VZCZCXRO2386
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #0632/01 0981032
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 081032Z APR 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4618
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 7632
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4608
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4457
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5951
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4372
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2949

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000632 
 
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 (04/08): PALESTINIANS LAMENT LACK 
OF RESPONSE TO HOME DEMOLITIONS 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL NOT BE A JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION ON 
APRIL 9 AS THE CONSULATE WILL BE CLOSED FOR A LOCAL HOLIDAY. 
 
Al-Quds' runs a front- page highlight of President Obama's visit to 
Iraq, highlighting that Obama said it was time for the Iraqi people 
to rule themselves and that U.S. operations in Iraq should end.  Al 
Hayat Al Jadida runs similar inside coverage.  Al Quds and Al-Ayyam 
continue front page coverage of Obama's visit to Turkey, running 
wire reports on Obama's remarks to students that peace in the Middle 
East is possible and that Israel is not responsible for all of the 
Middle East's problems.  Al-Quds also runs an inside photo of Obama 
visiting one of the largest and most popular mosques in Turkey.  In 
other presidential news, Al-Quds' front page announces that 
President Obama is expected to visit Israel and the Palestinian 
Territories in June. 
 
Al-Quds' front pages a DPA report on a delegation led by Congressman 
Lynch making a "discreet" two-hour visit to Gaza on April 7. 
According to coverage, the goal of the visit was to "get an overview 
of the Gaza situation after the recent conflict." The Congressmen 
met with the head of UNRWA and were briefed on "the suffering of 
Gazans."  Reporting notes that the U.S. visitors did not meet with 
any Hamas or other Palestinian leaders. 
 
Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam lead with the killing by Israeli police of a 
man from East Jerusalem who tried to run the police over with his 
car.  The two front pages also highlight the demolishing of the 
family home of a Palestinian from East Jerusalem who was shot in 
Jerusalem while attacking pedestrians and cars with a bulldozer last 
year.  All dailies run lead photos of Israeli soldiers guarding the 
bulldozers demolishing the attacker's home.  In related news, 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida front pages an AFP report about the U.S. 
objecting to Israeli house demolitions, calling it "uncontructive 
punishment." 
 
All front pages cover Palestinian Authority President Abbas' visit 
to Daghestan on April 7 to meet with its leader.  Reporting also 
notes that Abbas met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to 
discuss the political situation in the Palestinian territories, the 
upcoming Moscow Middle East peace conference, Palestinian national 
unity talks, Palestinian reconciliation, and Gaza reconstruction. 
 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida leads with statements by Israeli Foreign Minister 
Lieberman stating that negotiations between Palestinians and Israel 
have reached a dead end and that Israel will be proposing new ideas. 
According to coverage that also appears on Al-Ayyam's front page, 
Israel does not not intend to compromise on blocking the 
establishment of a Palestinian state. 
 
Al Quds' front page cites a wire report about Palestinian Authority 
President Abbas' intention to form a transitional government before 
unity talks continue in Cairo on April 26.  Abbas stressed that the 
people of Gaza could no longer wait for reconstruction to start. 
According to London-based Al-Hayat daily, Abbas feels that 
intra-Palestinian dialogue will take much longer than expected, 
though he remains committed to their success.  Coverage also reports 
that Abbas will task Salaam Fayyad to form the transitional 
 
JERUSALEM 00000632  002 OF 002 
 
 
government. 
 
Al-Quds runs a wire report on April 7 meetings between senior Fatah 
official Ahmad Quray and U.S. Consul General Walles and Middle East 
Quartet Envoy Tony Blair in the West Bank town of Abu Dis.  Quray 
briefed his visitors on Palestinian unity talks and Fatah's sixth 
party conference.  According to coverage that also appears on 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida's front page, Quray urged the U.S., Middle East 
Quartet, and the international community to pressure Israel to halt 
"provocative measures" against Palestinians.  Quray also noted that 
any negotiations that are not based on the Arab Peace initiative are 
"a waste of time."  In a joint press conference for Blair and Quray, 
Blair announced an Israeli decision to transfer more than $10 
million in cash to Gaza. 
 
All dailies front page coverage of Palestinian Authority (PA) 
Premier Fayyad and PA Minister of National Economy  Hassunah 
attending an opening ceremony for a number of development projects 
in Tubas district in the northern West Bank on April 7.  Premier 
Fayyad noted that the PA is keen to support the Palestinian economy 
and provide all needed support to ensure that Palestinians can 
remain on their land. 
 
All dailies front page news that an "extremist Jewish organization" 
called on Jews and settlers to go to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on 
April 8 and perform Passover rituals.  -------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
-------------- 
1) Al-Quds independent daily runs an editorial under the title, 
"Demolishing Jerusalemite houses and the  international community's 
silence"(04/08):  "Demolishing the houses of Jerusalemites is 
becoming a measure of collective punishment that Israel perpetrates 
on Palestinians residing in Jerusalem in order to evacuate the city 
y 
from its Arab citizens... these actions should be stopped by 
effective and continuous efforts on the part of the international 
community so that Palestinians are not left to face this attack 
alone, especially since the Israeli Government is supported by both 
its military power and judicial system that... rejects 
[legal]petitions submitted by Palestinians... where is the 
international community, where is the Arab Islamic world and what 
have they done to stop the attacks?" 
 
2) Regular columnist Hani Habib opines in Al-Ayyam daily independent 
under the title,"Mitchell pitches the Arab Peace Initiative to 
Israel" (04/08):  "The U.S. Administration represented by President 
Obama, Secretary Clinton and Special Envoy Mitchell sent [the new 
Israeli Government] a message that the Arab Peace Initiative is an 
part important part of U.S. Middle East policy formulation... 
Netanyahu's Government will try to avoid conflict with the Obama 
Administration on that point and may take some steps toward 
satisfying the U.S. Administration by minimizing Palestinian 
suffering through Netanyahu's vision of the so-called economic 
peace.  Netanyahu's Government might also, however, try to embarrass 
the U.S. Administration by using Arab and Palestinian division as a 
pretext for not achieving any progress on the Arab Peace 
Initiative." 
 
WALLES