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DE RUEHTV #0116/01 0151136
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P 151136Z JAN 09
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000116 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC FOR NEA STAFF 
 
SECDEF WASHDC FOR USDP/ASD-PA/ASD-ISA 
HQ USAF FOR XOXX 
DA WASHDC FOR SASA 
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COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD 
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JERUSALEM ALSO ICD 
LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL 
PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
ROME FOR MFO 
 
SIPDIS 
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 a memorandum of understanding between the 
U.S. and Israel on security and intelligence cooperation aimed at 
countering the smuggling of arms into Gaza is being prepared and may 
be signed as early as Friday. 
 
The media reported that Hamas announced yesterday that it had 
accepted the Egyptian cease-fire initiative Qin principleQ and that 
it was now awaiting IsraelQs response.  HaQaretz quoted senior Hamas 
officials in Cairo as saying that the group is still demanding 
clarifications on a number of issues. 
 
Maariv quoted outgoing PM Ehud Olmert as saying that it would be 
better not to expand the Gaza operation.  HaQaretz and The Jerusalem 
Post reported that yesterday officials close to Olmert blasted DM 
Ehud Barak for comments in yesterday's HaQaretz in support of a 
week-long "humanitarian cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip.  Other media 
filed similar reports.  Yediot reported that Olmert has presented 
intelligence showing that BarakQs comments that the operation has 
Qexhausted itselfQ toughen HamasQs stance. 
 
Israel Radio reported that this morning Israel shelled UNRWA offices 
in Gaza City and that DM Barak later apologized to UN Secretary 
General Ban Ki-moon. 
 
Maariv and Israel Radio quoted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice 
as saying that OlmertQs comments about the U.S. vote on UN Security 
Resolution 1860 were Qfiction. 
 
Yediot quoted President-elect Barack Obama as saying in an interview 
with CBS-TV that he will intervene in the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict on the first day he is elected and that he would involve 
Syria in the talks. 
 
Israel Radio quoted Palestinian sources as saying that seven 
Palestinians were killed in two separate incidents.  Media reported 
that 1,033 Palestinians were killed and 4,560 wounded in the 
operation.  Israel Hayom quoted the IDF as saying that only around 
150 of the dead were not identified as Hamas fighters.  Seven IDF 
soldiers were wounded in the Gaza fighting yesterday.  Leading media 
reported that Hamas launched a first phosphorus mortar at a Negev 
town. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that, due to increased pressure by 
international agencies, the IDF has tightened its rules of 
engagement regarding Palestinian ambulances suspected of being 
involved in terrorist activity. 
 
HaQaretz reported that the IDF has set up a team of 120 
Qhumanitarian officersQ to coordinate aid for the civilian 
Palestinian population.  HaQaretz reported that the Foreign Ministry 
has created a special task force to prepare for the aftermath of the 
IDFQs Gaza operation. The team will submit proposals on two of the 
army's main concerns -- Iran and Hamas taking control of Gaza's 
postwar reconstruction and the harm the offensive has caused to 
Israel's image abroad.  The goal is to allow the PA, as well as Arab 
and international entities, to lead reconstruction efforts and 
funding and get credit for Gaza's rehabilitation instead of Hamas or 
Iran.  Yediot quoted Lorenzo Cremonesi of the Italian daily Corriere 
Della Sera, the only Western journalist who entered Gaza, as saying 
that Gazans do not lack food or medicine. 
 
HaQaretz reported that a protest against the offensive in Gaza will 
be held tomorrow in the Negev village of Arara.  The protest, 
organized by the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, will be the third 
to be held since the start of Operation Cast Lead. 
 
Leading media reported that in a radio address that appeared on Web 
sites yesterday, Osama bin Ladin called for a new jihad in response 
to the Israeli offensive in Gaza. 
 
HaQaretz reported that yesterday a coalition of local human rights 
organizations warned that Gaza was on the verge of a humanitarian 
catastrophe.  The coalition was quoted as saying that after the 
fighting it would be necessary to start inquiries into what it 
alleged were war crimes in Gaza. 
 
Media reported that late Monday night and early yesterday morning 
the Israel Navy prevented an Iranian ship from anchoring in GazaQs 
port and unloading its cargo. 
Israel Radio reported that Bolivia and Venezuela have severed their 
ties with Israel. 
 
HaQaretz quoted an Islamic Web site regarding the unusual report 
about Saudi jihadist Abu Muhammed Mari, who was killed while 
fighting Israel alongside Hamas militants in Gaza.  HaQaretz said 
that this appears to indicate that Hamas may be gaining greater 
acceptance among even more fundamentalist Muslim groups. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe front-paged an appeal to President Bush to 
release convicted spy Jonathan Pollard. 
 
HaQaretz published the results of a Dialogue poll: 
QIs the Gaza operation a success or a failure? 
78%: a success; 13%: a failure; 9% are undecided. 
82% believe that Israel has not Qgone too farQ with the military 
force it is exercising against Hamas. 
Kadima and Likud have weakened slightly and would get 29 and 25 
Knesset seats, respectively, if the elections were held today. 
Labor is holding steady with 16 seats.  The right-wing bloc still 
commands more support than the center and left wing.  However, 
Benjamin NetanyahuQs coalition would be difficult to manage and 
possibly short-lived. 
 
The Jerusalem Post presented the results of a Tel Aviv University 
poll according to which 94% of the public support or strongly 
support the Gaza operation while 92% think it benefits IsraelQs 
security.  The poll found that 92% of Israeli Jews believe the air 
forceQs attacks in Gaza are justified despite the suffering of the 
civilian population in Gaza and the damage they cause to 
infrastructure.   The poll said that 85% of Israeli Arabs oppose the 
operation. 
 
------------ 
Gaza Crisis: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote on page one of the 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: QIsrael views [the arms 
smuggling prevention] agreement as a Qfoot in the doorQ of the Obama 
administration, which will have to respect its predecessorQs 
legacy. 
 
Ha'aretz editorialized: QOlmert's behavior is another reason for the 
immediate cessation of the military campaign, before Israel finds 
itself embroiled in a situation from which it will have difficulty 
getting out. 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: QIf 
Israel's fundamental needs are met, how the Palestinians choose to 
govern themselves in Gaza is their own affair.... [This being said], 
no deal is better than a bad deal. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Between Washington and Cairo" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote on page one of the 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (1/15): QThe calendar is tight: 
Condoleezza Rice is leaving her job and the State Department on 
Friday Q- the last day when she can sign treaties with Livni.  At 
the core of the document that was drafted during this last week is a 
first-of-its-kind commitment by the U.S. to fight smuggling of arms 
of any kind and in all ways to Hamas and the other terrorist 
organizations in Gaza.  Until now smuggling was handled as a side 
issue.  Israel is now asking for a detailed U.S. commitment to curb 
it at sea and on land, exchange intelligence, and handle the 
interface with the future states.  Israel views this agreement as a 
Qfoot in the doorQ of the Obama administration, which will have to 
respect its predecessorQs legacy.  U.S. Defense Secretary Bill 
Gates, who will remain in office after the transition, shares the 
contacts over the agreement.  The Israeli-American agreement is 
meant as a layer in a stable cease-fire; this is why it is clear 
that the outgoing administration will not sign it without a mutual 
Israeli pledge that if there indeed is a cease-fire, this move can 
be seen as an attempt by Livni to grant Olmert a diplomatic 
achievement that would serve as an exit from the Gaza operation. 
The talks with the Egyptians will demand precious time; they might 
resume after the cease-fire. 
 
II.  "Defective Judgment" 
 
Ha'aretz editorialized (1/15): QSeveral recent events stir doubts 
about the quality of the Prime Minister's judgment. In conducting 
the war.... American support is a vital asset for Israel, 
particularly at the height of a military campaign that is not 
supported by the international community, which is calling for it to 
end.  The Prime Minister's description to the effect that Bush does 
his bidding embarrasses the President and damages the authority of 
the U.S. Secretary of State at a time when their support is of 
utmost importance for Israel.  The public condemnation of Olmert is 
also seen as an expression of dissatisfaction with the continuation 
of the fighting and the contempt for the Security Council's 
decision.  Olmert's behavior is another reason for the immediate 
cessation of the military campaign, before Israel finds itself 
embroiled in a situation from which it will have difficulty getting 
out. 
 
III.  "Remember the Mission" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (1/15): 
QIt is essential that Israel not lose sight of the minimum it should 
be getting before Operation Cast Lead ends.  The smuggling must 
stop.... There must be an end to shooting at Israel, and to 
infiltration attempts.  The cease-fire must have no time-limit.... 
Hamas must become more reasonable on the Gilad Shalit issue.... 
Regardless of who runs Gaza, Egypt must keep tight control of its 
side of the Rafah border.  When it comes to entry and egress, the 
buck stops with Cairo.   There can be absolutely no Turkish or other 
foreign troops on the Palestinian side of the border.  Such a 
presence would hamper any necessary IDF activity.  The foreigners 
can operate on the Egyptian side, if Cairo desires.  If Israel's 
fundamental needs are met, how the Palestinians choose to govern 
themselves in Gaza is their own affair.  Israel, for its part, will 
open crossing points to everything excepting materiel that can be 
used for military purposes.  The embargo, for all intents and 
purposes, would be over.  On day 1 of this war, Ehud Barak declared 
that its mission was to put an end to Hamas aggression.  Nothing 
short of achieving this goal should bring Israel's efforts to a 
permanent halt.  No deal is better than a bad deal.  If Hamas 
insists on fighting on, Israeli decision-makers will need to weigh 
when and how to mobilize our society for the prolonged, all-out 
assault needed to uproot the Islamist menace. 
 
CUNNINGHAM