VZCZCXRO0335
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #2208/01 3420959
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 080959Z DEC 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6894
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 7982
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4949
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4799
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6287
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4718
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3322

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JERUSALEM 002208 
 
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 (12/08):  Hopes Run High for EU 
Recognition of Palestinian Capital 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
---------------------------- 
East Jerusalem:  EU Proposal 
---------------------------- 
 
Dailies report that the EU Foreign Ministers will continue their 
meetings today in Brussels discussing the Swedish proposal to 
recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state. 
The dailies and independent news outlet Ma'an report that the 
Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet urged the EU to adopt what it 
termed "clear positions in accordance with international law." 
 
PA official daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida headlines a quote by Jean 
Asselborn, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister that East Jerusalem "is 
occupied and does not belong to Israel." Italy's Foreign Minister 
Franco Frattini is quoted in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida saying the EU should 
not decide the fate of Jerusalem without proper negotiations. 
Al-Ayyam front-paged a report quoting Congresswoman Ileana 
Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, senior Republican on the House Foreign 
Affairs Committee, urging EU Foreign Ministers to reject the 
proposition calling for East Jerusalem as the future capital of a 
Palestinian state. 
 
 
----------------------- 
Abbas' Visit to Lebanon 
----------------------- 
 
PA President Abbas' visit to Lebanon and meetings with Lebanese 
President and senior officials is prominently featured in local 
media.  According to the coverage, Abbas stressed that there is no 
alternative to the peace process, and reiterated his opposition to 
resettling Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.  He pointed out that 
Palestinian presidential and legislative elections can be held in 
June 2010 only if Hamas signs the national reconciliation paper 
prepared by Egypt. 
 
 
-------------------------- 
Palestinian Reconciliation 
-------------------------- 
 
Dailies and Ma'an report that Egypt intends to propose a new 
suggestion to the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation plan, focusing on 
disputed points.  According to the reports, Egypt will give both 
sides the opportunity to accept or refuse the plan as a whole, but 
will not allow amendments. A delegation from the Palestinian 
Reconciliation Committee, committed to trying to find a solution to 
the impasse and reach conciliation, arrived in Cairo on Sunday and 
held its first meeting yesterday. 
 
 
------------- 
Prisoner Swap 
------------- 
 
Local press continues to report contradictory statements made by 
Hamas officials in Gaza and Syria concerning the prisoner exchange 
 
JERUSALEM 00002208  002 OF 003 
 
 
deal.  Al-Quds reports that a Hamas official in Damascus stated that 
the general framework for the swap is ready and that the "ball is 
now in the Israeli court."  According to the official, Hamas allowed 
a French medical delegation to visit Shalit, which contradicts 
claims by Mahmoud Zahhar, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza that the 
French delegation was not allowed to visit. Al-Ayyam quotes Abbas 
saying that the PA will never accept the deporting of any 
Palestinian. (Comment:  We believe this is the first time Abbas has 
publically taken a position on this issue.) 
 
 
----------------- 
Settlement Freeze 
----------------- 
 
Al-Quds reports on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's meeting with 
Likud party members yesterday, in which he stressed that the 
settlement moratorium is temporary and serves broader Israeli 
national security interests.  Al-Quds reports that Kadima party 
leader Tzipi Livni has said that it is unfair to compare large 
settlement units with random smaller outposts.  According to 
reports, Livni said that the international community and settlers 
must realize that Israel's national interests come first.  In 
related news, settlers continue to protest against the GOI 
moratorium decision. Settlers are planning a large demonstration 
tomorrow afternoon in West Jerusalem to protest the settlement 
freeze.  Between 10,000 and 15,000 protesters are expected to 
participate in the demonstration, which will pass in front of the 
Consulate's Lazarist compound. 
 
 
------------------- 
H1N1 Deaths in Gaza 
------------------- 
 
Al Ayaam reports a third death from H1N1 in Gaza.  According to the 
article, the PA accuses Hamas of barring Palestinian patients from 
leaving the territory for medical treatment.  According to Ma'an, 
the Health Ministry in the de facto government in Gaza denied the 
claims, saying that they allow ambulances to leave Gaza through Erez 
Crossing to transport patients to hospitals in Jerusalem and 
Israel. 
 
------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------- 
1) Al-Quds runs an editorial under the title "Was The European 
Message Delivered?" in which the writer asserts that no matter what 
decision is reached in today's meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, 
Israel got the message that Europe rejects all Israeli measures and 
policies in East Jerusalem. 
 
2) Hani Al-Masri, writing in Al-Ayyam under the title "Stopping the 
Negotiations With No Alternative is Worse Than Pursuing Them," 
opines that Abbas' announcement not to run for election is not a 
solution.  According to Al Masri, there must be an initiative to 
forge a new path to help Palestinians achieve their national goals. 
Al-Masri believes that Palestinians should not wait to see what the 
e 
US and Israel will propose because "we [Palestinians] know by now 
what they will propose." 
 
 
 
JERUSALEM 00002208  003 OF 003 
 
 
RUBINSTEIN