VZCZCXRO8296
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #2194/01 3391048
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 041048Z DEC 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3443
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 7432
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4414
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4265
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5759
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4181
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2751

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002194 
 
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 (12/04): PALESTINIANS: ISRAEL 
"SOLELY RESPONSIBLE" FOR SETTLER VIOLENCE 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Citing Israeli daily Maariv, Al Quds leads with recommendations from 
U.S. foreign policy experts to president-elect Obama, including: 
freezing Israeli settlement activity; recognizing Hamas within the 
Palestinian political system by assisting Egypt and Saudi Arabia in 
forming a Fatah-Hamas Palestinian Authority coalition government; 
focusing on the Syrian peace track; accepting a nuclear Iran via 
direct U.S.-Iran negotiations.  The report reveals that the 233-page 
document was developed by a team of experts including the head of 
the Saban Center, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk and 
Richard Haass, head of the Council on Foreign Relations. 
 
All front pages cite Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post in reporting 
that the Israeli army rejects the idea, promoted by NSC chief 
nominee General Jones, that NATO troops deploy to the West Bank 
after an Israeli withdrawal.  The article notes that Israel has long 
argued that the Palestinian Authority must contain militants, while 
Palestinians complain that they cannot in good faith ask militias to 
disarm as long as Israel occupies the West Bank and East Jerusalem. 
A NATO force, Obama's advisors argue, would bridge the impasse, the 
article concludes. 
Al Quds' and Al Ayyam's front pages report that Hamas and other 
Palestinian factions in Gaza are not leaning towards extending the 
truce with Israel that ends on December 19.  The paper adds, citing 
Israeli daily Maariv, that a senior Israeli source describes the 
situation in Gaza as "very volatile" and warns that if a Palestinian 
rocket attack inflicts Israeli causalities, a massive Israeli 
military offensive into the Gaza Strip would be inevitable. 
Al Quds' front page reports that Palestinian Authority salaries 
could not be disbursed by banks in Gaza on December 4.  Banks were 
closed, due to lack of funds caused by Israel's block on dollar and 
shekel transfers to the banks.  All papers note that Gaza crossings 
remain closed for the fourth consecutive week.  Al Quds quotes 
UNRWA's Operations Director John Ging commenting that those in the 
international community, "not helping us, should feel ashamed." 
Al Ayyam's front page reports that British Prime Minister Brown 
announced on December 3 that he will meet with Israeli Premier 
Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Abbas in London on 
December 15th to discuss making progress in the peace process in 
¶2009.  The paper adds, citing Reuters, that Middle East Quartet 
Envoy Tony Blair stated that president-elect Obama has formed a 
strong national security team and that he is confident that Obama 
will waste no time in dealing with the Middle East peace issue. 
Blair noted that as long as Gaza remains separate from the West 
Bank, the peace process cannot move forward and the West Bank and 
Gaza must form one Palestinian state. 
Al Ayyam leads and all dailies front page news on continued Israeli 
settler violence in Hebron, where a Palestinian woman and her child 
were injured and attempts were made to set fire to three Palestinian 
homes.  Al Ayyam runs a lead photo of Hebron settlers being guarded 
by Israeli military, while Al Hayat Al Jadida leads with a photo of 
a Hebron Palestinian youth kicking a burning tire in protest of the 
settler occupied Rajabi house in Hebron.  In related news, Al Hayat 
Al Jadida's front page reports that Fatah legislator Hatim Abdul 
Qader fears that a terrorist organization run by Israeli settlers in 
the West Bank now exists.  In Jerusalem, all papers report that a 
Palestinian youth was seriously wounded by "settlers" in a December 
3 stabbing attack in Jerusalem. 
All dailies front page official reactions to settler violence. 
Palestinian Authority(PA) President Abbas reiterates calls on Israel 
to stop settler attacks, asserting that Israel is solely responsible 
for settler vandalism.  Abbas reveals that the PA is lobbying 
 
JERUSALEM 00002194  002 OF 002 
 
 
several countries to halt settler "aggression" that continues, "not 
only in Hebron, but throughout the West Bank."  Al Ayyam adds that 
Israeli Premier Olmert and President Peres criticized settler 
attacks, while the Israeli Foreign Minister stated that Israel 
cannot tolerate settlers turning Hebron into a, "wild west."  Al 
Ayyam's inside page reports that diplomatic mission chiefs and 
representatives of 22 European countries paid a solidarity visit to 
Hebron on December 3 and met with the Hebron Mayor. 
 
Al Ayyam's front page reports that the Israeli military demolished 
the Palestinian home of a family of five in the East Jerusalem 
neighborhood of Silwan and attacked an elderly woman living in the 
house, putting her in the hospital.  The paper runs a front page 
photo of the house being demolished. 
 
Al Hayat Al Jadida leads with, and all papers front page AFP news 
about EU legislators postponing a vote on upgrading Israel-EU 
relations, in protest of the Israeli "siege" on Gaza.  The papers 
quote EU Parliament Vice President Morgantini stating, "it's time 
for Israel to stop thinking that it is above [international] 
legitimacy."  The papers also quote Palestinian Authority Premier 
Fayyad expressing satisfaction over the EU protest. 
 
The dailies carry brief front page coverage on the signing of an 
economic and technical cooperation agreement between China and the 
Palestinian Authority in the amount of $5 million on December 3. 
Citing a WAFA story, the coverage also notes a meeting between 
President Abbas and Liu Yunshan, member of the Communist Party of 
China, and a separate meeting between Fayyad and the Chinese 
official. 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------ 
 
1)  Al Quds' editorial is titled, "The Israeli Government is 
responsible for the settlers' acts"(12/04):  "No one believes that 
the Israeli Government is unable, if it really wants to, to stop 
these [settler] acts and bullying... European public opinion, in 
particular, is expected to shift [more pro-Palestinian], while the 
U.S. is preoccupied with the change in administrations...  the 
Israeli Government must play a more responsible role, as it has 
tried to do by arresting 20 settlers when they tried to occupy a 
[Palestinian] house in Hebron." 
2)   Abdullah Awwad opines in Al Ayyam under the title, "The third 
war... the settlers' war"(12/04):  "Many [Palestinian] decision 
makers don't have a map of the West Bank on their desks, and if they 
do have one, they don't have any pencils to trace what is left of 
Palestinian land as they make the painful discovery that there is no 
land left on which to establish a state, not to mention implement 
autonomous rule... all that is left [of the land] is a geographic 
and demographic mosaic connected by tunnels and roads.  But don't 
look through your car windows to your right or to your left, for you 
will need a permit to look at the passing Israeli Territories!!!" 
Walles