VZCZCXRO3236
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #2284/01 3580900
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 230900Z DEC 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3574
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 7455
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4440
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4288
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5782
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4204
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2774

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002284 
 
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 (12/23): BRIEF TRUCE IN GAZA 
 
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Main Stories: 
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All papers lead with news of an Egyptian-brokered agreement renewing 
the truce between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza for a 
period of 24 hours. However, reports of Palestinian projectiles 
launched at the Israeli Kissufim Military base in the southern Gaza 
Strip, as well as Israeli airstrikes on Palestinian targets east of 
Gaza City, cast early doubts on whether the truce would hold. Al 
Hayat Al Jadeeda adds that Israeli FM Livni will visit Egypt on 
Thursday to discuss extending the truce in Gaza. 
All papers note that Hamas' Gaza leader Haniyeh urged Turkey to 
intervene in order to prevent an Israeli offensive. This followed 
reports speculating that Israel plans to carry out a gradual 
offensive and to assassinate militant leaders, in response to which 
the different factions in Gaza threatened to carry out retaliatory 
suicide operations inside Israel. Al Quds runs a statement by the 
French Foreign Minister Kouchner expressing concerns over the 
escalation in Gaza. 
 
 
All papers discuss the mounting food crisis in Gaza after bakeries 
ran out of flour. Al Ayyam carries a  front page photo of 
Palestinians waiting in a long queue to buy bread. The papers also 
report on statements by the PA Minister of Information Riyad Malki 
emphasizing the need for calm in Gaza and criticizing Israel for 
stopping the transfer of allowances to support the poor in Gaza and 
for preventing the entry of Egyptian humanitarian assistance for a 
third consecutive day. 
 
All papers report on PA President Abbas' visit to Russia where he 
received support from Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and President 
Medvedev "as the legitimate president of the Palestinian people." 
Lavrov criticized Hamas' "provocations" and its boycott of the 
Palestinian internal dialogue. 
 
Al Quds and Al Ayyam, citing an AFP report, report on statements by 
Secretary of State Rice acknowledging that while the Bush 
administration's popularity is "not very great" in the Arab world, 
with time the U.S. support for freedom in the Middle East will be 
"respected" by the people of the region. Rice added that all people 
in the region should live free of oppression. She also acknowledged, 
according to the papers, that it may not be clear to those in the 
region how the US can defend Israel's right to exist and at the same 
time defend the Palestinians' right to statehood and independence. 
 
Al Quds quotes a recent World Bank report that concludes trade in 
the West Bank cannot improve under the current Israeli restrictions 
and checkpoint regime. The report focused on the Allenby border 
crossing between the West Bank and Jordan where Palestinian exports 
must pass through several Israeli obstacles. It demands the lifting 
of existing Israeli limitations on the travel of Palestinian 
citizens and goods. The report also considers Gaza to be on the 
verge of economic collapse due to the Israeli siege. 
 
All papers report that the hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners in 
Ofer prison continues.  The reports state that prison guards stormed 
one of the prison blocs with dogs and forced some of the prisoners 
into another cell bloc.  The papers report that the guards insulted 
and threatened the prisoners. 
 
Al Ayyam runs a front page report on statements by the Israeli 
B'Tselem human rights organization demanding that that the Israeli 
Ofra settlement, which it claims is built on private Palestinian 
 
JERUSALEM 00002284  002 OF 002 
 
 
property, be dismantled and the land returned to its rightful 
Palestinian owners. The organization claims that it based its 
findings on official Israeli land registration documents issued by 
the Israeli Civil Administration. 
 
Al Quds and Al Hayat Al Jadeeda report on a visit by the British 
Minister of State for the Middle East Bill Rammell and the British 
Consul General Richard Makepeace to Hebron Monday. At the end of the 
tour, Rammell demanded the removal of illegal Israeli settlements 
and added that he personally witnessed the abuses of the Israeli 
settlers against the Palestinian citizens in Hebron. 
 
All the papers carry front page news of the scheduled visit of Pope 
Benedict XVI to Bethlehem on May 12th as part of his visit to the 
region starting on May 8th 2009. 
 
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BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------- 
 
¶1. Mohamad Al Mubarak opines in Al Quds under the title "Will 
Rumsfeld escape or disappear?": "It is regrettable that the courts 
have so far not considered the war crimes committed by Rumsfeld, 
which led to the killing and displacement of millions of innocents 
and violated international laws and norms. The American judiciary 
has opted to look into cases of Rumsfeld's involvement in torture 
orders in the prisons of the US Department of Defense, and to 
consider whether this was in violation of U.S. law...One of the most 
important lessons learned from this historical event, is that as 
Arabs and Muslims, we should not deal with other states, including 
the United States, without regard to international law. Further, 
Arab countries shouldn't get involved with the United States in all 
that it asks them to do, as that might have unpredictable 
ramifications...For instance, amongst the "courtesies" committed by 
Arab nations for the United States is their support for the Israeli 
siege of Gaza, which is in violation of all international laws and 
norms, and which may ultimately have legal implications." 
 
¶2.   Hani Al Masri editorializes in Al Ayyam under the title "The 
fate of the truce: Total collapse or controlled escalation?": "It is 
no coincidence that the Road Map is implemented solely by the 
Palestinian side in light of its own internal division. If this 
division continues, it will be no surprise if Israel is able to 
enforce a similar Israeli road map in Gaza. The internal division 
has thereby weakened all the Palestinians, and made them vulnerable 
to Israeli blackmail, and placed them in competition with one 
another to see which side - Gaza or the West Bank - is the first to 
reach an incomplete security solution." 
 
MARCHESE