VZCZCXRO1627
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #0322/01 0560626
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 250626Z FEB 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4179
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 7558
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4543
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4391
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5885
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4307
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2879

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000322 
 
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 (02/25):  THE IMPORTANCE OF 
PALESTINIAN RECONCILLIATION 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Al Quds leads with statements by a State Department spokesman 
confirming that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will attend the 
Gaza reconstruction conference in Egypt and will visit Israel and 
the West Bank on March 3 and 4.  Reporting notes that the purpose of 
Clinton's visit is to express support for the Palestinian Authority 
and President Abbas.  Al Ayyam also frontpages the report and adds 
that U.S. envoy George Mitchell will start a second Middle East 
"tour", visiting Turkey and then the Palestinian Territories and 
Israel in an effort, "within the framework of President Obama's 
policy," to seek peace between Israel and the Palestinians. 
 
The three papers run a front page AFP report on statements by a 
White House spokesperson stating that the letter sent by Hamas to 
President Obama through Senator Kerry, is still at the U.S. 
Consulate in Jerusalem that is reviewing it.  The three papers also 
run a DPA story quoting a State Department official, speaking on the 
condition of anonymity, confirming that U.S. envoy George Mitchell 
will open a permanent office in Jerusalem.  In other White House 
news, Al Ayyam's front page runs a Reuters story quoting anonymous 
U.S. officials stating that President Obama intends to withdraw 
troops from Iraq over the next 19 months. 
Al Ayyam leads with statements by Fatah Central Committee member 
Nabil Sha'ath stating in Cairo that a Fatah-Hamas meeting was held 
on February 24 and that a second meeting will be held to iron out 
remaining obstacles before the official reconciliation conference 
opens on February 25.  The opening day ceremonial event will be 
followed by meetings of specialized committees for 3 to 4 days, 
according to reporting.  The report appears in all front pages. 
Al Hayat Al Jadida leads with a report on Palestinian reactions to a 
recent decision by the Israeli Jerusalem municipality to demolish 
the Bustan neighborhood in East Jerusalem to make way for a public 
park.  All front pages report on a joint Islamic-Christian call to 
designate February 27 as a day, "to express Arab and Islamic anger" 
over the Israeli decision and show support for, "Palestinian 
Jerusalemites."  Reporting adds that Jordan has warned Israel of 
negative consequences of the decision. The three papers also report 
that a tour of the Bustan neighborhood was conducted by officials 
from Palestinian Authority President Abbas' office for foreign 
diplomats.  Al Quds notes that the U.S. Consul General did not 
participate in the tour.  Finally, Al Ayyam's front page cites 
Reuters in quoting Israeli Jerusalem municipal sources denying the 
demolition plans. 
Al Quds quotes Palestinian Authority Premier Fayyad on its front 
page deeming Israeli settlement expansion as a serious threat to the 
peace process.  Meanwhile, Al Ayyam's front page runs an AFP report 
quoting Israeli President Peres telling the Knesset that peace with 
the Palestinians is the most important challenge before Israel.  He 
also urged the Knesset to work towards achieving peace with the 
Palestinians before the end of their four-year term. 
Al Quds runs an inside report revealing that the Israeli Jerusalem 
Mayor Nir Barakat requested in a February 24 meeting with U.S. 
Consul General Walles that the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv be moved to 
Jerusalem.  The report adds that the Palestinian Authority Premier 
Fayyad's advisor Hatem Abdul Qader commented on the Israeli request 
by describing it as provocative and coming at a time when Israel is 
committing the extensive ethnic cleansing of Palestinian 
Jerusalemites. 
An Al Quds' inside report cites the Israeli daily Jerusalem Post in 
reporting on concerns by "American" Jews over possible tension in 
U.S.-Israeli relations following the election of Netanyahu and his 
expected establishment of an "extremist rightwing" government in 
 
JERUSALEM 00000322  002 OF 002 
 
 
Israel. 
An Al Quds' inside report reveals that the Palestinian security 
services released dozens of Hamas prisoners in the West Bank on 
February 24. 
Al Quds' front page reports that Israeli forces stormed the Nablus 
old city and arrested a number of Palestinians in different West 
Bank areas on February 24.  The report adds that Israeli troops 
forced Palestinians, in Nablus, to leave their homes at gun point, 
carried out searches and took over a local Palestinian TV station, 
Asia TV, which was used as a monitoring tower for several 
hours.-------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
-------------- 
1)  Al Quds editorial is titled, "Dialogue for reconciliation not 
for dialogue's sake"(02/25):  "In order for dialogue to 
succeed...there is a need to return to a brotherly atmosphere and 
united national feeling... everyone should understand that national 
unity is the bastion to protect Palestinian independence and that 
the continuation of the current fragmented situation is a recipe for 
more catastrophes." 
WALLES