VZCZCXRO6605
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #2089/01 3261145
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 211145Z NOV 08 ZDK
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3306
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 7413
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4393
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4246
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5740
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4162
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2728

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002089 
 
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 (11/21):  ISRAEL AND GAZA:  "THE 
TWO-STATE SOLUTION" 
 
JERUSALEM 00002089  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Al Quds leads with news of the "deteriorating" situation in Gaza, 
due to continued Israeli closures of crossing points.  Bakeries and 
mills have shut down and stores have run out of bread. Shortages in 
fuel continue, while the safety of drinking water is imperiled by 
electricity cuts, according to reporting. The paper adds that 
homemade Gaza rockets continue to fall on Israel and a Palestinian 
militant was killed by Israeli tank fire on November 20.  Al Quds' 
lead photo, also featured on Al Hayat Al Jadida's front page, shows 
two Gazan women cooking over wood fires.  In related news, Al Quds 
front pages statements UNRWA chief Karen Abu Zeid that the 
organization will "suffer" a budget deficit of $87 million next 
year.  Finallly, in Gaza news, the paper reports on a hunger strike 
by "international supporters" arrested by Israel while sailing in 
Palestinian fishing boats near Gaza.  The strikers are demanding the 
return of the fishing boats to the Palestinian owners. 
 
Al Ayyam and Al Hayat Al Jadida lead with news that Palestinian 
Authority President Abbas met with King Abdullah of Jordan in Aqaba 
on November 20.  Abdullah warned Israel to end its continued "siege" 
of Gaza and take immediate steps to end Palestinian suffering and 
reopen Gaza crossings.  The three papers publish front-page 
photographs of the meeting and note that it was held two days after 
a secret meeting in Aqaba between Abdullah and Israeli officials 
Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Barak.  Al Quds notes 
that Jordan asked Israel to halt all "unilateral actions" in the 
West Bank and Gaza and stated that Israel will not be accepted by 
the Arab world until Palestinians have their own state and freedom. 
Al Quds further quotes Israel's Transportation Minister renewing his 
call for targeted assassinations against Palestinian faction leaders 
in Gaza. 
 
Al Ayyam and Al Hayat Al Jadida front page a second main story about 
Israeli settler violence and vandalism in Hebron and Jerusalem.  The 
papers report that settlers in Hebron desecrated gravestones in a 
Muslim cemetery, and sprayed graffiti of Jewish symbols and "Death 
to Arabs," and insults to the Prophet Mohammad on a Hebron mosque. 
The two papers report that masked and armed Israeli settlers 
attacked 40 Palestinian homes, a number of cars and olive trees in 
the Hebron area on November 20, to protest an Israeli court ruling 
to evict settlers from a disputed Palestinian house.  Al Hayat Al 
Jadida's lead photo shows Israeli settlers jeering at a member of 
the well-known Palestinian Rajaby family in Hebron and an inset 
photo of settler graffiti on the Hebron mosque. 
 
Al Hayat Al Jadida and Al Ayyam's front pages report that in 
Jerusalem, the Israeli municipality "destroyed" a second protest 
tent for the Palestinian Al Kurd family whose house was turned over 
to "Israeli settlers" by municipal authorities.  Al Quds' front page 
reports that the Palestinian protesters, aided by significant public 
support and media attention, have erected a third tent, especially 
in light of the November 20 E.U. Parliament's decision that Israeli 
removal of the tents is illegal under international law. 
 
Al Hayat Al Jadida provides front page coverage of the celebration 
of renovations to the Palestinian heritage site Hisham's Palace in 
Jericho.  The ceremony was attended by Palestinian Authority (PA) 
Prime Minister Fayyad, U.S. Consul General Jake Walles, USAID 
Director Howard Sumka and other officials.  Walles is quoted saying 
that the project,"will contribute to reviving and improving the 
tourism sector."  Al Ayyam runs a second USAID-related story on an 
inside page, noting that USAID Director Sumka and PA Minister of 
 
JERUSALEM 00002089  002 OF 002 
 
 
Education Al Alami launched "A laptop for every student" project for 
Palestinian schools on November 20 in Ramallah. 
 
Al Hayat Al Jadida's front page reports that President Bush and 
Israel's Prime Minister Olmert will meet at the White House on 
November 24 to discuss the peace process, bilateral relations and 
Middle East regional issues.  In other presidential news, Al Quds' 
front page reports that president-elect Obama has begun selecting 
his cabinet and advisors, and that Hilary Clinton might be the next 
U.S. Secretary of State. 
 
Al Quds and Al Ayyam's front pages report that the Fatah Central 
Council will meet in Ramallah on November 23 to discuss several 
issues, including the end of Palestinan Authority President Abbas' 
term. 
 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------ 
 
1)  Mohammad Yaghy writes in Al Ayyam under the title, 
"Reconciliation is impossible, but resolution is possible" (11/21): 
"The Cairo dialogue [for unity among Palestinian factions] didn't 
never had a chance of succeeding... and since the Palestinians have 
done away with the "resistance" option by signing the Oslo 
agreement, they no longer have anything left to give [leverage] 
Israel ...and thus, since 1993, Israel has behaved as if it were 
negotiating with itself...  [negotiations] with the Arabs is a 
different issue since the Arabs still have many cards to hand Israel 
in return for a true, just resolution [to the conflict] and since 
the negotiations will be for an end to the broader Israeli-Arab 
conflict, not just the Palestinian portion." 
 
2)  Rajab Abu Sarayya opines in Al Ayyam under the title, "Security 
men and the politics lady" (11/21):  "The 'by the way' comments made 
by [Israel's Foreign Minister Livni] the Israeli policy lady at a 
[recent] meeting with representatives of North American Jews in 
Jerusalem are significant.  She demanded that Hamas recognize the 
Jewish state... The significance of the statements lies in the 
implicit admission that dialogue between Hamas and Israel has moved 
from the security level to a political one.  She knows that Hamas 
alone controls Gaza... [Israel thinks] there is a possibility for 
serious "development" towards negotiations between the "Gaza state" 
and Israel on a political solution that could produce two states 
living side-by-side:  The state of Israel and the state of Gaza." 
 
Walles