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DE RUEHJM #0275/01 0430920
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 120920Z FEB 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4092
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 7540
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4525
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4373
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5867
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4289
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2861

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000275 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS BBG 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC 
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 (02/12):  "A FIRST READING OF 
ELECTION RESULTS... MORE SETTLEMENTS" 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Al Quds and Al Hayat Al Jadida lead with news of a "political 
impasse" in the selection of a new Israeli Prime Minister.  Al Ayyam 
am 
also provides front page coverage.  Al Quds reports on "competition" 
between Livni's Kadima party and Netanyahu's Likud party in trying 
to form the next coalition government.  Al Hayat Al Jadida describes 
the action as a "battle for Prime Minister." 
Al Ayyam leads with news that a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on 
February 12 to deliver the group's final response to Israel-Hamas 
Gaza truce proposals and will meet with Egyptian intelligence chief 
Sulayman.  Meanwhile, Al Quds' front page reports that Israel and 
Hamas continue truce talks in an effort to reach agreement before 
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert leaves office.  In other Cairo 
meetings, Al Quds' front page reports that Fatah and Hamas met on 
February 11 and agreed to stop politically-motivated arrests and 
media incitement, ahead of the "national dialogue conference" 
scheduled for later this month. 
U.S. reactions to Israeli elections feature on all front pages. 
Wire stories quote State Department spokesman Robert Wood noting 
that the U.S. is looking forward to working with the new Israeli 
government, regardless of which party leads it.  Al Ayyam's front 
page cites news agency reporting about a February 11 phone call from 
President Obama to Israeli President Peres in which Obama welcomed 
working with the next Israeli Prime Minister, whoever that may be. 
 
In international reactions, all front pages quote French Foreign 
Minister Kouchner predicting that Livni of Kadima will form the next 
government in Israel despite the "victory" of the Israeli right. 
Belgian Foreign Minister De Gucht throws his support behind Livni 
because, "she is more capable of achieving a peace agreement with 
the Palestinians," according to reporting, while Israeli newspapers 
predict a new government under Likud's Netanyahu, according to Al 
Ayyam's front page. In related news, EU foreign policy chief Solana 
calls on Israel's incoming government to resume "serious peace 
talks", and leave behind the current, "crisis management mode," Al 
Hayat Al Jadida's front page reports. 
 
Palestinian reactions to Israeli elections are captured on all front 
pages.  Al Ayyam quotes Palestinian Authority (PA) Premier Fayyad 
stating on February 11 that any Israeli government must meet the 
demands of the international community.  Al Quds' front page quotes 
PA Minister of Interior Al Yahya charging that, "Israeli society 
lacks a culture of peace," and insisting that Israeli elections do 
not decide the fate of Palestinians.  The paper also reports that 
PLO factions see a "drift towards rightwing policies" in Israeli 
elections results.  Meanwhile, Hamas calls all Israeli parties 
"hostile to our people" and Islamic Jihad calls the elections, "a 
new phase in Israeli hostility against Palestinians," the paper 
notes. 
Al Ayyam's front page reports that Egypt has outlined principles for 
upcoming Palestinian unity talks and has distributed them to all 
Palestinian factions.  The principles highlight areas of common 
interest such as forming a national consensus Palestinian Authority 
(PA) government, holding legislative and presidential elections, 
reforming PA security services and "reactivating" the PLO. 
Al Ayyam highlights on its front page that the Hamas press office in 
Gaza has allowed Al Ayyam's print daily to be distributed in the 
Gaza Strip for the first time in six months.-------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
-------------- 
 
 
JERUSALEM 00000275  002 OF 002 
 
 
1)  "Al Quds editorial is titled, "A first reading of Israeli 
election results"(02/12):  "If the new American administration 
actually realized that it has a strategic interest in achieving 
peace and then realized that the continued occupation is bad for 
U.S. interests, it would move... to put an end to the extremism that 
is openly growing in Israel... for us [Palestinians] the victory of 
the extremist rightwing means more Israeli settlements, stalling and 
negative practices.  We should have strategies ready to face that 
situation..." 
2)  Abdullah Awwad opines in Al Ayyam under the title, "Why won't 
Fatah re-invent itself?"(02/12):  "If the [Fatah] leadership has 
reached the end, then it must acknowledge that and tell its members 
and supporters that it is now up to them, Fatah has nothing more to 
give... Fatah is in turmoil at all levels... The leadership needs to 
stop admiring itself in the mirror...and wake up to the reality 
outside." 
 
WALLES