This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TEL AVIV 006270
SIPDIS
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
USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL FOR POLAD/USIA ADVISOR
COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE FOR PAO/POLAD
COMSIXTHFLT FOR 019
JERUSALEM ALSO FOR ICD
LONDON ALSO FOR HKANONA AND POL
PARIS ALSO FOR POL
ROME FOR MFO
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: IS KMDR MEDIA REACTION REPORT
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION
--------------------------------
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
--------------------------------
1. Syria
2. Mideast
3. International Holocaust Commemoration Day
-------------------------
Key stories in the media:
-------------------------
Israel Radio reported that Staff Sgt. Yonatan Evron was
killed early this morning during an arrest operation in
the village of Mirka near Jenin. The radio cited
Hamas's claim of responsibility for the killing.
All media (banners in Ha'aretz and Hatzofe) reported
that Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades vowed to
take revenge upon the assassination of two senior
Palestinian militants in the Jebalya refugee camp north
of Gaza City on Tuesday afternoon. An IAF missile
killed Fatah activist Hassan al-Madhoun and Hamas
operative Fawzi Abu al-Qarea, a passenger in al-
Madhoun's car. Speaking on Israel Radio this morning,
FM Silvan Shalom said, referring to the assassination
policy: "It is not our goal to continue this activity.
It can end immediately. It's all up to Abu Mazen [PA
President Mahmoud Abbas]. If Abu Mazen takes the
strategic decision which he still refuses to take and
acts against the infrastructure of terror ... [our
activity] in Gaza will end the same day."
Israel Radio reported that Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz
will arrive in Washington today and meet with Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss the post-
disengagement situation. The radio reported that
Mofaz's Friday meeting with Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld will focus on concluding the bilateral crisis
involving Israel's security exports to China. Israel
Radio also reported that Secretary Rice will come to
Israel in mid-November to attend the ceremonies marking
the 10th anniversary of the late PM Yitzhak Rabin's
assassination.
Leading media reported that on Tuesday, senior cabinet
ministers approved a plan calling for EU officials to
inspect travelers entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt
through the Rafah border crossing. Ha'aretz writes
that if the plan is realized, it will mark the first
time Israel will allow the EU to play a major role in
Israeli-Palestinian relations. The Jerusalem Post
reported that according to diplomatic assessments in
Jerusalem, France and Spain have been pushing for an EU
role, while Britain was "less enthusiastic" and Germany
was hoping some other solution could be found.
Maariv's Internet service NRG reported that visiting
Italian FM Gianfranco Fini told FM Silvan Shalom on
Tuesday that Europe was not prepared to serve as
Israel's Border Police. Leading media reported on
differences between Israel and the PA regarding the
role of the EU monitors -- the cabinet decided that
Israel wants the Europeans to have greater authority
than observers and be able to intervene in dangerous
security situations, while the Palestinians want more
limited authority for the EU. Israel Radio reported
that at a meeting last night, Israeli and Palestinian
negotiators disagreed about Israel's demand that closed-
circuit TVs be installed at the border crossing. The
radio quoted Israeli negotiators as saying that the
Palestinians view Israel's demand as an expression of
lack of trust and an attempt to continue to control the
border crossing. Leading media reported that Egyptian
police have killed two Bedouin smugglers who were
trying to sneak across the Sinai desert border into
Israel.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Ramallah sources told
the newspaper on Tuesday that talks between various
Palestinian factions are expected to resume in Cairo
after the Muslim feast of Id al-Fitr, which begins
later this week. Hatzofe quoted Palestinian sources as
saying that the Fatah delegation will be headed by
Central Committee member Fathi Abu Maher Ghneim, and
not the hard-line secretary general, Farouk Kaddoumi,
as was the case until now.
Leading media reported that the U.S. will design a new
Qualified Industrial Zone and expand two existing ones
to strengthen Egyptian-Israeli trade and political
relations. Ha'aretz printed an AP story saying that on
Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo issued a statement
to this effect.
Israel Radio quoted Foreign Ministry sources as saying
that FM Shalom intends to replace Israel's Ambassador
to the U.S. Danny Ayalon soon, regardless of the
findings of the internal investigation being conducted
against Ayalon. However, speaking on the radio this
morning, Shalom said he was unaware of such a move.
Israel Radio quoted associates of PM Sharon as saying
that Sharon fully trusts Ayalon, who will be replaced
only if the investigation finds his performance faulty.
Yediot reported that only 191 of the 1,522 anti-
disengagement protesters who were arrested will be
indicted. The newspaper cited the indignation of many
legal experts over the government's soft policy vis-a-
vis violent settlers. Leading media reported that the
IDF has postponed drafting five settler youths who are
suspected of participating in violent illegal protests
against the disengagement from Gaza and attacking
members of the security forces. Israel Radio reported
that the IDF will remove an electronic barrier
surrounding the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar after
settlers had damaged it.
Ha'aretz reported that the 1994 Egyptian-French movie
"Bab el Shams" ("The Gate of the Sun"), based on a
romance by Lebanese writer Elias Khoury, which tells
the story of the Palestinian people from 1943 through
1994, has been a blockbuster among Israeli-Arab
audiences during the past few weeks.
All media reported that nine Palestinian political
prisoners from Gaza, who are detained in four different
Israeli jails, have recently informed the prisoners'
leadership that they have "moved" to Al-Qaida. The
media cited the Prison Service's intelligence branch
that the nine prisoners meant to express their
opposition to what they view as the "moderation" of the
Hamas leadership in the prisons, and to try to get
financial support from Al-Qaida.
All media reported that on Tuesday, the UN General
Assembly unanimously passed a resolution by consensus
establishing an annual day to commemorate the
Holocaust. The International Day of Commemoration will
be held every year on January 27, the day in 1945 when
the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau was
liberated. This was the first ever Israeli-initiated
resolution that was adopted by the UN. The media
reported that representatives of countries such as
Egypt said after the vote that the day should
commemorate all victims of genocide, and not be limited
just to victims of the Holocaust. Ha'aretz quoted FM
Silvan Shalom as saying: "This is a historic decision
that means that the U.N. relates to Israel as a country
equal to other countries, and a step that contributes
to Israel's international standing."
The Jerusalem Post reported that the PA has appointed
Afif Safieh as its representative in the U.S.,
replacing Hassan Abdel Rahman who served for the past
17 years. Safieh was previously the Palestinian
General Delegate in the UK.
Ha'aretz cited Arabic-language media as saying Tuesday
that PM Sharon, along with U.S. President George Bush
and British PM Tony Blair, will be tried in absentia at
the end of the month on charges of crimes against
humanity. The reports did not say where the open
trials would take place. Sharon will reportedly be
accused of carrying out ethnic cleansing, participating
in a massacre at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in
Lebanon, and assassinating Palestinian leaders,
including Yasser Arafat, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel
Aziz Rantisi.
The Jerusalem Post reported that on Tuesday, FM Shalom
asked Italian FM Gianfranco Fini to refrain from giving
money to West Bank cities under Hamas control.
Maariv reported that Al Jazeera-TV is looking for
Israeli reporters, photographers, and producers for its
new English-language station. Maariv quoted Gideon
Meir, the Foreign Ministry's DG for public affairs, as
saying Tuesday: "We have met with representatives of Al
Jazeera-TV and told them that we hope the media
coverage of the new network will comply with the
standards and journalistic ethics shared by the media
world."
Yediot and The Jerusalem Post reported that in a highly
unusual move, Yad Vashem will host an international
seminar dealing with the genocide in Rwanda in the
1990s.
Maariv and Israel Radio reported that the U.S. Congress
has allocated a special quota of 50,000 "green cards"
for foreign -- including Israeli -- nurses. The radio
cited Israeli nurses' complaints about the lack of
professionals in the field in Israel.
Maariv quoted associates of convicted spy Jonathan
Pollard as saying that there was nothing new in the
date appearing on the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons
web site, which projects his release for 2015.
Yediot reported that the Los Angeles-based Jewish-
American businessman Meir Azeri (phon.) has offered to
purchase Bank Igud for 1.2 billion shekels (approx. USD
258.6 million).
Ha'aretz cited an announcement made on Tuesday by the
RAD group company that strong U.S. sales boosted
Radvision (NASDAQ: RVSN) to revenues of USD 19.1
million for the third quarter of 2005. The company,
which offers products and technologies for
videoconferencing, video telephony, and the development
of converged voice, video and data over IP and 3G
networks, saw its net earnings more than double in the
quarter.
----------
1. Syria:
----------
Summary:
--------
Veteran op-ed writer and assistant to the late prime
minister Yitzhak Rabin Eytan Haber opined in the lead
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot: "America has been angry since that awful
9/11. When America is angry, even Allah cannot save
Bashar Assad."
Block Quotes:
-------------
"Beware Assad, They're Waiting For You"
Veteran op-ed writer and assistant to the late prime
minister Yitzhak Rabin Eytan Haber opined in the lead
editorial of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot (November 2): "Despite the fact that he has
been in power for five years, the young and still
inexperienced Assad may not be reading the map
correctly, and especially the current U.S. president
and his administration. Should he go on sitting in his
Damascus palace and thinking of flouting George W. and
his friends, he would be making the mistake of his
life: the President and his administration hasten to
pull their triggers; they are Texans who are convinced
that the entire world is a doormat lying at their
feet.... America has been angry since that awful 9/11.
When America is angry, even Allah cannot save Bashar
Assad."
------------
2. Mideast:
------------
Summary:
--------
Gideon Behar, deputy director of the Jordan, Syria, and
Lebanon department at Israel's Foreign Ministry, wrote
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "We must utilize
the Anti-Terrorist Fence and the disengagement in order
to promote ties of peace, from a position of security,
while continuing to extend a hand of peace to our
neighbors."
Palestinian affairs correspondent and far-left
Palestinian sympathizer Amira Hass opined in
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "In impersonating
an ordinary 'government' to the world and to its
people, at best [the Palestinian Authority] is
perceived as a corrupt and failing organization and at
worst, as a sub-contractor for the bureaucracy of the
occupation."
Block Quotes:
-------------
I. "What Kind of Peace Does Israel Seek?"
Gideon Behar, deputy director of the Jordan, Syria, and
Lebanon department at Israel's Foreign Ministry, wrote
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (November 2):
"Severing contact with our Arab neighbors would be very
bad for the State of Israel. History has shown that
self-imposed isolation has always been a guaranteed
recipe for disaster and failure. Nevertheless, one
hears voices among the Israeli public demanding the
severing of ties with the Arab world and, particularly,
with the Palestinians. This rupture will not work in
our favor. It will only increase alienation on both
sides, resulting in the creation of a dangerous vacuum
that will be filled by forces of destruction and
hatred. We cannot expect peace if there is no human
contact between the sides.... Without ties and
contacts, there will be less peace and, consequently,
less security. We must utilize the Anti-Terrorist
Fence and the disengagement in order to promote ties of
peace, from a position of security, while continuing to
extend a hand of peace to our neighbors. If we do not
shake hands, no fence will give us the security we
crave."
II. "How the PA Failed"
Palestinian affairs correspondent and far-left
Palestinian sympathizer Amira Hass opined in
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (November 2): "A
recent study placed the Palestinian Authority a dubious
107th on a list of corrupt countries, with number 159
being the most corrupt.... As the leadership of an
occupied people, the PA is not exempt from
integrity.... [Still], it has the right and the moral
obligation to stop the wild behavior of the armed gangs
vying with each other to see who possesses the biggest
weapon without regard for the consequences. But its
ability to do so has been impaired, because in
impersonating an ordinary 'government' to the world and
to its people, at best it is perceived as a corrupt and
failing organization and at worst, as a sub-contractor
for the bureaucracy of the occupation."
--------------------------------------------- -
3. International Holocaust Commemoration Day:
--------------------------------------------- -
Summary:
--------
On page one of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot, the American Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof.
Elie Wiesel commented about the creation by the UN
General Assembly of an International Holocaust
Commemoration Day: "This [victimization] has always
happened in history: the Jews were the first, but not
the last ones. Perhaps this is the true, deep reason
for Tuesday's UN resolution."
Block Quotes:
-------------
"Consciousness Is Awakening"
On page one of mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot, the American Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof.
Elie Wiesel commented about the creation by the UN
General Assembly of an International Holocaust
Commemoration Day (November 2): "Even after a 60-year
delay, it is important that the representatives of the
world's nations have woken up, or have let their
consciousness wake up. Does this mean that the world
has improved? Has the world learned a lesson of the
horrendous event that will be inscribed in the history
of humankind as a terribly cruel occurrence? I am not
sure of that, but the amazing work done by the Israeli
delegation [at the UN] and his head Ambassador
Gillerman is worthy of every praise. Until a few years
ago, no one would have believed that such an
achievement was possible. The world has decided to
remember. Why? Maybe because it has understood that
what the Germans and their acolytes have done to the
Jewish people was only the beginning. This
[victimization] has always happened in history: the
Jews were the first, but not the last ones. Perhaps
this is the true, deep reason for Tuesday's UN
resolution."
JONES