Cablegate: Jerusalem Media Reaction (12/18): President Abbas: "There

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STATE PASS BBG
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA, NEA/PPD
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM
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CMC WASHINGTON DC FOR POLAD

JERUSALEM ALSO FOR ICD
LONDON FOR HKANONA AND POL - TSOU
PARIS ALSO FOR POL
ROME FOR MFO

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TAGS: PREL KMDR KPAL KWBG KPAO IS

SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (12/18): President Abbas: "There
is no Palestine without Jerusalem"

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Main Stories:
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The three dailies lead with news on Palestinian Authority (PA)
President Mahmoud Abbas' visit to Nablus yesterday to participate in
the closing event of the Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture festival.
Abbas is quoted in the dailies and independent news outlet Maan
reiterating that Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine and that
"there is no Palestine without Jerusalem, no one will accept this.
Without Jerusalem there will be no peace."

Independent daily Al-Ayyam and PA official daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida
front page photos of Israeli police and military forces shutting
down events related to the cultural festival in Jerusalem yesterday
arresting several people, including Fatah officials. Abbas condemned
the incident and referred to the attacks as "barbaric acts carried
out against unarmed civilians." He also said this incident made him
doubt whether Israelis truly aspired to peace.

Independent daily Al-Quds leads with news on Robert Serry, UN
Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, telling the
UN Security Council on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's temporary settlement construction freeze falls short of
Israel's obligations under the Road Map. Serry added that the
temporary settlement freeze has no positive impact on the peace
process.

Al-Ayyam front pages a report on Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman stating yesterday that Israel will pursue settlement
construction at a high speed once the ten month moratorium is over.

Citing PA news outlet Wafa, Al-Quds front pages news that the
Jerusalem Municipality submitted demolition orders yesterday against
seven houses in the Jabal Al-Mukabber neighborhood, which will leave
51 adults and 33 children homeless. According to the report, the
Israeli authorities gave the families ten days to evacuate the
homes.

Al-Ayyam front pages news on Palestinian sources telling the
London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that Israel refuses to release a
number of Hamas leaders in the prisoner swap deal for security
reasons. The sources also noted that there is a conflict within
Hamas itself regarding the deal.

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Palestine Cyberspace:
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The arrest warrant issued by a British court for former Israeli
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for her involvement in Israel's assault
on Gaza last winter was heavily discussed in the Palestinian
blogosphere. A blog by Khalid Amayreh, a journalist from Hebron,
said, "Britain must not allow itself to be bullied by this bullying
criminal entity [Israel]."

A blog by Iyad Burnat, a peace activist from Bilin, writes his blog
under the title "Words Are Not Enough" saying, "We [Palestinians]
are a simple people, and more than anything we want to see peace.
But before there is peace there must be justice, and we must have
our freedom. We are not against Jews or Israelis, but we are against
the occupation."

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BLOCK QUOTES:
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Al-Quds runs an editorial under the title "Why is there a Targeted
Attack Against Al-Aqsa Mosque?" (12/18): "In order to maintain
stability in the region and in the world, Muslims should not be
denied access to pray in Al-Aqsa mosque, and Jewish extremists
should be prevented from provoking the feelings of Muslims on every
Jewish holiday if we want to support a just peace and the peaceful
coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis."
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