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DE RUEHJM #2266/01 3481359
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 141359Z DEC 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6987
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 7992
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4959
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4809
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6297
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4728
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3332

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 JERUSALEM 002266 
 
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 (12/15):  "Israel Has Replaced the 
Road Map with the Settlement Map." 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
------------- 
 
 
------------------------------------$28 Million to West Bank 
Settlements 
------------------------------------ 
 
 
All three dailies lead with the Israeli Cabinet vote yesterday to 
pump more than $28 million into West Bank settlements after passing 
a new "national priority map" that sets priorities for government 
attention and funding. 
Palestinian Authority (PA) Presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu 
Rudeinah condemned the decision saying, "The Israeli plan challenges 
international efforts to revive the peace process." 
 
Independent news outlet Ma'an reports that the Palestine Liberation 
Organization's (PLO) chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, also condemned 
the vote saying, "the national priority map presented at the cabinet 
reveals the extent to which Israel's 'settlement moratorium' is a 
sham.  Instead of making peace its number one priority, Israel 
continues to prioritize settlements and the relentless colonization 
of occupied Palestinian land, rendering the two-state solution 
politically and economically unviable." 
 
 
----------------------------------- 
Fatah Revolutionary Council Meeting 
----------------------------------- 
 
Dailies front page news that the Fatah Revolutionary Council held an 
emergency session on Sunday, December 13 in Ramallah, to discuss the 
latest Palestinian political developments as well as presidential 
and legislative elections and in preparation for the Fatah Central 
Council Meeting which starts on Tuesday.  President Abbas and most 
of the Fatah Central Committee members attended the meeting.  During 
the meeting, Abbas stressed that negotiations won't be resumed 
unless Israel abides by the Road Map. 
 
 
----------------------------- 
Fatah Central Council Meeting 
----------------------------- 
 
Fatah Central Council will convene tomorrow, Tuesday, December 15 
and will last three days.  The main topic under consideration is 
extending the terms of President Abbas and all PA bodies until the 
next elections are held. 
 
The Council will agree to hold elections in June based on the 
Egyptian proposal.  It will also support President Abbas' position 
regarding the resumption of negotiations with the Israelis and will 
agree on a plan to discuss the issue of borders at the UNSC. 
 
 
------------ 
Yasuf Mosque 
------------ 
 
JERUSALEM 00002266  002 OF 006 
 
 
 
Dailies front page photos of PA Prime Minister Fayyad's visit 
yesterday to the mosque in Yasuf, which was attacked by settlers 
last Friday.  Fayyad promised that the mosque will be repaired 
immediately and ready for next Friday's prayers.  Fayyad reiterated 
that the settlers attack proves the Palestinian people's need for 
international protection. 
 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Prisoner Swap/ National Reconciliation 
-------------------------------------- 
 
Citing Israeli daily Maariv, dailies report that President Abbas 
urged Netanyahu to pursue the prisoner swap deal and to release 
Palestinian prisoners that are serving long terms.  According to 
coverage, the message was conveyed through a third party and was 
aimed at verifying the PA position on the deal and to counter Hamas' 
claims that Abbas is obstructing the deal. 
 
Independent daily Al-Quds front pages comments by Nabil Shaath, 
member of Fatah central committee, that the national reconciliation 
efforts have reached dead end due to Hamas' insistence not to sign 
the Egyptian proposal and that the priority for Hamas now is a 
successful conclusion to the prisoner exchange deal. 
 
 
------------- 
EU statement 
------------- 
 
Independent daily Al-Quds front pages an exclusive interview with 
French Consul General in Jerusalem who defended the French position 
regarding the EU statement calling for Jerusalem to be a capital for 
two countries. 
 
 
------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: 
------------- 
 
Al-Quds runs an editorial entitled "Settlement Priority Map" which 
calls on the international community to take a clear position 
regarding the Israeli announcement of allocating more funds to 
national priority settlements. According to the writer, "Israel has 
replaced the Road Map with the Settlement Map." 
 
 
---------------- 
Weekend Stories: 
---------------- 
 
 
------------------- 
Sunday, December 13 
------------------- 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Palestinian Desire for Independence Will Not Waiver 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
All three dailies front page Prime Minister Fayyad's remarks at a 
 
JERUSALEM 00002266  003 OF 006 
 
 
national conference promoting popular action in confronting 
settlement activities and the Separation Wall.   Fayyad said that 
the will of the Palestinian people and its leadership to achieve 
freedom, independence, and protect the future of the peace in the 
region has not and will not weaken or waiver regardless of barbaric 
acts by settlements and settlers.  Fayyad emphasized that the way to 
end occupation and establish a state "...lies in building and 
accumulating...achievements over time" and reflects the awareness of 
Palestinians to formulate priorities in the framework of national 
goals.  He called on the international community to assume its 
responsibility to end the "longest occupation in modern history and 
guarantee the right of Palestinian people to self-determination, to 
establish the independent state on the 1967 borders with its capital 
Al Quds Al Sharif by implementing relevant international 
resolutions." 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
New U.S. Initiative to Re-launch Negotiations 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
Al Ayyam front pages a report by London-based Al Hayat newspaper 
that cites well-informed sources saying that the American 
administration is preparing to launch a new initiative to resume 
Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. According to the report, a team of 
American experts in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, including both 
Senator George Mitchell and Mr. Dennis Ross, and others are working 
on the new initiative.  The sources indicated that the initiative is 
based on two main elements: 1) Define the terms of reference for the 
peace process, and 2) Define the objective and function of the 
negotiations.  The terms of reference are said to be the 
international resolutions that recognize the two-state solution on 
the 4th of June 1967 borders, including the land swamp option. 
According to the sources, the initiative is being designed to try to 
satisfy both sides. 
 
 
------------ 
Yasuf Mosque 
------------ 
 
Al Hayat Al Jadida front pages the U.S. condemnation of the attack 
on the mosque in Yasuf.  Al Quds runs a story in its inside pages. 
Both quote the press statement issued by the Consulate condemning 
"in the strongest terms the attack of Yasuf mosque" and calling for 
the perpetrators to be brought for justice.  The articles report 
that the Organization of the Islamic Conference and Jordan also 
condemned the attack and the vandalism committed by settlers.  A 
Jordanian official characterized the attack as "a blatant violation 
of the freedom of worship." 
 
------------- 
Prisoner Swap 
------------- 
 
Al Quds front pages the denial by Egyptian diplomatic sources that a 
date has been set for concluding the prisoner swap.  According to 
the reports, the sources told the Lebanese Al Liwa newspaper that 
discussions continue and are being carried out by Egypt and Germany. 
 Although some minor obstacles exist, they aren't expected to affect 
the deal and the sources believe the swap would be completed within 
the next two weeks. 
 
JERUSALEM 00002266  004 OF 006 
 
 
 
 
--------------------------- 
Fatah Revolutionary Council 
--------------------------- 
 
Dailies report that according to Fahmi Za'areer, official 
spokesperson for the Fatah movement and member of the movement's 
Revolutionary Council, the Council will convene Sunday in an 
extraordinary meeting of all its members to discuss the political 
changes that have transpired since Abbas announced he will not seek 
reelection and the implications of that decision.  Za'areer noted 
that the Council will discuss the positions of the international 
community towards requesting the U.N. Security Council to demarcate 
the borders of the Palestinian state on the lands occupied in 1967. 
The Council will also discuss the recent statement issued by the EU, 
the Israeli position on negotiations, internal reconciliation 
efforts and elections in the lead up to the Central Council which 
will begin on Tuesday, December 15. 
 
 
 
--------------------- 
Saturday, December 12 
--------------------- 
 
 
------------ 
Yasuf Mosque 
------------ 
 
The major story in all the dailies was the settler attack on the 
mosque in Yasuf Friday before morning prayers and the overall 
escalation of settler attacks against Palestinians and 
Palestinian-owned property.  Abbas and Palestinian officials 
condemned the attack and considered it a violation of the freedom of 
worship and sanctity of holy places.  According to reports, the fire 
destroyed the mosque's library, which contained copies of the Quran 
and other religious books, and the mosque's carpets, before 
residents were able to get it under control.  The attackers wrote 
slogans in Hebrew including "Revenge to Banar Ivy" and "We will burn 
you all."  Abdel Rahim Musleh, head of Yassuf village council, told 
reporters that the settlers involved in the attack snuck into the 
village around four o'clock on Friday morning and destroyed the 
doors of the new Hassan Khader mosque in the village's center, 
pouring petrol inside it and setting the place on fire.  Musleh 
described the attack as a "grave crime" pointing out that settlers 
from Tapuh settlement, built on the lands of Yassouf, carry out 
attacks against the village, its residents, and their properties on 
a daily basis.  He called upon the PA to create committees to guard 
the villages and prevent a repetition of similar attacks. 
 
 
----------------------------------- 
Anti-Wall Protests Lead to Injuries 
----------------------------------- 
 
In another incident the dailies reported that scores of protestors 
were injured, by live ammunition and rubber coated steel bullets, 
and suffered severe suffocation during weekly anti-Wall protests in 
the villages of Ni'lin and Bil'in. 
 
 
 
JERUSALEM 00002266  005 OF 006 
 
 
-------------- 
East Jerusalem 
-------------- 
 
Dailies reported that about 150 peaceful demonstrators marched in 
the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem carrying banners 
demanding that Israeli settlers leave the neighbourhood and that 
Palestinian residents be allowed to return to homes they were forced 
to leave by Israeli authorities.  Eye-witnesses reported that "the 
police arrested around 20 protestors after deploying special masked 
units of officers who sprayed gas on the protestors who resisted 
arrest." 
----------------------------------------- 
Municipality's Reaction to Shared Capital 
----------------------------------------- 
 
Al Quds front pages that the Jerusalem Municipality will seek to 
strengthen its presence and effectiveness in East Jerusalem in the 
aftermath of the Swedish initiative proposing Jerusalem as the 
capital for the two states.  The Municipality's leadership convened 
an emergency meeting to develop a plan to counter the EU statement 
including doubling efforts to remove Palestinian street vendors, 
dispatching more police staff to monitor areas where cars are parked 
and allocating additional staff to oversee construction activities. 
According to reports by the Israeli weekly newspaper 'Yerushaliym,' 
David Hidry, one of the municipality's deputy Mayors, recommended 
that the municipality pressure merchants in East Jerusalem to 
include on their shop signs in Hebrew. 
 
 
---------------------- 
Settlement Moratorium 
---------------------- 
 
Al Ayyam and Al Hayat Al Jadida front page comments by Beny Begin, a 
minister in the Likud ruling party in Israel during a radio 
interview that the moratorium was not intended to freeze life in the 
settlements but rather to impose some limits on construction in the 
West Bank.  He stated that "over the next 10 months, an additional 
ten thousand settlers will join the current 300,000 settlers living 
there now."  Mark Regev, spokesperson for the GOI, did not comment 
on Begin's statements, responding that the announced freeze of 
construction works remained valid.  Begin, who represents the 
extremist wing of the Likud Party headed by Prime Minister 
Netanyahu, is one of the ministerial committee members assigned the 
task of overseeing and implementing the decision to freeze 
settlement activities. 
 
 
------------------------ 
National Reconciliation 
------------------------ 
 
Al Ayyam front pages a recent press roundtable with Prime Minister 
Fayyad in which he said that "the occupation will not end and the 
state will not be established as long as we remain in a state of 
division."  In his opinion, "we have never been closer to the 
possibility of agreeing...on what is necessary and important for us 
to have a unified Palestinian position as we have done today." 
During the meeting Fayyad expressed the belief that "the next few 
days will witness the dissipation of all doubts regarding the 
Palestinian political regime and its ability to remain and continue 
dealing with the current situation." 
 
JERUSALEM 00002266  006 OF 006 
 
 
 
RUBINSTEIN