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DE RUEHTV #2144/01 1941015
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131015Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
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SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD
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SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION
--------------------------------
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
--------------------------------
1. Mideast
2. Iran
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Key stories in the media:
-------------------------
Leading media reported that the visit of Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, which was scheduled for next week, has been
canceled. Media quoted President Bush as saying during a press
conference on Thursday that he was "sending Secretary Gates and
Secretary Rice to the region in early August." The President was
SIPDIS
also quoted as saying: "The same Hizbullah terrorists who are waging
war against the forces of democracy in Lebanon are training
extremists to do the same against coalition forces in Iraq. The
same Syrian regime that provides support and sanctuary for Islamic
Jihad and Hamas has refused to close its airport in Damascus to
suicide bombers headed to Iraq. All these extremist groups would be
emboldened by a precipitous American withdrawal, which would confuse
and frighten friends and allies in the region."
Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post led with remarks that PM Ehud Olmert
made to ambassadors of EU countries on Thursday: "Syria does not
want war and neither does Israel, but this does not mean that the
situation will turn into negotiations. Assad says he wants
negotiations, but in practice he means negotiations with the United
States and [President] Bush and not with Israel." On the other
hand, leading media quoted FM Tzipi Livni as saying in an interview
published on Thursday in the French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur
that she would not confirm rumors of secret discussions between
Israel and Syria. She stressed that Syria supported Hizbullah, was
tied closely with Iran, and refused to recognize the independence of
Lebanon, and that peace with Syria would necessitate the
clarification of those issues as well. Maariv led with revelations
by diplomatic and political sources that secret negotiations between
Israel and Syria have stepped up. Major media quoted UN Special
Envoy to the Middle East Peace Process Michael Williams as saying in
an interview with Reuters on Thursday that Syria has signaled its
willingness to change its relationship with Iran, Hizbullah, and
Hamas if progress were made towards a peace deal with Israel.
Incoming Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit (Kadima) was quoted as
saying in an interview with Yediot that he is in favor of only Jews
immigrating to Israel.
Yediot and Globes reported that Channel 2-TV news anchor Gadi
Sukenik is leaving the station. Globes reported that Maariv
Editor-in-Chief Amnon Dankner will quit his post in 2008 after five
years in office.
All media reported that on Thursday a suicide bomber opened fire at
IDF forces at a roadblock in the northern West Bank, and that they
returned fire, killing him.
Ha'aretz reported that the head of the PA's emergency government, PM
Salam Fayyad, is developing an overall reform plan that will tackle
security, the economy and welfare in an effort to "rescue" the West
Bank from a fate similar to that of the Gaza Strip. Fayyad's plan
is focused on improving the daily lives of Palestinians and not on
negotiations with Israel. The Arabic-language Assennara quoted
Israeli sources as saying that the Israeli cabinet decided this week
to assassinate deposed Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh. According to
the newspaper, the decision was forwarded to special security
forces, which will set a date for carrying it out. Assennara cited
a response by Hamas that this is not unlikely to happen since Israel
has no red lines.
Ha'aretz reported that on Saturday senior Hizbullah officials will
participate in a conference in France in which French officials will
try to mediate the political crisis in Lebanon. The conference is
scheduled to last until Monday. Even though France is hosting the
meeting, the diplomatic efforts also involve Iran and Saudi Arabia,
which have made their own proposals on how Lebanon could emerge from
the political impasse. A Hizbullah spokesman, Dr. Hussain Rahal,
was quoted as saying in an interview with the Arabic-language Kull
al-Arab that through its resistance, the movement's victory against
Israel succeeded in bringing back trust in the souls of Arabs and
Muslims. According to Rahal, Hizbullah has recovered its
"militarily" abilities and has become stronger than before and if
Israel initiates a second aggression it will pay the price.... Rahal
was quoted as saying that Hizbullah is aware of the "invasion" of
Israeli journalists into Lebanon and that Siniora's government bears
responsibility for this.
Leading media cited a document from US counterterrorism analysts
that Al-Qaida has regained its pre 9/11 strength.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the USG has reaffirmed its
commitment to ensuring that Holocaust survivors who worked in the
Third Reich's ghettos receive the benefits for which many of them
qualify under law.
Maariv printed an archive picture of Cabinet Secretary Yisrael
Maimon with President Bush. Maimon gave the newspaper an interview
focusing on Olmert's performance.
Assennara quoted Qatari sources as saying that former MK Azmi
Bishara has received a Qatari passport and is now under the
protection and sponsorship of the Qatari prince and considered an
unofficial refugee.
Yediot ran a feature about Avraham Rabby, the first handicapped US
diplomat. The newspaper claims that Rabby is the only US diplomat
who has retained his Israeli citizenship.
Leading media reported that on Thursday oligarch Arkady Gaidamak
founded a new party -- Social Justice. Yediot published the details
of a French court's indictment of Gaidamak: the sale of old Eastern
European weapons to Angola and Cameroon at exorbitant prices; the
establishment of a lobby in Paris to protect his business; and the
filling of bank accounts around the world to the tune of USD 463
million over four years. The newspaper cited Gaidamak's denials.
The Arabic-language Panorama cited the results of an Israel
Radio/Panorama poll: Israelis believe that the chances of war
erupting during the coming year are low to medium. In case of war
along the Lebanese border, the majority of Israelis trust neither
the Israeli government nor Olmert or Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
------------
1. Mideast:
------------
Summary:
--------
Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in the
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Weapons of war may be more
sophisticated today, but the basic approach formulated by David
Ben-Gurion in the early days of the state is still valid -- move the
war to enemy territory and keep it short."
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in Ha'aretz:
"Nasrallah ... not only became Iran's representative in Lebanon, but
also introduced Iran as an active partner in the political
process."
Block Quotes:
-------------
I. "Oh, What a War"
Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in the
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (7/13): "Based on our experience
in the last war, the threats from Syria and the nuclear armament of
Iran, all sorts of theories about the battlefield of the future are
hovering in the air. With the enemy building up its attack force
and dangers looming over the home front, the question is not so much
what kind of scenario the army is preparing for, but how the
political echelon is readying itself to reach life-or-death
decisions. The winner will not be the one with the newest and most
lethal weapons, but the one whose leaders make the right moves.
Weapons of war may be more sophisticated today, but the basic
approach formulated by David Ben-Gurion in the early days of the
state is still valid -- move the war to enemy territory and keep it
short."
II. "Kowtowing to Hizbullah"
Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in Ha'aretz
(7/13): "It appears that the Israeli dilemma of whether Hizbullah
emerged from the Second Lebanon War strengthened or weakened has
been resolved by France. This weekend, Hizbullah figures will
arrive in the French town of St. Cloud to conduct a 'national
Lebanese dialog' under French supervision. This is the first time
Hizbullah has been invited to France as a political entity equal to
the other factions, for a meeting intended to find a solution to
Lebanon's political future.... Nasrallah thereby not only became
Iran's representative in Lebanon, but also introduced Iran as an
active partner in the political process, not only the military one,
and gave it standing that Tehran will be able to exploit in
discussions with France on other issues such as nuclear power and
the future of Iraq. Hizbullah's status has also made Saudi Arabia
realize that it must cooperate with Iran on the matter of Lebanon.
Thus, the two countries conveyed to the Lebanese parties suggestions
for a solution that might get political life out of the deep freeze
into which it sank after the war. In view of these developments,
apparently the way of thinking that measures Hizbullah's power
according to the number of rockets or launch pads it has needs to be
revised, in consideration of the strategic leverage the war gave
this group."
---------
2. Iran:
---------
Summary:
--------
Very liberal columnist B. Michael wrote in the mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot: " It is no wonder that so many people are
so active nurturing and inflating the Iranian scarecrow -- because
it is a good, very efficient scarecrow."
Block Quotes:
-------------
"The Iranian Scarecrow"
Very liberal columnist B. Michael wrote in the mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (7/13): "It is no wonder that so many
people are so active nurturing and inflating the Iranian scarecrow
-- because it is a good, very efficient scarecrow. Failures and
corruption, political tricks and government coalition ploys can be
concealed behind its ragged coat.... For instance, the 'uranium
enrichment by laser' business has recently reemerged.... Dick
Cheney, one of the fathers of the Iraq war bluff, could not have
formulated this better to prove once again that Saddam Hussein still
has closets full of atom bombs.... First, the laser scoop is an old,
almost prehistoric, story. It started in 1970 (!) with the
cooperation of the United States. An Iranian opposition group
revived it in 2002. The Iranians gave it an official seal of
approval in 2003.... Second, dozens of countries, including Sweden,
Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, Australia, Israel (according to foreign
sources...), the US, etc., have been researching and testing
enrichment by laser for decades. Third, not one of these countries
has succeeded.... But this does not matter to the spin masters"
JONES