VZCZCXRO2208
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1938/01 2970929
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 230929Z OCT 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3073
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 7369
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4349
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4202
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5696
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4118
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2683

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001938 
 
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 (10/23):  PALESTINIAN NATIONAL 
DIVISION - ON A PERSONAL LEVEL 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Al Quds and Al Ayyam newspapers lead with news that new Palestinian 
Authority elections is as an issue being discussed in Cairo.  All 
front pages report that Hamas leader Misha'al has called for the 
whole-sale adoption of Egypt's unity proposal, whereas PLO Executive 
Committee member Yaser Abed Rabbo stated at an October 22 Ramallah 
press conference, that the proposal has sections that remain open to 
discussion and, "need more detail".  Rabbo also called for a 
timetable for new PA elections, according to reporting. 
 
Al Hayat Al Jadida leads with statements by Chief PLO negotiator 
Ahmad Quray insisting that no peace deal can be reached by the end 
of the year.  His statements came during an October 22 press 
conference with French Foreign Minister Kushner in Paris.  He blamed 
Israel for not reaching an agreement.  In related reporting, Al Quds 
notes on its front page that Israel's President Peres will, "build 
on statements by Assistant Secretary of State David Welch," to 
approach his Egyptian counterpart about "collective" negotiations 
between Israel and Arab countries. 
 
The three papers publish front page reports on the announcement of 
$150 million in additional U.S budget support to the Palestinian 
Authority (PA), bringing U.S. assistance to the PA to more than $700 
million in 2008.  Papers report that a ceremony was held on October 
22 in Ramallah to announce the funding. U.S. Consul General Jake 
Walles and USAID Director Howard Sumka stated that the U.S., "is 
happy to support the PA and enhance its efforts to secure economic 
and, eventually, political stability."  PA Prime Minister Fayyad 
thanked the U.S. for its, "consistent support." 
 
Al Ayyam publishes a prominent front page item on statements by 
Consulate General Jerusalem's Public Affairs Officer Micaela 
Schweitzer-Bluhm "strongly" denying that there has been any contact 
between the U.S. Government, specifically Secretary Rice, and Hamas. 
 
 
In photo coverage, the three papers publish front page photos of 
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Fayyad assisting farmers near 
Ramallah pick olives on October 22.  Fayyad condemned recent Israeli 
settler attacks on olive farmers in the West Bank, saying, "this is 
nothing short of terrorism enacted by settlers."  Al Ayyam leads 
with a photo of a teargas cloud disbursing Palestinians at Israel's 
Huwara checkpoint near Nablus.  The accompanying story cites a World 
Bank report noting that the environment for investment in the 
Palestinian Territories remains "unfavorable" due to Israeli 
restrictions. 
 
Al Quds runs front page statements by Hamas Spokesman Fawzi Barhum 
on October 23 about a, "so-called Palestinian Hizbollah" projectile 
attack on Israel.  Hamas denies the existence of a faction by that 
name and claims the October 21 incident was an, "Israeli media 
fabrication" intended to justify the Gaza closures that began on 
October 22.  In related reporting, Al Hayat Al Jadida notes Russian 
Foreign Minister Lavrov's comments from October 22 that the Gaza 
closures are, "unfruitful" adding that, "Gaza border smuggling 
tunnels have become an industrial zone, employing 20 to 25,000 
people." 
 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------ 
¶1.  Abdullah Awwad opines in Al Ayyam under the title, "A calm 
 
JERUSALEM 00001938  002 OF 002 
 
 
discourse in a noisy moment (10/23):  "All that can be said about 
the rift between Hamas and Fatah or between the Islamic movement and 
the nationalist one... is that it is a conflict between the West 
Bank and Gaza and the victims are the land [as politicians ignore 
Israeli settlement activities]... and the people... It is a conflict 
about privileges, seats and offices...  Those in the West Bank and 
Gaza who support the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority (PA) 
have become more than 50% ...according to the polls ... support for 
the PA has dropped to less than 25%... those who feel harmed by the 
PA and the occupation are becoming the vast majority... The man on 
the street says that it is only a matter of time [before opposition 
to the PA]... explodes..." 
 
 
¶2.  Al Quds editorial is titled "School violence" and reacts to a 
recent incident at a Gaza school where a Hamas appointed substitute 
teacher who replaced a teacher on strike, caused a student to fall 
from the third floor (10/23): "[the] tragedy should be a wakeup call 
for all of us facing school violence, whether it be verbal, 
psychological or physical... respect should begin with the teachers 
and students themselves, and be cultivated within the family and 
society... the pieces are interrelated and affected by the general 
economic and political situation, the strikes and resulting 
chaos....if we value social stability than we should value the 
building of our nation even more." 
 
Walles