Cablegate: Israel Media Reaction

VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #2357/01 2991051
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261051Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3966
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 6142
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 2713
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 6746
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 6959
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 6200
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 4842
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 7051
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 3821
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 2038
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 0703
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 8226
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 3231
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 7209
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 9279
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH PRIORITY 2032
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 3039
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMSIXTHFLT PRIORITY

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002357

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

--------------------------------
SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
--------------------------------

Mideast

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

Yesterday major media reported that PM Benjamin Netanyahu plans to
travel to Washington in two weeks to take part in this November's
United Jewish Communities General Assembly (GA), where he is
expected to meet President Obama. HaQaretz quoted sources in the
Prime Minister's Office as saying over the weekend that in view of
the rapprochement between Israel and the American administration, a
meeting with Obama, who is scheduled to speak at the GA, is likely.
HaQaretz reported that on Friday, Obama spoke to Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas about resuming the peace process, and
stressed his personal commitment to establishing a Palestinian
state. Abbas said he, too, was committed to the peace process, and
called for a halt to construction in West Bank settlements.
HaQaretz reported that U.S. Special Envoy Senator George Mitchell is
due to arrive in Israel on Wednesday to discuss ways of jumpstarting
the peace process. HaQaretz cited the hope of Jerusalem officials
that by the time Netanyahu reaches Washington, the gaps with the
Palestinians will have been bridged and the talks will have
resumed.

The media reported that PM Netanyahu instructed Justice Minister
Yaakov Ne'eman to coordinate the task force, which will present its
recommendations as to Israel's course of action on the Goldstone
report and its ramifications. The team will make recommendations on
what should be done in the diplomatic, legal, and public relations
planes. The PM was quoted as saying during the meeting that the
establishment of an investigation committee was "not an option."
"IDF soldiers and officers will not be subjected to investigation,"
he stressed. Over the last couple of days the media cited
NetanyahuQs wriggling interpretations of his own remark to The
Washington Post (published on Saturday): QWe're looking into
[conducting an independent inquiry] not because of the Goldstone
report but because of our own internal needs.Q HaQaretz quoted an
official at the Prime Minister's Office as saying that there were
"differing opinions on what should be done." Media quoted DM Ehud
Barak as saying that "we sent the fighters on the mission and they
deserve our full support." "Israel is prepared to fight against the
legitimacy of the Goldstone report. In addition, Israel will act to
amend rules of war to adjust them to the battle against terrorists
who fight from among civilians," he said. HaQaretz quoted a
government aide speaking on condition of anonymity as saying that
Netanyahu and Barak voiced hope that "this move will put the issue
to rest." Israel Radio quoted Labor Knesset Member Ophir Pines-Paz
and eminent jurist Ruth Gabison -- a member of the Winograd
Commission of investigation into the Second Lebanon War -- as saying
that an independent body should probe Operation Cast Lead. The
Jerusalem Post reported that in a non-binding resolution, top
Democratic and Republican foreign affairs leaders in the U.S.
Congress are calling on the Obama administration to quash the
Goldstone report.

All media reported that after two weeks of relative quiet in the
Jerusalem area, disturbances again broke out in the city and its
periphery yesterday morning. Shortly after the Temple Mount was
opened up to tourists and other non-Muslim visitors, several dozen
Palestinians began throwing stones at both police and tourists. The
police attempted to disperse the stone throwers and the Temple Mount
was closed to visitors. Dozens of Palestinian worshippers on the
Temple Mount were reportedly injured. Among those detained was
Hatem Abdel Kader, who holds the Jerusalem portfolio in the Fatah
leadership. Yesterday's disturbances appear to have been sparked,
as in the past, by printed announcements by Jewish groups seeking to
gain access to the Temple Mount to pray. A meeting of
Religious-Zionist rabbis on the same topic took place in the evening
at the Chief RabbinateQs building in Jerusalem. The northern branch
of the Islamic Movement and other parties, including Abdel Kader,
called on the Palestinian public to come to the Temple Mount to
defend it. The confrontations then ensued. A senior member of the
northern branch of the Islamic Movement, Ali Abu Sheikha, was
detained yesterday in the Old City on suspicion of disturbing the
peace and calling on Muslims on the scene to go out and demonstrate.
Israel Radio reported that the PA asked U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon to dispatch a special envoy to oversee events in Jerusalem.
Leading media reported that Jordan has demanded that Israel refrain
from provocations in Jerusalem and at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and that
Egypt also complained to Israel.

The media cited low-key ties with Jordan as the countries mark 15
years of diplomatic relations. Yediot reported that 15 Jordanians
are studying emergency medicine at Beersheva University.
Yesterday The Jerusalem Post reported that Vice PM Silvan Shalom
called last weekQs offer to Iran a Qbad mistakeQ that the world will
pay for in the near future.

All media reported that on Saturday President Abbas called for
presidential elections on January 24.

HaQaretz reported that the U.N. has asked Israel for clarifications
on "listening devices" that the Lebanese authorities claim were
revealed near the village of Hula in southern Lebanon last week.
The request was made following an official Lebanese petition to the
U.N. Israel neither denied nor confirmed that it had placed
intelligence-gathering equipment in the area, but informed the U.N.
that collecting intelligence in southern Lebanon will continue as
long as the government in Beirut is not in full control of its
territory. Last Wednesday, a tripartite meeting was held at the
UNIFIL base near the Rosh Hanikra border crossing between
representatives of Israel, Lebanon, and the U.N. regarding recent
tensions in the area.

Leading media reported that two IDF soldiers have been expelled from
their brigade and sentenced to 20 days in military prison for waving
a pro-settler banner during their swearing-in ceremony last week.
The soldiers served in the Kfir Brigade, an infantry unit originally
set up to battle Palestinian militants in the West Bank. HaQaretz
reported that a military spokesman called the incident "a
disgraceful disciplinary aberration." Leading media quoted IDF
Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi as saying that political
exploitation of soldiers is forbidden. The contentious banner,
which the soldiers held at their swearing-in ceremony Thursday at
the Western Wall, bore the message: "We did not enlist in order to
evacuate Jews." Leading media reported that settler leaders are set
to consider whether Pinchas Wallerstein can remain in his post as
Director-General of the Yesha Council of Jewish Settlements in the
Territories because he objected to those protest actions.

HaQaretz and Israel Radio reported that today the KnessetQs
Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee will discuss a bill
forbidding the commemoration of the Nakba.

Yesterday Yediot quoted U.S. Consul-General in Israel Andrew Parker
as saying in the course of a meeting with officials from the Israeli
Foreign Ministry that in the past year requests for visas filed at
the American Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate-General in
Jerusalem fell by about 25 percent. This amounts to a decline of
about fifty thousand Israeli petitions and a loss of some $5-6
million in income for the Embassy in Tel Aviv alone.. The
Consul-General explained the phenomenon as resulting from the world
economic crisis. Meanwhile, Yediot reported that the number of
rejected visa requests rose over the past year from 3 percent to 5.1
percent. Such an increase could hinder Israeli efforts to join the
U.S. visa exemption program, currently enjoyed by 35 countries
around the world.

The Jerusalem Post reported that last week several teens from
Ashkelon brutally attacked a female American tourist after being
asked to quiet down. The womanQs family subsequently shelved its
plans to immigrate to Israel.

Yediot and HaQaretz reported that Israeli director Oren PeliQs short
horror movie QParanormal ActivityQ tops the blockbuster list in the
U.S.

--------
Mideast:
--------

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

I. "The Big American Freeze"

The Director of the Interdisciplinary Center's Global Research in
International Affairs Center, columnist Barry Rubin, wrote in the
conservative, independent Jerusalem Post (10/26): QThe President of
the United States and senior officials have repeatedly announced
that they consider final status negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority (PA) as high priority.... The fly in the
ointment here is the PA. It forcefully insists that it won't even
meet formally with Israel until all construction in all Jewish
settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem stops completely.
Already, however, U.S.-Israel discussions have moved past that
point. We don't know precisely where they stand, but clearly the
administration isn't pushing for a total halt and it isn't pushing
all that urgently on the issue. Therefore, while Israel has
succeeded in conciliating the U.S., the PA is defying Washington.
We know that it's serious in doing so because of what has just
happened with the Goldstone report in the UN. The administration
asked the PA not to take a lead role in pushing the report; the PA
complied for about 48 hours and then internal pressure forced it to

go back on its word. Most of this pressure was not the masses
spontaneous outrage but from the hard-line elements which dominate
the ruling Fatah group as well as in the PA itself.

II. "Forget about Proportionality"

Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote in the mass-circulation,
pluralist Yediot Aharonot (10/27): QIsraelQs enemies are counting on
the Goldstone report. They will launch rockets into Tel Aviv, and
the world will stop Israel from carrying out punitive measures in an
attempt to deter them. They are wrong. Israel cannot afford to
wait until its ground forces act successfully in Syria, Lebanon,
Gaza, or anywhere else to reduce the rhythm of the rocket fire.
Time is a critical component, and successful movement on the ground
is a matter of days and weeks, which means more losses and more
critical hits on the home front. Hundreds of rockets that will
penetrate the Israeli-American defenses require an immediate
response from Israel. Here, then, is the cruel and simple equation:
the more effective the terrorist rocket war becomes, the less
QproportionateQ the response will be, in the terms of the old wars.
In such a situation, a massive punitive blow painful enough to make
the enemy stop firing will strike infrastructures and locations by
air and by land. If the world expects Israel to strike only at
military targets and run after every rocket or launching area, it
expects us to commit suicide. That is not the right war. The more
painful the blow to the enemyQs critical areas, the better the
chance that it will be more quickly convinced.

III. "A Seething Volcano"

The independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (10/26): QThe
clashes yesterday between Israeli police who entered the Temple
Mount plaza and Palestinian stone throwers and inciters seemingly
ended calmly.... Yet it is that very routine which indicates that
the Temple Mount is behaving like an active, simmering volcano; the
timing of its next major eruption is impossible to gauge. The
government's attitude, by which it views these events as just
another competitive front between Israel and the Palestinians, is
likely to foment a violent outburst which will ignite the entire
Middle East. The trepidation of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims
from what is referred to as the QJudaization of Jerusalem,Q or the
Jewish takeover of the Temple Mount, cannot be overstated.... [The
policeQs success] will be measured by its ability to hold a dialogue
and reach understandings with the Muslim interlocutors in order to
prevent a conflagration.

IV. "Does Israel Control the Temple Mount?"

Former editor-in-chief Moshe Ishon wrote in the editorial of the
nationalist, Orthodox Makor Rishon-Hatzofe (10/26): QThe closure of
the Temple Mount to the Jews causes a great detriment to IsraelQs
sovereignty. Instead of removing the rioters from the site and
[protecting the honor of the remnant of the Temple, [the Israeli
authorities] responsible for keeping the law in Israel chose for
some reason to harm the honor of the State of Israel, Judaism, and
the Torah. This is a problematic behavior that has more drawbacks
than advantages.

V. QLook Eastward

Oded Eran, Director of the Institute for National Security Studies
in Tel Aviv, who served as Israel's Ambassador to Jordan and as
Deputy Director General for Economic Affairs in the Foreign Ministry
(10/26): QInstead of overreaching by demanding normalized relations
with the countries of North Africa, Israel would do better to focus
on normalizing relations with countries in closer geographical
proximity. Developing energy, water and transportation networks
with those countries is more important to securing peace and
stabilizing it. Israel must try to develop a diplomatic-economic
dialogue with Jordan and expropriate it from the security officials
currently in charge of it. As much as a dialogue on security issues
is important, it isn't enough.

VI. Q15 Years of Peace"

The conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized (10/26):
QIt's not exactly the peace Yitzhak Rabin, King Hussein, and Bill
Clinton envisioned when Jordan and Israel signed their treaty on
October 26, 1994 at what is today the Arava Border Crossing
connecting Aqaba and Eilat. And yet this unsatisfactory peace
trumps what preceded it.... Opposition to Israel-Jordan
normalization is driven not only by tendentious Arab satellite news
coverage, but also by Jordan's semi-tolerated Islamist opposition,
which includes the parliamentary Islamic Action Front bloc and the
Muslim Brotherhood. Anti-normalization campaigners maintain a
blacklist of Jordanian companies, journalists, academics, and
cultural figures that have contact with Israel. Jordanians who
appear on the same dais as Israelis are invariably either government
officials or forced to take chances because of their dependence on
European or American largesse. Because of internal pressures,
Jordan needs momentum in the stalled negotiating process between
Israel and the Palestinians, perhaps more than the parties
themselves. Unfortunately, by being tone deaf to reasonable Israeli
concerns, and oblivious to Palestinian intransigence, Amman has
abdicated a more constructive role in bringing the parties closer
together. It needn't be so.

VII. "A Nation in a Coma"

Contributor Haim Assa wrote in the popular, pluralist Maariv
(10/267): QIsrael is in a coma not only because of its sedated
government. It is in a coma because it lacks any political
discourse. Because one side (the Left) has betrayed those who sent
it. For how can it be explained that nobody, as of yet, has
criticized Operation Cast Lead? Yes, the operation itself. The
fact that the IDF granted Hamas what Hamas was seeking. The
Goldstone report. This does not mean that the IDF is unethical.
The IDF is the most ethical army in the world, but precisely because
of this we emerge as idiots. Both ethical and appearing as war
criminals in a war that achieved nothing. This is what ought to be
investigated. The IDF apparently does not know how to wage a war
against a terror organization. It fails to comprehend its own
objectives as well as the objectives of the enemy it faces. But my
emphasis is on the lack of criticism. If there were a Left, there
would be criticism. There would be a debate. It would also benefit
the right in understanding where it lives. It would help all of us
understand where we are living. This way we all find ourselves in a
vacuum.

CUNNINGHAM

© Scoop Media