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P 220623Z OCT 09
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SUBJECT: SPECIAL ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION 
 
-------------------------------- 
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT: 
-------------------------------- 
 
Ambassador Susan Rice to Israel 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
The Jerusalem Post and HaQaretzQs Web site quoted U.S. Ambassador to 
the United Nations Susan Rice as saying last night in a speech 
during President Shimon PeresQ QFacing TomorrowQ Conference in 
Jerusalem -- which The Jerusalem Post said was warm and empathetic 
toward Israel -- that it is not enough just to pay lip service to 
peace and urged the government to immediately relaunch negotiations 
without preconditions, aimed at creating an independent Palestinian 
state and address the permanent-status issues: security for Israelis 
and Palestinians, borders, refugees, and Jerusalem.   HaQaretz noted 
that Rice assured Israelis -- many of whom are wary of President 
Obama's Mideast agenda -- that her government is committed to their 
security.  The media also remarked upon RiceQs mention of a Jewish 
state of Israel, with relation to the rest of Ambassador RiceQs 
remarks and the tenor of current U.S.-Israeli talks in Washington. 
 
Meanwhile, HaQaretzQs Web site quoted Israeli officials as saying 
yesterday that U.S. Special Envoy to Middle East Peace Senator 
George Mitchell  is close to a deal with Israel on terms for 
resuming peace talks with the Palestinians.  "There appears to be a 
meeting of the minds and hopefully the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue 
will be able to re-start in the near future," an Israeli official 
was quoted as saying, summing up talks held by negotiators for PM 
Netanyahu in Washington.  Under the prospective deal, on which 
Palestinians have not yet commented, the negotiations could be held 
on the basis of two decades-old U.N. Security Council resolutions 
242 and 338, another official was quoted as saying.  Such a formula 
could be acceptable to Israel since it interprets those resolutions 
as falling short of a demand to withdraw from all of the West Bank 
territory it captured during the 1967 Six Day War.  (The Jerusalem 
Post made a similar comment.) Israel Radio reported this morning 
that in a phone call yesterday to U.S. Secretary of State Clinton, 
FM Lieberman said that Israel is working to strengthen the PA but 
that its leaders continue to act against Israel in the international 
institutions. 
 
Most media led with the draft agreement between Iran and the West 
regarding uranium enrichment in Russia.  HaQaretz reported that Uzi 
Arad, head of IsraelQs National Security Council, has instructed all 
government officials involved in the Iranian nuclear issue not to 
respond to media reports on the draft agreement.  Arad issued the 
directive to officials in the Foreign Ministry, the Atomic Energy 
Commission, the Defense Ministry, and the IDF.   HaQaretz quoted a 
senior diplomatic source in Jerusalem as saying that the directive 
was issued because Israel wishes to ascertain the details of the 
draft agreement and to ensure media reports on the deal are 
accurate.  HaQaretz quoted Deputy DM Matan Vilnai as saying 
yesterday that despite Arad's instructions, the campaign to pressure 
the Islamic Republic seems to be bearing fruit.  "This proves how 
important international pressure is," Vilnai told IDF Radio.  "Iran 
is more susceptible to pressure than we may believe."  Even if Iran 
agrees to the plan to reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium, 
world powers need to keep pressure on Tehran to prevent it from 
developing nuclear weapon capabilities, he said.  Vilnai said Israel 
would examine the UN draft agreement cautiously, "paying attention 
to every detail," to make sure Iran was not just trying to buy time. 
 Israel would also like to verify whether the deal reflects the 
positions of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.S., and 
European countries.  Yediot reported that DM Ehud Barak told 
Ambassador Susan Rice that the military option should not be 
removed.  Media reported that Rice also discussed the Iranian 
nuclear program with PM Benjamin Netanyahu. 
 
 
HaQaretz reported that a representative of the Israel Atomic Energy 
Commission and a senior Iranian official met last month in Cairo to 
discuss the chances of declaring the Middle East a nuclear-free 
zone.  This is the first direct meeting between official 
representatives of the two states since the fall of the Shah in 
¶1979.  Meirav Zafary-Odiz, director of policy and arms control for 
the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, and Ali Asghar Soltanieh, 
Iran's delegate to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 
met several times over September 29 and 30 and, together with 
representatives of other countries, conversed, presented questions, 
and gave replies.  During the meetings, Zafary-Odiz explained the 
Israeli policy of being willing, in principle, to discuss the Middle 
East as a nuclear-free zone.  She also detailed Israel's unique 
strategic situation, saying regional security must be strengthened, 
security arrangements must be agreed upon, and a peace agreement 
must be sealed before Israel would feel at liberty to discuss this 
topic.  Zafary-Odiz said Israel lived in a complex geopolitical 
reality, noting that in three decades, four countries in the region 
broke their commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- 
Iraq, Iran, Libya, and Syria.  She said Israel takes a responsible 
approach to the nuclear issue as a whole and that the far horizon of 
its vision does include the possibility of a nuclear-free zone in 
the Middle East, even if the chances for this are slim.  Soltanieh 
defended his country's policy and said Iran was not striving for 
nuclear armament and did not endanger Israel.  He said Israel did 
not understand the mentality and ideology of the Tehran regime.  He 
said the regime did not oppose or hate Jews, but was merely 
politically opposed to Zionism.  He said Iran's growing arsenal of 
missiles was for defensive, not offensive purposes.  The meeting was 
held under the auspices of the International Commission on Nuclear 
Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND).  Also attending were 
representatives of the Arab League, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, 
Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, along with 
European and American officials.  The ICNND was set up by Australian 
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and it is chaired by a former foreign 
minister of Australia, Gareth Evans, and a former foreign minister 
of Japan, Yoriko Kawaguchi. Former FM Shlomo Ben-Ami sits on the 
advisory committee of the organization. 
 
Israel Radio reported that last night the Israel Air Force bombed 
two tunnels and a storage facility in Gaza in response to the 
launching of a rocket into Israel. 
 
HaQaretz reported that the U.S. and a number of important EU 
countries are pressing Israel to establish an independent commission 
of inquiry into the findings of the Goldstone report on last 
winter's Gaza offensive.  The daily reported that yesterday 
President Shimon Peres harshly condemned the Goldstone report, 
telling Ambassador Susan Rice that it "is outrageous that a 
respected institution like the United Nations provides a platform to 
spread lies and stories about Israel."  He was quoted as saying that 
the "U.N. provides a stage for Ahmadinejad, who threatens to 
annihilate Israel, and lets him stand judge.  This is nothing short 
of ridiculous."  Rice promised that the U.S. would continue to stand 
by Israel as a loyal friend in the fight against the Goldstone 
report.   HaQaretz also quoted Human Rights Watch as saying that the 
Hamas authorities in Gaza should immediately launch a "credible 
investigation" into allegations of serious violations by its 
fighters during Operation Cast Lead.  The call came in a letter the 
international NGO sent on Tuesday to Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas 
leader in the Gaza Strip.  Hamas said in response that while it 
would launch an investigation, the appeal by Human Rights Watch 
would be better directed toward Israel. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Ambassador Susan Rice to Israel: 
-------------------------------- 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  QU.S. Envoy to U.N.: Time for All to Put an End to Peace QLip 
Service 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post (10/22): QIn a warm and empathetic speech 
toward Israel, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said Wednesday 
night it was necessary to Qdecide whether we are serious about peace 
or whether we will lend it only lip serviceQ.... Her comments seemed 
to split the difference in issues of contention between Israel and 
the Palestinians.  While seeming to side with the Israeli position 
that the negotiations should start without preconditions -- in 
contrast to the Palestinian call for a complete settlement halt -- 
and that it should lead to an Qend of the conflict,Q or a 
Qcomprehensive peace,Q she nodded toward the Palestinian position in 
saying that all the core issues should be on the table: borders, 
refugees, and Jerusalem.  Her comment that the agreement should end 
the occupation that began in 1967 is generally agreeable to Israel, 
since it does not call for a withdrawal to the 1967 lines, a 
position Israel has been concerned the U.S. would adopt.  Also, 
Rice's call for a QJewish State of IsraelQ is important for 
Jerusalem, which wants the Palestinians to recognize Israel as the 
homeland of the Jewish people, just as Israel has declared that it 
would recognize a demilitarized Palestinian state.  A Jewish state 
is also generally seen as diplomatic code for denying a Palestinian 
refugee Qright of returnQ.... In light of comments such as Rice's, 
and the tenor of the talks in Washington, government officials said 
Wednesday it was unlikely U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 
would point an accusatory finger toward Israel when she reported on 
the status of the talks to U.S. President Barack Obama, as she is 
expected to do next week.  One Israeli official said that Qthere are 
a lot of different issues that have to be addressed,Q and that Qit 
is not clear we have gotten overQ all the obstacles.  The official 
said that while Israel had shown a willingness to come to Qsome sort 
of middle groundQ on a number of issues, there had been no softening 
of positions among the Palestinians.  As a result, the official 
said, there was no certainty inside the Prime Minister's Office that 
the Palestinians were indeed interested at this time in pursing 
negotiations, thinking that it may perhaps be in their interest to 
hold out for a better offer.  QThe Palestinians are not going to get 
everything they want,Q the official said.  QThey are not going to be 
able to fix the end game in advance. 
 
II.  QThe Threat Has Just Been Postponed 
 
Military correspondent Amos Harel wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning Ha'aretz (10/22): QOur region is a far cry from peace, 
as exciting as the reports from Vienna might appear. The actual deal 
between the world powers and Iran is yet to come, but the draft 
agreement proposed by the IAEA is a serious move forward, as is the 
positive reception of it by the sides at the table. This compromise 
slows the Iranian race for nuclear capability by a year or two. It 
certainly doesn't stop the nuclear project and Iran is not giving up 
the bomb.  Quite the contrary: it gets international recognition of 
its right to enrich uranium, ostensibly for peaceful purposes, while 
other, slower channels toward obtaining nuclear weapons remain 
open.... However, few would be surprised if Tehran brings up some 
more last-minute reservations to try and drag some more concessions 
from the international community.  If the Iranian regime does take 
the IAEA draft as it is, it may well be motivated by internal 
political calculations.... Refusing a deal could lead to sanctions, 
which would encumber the Iranians' daily lives to a degree the 
regime considers dangerous.  Assuming that staying in power is its 
top priority, even the nuclear program can wait a while.  Some 
loopholes certainly arise from reading what we know so far about the 
draft.  What will happen to the enriched uranium staying in Iran? 
And, as Donald Rumsfeld once poignantly observed, QThere are things 
we don't know we don't knowQ. The threat against the Israeli home 
front remains, with or without Vienna.  This makes the timing of the 
joint American-Israeli QJuniper CobraQ exercise all the more 
interesting.  [The impressive drill] sends a clear message about 
America's commitment to Israeli security. 
 
III.  QWeQll Pay the Price 
 
Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote on page one of the 
mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (10/22): QThis isnQt the 
light at the end of the tunnel.  If anything, this is the headlight 
of the locomotive rapidly rushing toward Israel -- the harbinger of 
a disaster.  This is how Israel should treat the agreement with Iran 
over the enrichment of uranium outside its territory, which the 
outgoing Chairman [sic] of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA), 
Mohamed ElBaradei, has proclaimed.  The agreement waved by 
ElBaradei has a price tag. This man, whom Western intelligence 
agencies identified long ago as a collaborator of Iran, is going to 
complicate our lives. Washington has already started to brace for 
the possibility that one of IranQs ultimate demands in exchange for 
the agreement will be international supervision of the Israeli 
nuclear installations.  We shouldnQt be surprised if a parade of 
senior Israeli officials is soon invited to Washington for 
QconsultationsQ over that price. 
 
IV.  QImplausible Belief 
 
Liberal columnist and television anchor Ofer Shelach wrote in the 
popular, pluralist Maariv (10/22): The Iranian nuclear program has 
long forsaken the domain of clear judgment and considerations of 
cost-efficiency, and turned into a kind of mystique.  Most Israelis 
donQt believe that anything has been done in earnest to stop the 
bomb until the Israel Air Force takes off, whatever the price.  The 
agreement that is shaping up is postponing that day, because Israel 
will have no legitimacy to attack while Iran fulfills its 
commitment.  In the consciousness that has been formed in Israel in 
recent years, this is an obstruction of the only way Israelis 
believe in. 
 
 
 
 
¶V.  QAmerica Is Not Sweden 
 
Liberal columnist Gideon Eshet wrote in Yediot Aharonot (10/22): QA 
body belonging to the [United States] Government bribed a suspected 
citizen in exchange for confidential information he acquired on his 
government job.  To sell to whom?  The same government sent a man 
posing as an agent of the Israeli Mossad to pay money received the 
goods.  The rest will be told in the treason trial.  That government 
was not reprimanded by [IsraelQs] foreign minister. Like Netanyahu, 
Lieberman is afraid of the U.S. administration.  The silence 
regarding the U.S. administrationQs trick, which also abused the 
reputation of Israel and the Mossad, teaches first and foremost 
about Israeli hypocrisy.  The Swedish Government is responsible for 
the contents of a private newspaper, but the U.S. Government is not 
responsible for a grave act carried out by the FBI?  The Israeli 
GovernmentQs hypocrisy is unequalled. 
 
CUNNINGHAM