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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
Gaza Crisis 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
HaQaretz reported that DM Ehud Barak is promoting a week-long 
"humanitarian cease-fire" in Gaza. In contrast, Prime Minister Ehud 
Olmert believes that the military operation still has not achieved 
its goals.  Olmert is reportedly delaying a meeting with senior 
ministers Tzipi Livni and Barak in an effort to allow the military 
operations in Gaza to continue. 
 
All media reported that yesterday the IDF pushed deeper into Gaza 
City and launched pinpoint raids in the southern Strip.  DM Barak 
announced that Amos Gilad, who heads the Defense Ministry's 
political-security bureau, would head to Cairo to try to secure a 
cease-fire that could end Operation Cast Lead.  Major media assessed 
that the fighting could end within a week.  HaQaretz reported that 
Egypt continued yesterday to urge Hamas to accept its cease-fire. 
Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman told Hamas representatives 
that the organization would have to commit to a one-year cease-fire. 
 Various media cited an Al Jazeera-TV report that Egypt is proposing 
a 10-year-old hudna (truce).  Hamas officials told the Egyptians 
that it would be willing to accept the proposal if the changes 
demanded by the organization are made.  The Jerusalem Post reported 
that an Israeli proposal, supported by the IDF, calls for the 
erection of a barrier surrounding the Egyptian side of Rafah, to be 
manned by Egyptian soldiers who will not allow weapons smugglers 
into the town.  Maariv reported that the as yet inchoate cease-fire 
agreement is comprised of four basic phases: 1. A lull in fighting; 
¶2. Satisfactory understandings with Egypt about preventing renewed 
arms smuggling into the Gaza Strip; 3. An Israeli troop withdrawal 
from Gaza; 4. Talks about opening the border crossings to and from 
the Gaza Strip. 
 
Israel Radio reported that at least two Katyusha rockets were fired 
at Kiryat Shmona (Upper Galilee) from Lebanon this morning. 
 
All media quoted both the State Department and White House spokesmen 
as saying that PM Ehud OlmertQs claim that he had essentially gotten 
President Bush to pressure Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to 
abstain on UN Security Council 1860 was simply untrue.  HaQaretz and 
Israel Radio quoted the Prime MinisterQs Office as saying that the 
QPMQs statements reflect events that happened.Q  Makor 
Rishon-Hatzofe bannered:QOlmert and Livni Leaving Scorched Earth in 
U.S. 
 
Leading media quoted presumptive Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 
at her Senate confirmation hearings yesterday as saying that the 
U.S. must Qactively pursue a strategy of smart power in the Middle, 
East.Q  Clinton also said:  QThe President-elect and I understand 
and are deeply sympathetic to IsraelQs desire to defend itself under 
the current conditions, and to be free of shelling by Hamas rockets. 
 However, we have also been reminded of the tragic humanitarian 
costs of conflict in the Middle East, and pained by the suffering of 
Palestinian and Israeli civilians. This must only increase our 
determination to seek a just and lasting peace agreement that brings 
real security to Israel; normal and positive relations with its 
neighbors; and independence, economic progress, and security to the 
Palestinians in their own state.Q  Clinton called to engage in 
Qtough-minded, intelligent diplomacyQ with Iran and for QIran to end 
its nuclear weapons program and sponsorship of terror, 
 
HaQaretz reported that diplomats have warned Israel that the Gaza 
operation is causing long-term harm to IsraelQs image.  The 
Jerusalem Post reported that DM Barak has ordered the IDF to set up 
a team of intelligence and legal experts that will collect evidence 
related to IDF operations in Gaza that could be used to defend 
military commanders against future lawsuits.  The Jerusalem Post 
reported that the Israeli Consulate-General in New York is urging 
Israelis to upload war footage to the CNN site.  The media continued 
to report on anti-Israel/anti-Semitic attacks around the world. 
Yediot reported that Norwegian Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen 
took part in a rally in which QDeath to the JewsQ was shouted. 
Yediot and Israel Radio reported that yesterday protesters ransacked 
the offices of Bicom, the pro-Israeli lobby in London, in front of 
the staff. 
 
HaQaretz reported that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi 
told the KnessetQs Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee yesterday 
that would-be Hamas suicide bombers wearing IDF uniforms attempted 
to infiltrate a group of IDF soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip 
during Operation Cast Lead.  The newspaper cited the Mizan human 
rights group in Gaza as saying that a Palestinian doctor in the Gaza 
refugee camp of Jabalya was killed by IDF fire this week while on 
his way to remove casualties from a building being targeted by 
Israeli missiles. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF plans to open more crossing 
points into Gaza starting on Wednesday, in an effort to vastly 
increase aid to the civilian population. 
 
HaQaretz, Maariv, and Israel Radio reported that yesterday a settler 
from Emanuel, who claimed that his car had been pelted with stones, 
fired in the air.  A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in the 
incident.  The radio also reported that in Upper Nazareth, inside 
Israel, a 14-year-old Jew maimed a Palestinian youth. 
 
HaQaretz said that while Egypt is turning out to be the big regional 
winner, Turkey has become the big loser. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that President-elect Obama is 
initiating the renewal of the alliance between Jews and 
African-Americans. 
 
------------ 
Gaza Crisis: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Military correspondent Amos Harel and Palestinian affairs 
correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote on page one of the independent, 
left-leaning HaQaretz: Q[Hamas] may prefer to wait for the Obama 
administration in the hope that the environment may be more 
conducive to its aims. 
 
Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote in the lead article of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: QIsrael is not going to 
emerge from this round with victory laurels.  Its principal 
achievement will be to have fixed the Qdeterrence digressionQ from 
2006 with respect to the Palestinians, the Arab world, and Iran. 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon wrote on page one of the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: QUnlike [Tzipi] Livni, 
[Ehud Barak] wants to see any arrangement tied to an agreement with 
Egypt.  Livni would also like to see a mechanism to stop the 
smuggling put into place, but would not make a cease-fire or 
withdrawal from Gaza dependent on it. 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in Ha'aretz: QThis is the 
time to show the Israeli voter that there is a reliable Palestinian 
partner to the division of the territory.  Any other outcome to 
Operation Cast Lead will mean a clear victory to Hamas. 
 
Former Ambassador to the U.S., former Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
and former Minister of Defense Moshe Arens wrote in Ha'aretz: QThe 
idea of deterring Hamas is a fantasy.  Hamas has to be defeated. 
 
Military correspondent Danny Shalom wrote in the nationalist, 
Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe: QA picture of the Hamas leaders ... 
coming out of their holes and being expelled from Gaza may 
definitely ... symbolize IsraelQs clear victory. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Hamas Is Waiting for Obama" 
 
Military correspondent Amos Harel and Palestinian affairs 
correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote on page one of the independent, 
left-leaning HaQaretz (1/14): QAs expected by many analysts, Hamas 
offered a less than clear response to the Egyptian cease-fire 
initiative.... Hamas is mainly concerned about the lack of a 
timetable in the Egyptian proposal.... Moreover, Hamas is also 
opposed to the third part of the Egyptian proposal that calls for 
the resumption of talks with Fatah in an effort to mend the internal 
rift in the Palestinian camp -Q and the return of Palestinian 
Authority officials to Gaza.... In Jerusalem there is a growing 
concern that Hamas may be playing for time -Q six days prior to the 
swearing in of a new U.S. president, the group may prefer to wait 
for the Obama administration in the hope that the environment may be 
more conducive to its aims.  The rumors that Hamas is close to 
throwing in the towel, which began to circulate following the speech 
by Ismail Haniyeh on Monday, proved to be premature. 
 
II.  QRatcheting Up the Pressure 
 
Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote in the lead article of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (1/14): QThere's a sense 
of optimism in the air, the scent of the end.  There is something to 
talk about.  The Hamas delegation brought from Damascus to Cairo an 
answer that will allow for a package of understandings to be formed 
that will lead to a near end of Operation Cast Lead.  The Israeli 
assessment is that it's a matter of days.  Maybe even by the end of 
the week.  And if nothing comes of the talks in Cairo this week? 
And if Hamas suddenly has second thoughts?  The IDF is a very short 
distance from the heart of Gaza City and has it surrounded from 
every direction.  That ring of suffocation will continue to tighten 
until they agree.... The positive turn came on Sunday in Cairo in 
the course of the meeting between representatives of Hamas Damascus 
and Hamas Gaza.... One mustn't expect a political document, nor does 
Israel want a political document that has anything to do with Hamas 
and which would be binding.  In any event, Israel neither recognizes 
nor has any faith in Hamas. What then?  The size of the blow that it 
was dealt, the scope of the destruction and the extent of 
Hamas-Gaza's distress, as opposed to the IDF's determination, have 
created a situation in which Hamas is prepared to adhere to a 
cease-fire. No more shooting out of the Gaza Strip.  Israel has 
already set its price tag for violations.  And that is why it has no 
interest in an orderly agreement; it doesn't want anyone coming 
along later and telling it what price it can and cannot exact from 
Hamas for violations of the cease-fire.  The tantalizing novelty of 
the Cairo initiative is that Hamas is prepared to commit to a 
cease-fire that is unlimited in time.... Israel is not going to 
emerge from this round with victory laurels.  Its principal 
achievement will be to have fixed the Qdeterrence digressionQ from 
2006 with respect to the Palestinians, the Arab world, and Iran. 
The IDF has restored its self-confidence.  The public's faith in the 
army and the leadership has improved by leaps and bounds.  And Hamas 
-- so everyone hopes -- will think ten times before it decides to 
launch a terror attack out of the Gaza Strip.  Once it sees what 
Gaza looks like, it is going to have to be crazy to pull the trigger 
again. 
 
 
III.  "Surrounded by Sharon Advisers, Livni Recycles His 
Unilateralism" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon wrote on page one of the 
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (1/14): QIt should come as 
no surprise ... that during the infighting among Prime Minister Ehud 
Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and [Tzipi] Livni as to how to 
end the fighting in Gaza, Livni has adopted a distinctly Sharon-like 
unilateralist approach.  According to Livni, Israel -- when it feels 
it has accomplished its military goals (and she has never defined 
exactly what they would be) -- should simply cease fire, leave Gaza 
without any agreements, and warn that if the Palestinians dare fire 
one more rocket on Israel, the IDF would go in with even greater 
force.   Sound familiar?  It should.  It's the same logic that was 
behind Sharon's unilateral disengagement from Gaza in 2005.... 
Unlike Livni, [Ehud Barak] wants to see any arrangement tied to an 
agreement with Egypt.  Livni would also like to see a mechanism to 
stop the smuggling put into place, but would not make a cease-fire 
or withdrawal from Gaza dependent on it. 
 
IV.  "How to Beat Hamas" 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in Ha'aretz (1/14): QThis 
is the time to ask Egypt to grant Abbas a central role in the 
efforts to bring about a cease-fire in Gaza and open the crossings. 
If Abbas brings the poor residents of Gaza the news of a cease-fire, 
he will enjoy great support from them.  Foreign Minister Tzipi 
Livni, a great supporter (in the past) of unilateralism, should not 
only tell us whom she is not willing to talk to.  The positive half 
of her statement yesterday, that Qwe are holding a dialogue with the 
moderates, and using force against the extremists,Q lacks any 
manifestation.  The year of dialogue she has led for a permanent 
settlement has not moved us an inch toward agreement.  This is the 
time to prove the Palestinian voters that the way of getting Israel 
out of the territories is not through exchanging fire, which harms 
civilians, but through exchanges between leaders.  This is the time 
to show the Israeli voter that there is a reliable Palestinian 
partner to the division of the territory.  Any other outcome to 
Operation Cast Lead will mean a clear victory to Hamas. 
 
 
 
¶V.  "To Deter or to Defeat" 
 
Former Ambassador to the U.S., former Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
and former Minister of Defense Moshe Arens wrote in Ha'aretz (1/14): 
QIt is not only our naove foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, who has 
announced that in the wake of the Gaza operation, Israel has 
restored its deterrent capability.  Many of IsraelQs politicians are 
echoing this view.... It does not seem likely that a terrorist 
organization could be deterred from pursuing its aims.... Hamas, a 
terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel, 
cannot be deterred.... If a cease-fire is established before HamasQs 
rocket capability has been eliminated, the group will be seen as the 
victor.  The idea of deterring Hamas is a fantasy.  Hamas has to be 
defeated. 
 
VI.  QExpel the Hamas Leaders from Gaza 
 
Military correspondent Danny Shalom wrote in the nationalist, 
Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe (1/14): QNo one can expect the Hamas 
leaders to get out of their holes with their hands on their 
heads.... For some reason, an idea runs in the world that regular 
armies of countries canQt fight and defeat terrorist organizations. 
This is very far from reality.... The organization should have been 
eliminated not only practically but also from the point of view of 
consciousness.  A picture of the Hamas leaders -Q Haniyeh, Zahar, 
and others -Q coming out of their holes and being expelled from Gaza 
may definitely fit the Qconsciousness pictureQ of Operation Cast 
Lead and symbolize IsraelQs clear victory -- unless Israel agrees to 
leave the organization in the present state and a new Rabin arises, 
returning those terrorist leaders to Gaza, as happened with 
Arafat. 
 
CUNNINGHAM