Op-ed writer Ofer  Shelah wrote in the popular, pluralist Maariv: 
"The headlines  yesterday reported that Tzipi Livni and Ehud Barak 
had had a "good meeting." The leaks informed us that they both spoke 
about a "stable government that would endure over time and would 
persevere with the guidelines of the Olmert government." If all of 
that is true, then yesterday was the first day of Livni's 
decline....  Barak's actions are puzzling in terms of their logic 
and inexcusable in terms of his political conduct.... The prime 
minister isn't even a popular job. The actual prime minister is 
automatically a disappointment unless he has a prior aura that 
conforms to a public sentiment, such as Sharon, or unless he does 
something great....  What should Livni have done-which is something 
that she can still do? The right thing: Make it clear to Ehud Barak 
that everything comes with a price. A person who meddled crudely in 
another party's primary; a person who spoke about her dismissively 
and in chauvinistic terms and who has violated every written and 
oral agreement; a person who is clearly going to try to sabotage her 
from the moment she is sworn in until the moment she falls-can't 
keep his position in the government....  Instead, the job should be 
offered to Shaul Mofaz, along with the title of deputy prime 
minister. Mofaz wants to be defense minister. He deserves it owing 
to his achievement, it will bring him back into politics in a second 
and, will unite Kadima. The Labor Party can choose another portfolio 
if it wants, such as the foreign affairs portfolio....  Now, one of 
two: Either the Labor Party, which is supposed to know that it will 
be destroyed if it heads into elections under Ehud Barak's 
leadership, will swallow the bitter medicine it knows that it is 
due, or, we'll hold elections....  Both of those two alternatives 
are preferable to the current slow and sputtering death, after which 
she won't be more than a footnote between Olmert and Netanyahu." 
 
CUNNINGHAM