VZCZCXRO4911
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #0202 0340814
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 030814Z FEB 10
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7466
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEADWD/DA WASHINGTON DC//DAS-ZD/DACS-ZK//
RUEAHQA/CSAF WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
RHMFIUU/CMC WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC//POLAD//
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 8074
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 5029
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4873
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6361
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 4792
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3396
UNCLAS JERUSALEM 000202
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 (02/03): Prime Minister Fayyad
gives remarks at conference in Israel
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Main Stories:
-------------The dailies front page news on Palestinian Authority
(PA) Prime Minister Salam Fayyad attending the annual conference
organized by the Strategic Studies Institute in Herzliya. Fayyad is
quoted saying that Israel must begin to "roll back" its occupation
of the Palestinian territories, starting with ending the incursions
into the West Bank, to convince Palestinians it wants a peace deal
that would give them statehood. PA official daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida
reports that Fayyad said that East Jerusalem is Palestinian land
that was occupied in 1967 and must become the capital of Palestine.
Maan news agency reports on Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri
condemning Fayyad's participation in the conference, saying "The
Palestinian Authority's cooperation with Israel reached a political
level, and this is a serious indicator that the PA has connected its
projects with Israeli interests and policies."
The dailies report that PA President Mahmoud Abbas stated in a joint
press conference with Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos in Ramallah
yesterday that the PA is still reviewing the proposals submitted by
Special Envoy George Mitchell. Abbas reiterated that the
Palestinians are committed to the peace process and the two state
solution, and that the settlement activities must stop. In related
news, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reports that President Abbas will meet with
Egyptian President Mubarak on Friday in Egypt to discuss the
proposals submitted by Special Envoy Mitchell regarding the
resumption of negotiations with Israel.
The dailies run reports citing "well informed" French sources saying
that Special Envoy Mitchell asked French and European officials to
exert pressure on President Abbas to accept the US proposal for the
resumption of negotiations.
Al-Quds front pages news on the new UNRWA Commissioner General
Filippo Grandi noting after a visit to Gaza yesterday that Israel
bears huge responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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BLOCK QUOTE:
------------
Al-Quds runs an editorial under the title "Negotiations Are Not a
Goal" which states that Palestinian-Israeli negotiations are not a
goal, but a means to achieve peace in the region. The writer
believes that the more pressure the United States exerts on the PA
to resume negotiations, the more it loses its credibility. The
author argues that in order to ensure the resumption of
negotiations, the U.S. has to lay out a clear policy regarding
settlement activities.
RUBINSTEIN