VZCZCXRO1230
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #0672/01 1060810
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 160810Z APR 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4670
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 7641
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4617
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4466
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 5960
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4381
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2958

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000672 
 
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 (04/16):  PALESTINIANS SEE DOUBLE 
STANDARD IN US DEALINGS WITH ISRAEL, 
PALESTINIANS 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Voice of Palestine (VOP) official radio aired an interview with 
Consul General Walles on their main evening news broadcast on April 
¶14.  The interview led the broadcast and highlighted U.S. commitment 
to the two-state solution.  The interview was rebroadcast on April 
15 as part of VOP's popular morning show and excerpts ran on the 
midday news show. 
 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida and Al-Ayyam lead with news of the April 15 
meeting in Ramallah between Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos and 
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Fayyad.  Al-Quds also runs 
front page coverage.  According to reports, Fayyad stressed the 
importance of exerting pressure on Israel to halt settlement 
activities in all of the "Occupied Territories, including Jerusalem" 
in order to provide, "vital support" to the peace process.  Fayyad 
reiterated that Israel must abide by international standards and the 
Road Map and stressed that regional peace can be achieved if the 
Israeli occupation ends.  Fayyad called on European countries and 
the Middle East Quartet to play a central role in these efforts. 
For his part, Moratinos stressed that Europe will not accept Israeli 
refusal of signed agreements, Israel must should meet its 
obligations to regional peace efforts and must halt settlement 
activities in support of a two-state solution.  The same coverage 
quotes Special Envoy Mitchell from Tunisia noting that peace in the 
Middle East is a priority for President Obama.  Al-Ayyam and 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida run separate front page coverage of Mitchell 
stressing that peace between Palestinians and Israel must be based 
on the two-state solution, with two states living together in peace 
and security. 
 
Al-Quds runs inside coverage citing DPA of PLO chief negotiator 
Sa'eb Erekat's comments from a press conference on April 15 in 
Jericho.  Erekat spoke after meeting with Congresswoman Lowey's 
delegation and U.S. Consul General Walles in Jerusalem about 
obliging Israel to accept the two-state solution as the basis for 
negotiations.  Erekat also noted that Israel must commit to signed 
agreements, halt all settlement activities and lift "the siege" and 
closures on the West Bank and Gaza.  The U.S. delegation expressed 
U.S. support for the two-state solution and commitment to signed 
agreements between Palestinians and Israel. 
 
Al-Quds leads with and the two dailies front page news about 
Palestinian groups declaring April 17, a "national solidarity day" 
in support of the 11,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.  In 
related news, front pages report on calls by Islamic "activist 
institutions" urging Muslims to go to the Jerusalem Al-Aqsa Mosque 
compound on April 16.  The action is aimed at preventing "extremist 
Jewish groups" from making good on their promise to "break into" the 
compound, according to coverage. 
 
An Al-Ayyam inside page cites wire reports about Secretary Clinton 
calling for coordinated, international efforts to combat piracy and 
notes that Clinton will send an envoy to a donors conference for 
Somalia to discuss the issue.  In local economic news, Al-Quds' 
inside page reports on a U.S. Consulate General delegation visiting 
the West Bank Qalqiliyah Chamber of Commerce on April 14. 
Discussions with local leaders focused on the city's "deteriorating 
economic situation" caused by Israeli closures and restrictions on 
the movement of people and goods, according to coverage.  Local 
leaders called for U.S. Consulate General support in addressing the 
issues, reporting adds. 
 
JERUSALEM 00000672  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
In cultural news, Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam run inside page reports on a 
cooperative project between the U.S. Consulate General and a West 
Bank theater in Beit Jala to translate and perform Mark Twain's play 
"The Prince and the Pauper" for young audiences throughout the West 
Bank.  The reports highlight a congratulatory message from Consulate 
Public Affairs Officer Schweitzer-Bluhm. 
-------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
-------------- 
1) Al-Quds independent daily runs an editorial under the title, 
"What happened to the two-state solution?"(04/16):  "If the U.S. 
joins Israel in its boycott of Hamas and allows Israel to control 
the Gaza Strip in an effort oust Hamas because it does not recognize 
Israel, why doesn't the U.S. apply the same logic when dealing with 
Israel who refuses the two-state solution, Annapolis and an 
independent Palestinian state?  This [U.S.] policy highlights the 
double standard used by international powers and particularly the 
U.S. in dealing with [the two parties of] the Palestinian-Israeli 
conflict." 
 
2) Talal Okal opines in Al-Ayyam independent daily under the title, 
"The ball is in the American court" (04/16):  "This is the third 
visit by Envoy Mitchell to the region since being named by 
Presidents Obama... although these visits have not yet resulted in 
anything tangible, they reflect the seriousness of President Obama 
in pursuing the political process right from the beginning [of his 
tenure] ... The visit this time will be for the purpose of meeting 
with the newly-formed Israeli government which has already rejected 
everything related to the peace process...  This rejection will 
require the U.S. administration to spend tremendous amounts of time 
and effort on repaving the peace process road [if still possible.]" 
 
WALLES