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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002442 
 
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.  Mideast 
 
¶3.  Iran 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
All media quoted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as saying 
yesterday in a televised address that he had no wish to seek 
reelection through a presidential poll he called for January.  Abbas 
blamed the stalemate in the peace talks on Israel and the U.S. 
HaQaretz reported that Abbas and his associates were particularly 
critical of the U.S. administration, which Abbas believes betrayed 
him.   Media quoted Abbas associates as saying that Abbas may 
recant.  Leading media surmised that jailed Fatah leader Marwan 
Barghouti may eventually run in the PA Presidency race and that 
Israel may have to face him and Hamas. 
 
Yediot reported that Israel is keeping mum about Abbas 
announcement.  Israel Radio quoted Israeli Government officials as 
saying that AbbasQ move was motivated by domestic considerations and 
that Israel does not intend to interfere in the matter.  On the 
other hand, HaQaretz and other media reported that Israeli and 
American officials expressed concern over Abbas' announcement. 
President Shimon Peres telephoned Abbas on Wednesday night in an 
effort to persuade him to change his mind.  HaQaretz reported that 
Peres told Abbas that he was worried that the decision would trigger 
political crisis in the PA, leading to a Hamas takeover in the West 
Bank.  "If you leave the Palestinians would lose their chance for an 
independent state," Peres reportedly told Abbas. "The situation in 
the region would deteriorate. Stay, for the Palestinian people's 
sake," he was quoted as saying.   HaQaretz reported that aides to PM 
Benjamin Netanyahu refused to comment on Abbas' statement, but that 
the PM has reportedly said in private meetings recently that it was 
in Israel's interest to have a strong Abbas who could advance the 
peace process.  Yediot quoted Netanyahu as saying in private 
meetings the he appreciates Abbas.  According to HaQaretz, Netanyahu 
made similar statements to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a week 
ago, saying that it was in Israel's interest to strengthen Abbas as 
much as possible.  HaQaretz quoted Netanyahu as saying a few days 
ago: "Of the existing alternatives, if we want an agreement with the 
Palestinians then Abbas is the best partner.Q  Netanyahu reportedly 
said he was serious about the peace process with the Palestinians 
and was ready to take risks to advance peace, despite the PA 
leadership's impression to the contrary.  HaQaretz quoted Netanyahu 
as saying: "The best partner is Abbas, but any Israeli intervention 
in internal Palestinian politics would only do harm."  DM Ehud Barak 
added that he hoped Abbas' reluctance to run for reelection would 
not damage the attempt to resume the peace process.  "It's important 
for both sides to adhere to the principle of negotiating to advance 
an arrangement," Barak said in a statement. HaQaretz quoted Barak as 
saying: "I suggest making every effort to reach a 
two-states-for-two-peoples arrangement, while preserving Israel's 
security interests," he was quoted as saying.   Former Meretz leader 
Yossi Beilin as quoted as saying in an interview with Israel Radio 
that the remainder of AbbasQ term should be used to conclude a 
final-status agreement. 
 
HaQaretz quoted a senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously about 
the possibility of Abbas disappearing from the political scene, as 
saying: "There's a real crisis situation in the PA."  HaQaretz 
reported that Clinton asked Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on 
Wednesday and Arab foreign ministers she met in Morocco two days 
earlier to urge Abbas to remain in office and run for reelection. 
 
Major media reported that today Israel rejected a U.N. General 
Assembly (UNGA) resolution urging an investigation into the 
Goldstone Report and condemned the world body vote as "completely 
detached from realities".  In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said 
in response to yesterdayQs vote that Israel "maintains the right to 
self-defense" and would "continue to act to protect the lives of its 
citizens from the threat of international terrorism.Q  The 
192-member UNGA adopted the resolution Thursday by a vote of 114-18, 
with others absent or abstaining.  The resolution calls on the 
Security Council to act if either side fails to launch credible 
investigations within three months.   HaQaretzQs Web site reported 
that the harshly worded U.N. draft resolution, composed by Arab 
member states, has not been softened despite U.S. and European 
efforts.  Israel's Ambassador to the U.N., Gabriela Shalev, told 
HaQaretz before the vote that she did not plan to take part. "I 
won't lend a hand to a debate whose conclusions are predetermined. 
It was a predictable Arab game."  The draft resolution includes a 
demand for the Israeli Government to carry out an "independent and 
credible" internal investigation of its own conduct during Israel's 
three-week offensive in Gaza, which left over 1,000 Palestinians 
dead.  Hamas is not mentioned by name in the UN draft resolution. 
Instead, it calls on the "Palestinian side" to carry out an 
investigation into the Goldstone report findings that relate to 
Palestinians.  The draft resolution also includes a recommendation 
to convene the signatories of the fourth Geneva Convention treaty 
for an emergency session to discuss Israel's violations of the 
treaty.  Apart from Israel and the U.S., a number of European 
countries including Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and the Czech 
Republic voted against the resolution. But the European Union was 
split, with others including Britain and France abstaining.  Most 
developing countries voted in favor.  Media reported that Israel's 
Deputy Ambassador Daniel to the U.N. Daniel Carmon told the assembly 
that the resolution "endorses and legitimizes a deeply flawed, 
one-sided and prejudiced report of the discredited Human Rights 
Council and its politicized work that bends both fact and law." 
HaQaretz quoted U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Alejandro Wolff 
as sayng that the resolution was flawed in several respects, 
including its failure to name the Hamas militant movement that rules 
Gaza. He also said a demand for international supervision of any 
Israeli and Palestinian investigations was "unhelpful."  HaQaretz 
reported that IDF Advocate General Maj. Gen. Avihai Mandelblit has 
already instructed the army to investigate the claims of the 
Goldstone Report. 
 
The Jerusalem Post and Yediot quoted the Prime MinisterQs Office as 
saying that no formal meeting with President Obama has yet been 
scheduled for PM Netanyahu, who leaves for Washington on Sunday. 
Yediot quoted senior sources in Washington as saying that Netanyahu 
should Qcontinue to sweat.Q  The dailyQs Shimon Shiffer commented 
that the White House is QhazingQ Netanyahu. 
 
Major media reported that yesterday, in the wake of Israel's 
interception of the Iranian arms-laden Francop cargo ship, PM 
Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of "war crimes" and called on the 
U.N. to investigate it instead of Israel for attacking innocent 
civilians.  The "sole objective" of these Iranian weapons, Netanyahu 
said, "was to attack and kill as many civilians -- women, children 
and the elderly -- as possible.  This is a war crime."  "The UN 
General Assembly, which is meeting today, should investigate, 
discuss and condemn [the Iranian shipment].  This is a war crime 
that should prompt the U.N. Security Council to convene in special 
session, especially since it was in gross violation of UN Security 
Council resolutions," Netanyahu said.  "This is what the 
international community should concentrate on at all times -- but 
especially today.  But instead, they have chosen to assemble and 
condemn the IDF and Israel, and to try and undermine our legitimate 
right to defend ourselves," Netanyahu stated.  The PM added that the 
IDF was a moral army of the highest caliber. "We know that it is the 
IDF and IsraelQs security services that stand against the war 
criminals who plan to perpetrate war crimes against Israeli 
citizens.  I think that the time has come for the international 
community, at least its more responsible countries, to recognize the 
truth and not promote a lie," Netanyahu said.   The Jerusalem Post 
reported that Israel's envoys overseas were instructed to urge their 
host countries to cease all dealings with Iran's state shipping 
company, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines -- IRISL -- 
which shipped the weapons from Iran to Egypt, in containers marked 
with its logo.  Britain last month barred all such dealings. 
The media reported that in spite of the Israeli PR effort, 
international and even American media gave relatively minor coverage 
to the ship seizure.  State-run Iran TV said in a commentary that 
the "Israeli propaganda" was aimed at diverting attention from 
allegations of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.  A Syrian Foreign 
Ministry official expressed the same view.  Iran's English-language 
Press TV said FM Manouchehr Mottaki had dismissed the allegations on 
the cargo's destination and route.  The Jerusalem Post quoted 
Ghassan Khatib, a spokesman for AbbasQ government, as saying: "Since 
the Israeli leadership and society are not ready for peace, they are 
using any pretext to shun peace obligations, and one is the issue of 
the Iranian shipment."  Yesterday Hizbullah denied any links to the 
shipment -- as Syria had done on Wednesday, when its Foreign 
Minister Walid Muallem accused Israel of "piracy."  In a statement 
faxed to the AP on Thursday, Hizbullah said it "categorically 
denies" any connection to the weapons.  It also called Israel's 
actions "piracy." 
 
HaQaretz reported that President Obama has promised the Palestinian 
leadership that there will be no change to U.S. policy on the issue 
of Jerusalem, and that East Jerusalem does not constitute part of 
Israel.  As such, any Israeli construction in East Jerusalem, like 
in the West Bank, is illegal.  According to HaQaretz, this promise 
was meant to resolve the crisis of confidence between President 
Abbas and the U.S., and remove his threat to resign from political 
life.  HaQaretz recorded that two weeks ago the U.S. administration 
asked Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to stop the 
reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas.  The Americans 
announced that if a Palestinian unity government is set up that 
would include Hamas, the U.S. would have to cease its financial aid 
to the PA. 
 
Maariv (Shmuel Rosner) tells the Qfull story behind [recent] 
U.S.-Israel relations,Q including a reported meeting between 
President Obama and Saudi King Abdullah, which allegedly changed the 
PresidentQs opinion that Israel should be kept in check.  Rosner 
reported that U.S. Special Envoy Senator George Mitchell told one of 
his acquaintances that President Abbas is the last of his concerns. 
Reminded by RosnerQs friend that Abbas insists on refusing to talk 
with Netanyahu without a full freeze in settlement construction, 
Mitchell reportedly answered that he will have no choice but to 
negotiate with Israel. 
 
The Jerusalem Post headlined an article on the current perception of 
President Obama among the American public: QAmericans Want Results, 
not Symbolism, from Obama. 
 
HaQaretz cited a report [on International Religious Freedom] from 
the State Department according to which Israel dismally fails the 
requirements of a tolerant pluralistic society: despite boasting 
religious freedom and protection of all holy sites, Israel falls 
short in tolerance toward minorities, equal treatment of ethnic 
groups, openness toward various streams within society, and respect 
for holy and other sites.  The comprehensive report, written by the 
State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, says 
Israel discriminates against groups including Muslims, Jehovah's 
Witnesses, Reform Jews, Christians, women, and Bedouin.  The report 
says that the 1967 law on the protection of holy places refers to 
all religious groups in the country, including in Jerusalem, but 
"the Government implements regulations only for Jewish sites. 
Non-Jewish holy sites do not enjoy legal protection under it because 
the Government does not recognize them as official holy sites."  The 
report makes it clear that practices that have become routine in 
Israel are considered unacceptable in enlightened countries and 
should be corrected.  Among other examples, the report notes that 
more than 300,000 immigrants who are not considered Jewish under 
rabbinical law are not allowed to marry and divorce in Israel or be 
buried in Jewish cemeteries.  The paper advertised a fuller read-out 
of the report in its upcoming Sunday edition. 
 
HaQaretz does not expect many people to join the QDemocratic Scene 
(freely translated) -- the circle formed by the Labor Party 
Qrebels,Q which will convene for the first time on Sunday.  Shalom 
Yerushalmi of Maariv expects the group to drive yet another nail in 
the Labor PartyQs coffin and demand the partyQs division. 
 
HaQaretz reported that on Thursday the first part of a new five-acre 
memorial plaza for the September 11, 2001 attacks will be unveiled 
in JerusalemQs Arazim Valley in the Ramot neighborhood.  The 
newspaper notes this will be the first 9/11 memorial with names 
outside the U.S. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reviewed a new book by Allis Radosh and Ronald 
Radosh: QA Safe Heaven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel. 
 The newspaper says that TrumanQs example should inspire President 
Obama in his quest for Middle East peace. 
 
The media reported that the annual rally in memory of the late PM 
Yitzhak Rabin, which was delayed because of the weather, will take 
place tomorrow night at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv. 
 
-------------------------- 
¶1.  U.S.-Israel Relations: 
-------------------------- 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  QHalf a Meeting 
 
Senior columnist Nahum Barnea wrote in the mass-circulation, 
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (11/6): QI'm guessing that in the end 
there will be a meeting [between President Obama and Prime Minister 
Netanyahu].  It will take place because not having it will depict 
Netanyahu as the victim and Obama as the enemy of Israel.  That 
would damage Obama in the Jewish community, damage that he can less 
and less afford.  Should it take place, the meeting will not meet 
the role it was assigned.  It will be forced, coerced.  It will not 
give Netanyahu an opportunity to clean the slate, to turn over a new 
leaf, to create trust, to build intimacy.  Relations are cloudy, 
admit sources on both sides.  There is mutuality in this crisis, 
there is symmetry: Obama is convinced that Netanyahu stuck a knife 
in his back; Netanyahu is convinced that Obama is the one who stuck 
the knife.  Above this troubling story, which has still not turned 
into headlines, hovers a cloud of failure.  The Obama administration 
failed abysmally in the strategic step it took, which was meant to 
turn the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians into the 
engine that would bring the entire region under America's wing, from 
the Mediterranean Sea to the edges of Afghanistan.  His failure is 
liable to ultimately be our disaster.  Ironically, the only ray of 
light at the moment is the activity relating to Iran.  Netanyahu is 
sure that he knows who is to blame: White House Chief of Staff Rahm 
Emanuel.  He heard inside information, from the White House, 
verified information.  Emanuel drips venom.  My sources may be less 
good, but the picture they paint is different.  Netanyahu's problem, 
they say, is not Emanuel.  It is Obama. 
 
II.  QObama Needs Us 
 
Editor-in-Chief Amnon Lord wrote in the nationalist, Orthodox Makor 
Rishon-Hatzofe (11/6): QThe Obama administration needs Israel and 
Benjamin Netanyahu to provide some response on the narrow front of 
American politics.  The Palestinians make it easy for Prime Minister 
Netanyahu to sound and look positive regarding the Qpeace process, 
as he expresses his willingness to enter negotiations at once.... 
[In the Iranian arena,] Netanyahu has presented a positive position 
regarding the agreement to transfer enriched uranium [sic] to Russia 
and France.  This is excellent, particularly as Iran announced a few 
hours later that it is rejecting the proposed accord. 
 
III.  QWhat Are American Jews Good for? 
 
Jewish affairs correspondent Anshel Pfeffer wrote in Ha'aretz 
(11/6): QWhy don't we all grow up?  We are brothers and sisters. 
But we live in different neighborhoods, on separate continents. 
[American and Israeli] Jews can all be proud of their incredible 
success stories and are all facing enormous challenges.  We should 
try and help each other out, without expecting much gratitude, but 
ultimately we all have to deal with our own troubles.  American Jews 
are doing themselves a disservice by mistaking Israel's problems for 
their own. 
 
------------ 
¶2.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
¶I.  QThe Bitterest Deadlock 
 
Editor-in-Chief David Horovitz wrote in the conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post (11/6): QGetting Obama alongside Meretz 
on the Israeli political spectrum, as I did in this column last 
week, misrepresents the thrust of his administrationQs policies 
regarding the Palestinians.  Broadly speaking, indeed, it seems 
reasonable to acknowledge that a fairer sitting might have been 
closer to the flexible OlmertQs Kadima Q although the 
administrationQs forceful calls for a complete freeze to include 
east Jerusalem and the settlement blocs would not have sat easily 
even with Olmert.  Whatever the respective attitudes to a permanent 
accord, however, the sorry truth for now is that the U.S., for all 
its energetic diplomacy, cannot so much as get the players back into 
the same room.  Indeed, that full freeze demand, including east 
Jerusalem, has proven as counterproductive as critics, this 
columnist included, predicted the U.S. took a position that even the 
much-moderated Netanyahu was never going to accept, a position that 
raised Palestinian expectations.  While Abbas has been arguing that 
he can hardly come back to the peace table under terms less 
advantageous than those the U.S. was attempting to impose on its 
ally Israel, Washington has been searching, so far in vain, for a 
means to help him down from the tree.  Now Abbas may be gone for 
good. 
 
II.  QPolitical Foil 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning HaQaretz (11/6): QSeveral weeks ago Israel embarked on 
a mission to politically foil the president of the Palestinian 
Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.  The man who was a favorite of Ariel 
Sharon and Ehud Olmert became, in the age of Benjamin Netanyahu, a 
dangerous rival.... Netanyahu celebrated a diplomatic victory: the 
U.S. administration pulled back from its efforts to resume 
negotiations and the blame fell on the Palestinians.  Netanyahu told 
the Americans that he could not comprehend the Palestinian refusal. 
The Prime Minister is of the opinion that the Palestinians are 
prisoners of a notion that the current Israeli government is 
unwilling to compromise, instead of giving it a chance.  Netanyahu's 
temporary victory may prove to be a defeat for Israel if Abbas 
carries out his threat to resign from politics.  Then there will 
really be no one to talk to, and Israel will find itself exposed 
against Hamas and the initiative for the unilateral declaration of a 
Palestinian independent state, or an imposed agreement.  Like 
Netanyahu, President Obama is also not pleased, as is reflected by 
his efforts to avoid a meeting with Netanyahu, who is due in 
Washington next week. 
 
III.  QCrying QWolf 
 
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in Ha'aretz 
(11/6): QDespite international calls for him to stay on, from the 
moment Abbas demanded an immediate and total freeze of construction 
in the settlements as a condition for negotiations, he brought the 
negotiating track to a dead end.  The Palestinian President misread 
the diplomatic map in believing that the Americans would stick to 
their initial firm demands for a construction freeze.  Abbas has 
portrayed himself as the only Palestinian partner for peace.  He 
threw down the gauntlet to that effect on the White House lawn, but 
he could find himself paving the road for the opponents of peace 
while his gauntlet lies abandoned in Obama's front yard. 
 
IV.  QWe Will Miss Abbas Yet 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote in the popular, pluralist 
Maariv (11/6): QThe present situation between Israel and the 
Palestinians is both ridiculous and paradoxical simultaneously.  On 
the one hand, the present Israeli government is not building in the 
settlements.  Period.... Meanwhile, a senior American official 
underscored this by saying: in fact, there is a clear understanding 
between Israel and the United States on a total freeze for a nine 
month period. The problem is that this cannot be openly declared. 
Netanyahu has to go for a freeze quietly. As far as Abu Mazen is 
concerned, silence is rubbish.... Bibi explained last week to 
Knesset Member Daniel Ben Simon, who had just come from meeting Abu 
Mazen in Morocco, the extent to which the Palestinians do not want 
him, and are attempting to topple him.  The congratulations for this 
impossible predicament ought to be sent to the U.S. administration, 
which has put on an inept performance here, particularly by placing 
all parties on high limbs from which it is now impossible to descend 
unharmed.  Rahm Emanuel, George Mitchell, and Hillary Clinton have 
been shown to be complete amateurs.  As of now, everything is in 
stagnation.  Abu Mazen has announced that he is not interested in 
running for reelection.  On the other hand, who knows.... The ball 
is now in the American court.  A presidential act of leadership is 
necessary to get this cart out of the mud and running.  However, 
Barack Obama now appears to be anything but a strong leader.  A year 
has already passed since his election, and we remain with the hope 
and its shattered pieces. 
 
--------- 
¶3.  Iran: 
--------- 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
 
QUs, Them, and Obama 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (11/6): 
QPresident Barack Obama noted the [30th] anniversary [of the seizure 
of the American Embassy in Tehran] by saying, QIran must choose.  We 
have heard for 30 years what the Iranian government is against; the 
question, now, is what kind of future it is for.Q But this is a 
question the President, who this week marked the anniversary of his 
own election, cannot reasonably forever ask.... We close out the 
week on a glimmer of hope -- the certainty that evil regimes don't 
have to last forever.  Next week marks the fall of the Berlin Wall 
which led to the collapse of the Soviet Empire.  If only Barack 
Obama could walk in the footsteps of John F. Kennedy (QIch bin ein 
BerlinerQ) and Ronald Reagan ("Tear down this wall!"), and provide 
the moral leadership the civilized world needs to help the people of 
Iran take down this regime. 
 
CUNNINGHAM