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Cablegate: Israel Media Reaction

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TEL AVIV 002262

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD

WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM
NSC FOR NEA STAFF

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. Bush-Sharon Meeting

2. Mideast

-------------------------
Key stories in the media:
-------------------------

All media extensively covered the Bush-Sharon Crawford
meeting, focusing mainly in the differences between the
two positions. Ha'aretz reported that Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon and U.S. President George W. Bush remained
at odds over the issue of construction in the
settlements, and significant differences between the
two leaders emerged with regard to their positions on
PA Chairman Mahmud Abbas, and the matter of the
continuation of the peace process following the
disengagement from the Gaza Strip and northern West
Bank. Despite the differences, however, the two were
full of mutual compliments after the meeting, with Bush
noting time and again Sharon's courage in his efforts
to promote the pullout plan. "While the United States
will not prejudice the outcome of final status
negotiations, those changes on the ground, including
existing major Israeli population centers, must be
taken into account in any final status negotiations,"
Bush was cited as saying. Yediot headlined that Israel
will get a generous U.S. economic aid package aimed for
development of the Negev and the Galilee.

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Ha'aretz says the Gaza Strip saw a sharp decline in
violent incidents yesterday following a number of tense
days. Two mortar shells were fired at Gush Katif
settlements last night, causing no injuries. Knesset
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee's chairman Yuval
Steinitz (Likud) called on the Israel Defense Forces to
mount a second Defensive Shield operation in the Gaza
Strip, commenting that the terror organizations in the
Strip were preparing the next round of shelling.

Ha'aretz reported: Yesterday, Hezbollah succeeded for
the second time in five months in flying an unmanned
surveillance aircraft into Israeli airspace. Israel's
Air Force launched fighter planes in response, but they
failed to bring down the drone. Two senior IDF
officers warned at yesterday's meeting of the Knesset's
Foreign Affairs and Defense committee that Hezbollah's
operations along the Israeli border could lead to a
dangerous outbreak of hostilities. Defense Minister
Shaul Mofaz confirmed that the IDF has declared a state
of alert, and that "we are monitoring events along the
northern border."

Maariv reported that Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is
leaving for Egypt today to meet with Egyptian President
Mubarak, Chief of Intelligence Omar Suleiman, and
Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu-al-Rit. Speaking to 70
visiting mayors from all over the world, Shalom said in
Jerusalem yesterday that Egypt is playing a positive
role in the Israeli-Palestinian process, trying to make
sure that the territories Israel withdraws from remain
in PA control and not under Hamas or Islamic Jihad
rule.

Yediot Aharonot reported that the Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee's legal adviser presented an opinion
according to which Sharon will not be able to agree to
having Egyptian troops secure Philadelphi Road between
the Gaza Strip and Sinai unless the Knesset approves
the agreement in a vote. The legal opinion contradicts
the prime minister's position. The government reached
an agreement with the Egyptian government for 750
Egyptian troops, some of them in armored vehicles and
APCs and perhaps even with anti-tank weapons, to be
brought to Philadelphi Road. The agreement appears to
contravene the peace treaty with Egypt, which ordered
the demilitarization of Sinai.

-----------------------
1. Bush-Sharon Meeting:
-----------------------

Summary:
--------

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote from Texas in
left-leaning, independent Ha'aretz: "The tremendous
effort invested in flying the prime minister here, in
staging a fabulous photo-op and in tedious preparatory
talks by aides, was overshadowed by arguments over
construction in the settlements and the way to get the
peace process moving after the withdrawal from Gaza and
northern Samaria."

Senior diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote in
popular, pluralist Maariv: "[Sharon] left the Lone Star
State with a certain sense of aloneness. The difficult
task is still before him."

Senior diplomatic correspondent Shimon Shiffer wrote
from Texas in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot: "Sharon's statements at Crawford constitute
the first steps in drawing Israel's permanent borders.
For the time being he is doing so with the Americans'
hesitant consent. One might assume that after another
visit or two with Bush, after it becomes evident that
perhaps there is no Palestinian partner, the Americans
might just come to support Sharon's approach to
Israel's future borders."

Washington-based correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in
left-leaning, independent Ha'aretz: "Bush took a big
stride toward upping his involvement. He still
believes that America cannot afford to get in over its
head when it comes to the finer details of the
conflict, and is still not enamored with the idea of
U.S. mediators in the region. But he is certainly
giving his all on a number of fundamental issues of the
conflict."

Washington-based correspondent Orly Azulai Katz opined
in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "Bush
told Sharon clearly: Israel has a partner now, and it
must cooperate with it. Unlike Sharon, Bush also
believes that after the evacuation of Gaza, trust will
be created between the two sides, which will allow
continued, persistent political negotiations."

Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized:
"The problem is that the White House continues to
refuse to recognize that the leeway Sharon has taken
saved the road map and is a package deal."

Block Quotes:
-------------

1. "Sharon's Charm Lost Some of Its Luster"

Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote from Texas in
left-leaning, independent Ha'aretz (April 12): "The
tremendous effort invested in flying the prime minister
here, in staging a fabulous photo op and in tedious
preparatory talks by aides, was overshadowed by
arguments over construction in the settlements and the
way to get the peace process moving after the
withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria.... Although
he exchanged buddy jokes with Bush, the feeling was
that Sharon's charm lost some of its luster during
Bush's second term, that things have gone sour, that
the bastards changed the rules. Traveling to the
ranch, Sharon sounded harsh charges against Abu-Mazen,
saying that the resumption of fire would be central in
the meeting. Yesterday it seemed the Americans were
not enthusiastic with this message.... In a rare
interview with NBC, Sharon said that the atmosphere in
Israel was "the eve of civil war." Speaking at the
press conference, Sharon tried to tone down this
remark, but his message was clear: He is unable to
make additional gestures or concessions. Still, it
seemed neither Sharon nor Bush had much to lose by
displaying their disagreement. Sharon can show his
rivals in the Likud that he isn't the Americans' yes-
man; Bush can show his European and Arab friends that
he isn't in Sharon's pocket. From Sharon's standpoint,
Bush's most important message perhaps was his
expectation 'to work with the prime minister in the
years to come.' That's an intriguing signal ahead of
the Likud primaries and elections expected in Israel.

2. "American Test"
Senior diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote in
popular, pluralist Maariv (April 12): "The message
inherent in the President's statements [in Texas] was
clear and precise: the United States currently is
interested in three things: disengagement,
disengagement and disengagement. It turns out that the
Americans built a special model, a 'Gaza pilot,' in
which what is actually a mini-Palestinian state is
supposed to be established in the Gaza Strip. The
success of this project will have repercussions for the
future phases of the process.... If the Gaza project is
successful, and if a successful, independent, peace-
seeking entity is formed there, even Sharon will be
convinced, said Bush, that we can proceed. By saying
that he hinted that there was no certainty that the
Americans would continue to back Sharon in the future
on his insistence that all the security clauses of the
road map must be carried out in full. [Sharon] left
the Lone Star State with a certain sense of aloneness.
The difficult task is still before him."

3. "Bush on Disengagement: Gosh, That Sounds Logical"

Senior diplomatic correspondent Shimon Shiffer wrote
from Texas in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot
Aharonot (April 12): "Sharon emerged from the meeting
with Bush in one piece-if we might understate matters.
In all the press conferences, the President focused on
one issue: sweeping support for disengagement. 'Gosh,'
he said repeatedly about the basic premise of Sharon's
plan, 'that sounds logical,' said the President....
While Bush did speak about Israel's obligation to
refrain from construction in the settlements, he did
not respond when Sharon said in his presence that in
any future arrangement with the Palestinians the major
settlement blocs (including Maale Adumim) will remain
in Israeli possession. Sharon's statements at Crawford
constitute the first steps in drawing Israel's
permanent borders. For the time being he is doing so
with the Americans' hesitant consent. One might assume
that after another visit or two with Bush, after it
becomes evident that perhaps there is no Palestinian
partner, the Americans might just come to support
Sharon's approach to Israel's future borders."

4. "Bush Speaks His Mind"

Washington-based correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote in
left-leaning, independent Ha'aretz (April 12): "In his
statements yesterday at his ranch in Crawford, Bush
took a big stride toward upping his involvement. He
still believes that America cannot afford to get in
over its head when it comes to the finer details of the
conflict, and is still not enamored with the idea of
U.S. mediators in the region. But he is certainly
giving his all on a number of fundamental issues of the
conflict. Bush is no less a friend of Israel after the
meeting with Sharon than he was before the joint news
conference. He still supports Sharon and the pullout
plan, but he made it clear yesterday that this
friendship has a limit, and that he won't stand idly by
when he hears talk of territorial contiguity between
Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim, or that the large
settlement blocs will be part of the State of Israel,
'for all that this signifies.'"

5. "Smiles and Disagreements"

Washington-based correspondent Orly Azulai Katz opined
in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (April
12): "On the eve of the summit people in Israel hoped
that the matter of construction in the settlements
would be pushed aside in order not to cloud the
meeting, which was meant to be festive and supportive.
But the subject came up in the meeting and remained
controversial.... This was not the only disagreement.
Sharon believed that he would be able to present Abu
Mazen as the bad boy of the region, the 'rais' [late PA
chairman Yasser Arafat] who let them down and was not
doing a thing against terrorism. It did not work.
Bush told Sharon clearly: Israel has a partner now, and
it must cooperate with it. Unlike Sharon, Bush also
believes that after the evacuation of Gaza, trust will
be created between the two sides, which will allow
continued, persistent political negotiations."

6. "Sharon Gets the Ranch Treatment"

Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized
(April 12): "Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's first visit
to US President George W. Bush's ranch was picturesque,
as expected, but the diplomatic picture was of two
leaders dancing around areas of disagreement.. [Their]
statements can be seen as a classic example of agreeing
to disagree, or put in a slightly more positive sense,
of constructive ambiguity.. The problem is that the
White House continues to refuse to recognize that the
leeway Sharon has taken saved the road map and is a
package deal. By committing to dismantling settlements
long before final-status talks, Sharon went far beyond
the road map's obligations. But to do this Sharon must
also, he has once again made clear, take leeway in the
other direction, namely solidifying Israeli control
over the settlement blocs. The continued White House
refusal to even tacitly recognize such a bargain
creates a tension that is harmful not just to Israel's
interests, but to US policy. It does not build US
credibility with the Palestinian side; it only serves
to distract from the pressure that must be exerted to
force Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmud Abbas to
take real steps to dismantle terrorist groups.. The
other tension that should be resolved is over how to
"help" Abbas. It seems that neither Sharon nor Bush is
willing to use the real leverage that the international
community has to force Abbas's hand, namely withholding
further financial and diplomatic support pending his
using the ample forces under his command to take
concrete actions. Instead, what we see from the PA
leadership is a continuation of the Arafat-style
tactics of denying responsibility and claiming
weakness."
-----------
2. Mideast:
-----------

Summary:
-------

Veteran print and TV journalist Dan Margalit wrote in
popular, pluralist Maariv: "The currently practical
option ... is to march in the direction of a unilateral
arrangement. To withdraw not in order to flee but
rather to ameliorate our situation. The decision
makers have not yet come to accept that we are marching
alone, and that is a shame. Since precious time is
being squandered."

Block Quotes:
-------------

"Back to the Unilateral Track"

Veteran print and TV journalist Dan Margalit wrote in
popular, pluralist Maariv (April 12): "The IDF
refrained from responding with fire to the barrage of
mortar shells the Palestinians showered on the Gush
Katif settlements, and that ..., for the time being,
was the wise course of action. And Ariel Sharon voiced
his disappointment with Abu Mazen's conduct in his
conversation with George Bush, and even that, to a
certain extent, was the wise course of action. Okay,
but what next? ... Any political planning that is
undertaken must take into account the possibility that
there will be no Palestinian partner in the foreseeable
future. Given these circumstances Sharon is now forced
back to square one. He should admit that disengagement
is a unilateral step, just like it was in its original
guise. The political significance of this is that
Sharon will be obliged to implement the disengagement
plan with large numbers of opponents to his Right, and
with the absence of a supporting flank from the Left,
which will abandon him.... Therefore, the currently
practical option -- which might engender Palestinian
willingness to eradicate terrorism and to negotiate a
final status arrangement in the future -- is to march
in the direction of a unilateral arrangement. To
withdraw not in order to flee but rather to ameliorate
our situation. The decision makers have not yet come
to accept that we are marching alone, and that is a
shame. Since precious time is being squandered."
CRETZ

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