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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6795
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INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 7967
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4934
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4784
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6272
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3307

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 JERUSALEM 002144 
 
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 (11/30): 
"A Holiday With No Deals" Reflects Lack of Progress on Many Fronts 
 
Due to the Eid Al Adha holiday weekend, today's media reaction 
covers Palestinian newspapers published Friday, November 27, stories 
reported via online Palestinian media outlets, and today's edition 
of independent, Al Ayyam, the only Palestinian daily to publish 
today.  Post's regular media reaction will return tomorrow, Tuesday, 
December 1. 
 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
Friday, November 27 
 
All three dailies run front page stories detailing Palestinian 
leadership's demands for a full cessation of settlement activities, 
Israel's commitment to the 4th of June borders, and increased 
pressure from the U.S. on Israel to completely halt settlement 
construction in order to resume peace process negotiations. 
 
The dailies report at length on the speech given Thursday by Yasser 
Abed Rabbo, the secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee, in 
which he characterized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's temporary 
moratorium on settlement expansion a "political manoeuvre" which did 
not include anything new and called on the United States to 
intensify its efforts towards achieving a full cessation of 
settlement activities without exceptions and obtaining commitments 
from both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to the 4th of June 1967 
borders.  Abed Rabbo opined that the U.S. administration is capable 
of advancing a reliable peace process which everyone can trust, 
Palestinians, Arabs, and all entities wishing to see an end to this 
conflict, and an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian 
and Arab territories.  He reaffirmed the PA's desire that Senator 
Mitchell continue his efforts to promote a peace process that is 
capable of achieving the two-state solution on the basis of the 4th 
of June borders. 
 
Dailies quote a statement by Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
that the Israeli government's decision "could contribute to some 
kind of a breakthrough if followed by other measures including the 
full cessation of settlement activities."  Dailies also report that 
the Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Naser Joudeh, considered 
Israel's decision to freeze settlement activities in the West Bank 
for ten months "insufficient" and stressed the importance of 
completely halting all settlement activities including in East 
Jerusalem. 
 
The dailies report that Israeli leadership believes that through its 
temporary settlement freeze it has done its part to resume peace 
negotiations.  When asked about Palestinian leadership's rejection 
of the settlement freeze, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs 
Avigdor Liberman said, "Palestinians' concerns should be the least 
of our worries. What we should care about are our friends in the 
world... we talked with them and most of them told us: help us to 
help you...The ball is now in the Palestinian court."  Citing a 
story in the Israeli Yediot Ahranot newspaper, the dailies report 
that Netanyahu refused a request by the U.S. to consider 
transferring more control in West Bank to PA security forces. 
 
Palestinian Authority official daily Al Hayat Al Jadida front page a 
story entitled "Mitchell: We Object to Any Pre-Emptive Action in 
Jerusalem That Might Affect the Negotiations."  The article quotes 
Senator Mitchell that President Obama has said repeatedly "we 
 
JERUSALEM 00002144  002 OF 004 
 
 
believe that the two-state solution of the conflict is the best 
means towards achieving the joint objective of Palestinians and 
Israelis to live in peace and security...this is a question of U.S. 
national security interest and there is an urgent need for a 
solution."  The daily reports Mitchell reiterated that U.S. policy 
towards settlements remains unaffected and unchanged that "America 
does not accept the legitimacy of the Israeli settlements" and that 
"the status of Jerusalem and all final status issues should be 
resolved by the relevant parties through negotiations." 
 
Reporting on President Abbas' visit to Chile, the dailies quote 
Abbas saying that Netanyahu "chose occupation over peace."  Abbas 
added that "faced with this Israeli position, we are consulting with 
our Arab brothers, with the Latin American, African, European, and 
Asian countries and groups, and in the future with the American 
administration regarding the possibility of going to the UN Security 
Council with the aim of demarcating the borders of the state of 
Palestine on the 4th of June 19967 borders with its capital East 
Jerusalem." Abbas stated that "our goal...is an independent and 
sovereign Palestinian state with its capital East Jerusalem that 
lives side by side with Israel in peace and security...after 61 
years since the Nakbah, the time has come for the Palestinian people 
to live in peace and security in its independent and sovereign 
state." 
 
 
Saturday, November 28 
 
Independent news outlet Ma'an reported on Abbas' visit to Venezuela 
during which he dismissed Israel's settlement free as "meaningless" 
and that there would be no peace talks without a full freeze.  Abbas 
was accompanied by PLO chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, who was quoted 
saying "Without a settlement freeze, there can be no credible 
negotiations and no credible peace process. Settlements are not only 
illegal under international law. They pose the greatest threat to 
the two-state solution and run counter to the formula of 'land for 
peace' on which the entire Middle East peace process is built. And 
without East Jerusalem as its capital, there can be no viable 
Palestinian state...Time is running out for the two-state solution. 
While hopes for peace based on the two-state solution continue to 
fade, Palestinian demands for the restoration of our basic rights 
and freedoms will not." 
 
 
Sunday, November 29 
 
Ma'an reports that President Abbas concluded his trip to Latin 
America with a visit to Venezuela during which he signed a number of 
agreements with President Chavez to promote bilateral relations 
including initiatives to increase trade between Venezuela and the 
Palestinian territories and student exchange programs.  According to 
the reports, Chavez emphasized that the agreements were signed 
between the State of Palestine, recognized as a sovereign state, and 
Caracas.  Chavez stated, "Venezuela is Palestine; Palestine is 
Venezuela, we have a common struggle..."We should devote the entire 
force of our hearts and souls towards the creation of a Palestinian 
state." 
 
Ma'an reports on Prime Minister Fayyad's meeting with Costa Rican 
President Oscar Arias in Bethlehem during which Fayyad urged the 
international community to do more to stop Israel's settlement 
enterprise and said that the PA would undertake efforts to declare a 
Palestinian state.  President Arias urged the resumption of peace 
 
JERUSALEM 00002144  003 OF 004 
 
 
negotiations as soon as possible and stated his support for the 
Ramallah government. 
 
Ma'an reports that according to Israel's State Attorney's Office, 
Israel will release 980 Palestinians in exchange for Shalit. 
According to the story, Hamas will select 450 names and Israel will 
choose the rest "as a gesture to the Palestinian people" in a second 
stage of the deal.  Citing Al-Jazeera, the article reports that 
"negotiations will be completed in Gaza, and that Hamas wants to 
clarify certain safeguards required to complete the deal." 
 
Ma'an reports on protests in Jerusalem on Saturday by secular 
Israelis against the recent ultra-Orthodox Jewish campaign to shut 
down businesses working on the Jewish Sabbath in the city. 
According to the story, secular Israelis waved Israeli flags and 
held banners proclaiming "We are sick of [religious] coercion."  The 
story notes that the rally comes after weeks of ultra-Orthodox 
Jewish protests, which often turned violent, against the American 
company Intel's Sabbath office hours and Jerusalem Municipality's 
decision to allow a parking lot near the Old City to function on the 
Jewish Sabbath. 
 
 
Monday, November 30 
 
Independent daily Al Ayyam's main headline story reports on Abbas' 
trip to Venezuela and the PA intent to approach the UN Security 
Council on the issue of establishing a Palestinian state on the June 
4, 1967 borders.  Abbas stated that the PA is currently discussing 
the proposal with Arab, Latin American, African, Asian and European 
states and plans to approach the United States about it soon. 
 
Al Ayyam front pages, below the fold, the news that Special Envoy 
Mitchell will continue to serve as the U.S. Special Envoy on Middle 
East peace, that he plans to travel to the area in the near future, 
and he hopes that a solution to the question of "borders" can be 
reached soon. 
 
Al Ayyam headlines a center article reporting that captured Israeli 
prisoner Shalit will be transferred to Egypt in the coming days in 
preparation for the anticipated Hamas-Israel prisoner exchange 
deal. 
 
------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------- 
Samih Shbib opines in independent daily Al-Ayyam (11/27) under the 
headline "Settlement Speech," "We can consider this speech...a 
settlement speech...not a speech on halting settlement activities... 
this is a speech to legitimize settlements, to make settlements a 
given part of political life; and, not an issue that requires 
negotiations to stop."  In Shbib's opinion, Netanyahu excluded 
Jerusalem from the settlement freeze because it is Israel's "eternal 
unified capital," and therefore not considered a final status issue. 
 
 
Rajab Abu Seryeh writes in Al-Ayyam (11/27) under the headline "A 
Holiday With No Deals" that "the purpose of the announcement 
[10-month settlement moratorium] is to obstruct the Palestinian 
diplomatic attack [seeking UN recognition of Palestinian state]." 
According to Abu Seryeh, "The American Administration needs Israel's 
settlement freeze announcement to justify its contradictory position 
towards the PA proposed resolution [UN recognition of 
 
JERUSALEM 00002144  004 OF 004 
 
 
Palestine]...Israel also needs it in order to defend itself at the 
UN when discussing the PA-proposed resolution."  Abu Seryeh seemed 
to blame Secretary Clinton for U.S. support of Israeli settlement 
policy saying, "Although George Mitchell has stated that Israel's 
decision does not rise to the level of a complete halt of 
settlements, the U.S. Secretary of State has welcomed the Israeli 
decision." 
 
 
MARCHESE