VZCZCXRO0347
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #0616/01 0961023
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061023Z APR 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4594
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
RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 7627
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4603
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4452
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5946
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4367
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2944

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JERUSALEM 000616 
 
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 (04/06):  PALESTINIANS:  PEACE 
THROUGH THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION WITH JERUSALEM AS A SHARED CAPITAL 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Al-Quds leads with reports on the Israeli High Court's rejection of 
legal challenges to eviction orders of two East Jerusalem 
Palestinian families.  All front pages note that the ruling comes 
despite the presentation of Ottoman era documents that prove the 
families' ownership of the land.  Reporting adds that confrontations 
took place on April 5 between "settlers" and residents of another 
house under dispute in East Jerusalem, resulting in injury of three 
Palestinians and arrest of the owner and his two brothers. 
According to Palestinian Authority representative for Jerusalem 
Affairs Hatem Abdul Qadir, the ruling indicates that the Israeli 
High Court is not independent.  Therefore, Palestinian authorities 
will file future petitions in international courts, he explained. 
The story follows two weeks of near-daily reporting on 
Jerusalem-area Palestinian house evictions and demolitions by the 
Jerusalem Municipality. 
 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida and Al-Ayyam lead with Palestinian Authority 
President(PA) Abbas' visit to Iraq on April 5.  According to reports 
that also appear in Al-Quds' front page, Abbas met with Iraqi 
President Talibani to discuss bilateral relations, Palestinian 
national dialogue and the new Israeli Government.  Abbas thanked 
Iraq for its support of the Palestinian cause and papers highlight 
that the visit is the first since 2003. 
 
Al-Ayyam's front page reports on Netayahu's upcoming travel to the 
U.S. to meet with President Obama on May 3.  All dailies report that 
U.S. Special Envoy Mitchell will visit the region soon, now that the 
new Israeli government is in place.  Al-Ayyam highlights that 
Mitchell announced that the Arab Peace Initiative will be part of 
Obama's Middle East policy and that the Administration is working on 
a strategy to pitch the Initiative to the Israeli public.  In 
related news, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida's front page cites an AFP report 
that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that his government 
will begin work on defense and peace policies. 
 
Al-Quds' front page reports that Palestinian Authority(PA)President 
Abbas will take steps to form a transitional government after unity 
talks failed to provide agreement on the composition and political 
platform of a new (PA) government.  According to the report that 
cites London-based Al-Hayat daily, the transitional government will 
focus on Gaza reconstruction and preparations for presidential and 
legislative elections in January 2010.  Abbas will attempt to secure 
the participation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad by including 
representatives of various factions in the new government, reporting 
concludes. 
 
Al-Quds' and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida's front pages report on Israelis 
"stealing" one of the largest decorative stones of the Islamic 
Umayyad palaces located on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, 
during their ongoing excavations under the compound.  According to 
reports quoting Islamic Waqf officials, the move is "very dangerous" 
and they call on Moslems and international institutions charged with 
protecting cultural patrimony to intervene and force the return the 
stone. 
 
In economic news, Al-Quds front pages news about the European 
Commission's donation of $31,500,000 to the Palestinian Authority 
(PA) Ministry of Finance to pay for salaries on April l6.  Reporting 
notes that payment to Gaza employees will be delayed by, 
"restrictions on the transfer of funds," into Gaza.  Meanwhile, all 
dailies report on inside pages that the Ramallah-based Housing Bank 
 
JERUSALEM 00000616  002 OF 003 
 
 
for Trade and Finance has opened a new branch in Turmus Ayyah 
village near Hebron.  Speaking at the April 5 opening ceremony, 
Palestine Monetary Authority Governor Al-Wazir noted that the new 
branch will provide residents with better access to quality banking 
services. -------------- 
WEEKEND STORIES: 
-------------- 
Sunday, April 5, 2009 
The front pages carried several stories about clashes between 
Palestinians and Israeli military.  In Gaza, all papers highlight 
the killing of two Al Qassam Brigades members and a teenage girl, 
suspected of planning attacks on the Israeli border units.  Separate 
reporting highlights clashes between Israeli soldiers and 
Palestinian and international activists who entered agricultural 
land near the Israeli Karmitsur settlement in northern Hebron 
Governorate.  A third front page story ran the weekly update of 
"scores of injuries" caused by tear gas, rubber bullets and 
"beatings with guns" by Israeli military. 
 
"An Israeli court supports settler control over Palestinian land," 
according to a front page headline in Al Quds.  The paper explained 
that in the landmark case, the Israeli military court ruled that 
settlers cannot be evacuated from Palestinian-owned land if the 
settlers can show that they have "used the land for agricultural 
purposes for a specific period of time."  The paper further noted 
that the ruling means that the Israeli Army will not evacuate 
settlers even when the Israeli Army itself has issued the evacuation 
orders. 
 
According to Al Ayyam's front page, the Jordanian Minister of 
Interior denied that his government has any contract with Hamas. 
The Minister explained that, "we do not interfere in Hamas' affairs 
and we do not allow Hamas to interfere in ours." 
 
Saturday, April 4, 2009 
Al Quds' and Al Ayyam's front pages highlighted the U.N. Human 
Rights Council's announcement of the appointment of Justice Richard 
Goldstone, Chief Prosecutor of the U.N. International Criminal 
Tribunals, to head an investigation into, "all violations of human 
rights committed during the last Israeli aggression against Gaza 
Strip." Reporting does note that violations by all groups will be 
investigated. 
 
-------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
-------------- 
1) Ibrahim Kandalaft, opines in Al-Quds independent daily under the 
title, "Peace can be achieved through the establishment of an 
independent Palestinian State"(04/06):  "As Palestinians, we should 
focus on the Palestinian cause and call on the international 
community and the Middle East Quartet to enforce international 
agreements and end the Israeli occupation in addition to announcing 
the establishment of an independent, Palestinian state with 
Jerusalem as its capital... the Middle East Quartet through the Road 
Map, focuses on the establishment of two states without, specifying 
clear borders or even a capital.  Therefore, we should abide by King 
Abdullah of Jordan's statements that peace cannot be achieved 
between Palestinians and Israelis unless a Palestinian state is 
established with Jerusalem as its capital." 
 
2)  Ghassan Zaqtan runs an editorial in Al-Ayyam independent daily 
under the title, "The Palestine Liberation Organization"(04/06): 
"It is not clear how unity talk participants are handling the PLO 
question.  What are they waiting for, before they take action to 
 
JERUSALEM 00000616  003 OF 003 
 
 
revitalize the PLO and pump new blood into its veins?  PLO reform 
has always been a political demand on the Palestinian political 
scene.  It did not first emerge after the recent conflict between 
Hamas and Fatah... PLO reform should not be understood as a response 
to Hamas'demands.  Rather, the PLO needs to become a strong and 
viable organization that is capable of change through the 
introduction of a new, modern vision so that it can respond to 
external changes at national, regional and international levels." 
 
WALLES