Cablegate: Jerusalem Media Reaction (01/19): President Abbas Continues

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TAGS: PREL KMDR KPAL KWBG KPAO IS

SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (01/19): President Abbas continues
to refuse negotiations with Israel without a full freeze on
settlement activity

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Main Stories:
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The dailies report that recent Israeli excavations beneath the
Al-Aqsa mosque are the cause of the latest collapse in the Wadi
Hilweh neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem. The Palestinian
Authority (PA) expects more collapses in the area due to continued
Israeli excavations. Jerusalem Mufti Mouhammad Hussein urged the
international community to put pressure on the Israeli authorities
to halt the excavations under the mosque.

Independent daily Al-Quds leads with news on houses in Gaza affected
by floodwaters yesterday. Civil defense forces in Gaza evacuated a
number of families from their homes in Gaza City.

Independent daily Al-Ayyam reports that Special Envoy George
Mitchell will arrive in Beirut today for a two-day visit to discuss
regional peace efforts.

The dailies front page news of PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime
Minister Salam Fayyad participating in the Armenian Christmas
celebration in Bethlehem yesterday. Abbas is quoted in the PA
official daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reiterating that the PA will
continue its efforts towards achieving peace.

In its weekly meeting yesterday, the cabinet approved sending
humanitarian aid to Haiti. The cabinet also urged the Quartet and
the US to exert pressure on Israel to stop continued settlement
activities.

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Weekend stories:
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Monday, January 18

PA official daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida leads with news on President
Abbas calling for greater European pressure on Israel to freeze
settlement activity since the US backed off from calling for a full
settlements freeze.

The dailies report that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stated that
Egypt submitted suggestions to resume peace talks between
Palestinians and Israelis, which are currently being reviewed by the
US. Mubarak also stressed that the Palestinian state of division has
to end, saying that it only serves the Israelis, giving them more
time to contract new settlements.

Sunday, January 17

The three dailies run front page stories highlighting statements by
President Abbas rejecting any return to peace negotiations before
Israel completely freezes settlement activities in the Palestinian
territories, including Jerusalem. Abbas also said he will not meet
with Hamas before the group signs the Egyptian plan for Palestinian
reconciliation.

In related news, Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam quote French sources stating
that Special Envoy Mitchell, who will visit the region next week,
will not bring guarantees to the Palestinians on an Israeli
settlement freeze, the future of East Jerusalem, or US recognition
of a future Palestinian state.

JERUSALEM 00000102 002 OF 002

Al-Quds reports that the PA denied having any knowledge of the EU's
reduction in assistance for the Palestinians. The PA statements came
in response to media reports Saturday saying that the EU was
conditioning support to the PA with achieving progress in the peace
process.

The dailies report that Israeli forces continued shelling the Gaza
Strip and threatening a new war on Gaza after a rocket fired from
Gaza landed in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.

Saturday, January 16:

The three dailies run front page stories of confrontation between
peace activists and Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem's
Shiekh Jarrah neighborhood during a weekly protest against the
Israeli eviction of Palestinians from the area. In related news,
Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida run front page stories, with photos,
of confrontations between Palestinians and peace activists with the
Israeli army near Ramallah yesterday where Israel is confiscating
Palestinian land to expand the settlement of Halamish. The papers
report that dozens of Palestinians suffered from suffocation after
Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at the protestors.

Al-Quds runs a separate front page story citing an interview first
published Friday in Israeli weekly Col Hazam with Jerusalem
Municipal Officer Yakir Segeb during which he said that "The
Palestinians are a demographic threat, while Ellad [the Israeli
settlement organization in Jerusalem] is doing a good work, and
dividing Jerusalem is a catastrophe."

Al-Ayyam runs a front page story on Jewish extremists performing
religious rituals at Al Qattanin market close to the Al-Aqsa mosque
in Jerusalem, where the Israeli police forced Palestinian shops to
close to avoid any confrontation between the two sides.

Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida run front page stories quoting
sources in Paris warning the international community, including the
US, that the EU will condition its support to the PA with achieving
progress on the peace process.
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BLOCK QUOTE:
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Veteran analyst Hani Al-Masri, writing in Al-Ayyam under the title
"What Does Abu Mazen Rely On?" opines that despite US and
international pressure, President Abbas was able to stick to his
position of refusing to pursue talks with Israel prior to the full
cessation of settlement activities. According to Al-Masri, Abbas has
to achieve national unity and end the state of internal Palestinian
division in order to defend his positions.

RUBINSTEIN

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