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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000025 
 
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.  Mideast 
 
¶2.  Islamist Aims 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Yediot reported that a few weeks ago White House Chief of Staff Rahm 
Emanuel told IsraelQs Consul-General in Los Angeles, Yaki Dayan, 
that the U.S. administration is Qfed upQ with the Israelis and the 
Palestinians, and that the administration will leave them alone with 
the unending conflict. 
 
The media reported that yesterday a letter containing a death threat 
on DM Ehud Barak was received at the Defense Ministry.  The media 
reported that Barak and other officials recently received dozens of 
such threats following the governmentQs decision to freeze 
settlement construction for 10 months.  Maariv reported that the 
religious ZionistsQ moderate leader, Rabbi Chaim Druckman, has 
decided to change his mind and support opposition to serving in the 
army among religious hesder soldiers (who combine military service 
and religious studies). 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday a State Department 
official told the newspaper that Israel damaged the peace process 
when it approved the construction of four new buildings next to the 
Beit Orot Yeshiva in a Palestinian area on East Jerusalem's Mount of 
Olives a day earlier.  The Jerusalem Post quoted the official as 
saying: "We have noted that these types of announcements and 
activity harm peace efforts."  Nonetheless, the newspaper noted that 
the harsh response was more measured than several previous U.S. 
criticisms of plans to build in East Jerusalem.  The official added, 
"We believe it is important to resume negotiations between the 
parties in order to resolve all permanent-status issues, including 
Jerusalem."  Yediot quoted State Department officials in Washington 
as saying that the project harms the peace process.  Yediot also 
quoted AbbasQ spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh as saying that the move 
proves lack of seriousness on the part of the Israeli Government 
concerning the resumption of negotiations.  Maariv briefly noted 
U.S. and Palestinian condemnations of the Israeli action. 
 
HaQaretz reported that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi 
has issued an order requiring the IDF to consult with the army's 
legal advisers while military operations are underway and not just 
when they are being planned.  Ashkenazi imposed the stricter 
regulations despite opposition by several commanders, including 
members of the General Staff.  HaQaretz says that the policy comes 
after international criticism of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. 
 
The media quoted President Obama as saying last night that U.S. 
intelligence agencies had enough information to potentially disrupt 
a NigerianQs attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound plane, but failed to 
connect the dots.  The media also quoted the President as saying 
that is determined to fight al-Qaida.  The Israeli media reported on 
the gradual introduction at Ben Gurion Airport of a biometric system 
(QUnipassQ) that is meant to replace the questioning of Israelis by 
security agents prior to check in. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday PM Benjamin Netanyahu 
told a visiting U.S. congressional delegation that the international 
community must stop QcoddlingQ the Palestinians and tell them to 
return to the negotiating table. 
 
HaQaretz and other media reported that Saudi Arabia is adopting an 
Egyptian plan for the resumption of talks between Israel and the 
Palestinians, and that it is trying to rally Syrian support for the 
continuation of the negotiations process.  Egyptian sources told 
HaQaretz yesterday that PA President Mahmoud Abbas "has expressed 
willingness to accept the Egyptian plan on condition that it will 
also enjoy the support of Arab leaders, which is the reason of the 
Egyptian and Saudi effort to rally broader Arab support so that 
Abbas will have the necessary backing." 
 
The media reported that last night the IAF struck a terrorist cell 
in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip.  Leading media reported that a 
leader of the Popular Resistance Committees was killed in the 
attack.  Israel Radio reported that Palestinians called for 
revenge. 
 
HaQaretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that yesterday Deputy 
Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon met with Britain's Attorney General 
Patricia Janet Scotland, who is on a private visit to Israel, to 
protest the issuing of arrest warrants in Britain for senior Israeli 
officials.  Major media reported that later yesterday, in a speech 
at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, she noted that the British 
government "is looking urgently at ways in which the U.K. system 
might be changed to avoid this situation arising again, and is 
determined that Israel's leaders should always be able to travel 
freely to the U.K."  Ayalon said the warrants "make it difficult for 
the two countries to maintain a normal relationship," and stressed 
that the majority of Israeli citizens have served in the IDF, and as 
such would be unable to visit the U.K., which Ayalon said would 
damage British interests as well.  Scotland characterized the use of 
arrest warrants in these circumstances as "essentially a political 
campaign in which any and every tactic can be used," but at the same 
time stressed that Britain would continue to permit war crimes 
prosecutions so as "not to allow safe haven for those who have 
carried out heinous crimes."  At the same time, she stressed that 
care must be taken to ensure that the tool is "effective and used 
for the purpose of prosecution, not for political or other 
purposes." 
 
Maariv reported that Israel is negotiating with the German 
Government the purchase of an additional Dolphin-class submarine to 
improve the Qcapability of a second strike. 
 
Makor Rishon-Hatzofe reported that the Israeli building company Neot 
Hapisga demands millions of shekels in compensation from the state 
over losses it incurred due to the construction freeze in the West 
Bank. 
 
HaQaretz reported that the IDFQs Civil Administration ordered 
Palestinian residents of the West Bank this week to stop erecting 
tents and building animal enclosures in the Bir el-Eid area -- even 
though the state allowed them access to the site only two months 
ago, after a 10-year enforced absence and a protracted legal effort. 
 Tomorrow, the Civil Administration's supervisory committee is to 
discuss the next step, which could involve demolition of the tents 
and restoration of the site to its prior condition.  The site, which 
is in the southern Hebron Hills, is in Area C, meaning that since 
the Oslo Accords, it remains under full Israel control. 
 
Citing the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Jerusalem Post reported 
that the State Department has expressed Qcomplete supportQ for its 
Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Hannah Rosenthal 
and encouraged Qbroad dialogueQ toward Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. 
 Rosenthal had criticized IsraelQs Ambassador to the U.S., Michael 
Oren, for snubbing the liberal pro-Israel lobby J Street. 
 
The Jerusalem Post social column reported that tomorrow Tel Aviv 
Univerity (TAU) will host a discussion on QPeace Parks onIsraelQs 
Borders.Q  The newspaper noted the Fred Hof, deputy to U.S. Special 
Envoy for Middle East Peace Senator George Mitchell has expressed 
profound interest in advancing the idea of a peace park on the 
Golan.  The Jerusalem Post quoted Shahar Sadeh of TAUQs Porter 
School of Environmental Studies as saying that this is Qnot merely a 
theoretical issue. 
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that the PA is forming a Qnational team 
to drive the bid to gain membership in the World Trade 
Organization. 
 
The Jerusalem Post cited the results of a survey conducted in early 
December by the Kelim Shluvim Research Institute at the behest of 
Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs that 91 percent of 
Israelis believe that Israel has an QacuteQ or Qvery acuteQ image 
problem in the world, with 51% saying Qvery acute. 
 
------------ 
¶1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
 
¶I.  QLieberman Is Right 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in the independent, 
left-leaning HaQaretz (1/6): QForeign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is 
right: during the next two years Israel will not reach a permanent 
status agreement with the Palestinians.  Lieberman is also right in 
the importance he attributes to national honor.  Like the Foreign 
Minister, I, too, get annoyed when my country is attacked in the 
foreign media, and I am proud of Israelis who win the Nobel Prize or 
Olympic medals.... A country's strength is measured in comparison to 
its foes, and its justness is determined in the international mind. 
Israel has weakened because of Iran's strengthening, and its 
justness has been undermined because of Operation Cast Lead and the 
settlements.  Lieberman is right in his assessment of the situation 
and wrong in his conclusion: precisely because the conflict 
continues, Israel needs recognition and support -- and therefore it 
must mollify the world and gradually move forward in the peace 
process instead of unnecessarily irritating the gentiles. 
II.  QJoin the Court 
 
Ha'aretz editorialized (1/6): QFormer [Israeli] Supreme Court 
President Aharon Barak has recommended that Israel join the 
International Criminal Court at The Hague that tries those indicted 
for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Barak, who spoke on 
Monday at a legal conference in Jerusalem, says that Israel will 
benefit from its participation in the court despite the risk that 
IDF soldiers and officers, and even Israeli politicians, may be 
brought to trial.... A country that believes in the morality of its 
actions and those of its soldiers should not behave like a permanent 
suspect and boycott institutions of international law. On the 
contrary: it must fight within those institutions for its positions 
and justice.  Joining the International Criminal Court at The Hague 
will place Israel on the side of the enlightened nations, and will 
contribute to restraining forceful and harmful actions.  Barak's 
recommendation deserves to be adopted. 
 
III.  QEurope DoesnQt Understand 
 
Shimon Stein, a former Israeli Ambassador to Germany, wrote in 
HaQaretz (1/6): QThe arrest order issued in Britain against Kadima 
chairwoman Tzipi Livni is nothing but one of many symptoms of a deep 
and long-running problem that is unlikely to be solved as long as 
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues.  The apology by British 
Prime Minister Gordon Brown (whose own government would be well 
advised to deal with the issue, of which it has long been aware) and 
his government's plan to tackle the problem through legislation, 
will not solve our troubles with the European Union.  The root of 
the problems lies in the fundamental disagreements between Israel 
and the E.U. regarding the manner in which the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict should be resolved and our conduct vis-a-vis the 
Palestinians.... After observing the situation for many years it is 
hard to escape the conclusion that Israel and the Europeans are 
conducting not a dialogue, but rather two monologues.  A solution to 
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could lay the foundations for a new 
stage in our relations with Europe.  Until that happens we must get 
used to reality, the expressions of which we have been witness to in 
recent weeks. 
 
IV.  QCivil Responsibility Should Not Be Optional 
 
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset 
Member Daniel (Danny) Ayalon wrote in the conservative, independent 
Jerusalem Post (1/6): QWhile significant numbers in the [Israeli] 
Arab community are seeking greater integration, their supposed 
representatives in the Knesset are falling over themselves to play 
to a different constituency.  During a recent rally at the Erez 
crossing, Balad [National Democratic Assembly] Knesset Member Jamal 
Zahalka hurled disgraceful abuse at Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who 
he said enjoys Qclassical music and killing children in Gaza.Q  He 
then reiterated these remarks in an interview with Dan Margalit on 
the New Evening TV show until Margalit became so incensed with this 
blood libel that he ordered Zahalka to leave.  Earlier at the same 
rally, Knesset Member Taleb a-Sanaa (United Arab List-Ta'al) allowed 
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to use his cell phone as a speaker to 
direct his torrent of abuse against Israel to the assembled crowd. 
Sanaa is an employee of the state and thus receives certain benefits 
like a cell phone, which means that our taxes were being used by a 
member of an organization sworn to destroy our state.  This is 
unacceptable and should be a matter of concern for all.  Can one 
imagine a scenario where an American congressman relayed the rants 
of Osama bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri to a crowd in the U.S. using 
a state-funded communications device?  No nation on earth would 
accept this situation, and this is why Public Security Minister [and 
Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset Member] Yitzhak Aharonovitch has rightly 
demanded that Sanaa be charged with supporting a terrorist 
organization.  It has long been clear to us that the public 
declarations of many Arab Knesset members are primarily for foreign 
consumption, where they seek the approval of extreme elements in the 
wider Arab world. 
 
 
 
------------------ 
¶2.  Islamist Aims: 
------------------ 
 
Block Quotes: 
------------- 
 
 
QQTurningQ Islamists 
 
The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (1/6): 
QDuring the Cold War, Westerners consoled themselves in the belief 
that most people behind the Iron Curtain did not believe in 
Communism; they were simply entrapped by a morally bankrupt system 
driven by a moribund ideology.  It was not so much the allure of 
capitalism that ultimately won over the people of Eastern Europe; it 
was the failure of Communism.  What will it take to QturnQ vast 
numbers of Muslims now enthralled with extremist Islam, and convince 
those uncommitted, not to follow the path of the Islamists?  Much 
depends on the outcome of the ongoing battle within Islamic 
civilization between those promoting jihad against the West and 
those who say Islam does not need to tear down the West in order to 
thrive.... Clearly, some Islamists are irredeemable.  But others are 
not.  If the West recognizes the scale of the challenge and 
confronts it effectively, and if there are enough courageous men the 
caliber of [the slain Jordanian pro-U.S. agent] Sharif Ali bin Zeid 
working to preserve Islam from within, we can be reasonably hopeful 
that the jihadis will one day find themselves relegated to the 
dustbin of history.  If... 
 
CUNNINGHAM