VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHTV #1034/01 1341105
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131105Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6668
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHQA/HQ USAF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEADWD/DA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 3812
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 0451
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 4094
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 4617
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 3827
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 2107
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 4576
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1446
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1890
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 8438
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 5919
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 0829
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 4948
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 6898
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 9687
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMSIXTHFLT PRIORITY
UNCLAS TEL AVIV 001034
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
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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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1. Mideast
2. Lebanon
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Key stories in the media:
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All media reported that yesterday President Bush granted interviews
to Israeli reporters ahead of his visit to the country. The media
made it difficult to identify the journalists the President was
responding to. Ha'aretz reported that the President told the
newspaper that the peace process is not dependent is not dependent
on a single individual. Media quoted Bush as saying after the
meeting that PM Ehud Olmert is an "honest guy," easy to talk with,
and a "strategic thinker, and that the relations between the two
leaders are "nothing but excellent." Yet, at the same time, he
stressed that the peace process does not depend on Olmert, and even
named two possible replacements for him: FM Tzipi Livni, who is
number two in Olmert's Kadima party, and Defense Minister Ehud
Barak, who heads Labor. Among the Palestinians as well, Bush noted,
more than one man is involved in the peace talks; it is not just PA
President Mahmoud Abbas. And therefore, regardless of the outcome
of the investigation, Bush still hopes "to get something defined" by
the end of this year. Specifically, he would like to see Israel and
the PA agree on the borders of a future Palestinian state --
something Secretary Rice, is convinced is achievable. Bush stressed
that he is not coming to "demand" progress, but rather to
"encourage" the negotiations. Leading media quoted Bush as saying:
"The U.S. cannot impose peace, nor can it decide where the border
between Israel and Palestine should lie. Nevertheless, he added,
the Palestinians must be assured that they will receive a st