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O 220852Z FEB 10
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7636
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
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RUEAHQA/CSAF WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
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RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 8090
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 5047
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4889
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6377
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4811
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3412

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JERUSALEM 000315 
 
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 (02/22): Deputy Secretary Jacob 
Lew meets with Palestinian Authority leadership in Ramallah 
 
------------- 
Main Stories: 
-------------The dailies report on the meeting between Deputy 
Secretary Jacob Lew and Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister 
Salam Fayyad yesterday in Ramallah. Reports note that Prime Minister 
Fayyad expressed his gratitude for the generous US support to the PA 
budget and other projects. Fayyad noted that there is a need for 
tangible progress on the political track to force Israel to stop 
settlement activities and incursions into the West Bank and to lift 
all restrictions on movement and access to support the development 
of the Palestinian economy. Reports note that Lew praised the PA's 
progress on the economic and security tracks and called for greater 
cooperation between the Palestinians and US at all levels. The 
dailies also report on Lew's visit to the Palestinian Medical Center 
in Ramallah and meeting with the Minister of Health, as well as his 
visit to the Ministry of Planning. 
 
Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida lead with news on Israeli Prime 
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing that Israel added two holy 
sites in the West Bank to a list of national heritage sites within 
his "Plan to Rehabilitate and Strengthen Israel's National Heritage 
Infrastructure." The two sites are Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque, known 
to Israelis as the Cave of the Patriarchs, and Rachel's Tomb in 
Bethlehem. Maan News Agency reported that PA officials immediately 
condemned the Israeli announcement. "This announcement is an act of 
aggression against the cultural and religious rights of the 
Palestinian people," said Dr Hamdan Taha, Director of the PA Tourism 
Ministry's antiquities department, in a telephone interview with 
Maan. Reports also note that there is a new Israeli plan to build 
approximately 549 housing units near the Beit Safafa neighborhood in 
Jerusalem. 
 
Al-Quds leads with news on a French/Spanish initiative seeking EU 
recognition of a Palestinian state in 18 months based on Prime 
Minister Fayyad's plan to establish the state by 2011. President 
Abbas and PA officials welcomed this initiative, while reports note 
that Israel strongly opposes it. In related news, the dailies report 
that Qatar donated $10 million to the PA to support emergency 
humanitarian needs for Gaza. 
 
The dailies report on PA President Mahmoud Abbas' visit to France 
yesterday and meetings with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kuchner. 
Reports note that he asked France to exert pressure on Israel to 
reverse its decision to add the West Bank holy sites to their list 
of heritage sites. 
 
Sunday, February 21: 
 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida and Al-Quds lead with quotes from Saturday's Le 
Monde interview with President Abbas. Abbas noted that he fears the 
Palestinian people may lose hope that there will be an independent 
Palestinian state due to the stalemate in the negotiations. Abbas 
also noted that the lack of negotiations may lead to an eruption of 
violence in the Palestinian territories. Abbas reiterated that he 
does not believe the Israelis will make any concessions without 
pressure from the US. The leading headline in Al-Quds quotes Abbas 
asking the US to exert pressure on Israel. 
 
Independent daily Al-Ayyam front pages news on Israeli sources 
expressing dissatisfaction in the statements by French Foreign 
Minister Kuchner expressing his willingness to recognize the 
Palestinian state before its borders are set. The Israeli sources 
fear that the Palestinians may ensure secret guarantees from the US 
 
JERUSALEM 00000315  002 OF 003 
 
 
and Europe regarding the recognition of a state without negotiating 
its borders. 
 
Al-Quds continues to report on the US response to Palestinian 
questions regarding the resumption of peace talks between the 
Palestinians and Israelis. Head of the Political committee of the 
PLC Abdallah Abdallah said in a statement that the Palestinians 
requested that the Arab Follow-Up Committee convene to discuss the 
US response. 
According to reports, Ambassador David Hale told the PA that the US 
is committed to a three month timeframe for indirect negotiations. 
 
The three dailies quote Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair 
saying he hopes negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians 
will resume in the coming weeks. Blair said Special Envoy George 
Mitchell has made progress in attempting to resume negotiations 
between the two sides. He also noted that it remains important for 
the Palestinians to have a government with "credible institutions" 
with whom Israel can negotiate. 
 
The three dailies continue to report on the murder of Hamas leader 
Al-Mabhouh in Dubai. Al-Ayyam reports in its headline quoting the 
Dubai Police Chief saying to an Emirate newspaper that there is new 
evidence, including recorded phone calls, which prove the 
involvement of Mossad in the murder. The coverage also reports that 
an Israeli official who refused to reveal his identity refuted these 
accusations. 
 
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida front pages news on settlers and IDF soldiers 
attacking Palestinians in Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and Gaza on 
Saturday. 10 Palestinians were injured, according to reports. 
Al-Ayyam runs a front page photo of protestors from Peace Now 
demonstrating in Tel-Aviv Saturday against Israel's policy in the 
West Bank. Al-Quds reports that settlers confiscated 10 dunums of 
the land in Sinjel village in Ramallah yesterday by force. 
 
 
Saturday, February 20: 
 
Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam run front page stories on Jerusalem Mayor Nir 
Birkat saying in an interview with the three Palestinian daily 
newspapers that he will work on demolishing part of the Al Bustan 
neighbourhood in Silwan (East Jerusalem). He said that residents 
will not be forced out of Silwan, but rather re-located according to 
a project the municipality has prepared which will be announced in 
the near future. Barkat is quoted saying, "I believe that Jerusalem 
is unified and insist on developing it from a tourist perspective." 
Barkat added that he is working according to well-thought plans and 
that the next phase will witness drastic changes in the city. Ahmad 
Rwaidy, head of Jerusalem Unit within the Office of the President, 
told Al-Ayyam that if Barkat is serious about improving the 
conditions for the people in Silwan then he has to first cancel 
demolition orders for 300 houses and issue a decision to demolish 
the Beit Yonatan building that was taken over by settlers. 
 
The three dailies run front page stories quoting well-informed 
Palestinian sources telling Al-Ayyam that it is premature to talk 
about a specific date for starting indirect Palestinian-Israeli 
negotiations through US mediation. The source indicated that 
President Abbas told Ambassador David Hale during their meeting two 
days ago in Ramallah that the Palestinian response to the US 
proposal will be whatever the Arab states decide when they meet next 
month. The sources added that Hale conveyed to President Abbas the 
 
JERUSALEM 00000315  003 OF 003 
 
 
US response to questions Abbas asked regarding the proposal for 
indirect negotiations; however, the American responses were not very 
clear according to reports. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat 
was quoted denying news that the indirect negotiations will resume 
next week but stressed that discussions and consultations with the 
US in this regard are on-going. 
------------ 
BLOCK QUOTE: 
------------ 
1) Al-Quds runs an editorial on February 22, under the title "A 
European Initiative?!" which commends the Spanish/French initiative 
to gain EU recognition of the Palestinian state. The author notes, 
however, that the Palestinians need more than good intentions. They 
need tangible and concrete steps on the ground to force Israel to 
accept international laws. 
 
2) Abdallah Awwad, writing in Al-Ayyam on February 21 under the 
title "Why Return to Negotiations?" opines that returning to 
negotiations with the Israelis is useless because Palestinians will 
realize that the there is nothing that the US, Europe or Israel can 
give to them at this stage. 
 
RUBINSTEIN