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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000682 
 
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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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶1.  Mideast 
 
¶2.  Iran 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Over the weekend all media reported that on Saturday night police 
sappers disarmed a powerful 100-kg bomb in a car outside HaifaQs Lev 
Hamifratz shopping mall, thwarting a potential terrorist attack in 
the city.  HaQaretz, which dubbed the bombing plan Qunusually 
sophisticated,Q reported that a senior source in Hizbullah told the 
newspaper yesterday that he suspects that Hizbullah or another 
organization with links to Iran was behind the attempted bombing. 
According to the source, the PA holds definitive intelligence that 
Hizbullah has been trying for some time to recruit members of Fatah, 
Hamas, and Islamic Jihad in an attempt to get operatives of those 
terror groups to carry out an attack in Israel, as HizbullahQs aim 
is to carry out a massive terrorist attack that would avenge the 
assassination of its mastermind terrorist, Imad Mughniyah, in 
Damascus in February 2008. 
 
The media reported that yesterday Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak 
appointed coalition negotiators, ordering them to produce a finished 
agreement with Likud by tomorrow, so that he can present it to the 
party's convention when it meets that afternoon to decide whether 
Labor should join a Likud-led government.  Labor and Likud 
negotiators will meet this morning for a marathon session to 
finalize details of the agreement, whose outline has already been 
settled by Barak and PM-designate Benjamin Netanyahu.  In addition 
to Barak retaining his current position of defense minister, Labor 
is demanding three other ministries -- agriculture, national 
infrastructure, and the industry, trade and labor portfolio -- plus 
one minister without portfolio.  Barak and Netanyahu had agreed that 
Labor would receive five ministers, one deputy minister and one 
Knesset committee chairman, but did not sign on the specific posts. 
A significant portion of the agreement will be devoted to 
socioeconomic issues, since the economic crisis is one of Barak's 
main arguments for joining the government.  The Labor Party 
convention appears evenly split between opponents and proponents of 
joining the government.   The media reported that yesterday outgoing 
PM Ehud Olmert launched an unprecedented attack on BarakQs coalition 
plans.  Media quoted Olmert as saying at yesterdayQs cabinet meeting 
that anyone not working off the premise of two states for two 
peoples is Qdeluding themselves and the public.Q  Olmert said that 
if the new government does not actively pursue the formation of a 
Palestinian state, this could cause Israel Qirreparable damage. 
Leading media reported that last night Likud signed a coalition 
agreement with Shas, which will reportedly receive the interior 
(under Eli Yishai), construction and housing (under Ariel Atias, 
including supervision over the Israel Lands Administration), 
religious affairs portfolios, as well as a ministry without 
portfolio in the Prime MinisterQs Office and a post of deputy 
minister. 
 
HaQaretz reported that yesterday Ofer Dekel, the GOIQs chief 
negotiator for Gilad Shalit, told Egyptian mediators that Israel 
will agree to resume negotiations with Hamas for ShalitQs return 
only if Hamas submits a new list of prisoners for Israel's 
consideration.  The media reported that on Sunday, Hamas's most 
senior prisoners held a special meeting at Ketziot Prison to discuss 
Israel's offer.  The media reported that yesterday Hamas set up a 
Qprotest tentQ in Gaza in which it placed a Gilad Shalit-like 
puppet.  Media reported that Dekel and Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin 
may return to Cairo to renew the talks over ShalitQs release. 
 
HaQaretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that DM Ehud Barak decided 
not to implement at this time demolition orders against nine houses 
in the West Bank settlement of Ofra that were built on private 
Palestinian land. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and other media quoted Deputy DM Matan Vilnai as 
saying yesterday that the IDF should take control of areas inside 
Gaza from which mortar shells are fired at southern Israel. 
HaQaretz reported that yesterday GOC Home Front Command Maj. Gen. 
Yair Golan defended the IDFQs adherence to wartime moral standards, 
despite testimony by troops serving in Operation Cast Lead who 
described lax rules of engagement in the Gaza Strip.  He was quoted 
as saying: "The reports were exaggerated and any deviations from the 
IDF's moral standards will be dealt with." 
 
The Jerusalem Post cited a publication by IsraelQs Institute for 
National Security Studies that a new U.S. report on threats directed 
against the U.S. -- signed by Director of National Intelligence 
Dennis Blair -- focuses on progress in IranQs nuclear arming, not on 
its freeze. 
 
Leading media reported that, contrary to earlier reports, EgyptQs 
Ambassador to Israel will attend the 30th-anniversary celebrations 
of the peace treaty between the two countries.  Yesterday, The 
Jerusalem Post reported that Ambassador Cunningham will speak at the 
event.  Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that senior Foreign Ministry 
officials are trying to alleviate the tension between presumptive 
foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman and Egypt. 
 
HaQaretz reported that the U.K. informed Israel that it will not 
push through changes in legislation that permit the arrest of IDF 
officers visiting Britain on war crimes, as previously expected. 
 
HaQaretz reported that on Saturday the Fifth World Water Forum in 
Istanbul praised Israel as the world leader in recycling water. 
 
HaQaretzQs Washington correspondent wrote a feature about the U.S. 
ArmyQs anthropologists and language specialists. 
 
Leading media quoted banking mogul Nochi Dankner as saying that the 
treasury is not doing enough to tackle the financial crisis. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: Q[Secretary ClintonQs] declaration that 
Israel is the one who must decide whether it supports a two-state 
solution is obviously deceptive.  This principle has not been an 
Israeli matter, or even a regional one, for some time now. 
 
Professor Eyal Zisser, the Chairman of the Department of Middle 
Eastern History at Tel Aviv University, wrote in the online service 
nana10.co.il: QThe new Israeli government has been accepted with a 
surprising degree of equanimity [in the Arab world.] 
 
Defense commentator Amir Oren wrote in Ha'aretz: QBarak and 
Netanyahu deserve each other.  Barak is afraid of being left out. 
Netanyahu is scared to be left inside, alone.  But don't worry: The 
day will come when they too become ridiculous myths, just like 
Olmert. 
 
Very liberal columnist Gideon Levy wrote in Ha'aretz: QPrepare for 
the next war and the horrific testimonies about the most moral army 
in the world [sic]. 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: QWe 
don't set out to kill innocents -- and if we do, our society feels 
anguish.  [Palestinian terrorists] set out to kill civilians -- and 
when they fail, they're disappointed. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  QEnough with the Cosmetics 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (3/23): QIf the U. S. is serious about its 
declarations of friendship with Israel and its commitment to ending 
the conflict, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton needs to pass 
up on some of the makeup.  Her declaration that Israel is the one 
who must decide whether it supports a two-state solution is 
obviously deceptive.  This principle has not been an Israeli matter, 
or even a regional one, for some time now.... Instead of 
volunteering for the cosmetics corps, politicians, artists and 
educators who do not consider themselves part of the right's 
policies should stay home and focus on exposing our real face.  They 
must explain to the youth that there is no Qenlightened occupation. 
 Let them tell the immigrants from Russia that the Palestinians 
lived in Ashkelon and [the posh West Jerusalem neighborhood of] 
Talbiyeh many years before them, and remind everyone that more than 
20 years ago, the Palestine Liberation Organization gave up on 78 
percent of Israel/Western Palestine. 
 
II.  QArab World Awaits for Bibi with Equanimity 
 
Professor Eyal Zisser, the Chairman of the Department of Middle 
Eastern History at Tel Aviv University, wrote in the online service 
nana10.co.il (3/22): QThe noise and uproar that have accompanied the 
establishment of the Netanyahu government have mainly been 
restricted to Israel, and have barely come to the fore in the Arab 
world that surrounds us.  There the new Israeli government has been 
accepted with a surprising degree of equanimity.... First of all, 
there is the disappointment with the Olmert government and the 
desire to prove that the events of the past number of years insofar 
as pertains to Arab-Israeli relations, stemmed from the failings and 
failures of that government and its prime minister.... Second, a 
prevalent view both in the Arab world and beyond it is that right 
wing governments often take surprise initiatives and that only right 
wing governments have the capacity to produce a breakthrough in 
relations between Israel and the Arab world.... Beyond all that, it 
is important to bear in mind that the Arab world is still in a 
euphoric state because of Barack ObamaQs election as the president 
of the United States. 
 
III.  "The Olmert Myth and BarakQs Problem" 
 
Defense commentator Amir Oren wrote in Ha'aretz (3/23): QEven before 
the tears have dried over the approaching death of Ehud Olmert's 
government -- after a long, drawn-out period at death's door -- 
another new myth is making the rounds: Olmert was a good prime 
minister.  Not just good, but excellent.  Sharp.  Decisive. 
Involved in the details and developments.... The most interesting 
facet of the Olmert myth, which even the bearers of the tale admit, 
is that reality on all its levels -- security, political, economic 
 
and social -- is actually quite depressing.  A bad situation and a 
good prime minister is an Israeli miracle.... The government fell to 
its lowest point last week over the negotiations to free Gilad 
Shalit.... The person who is actually appropriate for the American 
system [of government] is Ehud Barak.  It would be appropriate for 
him to serve as a personal appointee of an elected leader -- not as 
the leader of a party in his own right, like his friends Colin 
Powell and Donald Rumsfeld served their presidents.  Barak has a 
relative advantage from his military track, in his expertise and 
understanding, and in his approach that integrates a broad vision 
with detailed knowledge.  As a politician, whose profession is the 
human soul, he is hopeless.... Barak and Netanyahu deserve each 
other.  Barak is afraid of being left out.  Netanyahu is scared to 
be left inside, alone.  But don't worry: The day will come when they 
too become ridiculous myths, just like Olmert. 
 
IV.  "Israel Defense Forces?" 
 
Very liberal columnist Gideon Levy wrote in Ha'aretz (3/22): QThe 
IDF knew very well what its soldiers did in Gaza.  It has long 
ceased to be the most moral army in the world.  Far from it -- it 
will not seriously investigate anything.... Change will not come 
without a major change in mindset.  Until we recognize the 
Palestinians as human beings, just as we are, nothing will change. 
But then, the occupation would collapse, God forbid.  In the 
meantime, prepare for the next war and the horrific testimonies 
about the most moral army in the world. 
 
¶V.  QPurity of Arms 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (3/23): 
QStarry-eyed idealists -- at home and abroad -- hold Israel to a 
different standard [than Palestinian terrorists]: Do we conduct 
ourselves 24/7 as paragons of virtue unhindered by the character 
flaws that burden ordinary mortals?  And when -- surprise, surprise 
-- we fall short of this yardstick, they denigrate us as being no 
better than our enemies.  How else to evaluate the so-called 
testimonies of troops who served in Gaza, solicited and disseminated 
by Dani Zamir, founder of the Yitzhak Rabin pre-military preparatory 
course at Oranim Academic College outside Haifa?  They allege that 
due to Qloose rules of engagementQ several Palestinian civilians 
were needlessly killed during Operation Cast Lead.... Zamir's 
uncorroborated claims help blur the distinction between Qus and 
them.Q  But we don't set out to kill innocents -- and if we do, our 
society feels anguish.  They set out to kill civilians -- and when 
they fail, they're disappointed. 
 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Yoram Ettinger, chairman of special research at the Ariel Center for 
Policy Research, a former Minister for Congressional Affairs to 
Israel's Embassy in Washington, and a former Consul General of 
Israel to the Southwestern U.S., wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post (3/23): QThe prevention of a nuclear Iran 
constitutes a top U.S. national security priority.  It sheds light 
on a special aspect of U.S.-Israel relationship: defiance of mutual 
threats. 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Iran Targets the U.S." 
 
Yoram Ettinger, chairman of special research at the Ariel Center for 
Policy Research, a former Minister for Congressional Affairs to 
Israel's Embassy in Washington, and a former Consul General of 
Israel to the Southwestern U.S., wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post (3/23): QThe prevention of a nuclear Iran 
constitutes a top U.S. national security priority.  It sheds light 
on a special aspect of U.S.-Israel relationship: defiance of mutual 
threats.... Iran's nuclear threat is a symptom of endemic Middle 
East violent unpredictability and Muslim hostility toward Western 
democracies.  It calls for an upgraded U.S.-Israel win-win 
relationship, which requires a strong Israel as a national security 
producer.  A weak Israel, pushed into a nine-15 mile sliver along 
the Mediterranean, pressured to concede the mountain ridges of 
Judea, Samaria [i.e. the West Bank] ,and the Golan Heights, relying 
on foreign troops and guarantees, would become a national security 
consumer.  It would be a burden rather than an asset to the U.S. in 
a bad neighborhood, which is crucial for vital U.S. interests.  Iran 
would benefit from an ineffective Israel.  However, the U.S. would 
have to deploy to the eastern flank of the Mediterranean real 
aircraft carriers and tens of thousands of US servicemen, costing 
scores of billions of dollars annually, denied the benefits of 
Israel -- the largest U.S. aircraft carrier, which does not require 
a single U.S. sailor. 
 
CUNNINGHAM