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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000308 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
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PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
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SIPDIS 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶1.  Israeli Elections 
 
¶2.  Iran 
 
¶3.  Mideast 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 
announced yesterday that U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell will 
return to the region at the end of the month. 
 
Israel Radio quoted a senior Israeli diplomatic source as saying 
that Israel might attack Hamas despite the current calm.  The radio 
said that Hamas is signaling that there will be no cease-fire this 
week.  HaQaretzQs web site and Israel Radio quoted Hamas official 
Salah Bardawil as saying in an interview with the Palestinian News 
Agency Ma'an that his movement would be ready for a prisoner 
exchange with Israel starting Thursday.  Bardawil said that Israel 
has offered to allow in 75 percent of the goods it currently bans 
from entering Gaza in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit.  The 
remaining 25 percent are goods Israel says could be used to make 
weapons.  Israel Radio reported that Israel is concerned that Hamas 
might let concrete and iron into Gaza.  HaQaretz reported that 
Bardawil added that Hamas would, as part of a cease-fire, agree to 
stop firing projectiles into Israel, and said Hamas had asked for 
Egypt's help in convincing other factions to show restraint.  Maariv 
and other media reported that senior Hamas official fled to El-Arish 
in the Sinai, which might influence HamasQs contacts with Egypt. 
Maariv quoted the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram as saying that Israel has 
asked Egypt for a demilitarized 500-meter-wide zone around Gaza. 
 
The media reported that yesterday the IAF hit Hamas targets 
throughout the Gaza Strip after the Grad rocket strike in Ashkelon. 
 The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday Defense Minister Ehud 
Barak warned Hamas that Israel will QcrushQ and QsmashQ it if it 
continues to fire rockets on southern Israel. 
 
HaQaretz, Israel Hayom, and The Jerusalem Post reported that DM 
Barak warned yesterday that if Syria gives Hizbullah weaponry it 
would change the current balance of power and Israel would have to 
take action.  Barak, who was touring the northern border, declined 
to specify which types of weaponry he meant.  In the past, however, 
Israeli officials have cited sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles as 
one such weapon. "I want to say, here on the border, that I advise 
Hizbullah not to test us," Barak said.  "And I want to tell the 
government of Lebanon that we see it as responsible, especially 
since Hizbullah sits at the cabinet table in Beirut."  The Jerusalem 
Post quoted Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad, who heads the Defense 
MinistryQs Diplomatic-Security Bureau, as saying that a military 
confrontation with Syria is likely to occur in the near future. 
 
HaQaretz reported that the Obama administration is considering 
announcing the appointment of a new ambassador to Syria soon, the 
first since the U.S lowered the status of its Damascus envoy four 
years ago.  The newspaper quoted a senior European diplomat as 
saying that the U.S. administration was interested in using the 
appointment of an ambassador as a "confidence-building measure" as 
part of a framework to warm up the dialogue between the countries. 
 
A senior American diplomat was quoted as saying that the State 
Department and the National Security Council have discussed changing 
the United StatesQ policy toward Syria, saying there has been a 
change in Washington's approach to Syria, though no final decision 
has been made.  The diplomat did say that such a decision was 
expected soon. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that, in a briefing for the newspaper, 
Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed the hope that 
President Obama will limit his engagement with Iran to a set time 
and insist on a final outcome of dismantling its nuclear program. 
Netanyahu noted that his "positive" meetings with Obama in 
Washington and Jerusalem had been mostly devoted to the Iranian 
issue.  He said that when Obama told him he wanted to engage Tehran, 
he told the president that the way Iran's nuclearization would be 
stopped was less important than the result.  Yediot reported that 
the West and Israel view the launching of an Iranian satellite this 
week as dangerous escalation.  Leading media quoted Acting State 
Department Spokesman Robert Wood as saying yesterday: QDeveloping a 
space launch vehicle  that could put a satellite into orbit could 
possibly lead to the development of a ballistic missile system, so 
thatQs of great concern to us. 
 
HaQaretz reported that Likud is seeking a subtle way to warn 
rightist voters against voting for Yisrael Beiteinu, for fear that 
if Avigdor Lieberman's party keeps stealing seats from it, Kadima 
could wind up forming the next government.  The party with the most 
seats is usually given first chance to form a government, and so far 
polls show Likud in this slot.  But Kadima is close enough behind 
that even a few seats moving from Likud to Yisrael Beiteinu could 
put Kadima in first.  All media cited LikudQs dissociation from 
Yisrael Beiteinu.  HaQaretz reported that Avigdor Lieberman was once 
a member of the outlawed far-right party Kach (in 1979).  Maariv 
named Far-right politician Avigdor Eskin as the source of this 
information.  Media quoted Yisrael Beiteinu as saying that this is 
an Qorchestrated fabrication.Q  Yediot reported that Netanyahu 
prefers Ehud Barak as his defense minister, leaving an expanded, 
especially tailored, economic ministry to Lieberman.  Maariv 
reported that Labor will demand the justice portfolio.  The 
Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday Yisrael Beiteinu rejected a 
claim in former U.S. Ambassador Martin IndykQs book that Lieberman 
had conducted a secret dialogue with Palestinian negotiators at the 
end of former U.S. President Bill ClintonQs administration. 
 
HaQaretz reported that DM Ehud Barak has agreed to approve the 
establishment of a new settlement in the Binyamin region, north of 
Jerusalem, in return for settlers' agreement to evacuate the illegal 
outpost of Migron.  The Migron settlers will move into the new 
250-house settlement after leaving the illegal one they built on 
private Palestinian land. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted Diaspora Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog as 
saying yesterday at the Herzliya Conference that the Treasury 
blocked a plan for a QJewish Al-Jazeera. 
 
All media reported that yesterday National Workers Organization 
Chairman and former finance minister Abraham Hirchson admitted in 
court to having stolen a considerable amount of money.   A day after 
Hirchson sent the union post-dated checks totaling 1.6 million 
shekels (around $400,000), the organization declared that the move 
"did not smell right." 
 
Yediot reported that Cyprus sent a report to the UN that the Iranian 
ship currently anchored along a Cypriot shore contains explosives 
and rocket engines. 
 
Israel Radio quoted Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying that 
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told him on Monday that he should 
continue to mediate between Israel and Syria. 
 
HaQaretz and Israel Radio reported that the UN has reversed its 
stance on one of the most contentious and bloody incidents of the 
recent IDF operation in Gaza, saying that an IDF mortar strike that 
killed 43 people on January 6 did not hit a United Nations Relief 
and Works Agency (UNRWA)  school after all.  Yediot reported that 
the Norwegian doctor who reported from Gaza on Israeli atrocities is 
a member of Rodt, an extremist Marxist party, and had praised the 
9/11 attacks. 
 
HaQaretz printed a Letter to the Editor signed by prominent 
intellectuals and artists from the Western world, who call for a new 
initiative for Israeli-Palestinian peace. 
 
Maariv reported that yesterday Finance Minister Roni Bar-On declared 
that the historic QSergeyQs CourtyardQ in central west Jerusalem has 
officially been returned to the Russian government. 
 
Maariv reported that the Immigration Police is closing down and will 
be replaced by a supervisory unit of the Interior Ministry.  Maariv 
reported that the authorities suspect that a refugee from Sudan was 
enlisted in Al-Qaida. 
 
Maariv presented the results of a TNS/Teleseker poll on voting 
intentions for the Knesset elections, which shows a strengthening of 
Yisrael Beiteinu and a narrowing of the gap between Likud and 
Kadima: 
In brackets: Maariv's previous poll): 
Likud:27 (28); Kadima 23 (23); Labor Party: 17 (17): Yisrael 
Beiteinu: 17 (16); Shas: 10 (10);  Arab parties: 8 (8); Meretz: 6 
(6); United Torah Judaism: 5 (5); National Union: 4 (3); 
National-Religious Party-Jewish Home 3 (4). 
 
HaQaretz cited recent polls for internal use by the New 
Movement-Meretz that show that approximately eight Knesset seats 
worth of voters who define themselves as leftist are considering 
voting for Kadima, or more precisely, for Kadima chairwoman Tzipi 
Livni.  The polls also show that most of the undecided are women -- 
their choice could represent five Knesset seats.  The finding is 
contrary to what had previously been believed -- that the party's 
potential voters would find themselves deciding between it and 
Labor. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Monday the ambassador of U.S. 
and China attended a unique Jerusalem concert featuring famed 
cellist Yo Yo Ma. 
 
---------------------- 
¶1.  Israeli Elections: 
---------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: QLikud Knesset 
Member Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and Defense 
Minister Ehud Barak must disassociate themselves from [Avigdor 
Lieberman] and his slogans, and soon.  If not, the three of them 
will bear the full responsibility for the entrenchment of dangerous 
racist politics in Israel. 
 
Columnist Ari Shavit wrote in Ha'aretz: QIran's nuclear program is 
what turned Livni's term as foreign minister into a colossal 
failure.... There is a black flag waving above her journey to the 
Prime Minister's Office. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Reject Lieberman" 
 
The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (2/4): QThe 
[Yisrael Beiteinu] slogan QWithout loyalty there is no citizenship 
is not illegal, but has its roots in a dark conceptual world and is 
contrary to the lifeblood of democracy, which never makes civil 
rights contingent on performing duties.  The other slogan, QOnly 
Lieberman understands Arabic,Q stinks of crude racism, against which 
a society that affirms life and freedom is obligated to fight. 
Lieberman's plan for an Qexchange of territories,Q which is being 
marketed as a part of legitimate negotiations between two equal 
sides, is nothing but polite packaging that does not succeed in 
concealing its real aspiration: delegitimizing all the Arab citizens 
of Israel.... There is no doubt that the atmosphere in which 
nationalism became more extreme during the war in Gaza has 
strengthened Lieberman.  In mock elections at schools he has won 
high popularity, and the number of Knesset seats predicted for him 
is rising steadily in the public opinion polls.  Presumably his 
success will only increase as the security threat looms larger and 
the economic crisis worsens.  This is a tale foretold, which is 
becoming exacerbated in light of the ideological flabbiness of the 
candidates for prime minister.  Likud Knesset Member Benjamin 
Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and Defense Minister Ehud 
Barak must disassociate themselves from him and his slogans, and 
soon.  If not, the three of them will bear the full responsibility 
for the entrenchment of dangerous racist politics in Israel. 
 
II.  "A Cautionary Note" 
 
Columnist Ari Shavit wrote in Ha'aretz (2/4): QKadima's chairwoman 
(Tzipi Livni] is a principled, patriotic, exemplary human being. 
She is intelligent and a quick study.  But there is one fault that 
no one disputes: Livni is short-tempered. Her more serious critics 
believe she has an attention deficit.... Nor is there any disputing 
a second flaw of Livni's: She finds it very hard to make decisions. 
Her third flaw is her total lack of emotional intelligence.  Livni 
neither understands people nor likes them.  That is why she has no 
inner circle of confidants.... She recites a series of correct 
statements about dividing the country but does not know how to 
translate them into policy.  That is why her negotiations with Ahmed 
Qurei failed and why her faith in Annapolis was proved false.  But 
Livni's Palestinian failure is tiny compared to her Iranian error. 
Livni did not understand the Iranian challenge in advance, did not 
take it on board and effectively did nothing in the international 
arena to deal with it.  Iran's nuclear program is what turned 
Livni's term as foreign minister into a colossal failure.... There 
is a black flag waving above her journey to the Prime Minister's 
Office. 
 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: 
QPresident Barack Obama says that if Iran is willing to unclench its 
fist, it Qwill find an extended hand from us.Q   But the mullahs are 
playing hard to get. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Dark Anniversary" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (2/4): 
QThe Islamic Republic of Iran was established 30 years ago... On 
Monday, when Iran launched into orbit its first domestically made 
satellite - reportedly a civilian version of the Shihab 3 ballistic 
missile -- the supreme leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] obtained 
further, tangible proof that international sanctions are little more 
than a nuisance to Iran's imperial aspirations.  President Barack 
Obama says that if Iran is willing to unclench its fist, it Qwill 
find an extended hand from us.Q   But the mullahs are playing hard 
to get.  Today, diplomats from the U.S., Russia, Britain, France, 
Germany, and China are scheduled to meet in Frankfurt to discuss 
Iran's drive for nuclear weapons.  The U.S. needs to convince them 
that -- whatever the new administration's tactical differences from 
the previous one -- Washington will not tolerate a nuclear-armed 
Iran. 
 
------------ 
¶3.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami wrote in the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: QThe vigorous and 
justified response of the European leaders to the war in Gaza and 
the visit by five of them to Jerusalem in order to help in signing a 
cease-fire agreement, should be the signal marking the start of an 
era of hope for European-American partnership in the Middle East 
peace process. 
 
Uri Savir, Oslo Accords architect and President of the Peres Center 
for Peace, wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post: 
Q[A European-American] coalition should ... initiate a peace 
conference in the Middle East, based on the Madrid formula and the 
Saudi Initiative, to advance comprehensive peace, economic 
development, and security in the region. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "War, Memory, and Diplomacy" 
 
Former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami wrote in the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (2/4): QEurope's role in 
making peace and establishing international norms of behavior will 
undoubtedly become the core on the basis of which Barack Obama will 
seek to rebuild the trans-Atlantic alliance, which suffered a severe 
blow in the days of his predecessor.   The Europeans were surely 
glad to see how quickly the new U.S. President addressed the 
Israeli-Arab conflict.  After all, for them Jerusalem was always 
more important than Baghdad.... The aging continent suffers from a 
dual sense of guilt, both aspects of which are directly related to 
Israel: the colonialist complex and the Jewish complex.  The 
Palestinian tragedy is directly affected by this dilemma.... For 
Europe to play its proper role in establishing a peace arrangement 
in the Middle East, it must first of all restore its credibility in 
the eyes of the Jewish state.  The vigorous and justified response 
of the European leaders to the war in Gaza and the visit by five of 
them to Jerusalem in order to help in signing a cease-fire 
agreement, should be the signal marking the start of an era of hope 
for European-American partnership in the Middle East peace 
process. 
 
II.  "Trans-Atlantic Relations" 
 
Uri Savir, Oslo Accords architect and President of the Peres Center 
for Peace, wrote in the conservative, independent Jerusalem Post 
(2/4): Q[The United States and the European Union] can, by working 
together, have a positive influence in the Middle East peace process 
in the following way: The two sides should dialogue with the new 
Israeli leadership after the election, with the leadership of the 
Palestinian Authority, i.e. Mahmoud Abbas, the leadership of Syria, 
and other regional leaderships.  Together, this Trans-Atlantic 
coalition should also begin a dialogue with Iran to make it clear 
that both the U.S. and Europe will not allow the development of 
nuclear weapons and to offer incentives, in case there is a 
verifiable stop of the development of nuclear weapons.  Also, the 
Trans-Atlantic coalition should coordinate a gradual withdrawal from 
Iraq, fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and its Pakistani 
border, as well as partake in a nation-building process in the two 
countries.  The coalition should then initiate a peace conference in 
the Middle East, based on the Madrid formula and the Saudi 
Initiative, to advance comprehensive peace, economic development, 
and security in the region. 
 
CUNNINGHAM