VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #0953/01 1200945
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 300945Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1574
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHQA/HQ USAF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEADWD/DA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 5344
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 1933
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 5864
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 6154
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 5383
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 3919
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 6204
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 3013
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1220
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 9922
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 7427
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 2397
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 6425
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 8469
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH PRIORITY 1252
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 1924
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMSIXTHFLT  PRIORITY

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000953 
 
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 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶1.  U.S.-Israel Relations 
 
¶2.  Iran 
 
¶3.  Mideast 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted President Obama as saying on IsraelQs 61st 
birthday that the U.S. bond with Israel is Qas unshakable as ever 
as both nations pursue peace. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that PM Benjamin Netanyahu plans to tell 
President Obama that Israel will accept "some form" of the Arab 
Peace Initiative.  According to sources close to the policy review 
being undertaken by the new government, Israel will compromise on 
the Palestinian issue to obtain more direct and aggressive U.S. 
assistance on the Iranian front. It is not known if such help 
includes logistical support for Israeli strikes in the case of a 
military confrontation with Teheran.   The newspaper reported that, 
while left-leaning politicians have expressed guarded optimism about 
the proposal, leaders of the Right have been skeptical about its 
sincerity.  If Netanyahu indeed invokes the Arab Peace Initiative in 
his May 18 meeting with Obama in Washington, it would mark a major 
diplomatic concession for a Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu government.  But 
a senior Israeli official familiar with the issue told the Post 
yesterday that such a move would be more form than substance, since 
Israel has been in agreement with "some parts" of the initiative for 
years. 
 
HaQaretz and other media reported that President Shimon PeresQs 
office said that he will meet with President Obama on Monday, 
becoming the first Israeli official to meet with the new American 
president.  Peres will be in Washington to deliver the keynote 
address at the annual AIPAC conference, which begins on Sunday. 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also attend the two 
presidents' meeting.  Peres met with PM Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday 
to discuss the message the Israeli government wants to relay to 
Washington.  Opposition leader Tzipi Livni will also speak at the 
AIPAC conference, and is also likely to meet with Secretary Clinton. 
 Israel Radio reported that Peres is expected to tell the U.S. 
administration that Israel wants to reach understandings with the 
U.S. in all domains. 
 
Leading media quoted a Foreign Ministry official as saying that FM 
Avigdor Lieberman will make his first official trip abroad next week 
-Q to Rome, Paris, Berlin, and Prague.  HaQaretz reported that 
yesterday, during a reception at the PresidentQs Residence, 
Lieberman congratulated Israel on its 61st anniversary, telling 
foreign diplomats that QIsrael has worked hard to achieve peace 
since the country was created.  HaQaretz reported that a Foreign 
Ministry official has been warning European countries that unless 
they curtail criticism of Netanyahu's government, Israel will block 
the EU from participating in the diplomatic process with the 
Palestinians.  The main target of the offensive is EU External 
Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who recently called for 
a freeze in upgrading ties with Israel over its peace process 
policies. 
 
HaQaretz reported that Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) told 
the daily that Netanyahu intends to conduct Qserious negotiations 
with the Palestinians and Syria. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that, in the first case of its kind, a 
PA "military court" on Tuesday sentenced a Palestinian man to death 
by hanging after finding him guilty of selling land to Jews.  The 
verdict came shortly after the PA's chief Islamic judge, Sheikh 
Tayseer Tamimi, issued yet another fatwa (religious decree) banning 
Muslims from selling land or houses to Jews.  The death sentence is 
seen as an attempt by PA leadership in Ramallah to deter 
Palestinians from conducting real estate transactions with Jews. It 
follows reports that Jewish individuals and organizations recently 
bought land and houses from Arabs in Jerusalem and some areas in the 
West Bank.  The man sentenced to death is Anwar Brigith, 59, from 
the village of Bet Umar, north of Hebron. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Ibrahim Khraishi, the PLO 
Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told the newspaper last week that 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not win friends among the 
Palestinian delegation at the United Nation's anti-racism conference 
in Geneva last week, even though he championed their cause on its 
opening day.   Khraishi was quoted as saying that his speech Qwas 
not helpful at all.  It was not balanced.Q  QHe [Ahmadinejad] made 
it a show and used it as an election campaign for his country, 
E 
Khraishi said.  Although Ahmadinejad spoke of the QZionist crimes of 
aggression, carnage, and other brutalitiesQ against the civilians in 
Gaza, the overall thrust of his speech, which called for the 
eradication of Zionism, did not fit with the goals and aims of the 
Palestinian delegation in Geneva.  Khraishi pointed to AhmadinejadQs 
delegitimization of IsraelQs very existence and the Palestinians 
acceptance of Israel with the pre-1967 borders.  Khraishi was also 
quoted as saying that the PalestiniansQ weapon is international law, 
that Fatah will never accept Israel as a Jewish state, and that time 
is running out for both parties. 
 
Maariv reported that Shas leader, Deputy PM, and Interior Minister 
Eli Yishai is proposing an QIraq-likeQ outline, which would demand 
active American involvement until the Palestinians succeed in 
stabilizing an independent Qnational entityQ alongside Israel. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday U.S. National Security 
Council spokesman Mike Hammer told foreign journalists that the 
White House rejects the notion of putting timelines on its 
engagement with Iran, indicating that its efforts could take a 
significant amount of time. 
 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the German Near and Middle East 
Association (NUMOV), an NGO whose honorary chairman is former German 
chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, is promoting billions of Euros of 
trade between German companies and Iran.   NUMOV's Web site displays 
an invitation to next week's fifth annual German-Middle East Round 
Table: FOCUS IRAN. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that on April 23 in Jerusalem Ambassador 
Cunningham participated in ANZAC DayQs commemoration of the 
disastrous landing a Gallipoli by Australian and New Zealand 
soldiers who fought in World War I. 
 
HaQaretz reported that the Geneva Initiative CampaignQs activities 
are focusing on convincing Shas Party activists and the Russian 
immigrant community to support an Israeli-Palestinian agreement. 
 
The Jerusalem Post noted that there were several American-born 
soldiers among the 120 outstanding ones honored on Independence Day 
yesterday. 
 
Jeremy Ben-Ami, Executive Director of the liberal Jewish lobby J 
Street, was quoted as saying in an interview with The Jerusalem Post 
that the Zionist dream will not be fully realized until the 
Palestinians have a state. 
 
HaQaretz reported that yesterday, as part of the Nakba Day events, 
hundreds of Israeli Arabs visited the sites of Palestinian villages 
that had been demolished during the War of Independence.  The day 
marks the defeat of the Palestinian Arab community in the war. 
 
Citing the AP, The Jerusalem Post reported that TurkeyQs military 
chief Ilker Basbug told reporters yesterday that he was Qnot 
concerned by IsraelQs reactionQ to the Syrian-Turkish maneuvers, and 
that Turkey was not seeking any other countryQs comment. 
 
All media reported that the dispute between Bank of Israel Governor 
Stanley Fischer and Shari Arison, one of the richest Israelis, is 
getting worse.  The bank said that the appointment process of the 
CEO of Bank Hapoalim, the largest Israeli bank, in which Arison 
holds an important stake, is faulty. 
 
Yediot reported that between May 7 and 9, Arad, the hometown of 
famed Israeli novelist Amos Oz, will hold a festive cultural event 
in honor of his 70th birthday. 
 
The media reported that two cases of swine flu have been confirmed 
in Israel.  Neither of the patients was seriously ill. 
 
 
 
 
-------------------------- 
¶1.  U.S.-Israel Relations: 
-------------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz: QThe ideological affinity and close 
coordination that Israel enjoyed under Bush left the White House 
along with the former president.  Netanyahu will have to work in 
order to restore the intimacy and closeness to U.S.-Israel ties. 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: 
QCandidate Obama chose his words carefully when he declared that 
QIsrael's security is sacrosanctQ.... Those who would try to talk 
Obama out of this solemn pledge are no friends of Israel -- no way, 
no shape, no how. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  "Netanyahu Has His Work Cut Out" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (4/30): Q[In his approach to the Middle East,] 
Obama has called for a radical change in direction from his 
predecessor's policies, but at the same time has given relatively 
low priority to dealing with Israel and its neighbors.... Israel has 
enjoyed a Qwaiting periodQ in its relationship with Obama, but this 
period will end when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits 
Washington on May 18.  Obama and other senior administration 
officials have made it clear to Netanyahu that he should not waste 
their time by turning the visit into a public relations campaign; 
rather, he must propose practical steps for furthering the 
diplomatic process and improving the lot of the Palestinians. 
Netanyahu wants to place Iran at the top of the agenda, but U.S. 
officials will explain that Israel will have to give something in 
return.  The ideological affinity and close coordination that Israel 
enjoyed under Bush left the White House along with the former 
president.  Netanyahu will have to work in order to restore the 
intimacy and closeness to U.S.-Israel ties. 
 
 
 
II.  "Two New Leaders" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (4/30): 
QAs Israelis celebrated Yom Ha'atzmaut [Independence Day] yesterday, 
President Barack Obama completed the first 100 days of his 
presidency -- with some pundits and lobbyists baying for him to 
Qstand up to IsraelQ by imposing an American diktat to QsolveQ the 
Palestinian-Israeli conflict.... Candidate Obama chose his words 
carefully when he declared that QIsrael's security is sacrosanct, 
and that Qthe United States must be a strong and consistent partner 
-- not to force concessions, but to help committed partners avoid 
stalemate.Q  Those who would try to talk Obama out of this solemn 
pledge are no friends of Israel -- no way, no shape, no how. 
 
--------- 
¶2.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Columnist Ari Shavit wrote in the independent, left-leaning 
Ha'aretz, in a Qpolitical fictionQ piece set in a prospective 2012: 
QHad [Barack Obama] known at the beginning of his term what he knows 
now, he would have made a different strategic decision about Iran's 
nuclear program. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Obama 2012" 
 
Columnist Ari Shavit wrote in the independent, left-leaning 
Ha'aretz, in a Qpolitical fictionQ piece set in a prospective 2012 
(4/30): QThe first signs that something was wrong had already 
appeared at the end of that first year of grace.  Nevertheless, 
Washington was astounded when, in the summer of 2010, Iranian 
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that he was expelling 
international inspectors and galloping full-tilt toward the 
production of nuclear weapons.  The shock turned to horror on the 
eve of Christmas 2010, when Iran's spiritual leader, Ali Khamenei, 
stated that his country had its first three nuclear warheads -- 
aimed at Riyadh, Cairo, and Tel Aviv.... What went wrong?  Where did 
Obama go astray?  In retrospect, the answer is clear and simple.  In 
the summer of 2009, the President had to make the most courageous 
decision of his life: to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear 
weapons.... Ironically ... only such a decision could have saved his 
legacy and advanced the noble values he believed in.  Only that 
decision could have led to a comprehensive peace in the Middle 
East.... Had he known at the beginning of his term what he knows 
now, he would have made a different strategic decision about Iran's 
nuclear program. 
 
------------ 
¶3.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Columnist and former intelligence officer Amos Gilboa wrote in the 
popular, pluralist Maariv: QIf Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu 
promotes a new political-security program of his own in the near 
future, its vision has to be clear: a Palestinian state for the 
Palestinian people and a Jewish state for the Jewish people. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"No Movement without Recognition" 
 
Columnist and former intelligence officer Amos Gilboa wrote in the 
popular, pluralist Maariv (4/30): QFor [the Palestinians], the State 
of Israel is a creation that lacks any national identity, a product 
of colonialism, a vicious and aggressive entity.  The ludicrous 
Palestinian excuse is that there is no Jewish nationality and only a 
Jewish religion, and that members of other religions live in Israel, 
and not only Jews.  That is ludicrous because the Palestinians 
define themselves as both by means of their nationality and their 
religion.... What is sad is that there are some Israelis who claim 
that we do not need Palestinian and Arab recognition of the Jewish 
state.  It is enough, they say, that we define Israel as the Jewish 
state and that the world knows that.  In other words, we donQt care 
what or how the people in our surroundings view us.  That is a 
mistake because it means that the demand to have the refugees return 
will not end; it means that the Arabs of Israel will always be able 
to oppose the Jewish state and to act accordingly; it means that the 
Arab surroundings will always view us as a temporary factor; it 
means that Israelis will also be helping Ahmadinejad (and his many 
supporters in the West) promote his goal of dismantling, in the 
best-case-scenario, Israel as the state of the Jewish people.  If 
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu promotes a new political-security 
program of his own in the near future, its vision has to be clear: a 
Palestinian state for the Palestinian people and a Jewish state for 
the Jewish people. 
 
CUNNINGHAM