Cablegate: Israel Media Reaction

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P 301003Z OCT 07
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RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 1005
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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

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR IS

SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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Mideast

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Key stories in the media:
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All media reported that PM Ehud Olmert announced that he has a
cancerous growth on his prostate. Olmert, who said his condition
will not distract him from his work, will undergo surgery shortly
after the Annapolis meeting. Ha'aretz said that Olmert's doctors
presented "too pink a picture." Media reported that among others,
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad

SIPDIS
called Olmert to wish him well. Makor Rishon-Hatzofe noted that the
White House and the State Department said that Olmert's condition
should not interfere with the Annapolis meeting.

Major media reported that on Monday Attorney General Menachem Mazuz
prohibited the state from cutting off electricity to parts of the
Gaza Strip, as Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened to do. Israel
Radio reported that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Human
Rights Watch criticized Israel's intention to cut off power in
Gaza.

Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post quoted Shin Bet head Avraham Diskin
as saying on Monday that he does not expect a wave of terror
reminiscent of the second Intifada following Annapolis meeting, even
if it is deemed a failure. Speaking at the Knesset's Foreign
Affairs and Defense Committee, Diskin said that the "high
expectation and possible failure of the summit could definitely
spark high motivation for terror attacks [among Palestinian
militants], but not with the intensity of the terror wave of October
2000." The Palestinian people were exhausted and lacked leadership,
he was quoted as saying. Yediot quoted Diskin as saying that
terrorists plan to abduct Israelis from the Sinai and take them to
Gaza.

All media reported that an IDF reservist paratrooper was killed in
the Gaza Strip and three other soldiers were wounded in the
territories.

Ha'aretz quoted US Consul-General in Jerusalem Jacob Walles as
saying that American firms selected by the US administration will

advise the PA on the organization, training, and equipment of its
security forces. Walles added that American security assistance
will be carried out in consultation with the US security coordinator
in the territories, Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton. Walles was quoted as
saying that the US sees considerable improvement in the performance
of the Palestinian security forces.

Ha'aretz quoted AP as saying that on Monday Iranian FM Manouchehr
Mottaki met with Palestinian officials, including some from Hamas
and Islamic Jihad. A headline in The Jerusalem Post reads: "Syria's
Answer to Annapolis: A Conference of Rejections." The Jerusalem
Post reported that the PA has dispatched three senior officials to
Damascus in an attempt to persuade Syria not to host a conference
called for by Hamas and other radical Palestinian factions.

The Jerusalem Post printed an AP wire report quoting Syrian FM Walid
Muallem as saying that IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei's criticism of
Israel and the US over the alleged IAF shrike on Syria was proof of
the "lies" leveled against Damascus.

Yediot quoted Khaled Ghazal, the Palestinian ambassador to Poland,
who last week visited the former Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp
complex along with his Israeli counterpart, David Peleg, as saying
that he has read many books on the Holocaust and has seen the movie
The Pianist three times, but that only when one visits Auschwitz
does one understand the scope of the Holocaust.

Ha'aretz reported that Pfizer, the world's largest non-generic drug
maker, is in advanced talks to establish an R&D center in Israel.
The daily quoted GOI sources as saying that it will probably erect
its center in the central Galilee.

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Mideast:
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Summary:
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Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in the
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "Olmert must go to Annapolis as
Mr. Peace, but play Mr. Security when he gets there. Annapolis is
good, but not at any price."

Ha'aretz editorialized: "[Complete disengagement from Gaza] must be

done in an orderly and responsible manner, with the support of
Europe and the United States."

Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in Ha'aretz:
"There is no benefit or logic in the attack launched against Egypt
by intelligence officials in Israel, to the point of comparing it to
a state that supports terror. But someone is apparently itching to
get to the Aswan Dam."

Block Quotes:
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I. "Not at Any Price"

Senior columnist and longtime dove Yoel Marcus wrote in the
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (10/30): "From here, Annapolis
looks like a Fata Morgana on a sizzling day in the Sahara Desert....
This project is the private initiative of U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice. After the failure of the American offensive in
Iraq, she wants to give George Bush a farewell gift, a little
something from our neighborhood. Bush's involvement will not
resemble the very deep involvement of presidents Carter and Clinton
at Camp David. This meeting is going to be a quickie. An
international brief encounter, not an international conference....
There is an essential difference between Rice's involvement and
Bush's. Rice can be tough with Israel, but only the President can
twist Israel's arm. Bush, who is about to end his presidency
without bombing any nuclear reactors in Iran or pulling American
troops out of Iraq, wants Olmert to be prime minister of a secure
Israel. Rice has instructions from Bush not to pressure Olmert into
doing anything he thinks will endanger Israel's security.... There
will be no international summit or encounter without a draft that
sums up the core issues in the conflict in a manner acceptable to
both sides. Israel agrees to these rules. The trouble is that, in
practice, any agreement that Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas sign at
Annapolis will obligate only half of Palestine. Abbas will be
stronger in the eyes of the world, but not in the eyes of most of
his people. The Israeli public does not have the strength,
emotional or otherwise, for another dummy compromise with the
Palestinians.... The Olmert administration is taking a risk by
agreeing to make concessions on core issues in the conflict with the
Palestinian Authority. An agreement to which only half the
Palestinian people are committed will not be worth the paper it is
written on. Olmert must go to Annapolis as Mr. Peace, but play Mr.
Security when he gets there. Annapolis is good, but not at any
price."

II. "Acting out of Frustration in Gaza"

Ha'aretz editorialized (10/30): "It is easier for Israel to attack a
reactor in Syria than hit nearby Beit Hanun [in the northern Gaza
Strip], because it is difficult, if not outright impossible, to
avoid civilian casualties there.... More than any defensive or
deterrent effect, this policy is simply about revenge. It is
understandable, in view of the continued attacks, but it cannot be
accepted as a policy that was conceived in a rational manner by the
Defense Ministry. The role of the defense establishment is to
defend the country, not to avenge on its behalf, and not to dampen
the frustration of the residents of Sderot by announcing operations
stinking of spin. Moreover, the power that these civilians
supposedly have to influence the Hamas government and make it stop
the rocket fire against Israel is minimal.... If the aim is indeed
complete disengagement, it is impossible to accomplish this only by
disengaging from Gaza, nor can this be seen as part of an
opportunistic maneuver, or as punishment. It must be done in an
orderly and responsible manner, with the support of Europe and the
United States. The Gaza Strip is not independent, and will remain
so for the foreseeable future. The babies of Gaza depend on the
government of Israel more than the Hamas government, and the
decision to punish them for the Qassam rockets does not contribute
to the safety of the residents of Sderot."

III. "War against Egypt in the Winter"

Senior Middle East affairs analyst Zvi Bar'el wrote in Ha'aretz
(10/28): "In briefings with Israeli journalists, intelligence
officials claim that Egypt wants to see 'Israel bleeding'.... Israel
is furious that Egypt allowed about 80 Hamas explosive experts --
allegedly trained in Iran -- to enter the Gaza Strip. As if the
Qassam rockets had been waiting for them to arrive. In fact, Egypt
represents an excellent culprit because it can also be punished --
by freezing U.S. economic assistance, for instance.... Despite the
Israeli claim, Egypt is conducting a vigorous struggle against
terror. Its efforts are primarily directed against those suspected
of smuggling weapons.... The problem is that Egypt sometimes
operates like Israel. Lacking sound intelligence, it detains
hundreds and even thousands of people in the area, demolishes homes
and conducts interrogations using methods that are anything but
gentle. This generates enormous anger among the Bedouin
population.... Could Egypt do more to stop the smuggling? The
answer is yes, apparently it could -- that is, if it receives
Israel's okay to deploy more forces.... Egypt is Israel's ally --
not only in matters involving oil, gas and trade, but also in the
fight against terrorism. It is Israel's only ally that maintains a
dialogue with both Hamas and Fatah -- and this is good. There is no
benefit or logic in the attack launched against Egypt by
intelligence officials in Israel, to the point of comparing it to a
state that supports terror. But someone is apparently itching to
get to the Aswan Dam."

JONES

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