VZCZCXRO3685
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #2175/01 3370929
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 020929Z DEC 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3420
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 7428
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4410
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4261
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5755
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4177
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2744

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002175 
 
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 (12/02):  ADMIRING THE U.S. 
POLITICAL SYSTEM 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
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The papers lead with EU-Israeli relations and report that the EU's 
French presidency has drafted a document to be adopted by the EU as 
part of preparations for future relations with the Obama 
administration.  The EU paper calls on Israel to reopen the closed 
Palestinian Orient House and other East Jerusalem organizations 
closed by Israel, and to allow for continued deployment of 
Palestinian security forces and police to the West Bank. The paper 
deems that Palestinians have met their commitments under the road 
map, and calls on Israel to meet its commitments, according to 
coverage.  Citing Israeli daily Haaretz, the papers reveal that 
Israel is seeking to amend or change articles of the EU draft paper. 
 Al Ayyam and Al Hayat Al Jadida add that Palestinian Authority (PA) 
Prime Minister Fayyad asked EU state mission chiefs on December 1 to 
link the upgrading of EU-Israeli relations to Israel's compliance 
with international law and the road map peace plan. 
Al Quds' and Al Ayyam's front pages quote Palestinian Authority (PA) 
Minister of Information Al-Malki confirming that PA security 
deployment into Hebron will move forward despite Israel's call for 
the recently deployed forces to withdraw.  Speaking to press on 
December 1, he explained that Israeli officials had first refused to 
recognize the jurisdiction of Palestinian police and security forces 
in Hebron, and then followed up with a request for their withdrawal. 
 The request was made, said Al-Malki, because Hebron area Israeli 
settlers were "annoyed" by the presence of the new forces.  He also 
noted the rapidly expanding settlements in the city. 
The papers front page attacks by Israeli settlers against 
Palestinians on December 1 in Hebron.  The papers report that four 
Palestinians and three children were injured by Israeli settlers' 
dogs.  Al Hayat Al Jadida publishes a photo of the mauled face of a 
victim, while Al Ayyam's front page leads with a photo of Israeli 
settlers gathered in celebration at the "Rajaby" Palestinian house 
in Hebron that is under Israeli court order to be evacuated of 
settlers.  The papers add that Israeli settlers clashed with Israeli 
police on December 1, when settlers blocked West Bank roads near the 
Nablus area Huwwara checkpoint. 
Al Quds' and Al Hayat Al Jadida's front pages cite news agencies in 
reporting that the Libyan aid ship destined for Gaza was turned away 
by Israeli warships and docked at the Egyptian port of Al-Arish. 
Libya hopes that supplies can be transferred to Gaza through the 
Gaza/Egypt Rafah crossing.  The two papers run photos of Gazans on 
the beach and in boats waiting for the Libyan ship and holding 
photos of Libyan President Gaddafy. 
Al Quds' front page reports that president-elect Obama has named his 
security team:  Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, General James 
Jones as National Security Council chief and Robert Gates as the 
continued Secretary of Defense.  The paper adds that for the first 
time, President Bush expressed regret over the war in Iraq when 
commenting on inaccurate intelligence reports about Iraqi weapons of 
mass destruction.  Al Hayat Al Jadida's front page cites news 
agencies in quoting Obama on his foreign policy priorities, namely, 
Middle East peace, Iran and Korea.  On an inside page, Al Ayyam 
cites AFP in quoting the speaker of the Russian Duma saying that the 
appointment of Clinton as Secretary of State is "not good" for 
Russia. 
Al Quds' and Al Hayat Al Jadida's front pages run the results of a 
Near East Consulting poll showing that a majority of Palestinians, 
84 percent, want simultaneous Palestinian Authority presidency and 
legislative elections.  Forty-nine percent would vote for a Fatah 
presidential candidate, compared to 9 percent who would vote for a 
Hamas candidate.  Fifty-seven percent considered Hamas to be more 
organized than Fatah, leaving 43 percent believing Fatah to be the 
 
JERUSALEM 00002175  002 OF 002 
 
 
better organized group.  Seventy-three percent want a peace 
agreement with Israel. 
Al Ayyam's front page cites DPA in reporting that Hamas and Islamic 
Jihad denied on December 1 that Israel has warned them that Israel 
will launch a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip if 
Gaza rocket attacks on Israeli towns do not stop. 
The papers' front pages run a photo and a news item about 
Palestinian Authority President Abbas' visit to Qatar on December 1. 
 Abbas met with Qatari Emir and discussed the peace process and 
Palestinian unity. 
 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------ 
 
1)  Rajab Abu Saraya opines in Al Ayyam under the title, "Gaza 
confronting its brothers" (12/02):  "When Gaza becomes a burden to 
the Arab system, the system will simply turn it's back on Gaza ... 
being [then] at the mercy of the occupation... God forbid... its 
loss... to Palestinians... will be great." 
 
2)   Hamad Al Majid writes in Al Quds under the title, "We hope for 
the Americanization of the Palestinian conflict" (12/02): 
"Americanization is a term that the Arab people don't like.  They 
have every right not to, because American policies conflict with 
everything that is Arab or Islamic.  But there is also a positive 
side to "Americanization" [the peaceful two-party American political 
system] which [in light of] the internal Palestinian conflicts in 
particular, we need to import." 
Walles