VZCZCXRO8859
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1221/01 1970908
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 160908Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5459
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 7776
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4748
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4595
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6089
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4514
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3090

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001221 
 
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 (07/16): "Qaddoumi: Why did you 
choose to talk now?" 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
 
Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida run front page coverage of Secretary 
Clinton's speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on July 15. The 
papers quote Clinton calling on the Arab states to start taking 
tangible measures towards normalizing relations with Israel. Clinton 
reiterated that "the Arab countries should prepare their citizens to 
accept peace and accept the status of Israel in the region." 
 
All dailies lead with news on the opening of the 15th non-aligned 
movement (NAM) summit in Sharm Al-Sheikh on July 15.  Al-Quds runs 
the full text of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud 
Abbas's opening speech. In it, Abbas reiterated that "the 
Palestinians' flexibility in negotiations with Israel doesn't mean 
that the Palestinians will compromise on their national principles." 
Abbas also noted that "Israel has not shown any real cooperation 
until this date, but rather it continues to impose difficult 
conditions that are hard for Palestinians to meet." Abbas also 
stated that Isarel's continued settlement expansion is at the core 
of the conflict. Al-Hayat Al-Jadida runs front page coverage of 
President Abbas reiterating that the Fatah Party Congress will be 
held on the set date of August 4, regardless of any rumors stating 
otherwise. 
 
All dailies feature front page coverage of PA Prime Minister Salam 
Fayyad ordering PA Attorney General Ahmad Al-Mughani to file suit 
against the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television network after shutting 
down their West Bank offices on July 15 on charges of "incitement 
and false information." These actions were taken after the network 
aired recent comments by senior Fatah member Farouq Qaddoumi 
accusing President Abbas of involvement in a plot to kill Yasser 
Arafat. 
 
All dailies carry front page reports citing AFP on an International 
Monetary Fund report praising the economic reforms achieved by the 
PA and Prime Minister Fayyad since 2006. The report also notes that 
"the Palestinian economy may achieve more positive results if Israel 
continues to lift restrictions imposed on the Palestinian economy." 
 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida front page news cites Israeli army radio 
reporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to draft an 
alternative peace initiative to the one that will be presented by US 
President Barack Obama. Sources close to the Israeli government said 
that Netanyahu will try to work closely with Egyptian President 
Hosni Mubarak when drafting this new plan. 
 
All dailies front page reports citing Reuters on Israeli officials 
meeting with US advisor Fredrick Hoff to assess the possibilities of 
re-launching negotiations with Syria. The Israelis reiterated that 
in order for them to pursue negotiations with Syria, the latter has 
to distance itself from Iran and other Islamist movements that do 
not recognize Israel, according to coverage.-------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
-------------- 
1) Regular columnist Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul opines in Al-Hayat 
Al-Jadida official daily under the title, "Qaddoumi: Why didn't you 
present the minutes of meeting earlier?" (07/16): "If your claims 
s 
are true [about President Abbas's involvement in a plot to kill 
Arafat], why did you remain silent all this time? If your claims are 
true, doesn't this mean that you are also a partner in the plot? Why 
 
JERUSALEM 00001221  002 OF 002 
 
 
did you choose to talk now? How much did the Americans and Israelis 
pay you to stay silent?" 
 
2) Abdallah Awwad opines in Al-Ayyam independent daily under the 
title "The comprehensive war of Judaicization" (07/16): "The hunger 
for authority has always been a Palestinian problem. Palestinians 
accepted meaningless authority under the occupation while they 
forgot about the homeland and unity ... They allowed themselves to 
transform their conflict with the Israeli occupation into a bloody 
internal conflict that will ruin any chance to end the Jewish scheme 
of judaicization of Palestine through a comprehensive war against 
the land, the people, and their history!" 
 
 
WALLES