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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000990 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶1.  Iran 
 
¶2.  Mideast 
 
¶3.  U.S.-Israel Relations 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Major media (lead story in HaQaretz) reported that the U.S. 
administration is apparently toughening its stance towards Israel. 
HaQaretz reported that National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones 
told a European foreign minister a week ago that unlike the Bush 
administration, Obama will be "forceful" with Israel.  The media 
reported that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told the AIPAC 
conference in a private meeting last night that two states for two 
peoples is the only solution the U.S. is committed to.  He was 
quoted as saying: "Relations between Israel and the U.S. are 
unbreakable," adding that "this is the moment of truth for Israel 
and the Palestinians."  He also declared that "Iran is the 
number-one threat to the Middle East," and noted that it is hard to 
make progress wherever Tehran is involved in the Middle East. 
 
In his speech to the AIPAC conference, President Shimon Peres 
defended PM Benjamin Netanyahu as a leader who Qwants to make 
history.Q  He continued: QIn our tradition, making history is making 
peace. I am sure that peace is his real and profound priority. 
Yediot headlined: QPeres at NetanyahuQs Service.Q  The Jerusalem 
Post highlighted the part of PeresQs address in which he indicated 
that the Arab League peace plan could serve as a basis for moving he 
peace process forward. 
 
Electronic media reported that, in a short address transmitted via 
satellite from Jerusalem to the AIPAC conference, PM Netanyahu 
stated his desire to pursue Mideast peace talks, and voiced his 
concern over Iran's progressing nuclear program.  "We seek 
normalization of economic ties and diplomatic ties," Netanyahu was 
quoted as saying. "We want peace with the Arab world, but we also 
want peace with the Palestinians. That peace eluded us for more than 
30 years. Six successive prime ministers of Israel and two American 
presidents have not succeeded in achieving this peace," Netanyahu 
added.  "I believe it's possible to achieve, but I think it requires 
a fresh approach," Netanyahu said, adding that the new approach he 
suggests is "pursuing a triple track towards peace between Israel 
and Palestinians, a political track, a security track and economic 
track.  The [political] track means that we resume peace 
negotiations without any delay, the sooner the better, without any 
preconditions."  Netanyahu also said: QThe economic track means that 
we are prepared to move forward to remove as many obstacles as 
possible to the advancement of the Palestinian economy.  We want to 
work with the Palestinian economy not as a substitute for political 
negotiations, but as a booster. I want to see that the Palestinian 
youngsters have a future. I don't want them to be hostages of a cult 
of death, despair and hate.  I want them to have jobs."  The PM 
further said: "This means we can give them a future that means 
prosperity for all and it proved to be successful in many parts of 
the world.  I believe that this triple track is a realistic path to 
peace, and I believe that with the cooperation of President Obama 
and President Abbas we can defy the skeptics, we can surprise the 
world."  Netanyahu was quoted as saying: "Peace will not come 
without security, so I want to be very clear -- we shall never 
compromise on Israel's security. Second, for a final peace 
settlement to be achieved, the Palestinians must recognize Israel as 
a Jewish state.  They must recognize Israel as a nation state of the 
Jewish people."  Netanyahu also remarked on his upcoming meeting 
with Obama, saying: "I've met President Obama, I respect him and I 
look forward to seeing him in Washington in a couple of weeks.  We 
plan to continue our common quest for prosperity and for peace." 
Israel Radio reported that chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat rejected 
NetanyahuQs negotiations offer. 
 
Major media reported that a UN inspection committee presented its 
conclusions about Operation Cast Lead to UN Secretary-General Ban 
Ki-moon.  Yediot quoted an Israeli source as saying that if the 
conclusionsQ language is not softened, this would be an 
Qearthquake.Q  Yediot also quoted Israeli sources who scrutinized 
the report as saying that its compilers totally ignored information 
provided by Israel after the operation. 
 
Israel Radio quoted Hamas leader Khaled Mashal as saying in an 
interview with The New York Times that his group has halted its 
rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and is willing to accept a temporary 
two-state solution.  He said that Hamas was also eager to reach a 
cease-fire with Israel, and repeated Hamas's aim of reaching a deal 
that would involve the release of Gilad Shalit in exchange for 
hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. 
 
Maariv quoted QWestern and American sourcesQ as saying that messages 
emanating from Netanyahu indicate that he intends to focus his 
diplomatic efforts on Syria, not on the Palestinians.  The sources 
were quoted as saying that NetanyahuQs move is coordinated with the 
U.S. 
 
The media reported that, furious at a Spanish judge's decision 
yesterday to continue investigating Industry, Trade, and Labor 
Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe 
Ya'alon, and five other former top security officials for a 2002 
bombing in Gaza that killed top Hamas terrorist Salah Shehadeh and 
14 others, Israeli officials said yesterday that Spain's judicial 
system was being hijacked to attack Israel.  There is "no doubt that 
the filing of the lawsuit in Spain by a Palestinian human rights 
organization is a cynical move and another attempt to exploit the 
Spanish legal sysem to further political actions against Israel, 
said Yossi Levy, the Foreign Ministry's spokesman for the Hebrew 
press.  Levy said Israel was confident that the Spanish government 
and judicial system would take all measures necessary to ensure that 
this move would fail.  The judge rejected a request by the Spanish 
state prosecution that he drop the inquiry.  The Jerusalem Post 
reported that, in order to QembarrassQ Spain, Almagor, the Terror 
Victims Association, is finalizing a law suit against NATO personnel 
who approved bombings in Yugoslavia in the 1990s that killed some 
2,500 civilians.  Several top Spanish nationals Q including EU 
foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who served as NATO 
secretary-general from 1995-1999 Q are named in AlmagorQs case, as 
are officials from other NATO member countries, including the U.S. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying that the 
boycott by Israel and eight other nations improved the outcome of 
last monthQs UN anti-racism conference that was held in Geneva. 
 
Yediot and Israel Radio reported that Atty. Pinchas Marinsky is PM 
NetanyahuQs candidate to replace Ofer Dekel as point man on the 
prisoner issue.  Another contender for the post is Col. (res.) Lior 
Lotan. 
 
The media reported that during his visit to Rome, FM Avigdor 
Lieberman affirmed IsraelQs commitment to peace but did not endorse 
the idea of a Palestinian state as sought by the U.S. and the EU. 
He stressed the Iranian threat. 
HaQaretz , Maariv, and The Jerusalem Post quoted a senior UN 
official as saying yesterday that he would soon travel to Israel to 
seek an early Israeli withdrawal from parts of the village of Ghajar 
along the Lebanese border, in line with Security Council Resolution 
¶1701. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel is likely to answer 
questions on its treatment of Palestinian detainees, the alleged 
existence of a secret interrogation center known as Facility 1391, 
the closure of the Gaza crossings, and the West Bank security 
barrier when it appears before the UN Committee against Torture in 
Geneva today and tomorrow.  Israel is one of seven countries under 
periodic review this year by the committee, which has received 
reports on Israeli violations of the UN Convention against Torture 
from at least eight NGOs. 
 
HaQaretz reported that Israel prohibits Israelis from visiting 
JerusalemQs northern areas, outside the separation fence, unless 
they coordinate the visits with the defense authorities, which will 
give them military or police protection. 
 
HaQaretz reported that the Palestinian Authority has established a 
special counter-intelligence squad in its security services to 
uncover agents working for Hamas and Hizbullah.  To date the PA 
security services have arrested dozens of Palestinians suspected of 
collaborating with the two radical Islamic groups.  HaQaretz quoted 
Israeli security sources as saying that the PA has made a focused 
effort to uncover foreign agents, noting that the new unit involves 
a large contingent of officers. 
 
HaQaretz quoted Israeli security sources as saying that Syria 
continues to transfer advanced weaponry to Hizbullah while working 
to improve its relations with the U.S.  The Syrian aid to Hizbullah 
is interpreted as an attempt to ensure that the militant Lebanese 
group is sufficiently armed for a possible confrontation with 
Israel.   Syria's intention, according to the analysis, is to 
provide Hizbullah with sufficiently advanced arms to raise its 
strength and capabilities to a level beyond what the group had prior 
to the Second Lebanon War in July 2006.  In parallel, Syria is 
procuring sophisticated missiles that would enable it to target 
military bases inside Israel, in case a confrontation with Hizbullah 
escalates and Damascus is dragged into the conflict. 
 
The Jerusalem Post quoted an Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman as 
saying yesterday that Western policies based on pressuring Iran to 
give up its nuclear program will fail because they disregard 
IsraelQs nuclear capability, which is the Qfirst and greatest threat 
to security in the region.Q  The newspaper reported that Israeli 
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor categorically rejected that 
classification. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich 
told the daily on Sunday, before he addressed the AIPAC conference, 
that the Obama administration is setting itself on a collision 
course with Israel and endangering the Jewish State.  Gingrich also 
called the U.S. engagement with Iran a Qfantasy. 
 
HaQaretz reported that PM Netanyahu will make the final decision 
next week in the dispute between the finance and defense ministries 
over the proposed defense budget.  The Jerusalem Post reported that 
defense officials warned yesterday that IDF procurement and training 
plans will likely be harmed if the Treasury makes drastic cuts to 
the defense budget. 
 
Leading media reported that President Peres is urging the government 
to yield control of key Christian sites to the Vatican, a position 
believed to be opposed by Interior Minister Eli Yishai.  The 
Jerusalem Post quoted Rabbi David Rosen, chairman of the 
International Jewish Committee for Inter-religious Consultations, as 
saying that the proposal is unlikely to be approved. 
 
Maariv reported that, due to the swine flu epidemic, the Interior 
Ministry is considering barring foreigners who stayed in Mexico from 
entering Israel. 
 
Leading media reported that yesterday former Secretary of State 
Condoleezza Rice visited the Jewish Primary Day School in 
Washington.  The Jerusalem Post quoted her as saying that the costs 
to Iran are mounting.   Maariv reported that nine-year-old students 
embarrassed her by asking about the use of torture during the Bush 
administration. 
 
--------- 
¶1.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: QIsrael 
isn't arbitrarily trying to QswitchQ the discussion away from the 
Palestinians to Iran.  It is warning that a nuclear-armed Iran is 
the overriding threat -- to Israel, the Arabs, and the West.... 
Someone is trying to Qswitch the subjectQ all right -- but it isn't 
Israel. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"Switching the Subject" 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (5/5): 
Q[U.S.] administration officials are reportedly insinuating that the 
U.S. will only act -- in some unspecified fashion -- on Iran if 
Washington can muster an alliance of European and Arab countries. 
For that to happen, as The New York Times put it Monday, Israel -- 
if it wants the world to QconfrontQ Iran -- needs to Qwork toward 
an end to the Qoccupation,Q halt settlement construction, and foster 
the creation of a Palestinian state.  If this truly is Obama's 
position, frankly, we don't get it.  Does America really feel 
hamstrung in QconfrontingQ Iran without Arab and European support? 
Aren't the Arabs privately -- and insistently -- telling American 
envoys that they are as worried about Iran as Israel is?.... Israel 
isn't arbitrarily trying to QswitchQ the discussion away from the 
Palestinians to Iran.  It is warning that a nuclear-armed Iran is 
the overriding threat -- to Israel, the Arabs, and the West.  We are 
saying that the reason there is no Palestinian state is principally 
attributable to the intransigent, unrealistic and self-defeating 
Palestinian negotiating position which, if anything, will become 
less malleable should the mullahs get the bomb. Iran's proxies, 
Hamas and Hizbullah, would become even more puffed-up.  Someone is 
trying to Qswitch the subjectQ all right -- but it isn't Israel. 
 
------------ 
¶2.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Daphna Golan, who teaches law at the Hebrew University, wrote in the 
independent, left-leaning HaQaretz: QThe enormous notices [in local 
Jerusalem newspapers] testify to new construction in all the 
occupied territories around Jerusalem. 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"For Sale: Great Location" 
 
Daphna Golan, who teaches law at the Hebrew University, wrote in the 
independent, left-leaning HaQaretz (5/5): QIt's to be hoped that the 
White House gets a subscription to one of the local Jerusalem 
newspapers ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to 
Washington.  Simply leafing through the giant advertisements would 
save American and Israeli taxpayers significant amounts of time, 
money and grief.... The enormous notices ... testify to new 
construction in all the occupied territories around Jerusalem.... 
When American taxpayers are being forced to deal with cutbacks, we 
can spare them the money they invest in the construction and 
maintenance of the settlements.  Instead of investing time and 
resources in attempting to understand why Israel insists on building 
roads, neighborhoods and settlements for Israelis only, the White 
House could obtain a yearly subscription to one of the Jerusalem 
dailies.  It could also inform the Israeli Prime Minister and his 
cohorts that they will be welcome to come and discuss continued 
American support once construction for Israelis in the occupied 
territories has truly come to an end. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
-------------------------- 
¶3.  U.S.-Israel Relations: 
-------------------------- 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
Dov Weisglass, who was former prime minister Ariel Sharon's top 
diplomatic advisor, wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot 
Aharonot: QThis week AIPAC -Q the Jewish pro-Israel lobby -Q is 
celebrating two important events. 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
"The Jewish Model" 
 
 
Dov Weisglass, who was former prime minister Ariel Sharon's top 
diplomatic advisor, wrote in the mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot 
Aharonot (5/5): QThis week AIPAC -Q the Jewish pro-Israel lobby - 
is celebrating two important events: its annual conference and the 
cancellation of strange indictments against two of its senior 
officials.  Indeed, this is the opportunity to say a few words of 
appreciation and thanks to this important organization.  The core of 
AIPACQs activity is the development of Israel-U.S. links.  It has 
been endowed with deep knowledge of both the U.S. and the Israeli 
governments, and fundamental understanding of all aspects of 
binational connections.  AIPAC is sensitive about and aware of any 
possibility of failures in the relationship.  It does a great deal 
to prevent them.... AIPAC has earned worldwide appreciation for its 
status as a political, effective tool in relations between the 
Diaspora and the Jewish people in Israel. 
 
CUNNINGHAM