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P 311044Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
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RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 5726
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RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 5255
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 3769
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 6068
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 2883
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1092
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 9801
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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000752 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
NSC FOR NEA STAFF 
 
SECDEF WASHDC FOR USDP/ASD-PA/ASD-ISA 
HQ USAF FOR XOXX 
DA WASHDC FOR SASA 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC FOR PA 
CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL FOR POLAD/USIA ADVISOR 
COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD 
COMSIXTHFLT FOR 019 
 
JERUSALEM ALSO ICD 
LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL 
PARIS ALSO FOR POL 
ROME FOR MFO 
 
SIPDIS 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
Mideast 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
All media reported that Benjamin Netanyahu will present his 
government -- one of the largest in Israeli history -- to the 
Knesset tonight.  It will include 29 or 30 ministers and six or 
seven deputy ministers.  Major media reported that last night 
PM-designate Benjamin Netanyahu appointed MK Yuval Steinitz finance 
minister.  However, Netanyahu will lead IsraelQs economic policy and 
the diplomatic-security cabinet.  Leading media are divided over the 
prospect of SteinitzQs appointment diminishing the prospect of 
Silvan Shalom joining the government.  Media reported that Netanyahu 
will meet with Shalom at 1 p.m. 
 
Leading media quoted Benjamin Netanyahu as saying yesterday that his 
government will be willing to offer "generous concessions" in 
exchange for peace with the Palestinians.  He was addressing the 
Knesset during an extraordinary session marking the 30th anniversary 
of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, whose attendees included the 
Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors.  "President Anwar Sadat's 
historic plea, 'no more war,' led Israelis into being ready to make 
generous, far-reaching concessions for peace," Netanyahu said. 
"Whenever Israel stands before an Arab leader who is genuinely 
committed to peace, it behaves in the same manner.  Israelis know 
how to spot genuine peace when they see it, and are willing to go 
far on its behalf.  The Israeli people strive for peace, dream of 
peace, long for peace," Netanyahu said. He continued: "The 
government that I am about to form will do all in its power to reach 
peace with all our neighbors and with the entire Arab world.  Each 
of our neighbors who are genuinely ready for peace will find our 
hands outstretched before them.Q  Netanyahu said. In an apparent 
reference to both Syria and the Palestinians, Netanyahu noted that 
Sadat "didn't talk peace while planning war and didn't conduct 
negotiations while giving asylum to terror organizations."  On 
Thursday, his second day on the job, Netanyahu is expected to hold a 
comprehensive security and foreign policy review, focusing on the 
new government's intentions in the Palestinian and Iranian arenas. 
All media reported that yesterday Military Advocate General Brig. 
Gen. Avichai Mendelblit instructed the Military Police investigation 
unit to close the inquiry into soldiers' accounts of alleged 
misconduct and serious violations of the army's rules of engagement 
during Operation Cast Lead.  He was quoted as saying that it was 
unfortunate that the soldiers, who discussed their Gaza experiences 
in private on February 13 at a military academy session that was 
later leaked verbatim to the media, had been careless about 
accuracy.  "It will be difficult to assess the damage done to the 
image and morals [of the armed forces] in Israel and the world," 
MandelblitQs statement said.  In a press release issued Monday, the 
army said that the preliminary military police investigation into 
the testimonies revealed that they "were based on hearsay and not 
first-hand experience."  HaQaretz and The Jerusalem Post quoted 
various Israeli human rights groups as saying that the short-lived 
nature of the investigations is Qsuspicious. 
 
HaQaretz reported that yesterday a representative of Attorney 
General Menachem Mazuz told the High Court of Justice that the 
question of whether Knesset Member Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael 
Beiteinu) should be allowed to serve as deputy prime minister and 
foreign minister while he is under police investigation is not a 
legal issue, but rather a political and public one.  Mazuz asked the 
court to reject a petition filed by the Movement for Quality 
Government against Lieberman's appointment. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and other media reported that yesterday, at the 
Arab summit in Doha, Syrian President Bashar Assad accused Israel of 
killing an Arab peace initiative for comprehensive peace and charged 
that its people are unprepared to make peace.  Israel Radio reported 
that the summit ended abruptly last night after one day. The Arab 
leaders called on Israel, in its summary statement, to stop the 
policy of settlements and to set a date to meet its commitment to 
peace.  They also demanded of the Quartet to ensure that Israel 
adopt the Arab peace initiative. 
 
HaQaretz quoted sources as saying that senior U.S. administration 
officials assured Netanyahu's political adviser, Dr. Uzi Arad, that 
his visa application will be answered positively, so as not to 
obstruct his work vis-a-vis the White House.  Arad, designated to 
become chairman of the National Security Council under Netanyahu, 
had been mentioned in connection to Larry Franklin.  Franklin, a 
civil servant in the Defense Department's Office of Special Plans, 
was convicted of passing classified materials to AIPAC officials, 
who then allegedly passed it to Israel. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted veteran negotiator and security figure 
Col. (res.) Gilad Sher as saying yesterday during an event organized 
by the Council for Peace and Security that the incoming government 
must immediately begin planning for a separation from the 
Palestinians.   Sher, who managed several previous negotiation 
rounds with the Palestinians and who served as bureau chief for Ehud 
Barak when he was prime minister, described Israel's continued 
presence in the Palestinian territories as an "existential threat." 
 "We need to separate from the Palestinians, either with 
negotiations or without," Sher was quoted as saying. "I have no 
illusions over the unpopularity of this stance after the Gaza 
disengagement." 
 
The Jerusalem Post illustrated a story about IsraelQs diplomatic 
protocol with a picture of Ambassador CunninghamQs presentation of 
credentials ceremony. 
 
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, visiting singer Peter 
Yarrow described the successful Operation Respect program, which 
promotes tolerance among schoolchildren. 
 
-------- 
Mideast: 
-------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: QSince Netanyahu refuses to accept the 
principle of a Palestinian state being established alongside Israel, 
he would have some difficulty complaining about the U.S. relieving 
Hamas of the same demand. 
 
Ha'aretz editorialized: QBarack Obama's administration asked Israel 
not to demolish Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and let 
Netanyahu know that the United States is monitoring Israel's moves 
in the city and expects it to avoid controversial ones. Netanyahu 
must listen to this message. 
 
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in Ha'aretz: 
QThe question before the Israeli government and its critics is not 
what would have happened had Israel and the Arabs adopted the Arab 
initiative, but how can talks with the Palestinians and Syrians make 
progress as if there were no Arab initiative. 
 
Liberal columnist and anchor Ofer Shelach wrote in the popular, 
pluralist Maariv: QYou can no longer think that the army can go into 
Gaza with a mentality of zero casualties to our forces and leave 
there smelling of moral roses. 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: 
QIsrael's Arabs need to accept more of the responsibilities of 
citizenship, and the state needs to deliver more of its benefits. 
The sooner it happens, the better -- for all concerned. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "The Obama Visions" 
 
Senior op-ed writer Akiva Eldar commented in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (3/31): QThe document [that a bipartisan team 
of American political leaders recently] produced is waiting for the 
new Israeli government to be sworn in.  The American President is 
due to use it as the basis of a special speech in which he will 
present his vision for the Middle East.  Of prime importance among 
the files on the desks of those who composed the document is a 
report drawn up at the end of 2008 by 10 senior figures from the two 
principal political parties in the United States.... The authors of 
that report recommended to the President that he replace the 
Qconditions of the QuartetQ with a readiness to recognize a 
Palestinian unity government, on condition that that government 
would agree to a cease-fire with Israel, authorize Palestinian 
president Mahmoud Abbas to conduct negotiations on a final-status 
solution, and bring the agreement to a referendum.  Since Netanyahu 
refuses to accept the principle of a Palestinian state being 
established alongside Israel, he would have some difficulty 
complaining about the U.S. relieving Hamas of the same demand. 
 
II.  "Leave East Jerusalem Alone" 
 
Ha'aretz editorialized (3/31): QOn the eve of the new government's 
swearing-in, right-wing elements in the new coalition and among the 
settlers are preparing to heighten Israeli control in East 
Jerusalem. Netanyahu's declaration that his government will renew 
the negotiations with the Palestinians is at odds with unilateral 
measures in Jerusalem, whose status is one of the core issues of the 
Israeli-Palestinian agenda.  Just as Israel is obligated to freezing 
building in the West Bank settlements as long as there is no 
agreement on the permanent borders, so too must it avoid creating 
new facts on the ground in and around East Jerusalem.... Barack 
Obama's administration asked Israel not to demolish Palestinian 
homes in East Jerusalem and let Netanyahu know that the United 
States is monitoring Israel's moves in the city and expects it to 
avoid controversial ones. Netanyahu must listen to this message. 
 
III.  "The Truth Is Out There Somewhere" 
 
Liberal columnist and anchor Ofer Shelach wrote in the popular, 
pluralist Maariv (3/31): QEven without a shadow of a doubt about the 
purity of the Judge Advocate General's intentions or the expertise 
of his men, obviously the declaration about the case being closed is 
not the end of the story over the question of whether there was or 
wasn't deliberate fire by IDF soldiers at people identified as 
civilians in the course of Operation Cast Lead.  The legal ruling is 
based, no doubt, on solid ground.  The truth will continue to be a 
matter of the observer.... But there is no need to investigate the 
really important things: the IDF openly admits to a permissive 
policy of shooting whereby anyone in an open area after warning 
leaflets had been dropped and the initial shelling could be killed; 
permission given to commanders of low rank to expel families from 
their homes with almost no explanation, and a mentality of Qdon't 
ask questions -- it's us or them.Q  The IDF also admits to rules of 
engagement in the Qspecial security zoneQ near the border fence, 
which turned farmers 250 meters from the fence into legitimate 
targets.  Incidentally the Military Police did not investigate and 
did not have to investigate the instances of vandalism.  These are a 
matter for the units, and in light of the wind blowing from the 
words of the commanders, it is very unlikely that anything will be 
done in that regard.... You can no longer think that the army can go 
into Gaza with a mentality of zero casualties to our forces and 
leave there smelling of moral roses.  I'm not saying that we must 
not go in or that our soldiers don't come first, but it will be no 
less damaging to the IDF's might if we rely on the Judge Advocate 
General's Office's ruling and close our eyes. 
 
IV.  QComprehensive Peace Fantasy 
 
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in Ha'aretz 
(3/29): QPieces of a puzzle that do not fit together but are being 
forced together so some sort of picture can emerge -- this is how 
the Arab League summit in Doha is looking.... What will the 
Palestinians propose? Peace in Ramallah and war in the Gaza Strip? 
Even the Gulf states will find it hard to form a uniform policy on 
Israel.... The question before the Israeli government and its 
critics is not what would have happened had Israel and the Arabs 
adopted the Arab initiative, but how can talks with the Palestinians 
and Syrians make progress as if there were no Arab initiative.  This 
realistic approach is now necessary instead of the endless debate 
over what the Arab initiative includes or excludes, and certainly 
instead of that fantasy of comprehensive peace. 
 
¶V.  QLand Day at 33 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (3/31): 
QIf only the Arab-Israel conflict was about land -- and nothing else 
-- it might have been solved by now. Still, there's no denying that 
land is part of what's at stake.... Since [the bloody clashes over 
land expropriations in March 1976], lamentably, attitudes between 
Jewish and Muslim Arab citizens have only hardened.  The Arabs 
claim, with justification, that they face prejudice in employment 
and in the allotment of land for construction.  The Jews retort that 
this discrimination is partly a consequence of the Arab refusal to 
do national service; and of allowing their leaders to align the 
community with Israel's most implacable enemies.  Jews pay attention 
when Arabs denounce the QjudaizationQ of the Galilee, interpreting 
this as a rejection of Jewish rights on both sides of the Green 
Line.   With sovereignty comes responsibility for the state.  With 
citizenship come responsibilities for the individual.  Israel's 
Arabs need to accept more of the responsibilities of citizenship, 
and the state needs to deliver more of its benefits.  The sooner it 
happens, the better -- for all concerned. 
CUNNINGHAM