VZCZCXRO0502
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #0561/01 0851150
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 261150Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4492
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 7603
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4588
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4437
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5930
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4352
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2926

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000561 
 
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 (03/26):  PALESTINIANS ASSERT ARAB 
IDENTITY OF JERUSALEM 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Al Ayyam and Al Hayat Al Jadida lead with March 24 statements by 
President Obama reaffirming U.S. commitment to the two-state 
solution.  The President is also quoted stating that achieving a 
two-state solution will not be easier under a Netanyahu government. 
The report, also on Al Quds' front page, is linked in both papers to 
reporting on the secret agreement between Likud's Netanyahu and 
Beytenu's Lieberman to build housing units in the Jerusalem E1 area, 
a move that critics say threatens to cut Jerusalem off from the 
Palestinian Territories.  All papers run reaction from Palestinian 
Authority President spokesman Abu Rudaynah noting Obama's statements 
as another indicator of U.S. commitment to the two-state solution. 
Rudaynah also highlights the appointment of Special Envoy George 
Mitchell as further proof of U.S. "seriousness."  Al Ayyam adds 
statements by PLO chief negotiator Erekat welcoming Obama's 
statements and calling for their "transforming" into concrete 
timetables and mechanisms for implementation. 
Al Quds leads with a report on Israeli plans to build new 
"settlement neighborhoods" in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah and Abu 
Dis areas.  The report cites Israeli daily Maariv in noting that 
Jerusalem Mayor Barakat will soon visit the U.S. to meet with U.S. 
administration officials and Jewish leaders. 
Al Quds and Al Ayyam run front page reports on March 25 statements 
by Palestinian Authority Premier Fayyad calling on the international 
community to compel Israel to accept the two-state solution and end 
control over Area C zones, established by the Oslo Accords. 
 
All papers front page a report on a "breakthrough" in prisoners 
exchange talks between Hamas and Israel.  According to Hamas deputy 
chief Baraka, indirect talks have resumed.  Papers note that an 
Egyptian official, who visited Israel on March 25, has returned to 
Cairo to inform his government and Hamas about the "development" and 
communicate that to Hamas.  Papers speculate that Israel has agreed 
to the release of Palestinian leaders Saadat, Hamid and Marwan 
Barghuti. 
Al Quds and Al Ayyam's front pages cite a report by Human Rights 
Watch that accuses Israel of unlawfully using white phosphorus in 
its offensive in Gaza, a potential war crime, according to the 
group. 
 
Al Hayat Al Jadida's front page cites a Reuters report on statements 
by senior UN official and former U.S. diplomat, B. Lynn Pascoe 
calling the situation at Gaza crossings, "intolerable," as Israel 
continues to block the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite 
earlier agreements.  Pascoe reiterated the UN call on Israel to 
fulfill its responsibilities under international humanitarian law 
and open crossings for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction 
materials.-------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
-------------- 
 
1)  Azzam Abu Al Sud opines in Al Quds under the title, "Launching 
Jerusalem, the Capital of Arab Culture"(03/26): "Despite all 
[Israeli] attempts to prevent the Arab spirit and [prevent] Arab 
culture from expressing [that spirit] in Jerusalem, we [Palestinian 
Jerusalemites] remain Arabs, a thorn in their side, Christians and 
Muslims.  We must exert more effort, thought, and careful action [to 
protect our identity]." 
 
2)  Talal Okal opines in Al Ayyam under the title, "When will we 
learn our lesson?"(03/26):  "The Israeli occupier, under the 
leadership of the rightwing national unity government... constitutes 
 
JERUSALEM 00000561  002 OF 002 
 
 
a direct, imminent danger to all Palestinians, negotiators and 
resistance.  Will this [danger] constitute a valid, strong, and good 
enough reason for ending the [internal Palestinian] division, or, 
will the dialogue and squabbling continue...?" 
 
WALLES