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Viewing cable 04TELAVIV2436, ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
04TELAVIV2436 2004-04-29 11:11 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Tel Aviv
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 002436 
 
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.  Mideast 
 
2.  Syria 
 
3.  Iraq 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Yediot and Jerusalem Post reported that PM Sharon will 
travel to Washington to attend the AIPAC (Jewish lobby) 
convention, which will open on May 15.  Yediot reported 
that the Israeli Embassy has received instructions to 
coordinate a meeting between Sharon and Democratic 
presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry. 
 
U.S. National Security Council Spokesman Sean McCormack 
told Israel Radio Washington correspondent Yaron Dekel: 
"The President stands by his commitment he made to 
Prime Minister Sharon when he was standing next to him, 
and by his letter to Sharon.  All his commitments are 
100 percent followed and we're in no way, shape or form 
backing away from this commitment."  McCormack refused 
to comment on the consequences of a possible rejection 
of the plan by Likud voters.  Yediot cited similar 
remarks by McCormack.  Israel Radio reported that 
members of the GOI welcomed the remarks from the White 
House.  The radio quoted Israel's Ambassador to the 
U.S. Danny Ayalon as saying that rejection of the plan 
would be a slap in the face of President Bush.  Yediot 
reported that Wednesday Sharon received a report from 
Ayalon about an initiative taking shape in Congress to 
express sweeping support for Bush's letter to Sharon 
and the principles it contains.  Israel Radio quoted UN 
Secretary-General Kofi Annan as saying that he will 
 
SIPDIS 
recommend that the Quartet give the UN a key role in 
the disengagement, like during Israel's withdrawal from 
Lebanon. 
 
Both Yediot and Maariv led with polls showing a 
reversal in the voting trend of Likud members who will 
voice their opinion on Sharon's disengagement plan 
Sunday: 
-Yediot's Mina Zemach (Dahaf Institute) poll found that 
47 percent of Likud voters are opposed to the plan; 39 
percent support it. 
-The results of Maariv's Teleseker poll: 45 percent are 
opposed to the plan; 42 percent support it; 13 percent 
are undecided. 
 
In interviews with Israel Radio and IDF Radio (as the 
latter is widely cited by other leading media), Sharon 
said that all those who support him must vote for his 
plan.  He was quoted as saying that if his plan were 
defeated in the Likud referendum, it would be a victory 
for PA Chairman Yasser Arafat and Hamas, worsen 
Israel's relations with the U.S. and bring about the 
fall of the Likud -- "that is the extreme right's plan" 
(Sharon to IDF Radio).  He added: "It is inconceivable 
that an outside group [Sharon to Maariv: a "minority"] 
should lead the Likud."  Ha'aretz cited the concerns of 
the plan's supporters that their PR campaign had 
failed.  Leading media reported that Justice Minister 
and Shinui party leader Yosef (Tommy) Lapid sent Sharon 
a letter -- coordinated with Sharon's office -- 
demanding that he bring the plan to the cabinet and 
Knesset for approval even if it fails to pass the 
referendum. 
 
Israel Radio reported that the State Department issued 
a travel warning for Israel, following the 
assassination of the two Hamas leaders. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Congressman Henry Hyde (R-IL), 
inspired by the most senior ranks in the Vatican, is 
calling on the Bush administration to stop construction 
of the southern part of the security fence, which could 
badly affect Christian holy sites in the Holy Land. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the special Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) conference on 
anti-Semitism, which is being held in Berlin, is 
expected to recognize the claim that the Israeli- 
Palestinian conflict is serving as a cover for 
worldwide anti-Semitic sentiment and expression. 
Ha'aretz and Jerusalem Post quoted Secretary of State 
Colin Powell as saying at the conference: "It is not 
anti-Semitic to criticize Israel, but the line is 
crossed when Israel or its leaders are demonized or 
villainized, for example, by the use of Nazi symbols 
and racist caricatures."  Jerusalem Post quoted Nobel 
Peace Prizewinner Elie Wiesel as saying at the meeting 
that a true dialogue about anti-Semitism in the 21st 
Century must include Muslims as well as Christians and 
Jews. 
 
Ha'aretz and other media quoted International Atomic 
Energy Agency (IAEA) sources as confirming that the 
agency's D-G, Mohammed ElBaradei, will visit Israel in 
July.  Ha'aretz cited the doubts of Israeli sources 
that he will be allowed to tour the nuclear reactor in 
Dimona. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that Wednesday in Cairo the members 
of the Israeli Arab delegation to the special Arab 
League meeting on the situation of Israeli Arabs met 
with the league' Secretary-General, Amr Moussa, who 
urged Israeli Arabs to continue supporting the 
"Palestinian struggle against the occupation.  Moussa 
reportedly criticized the "unrestricted U.S. support 
for Israel."  Moussa was quoted as saying: "In fact, 
the U.S. and Israel have one policy vis-a-vis the 
Palestinians.  This is detrimental to the peace 
process." 
Maariv quoted the beliefs of senior Israeli defense 
sources that Tuesday's bombings in Damascus were 
carried out by Al Qaida.  The newspaper also quoted the 
beliefs of two unnamed U.S. Congressmen that Syrian 
intelligence planned and carried out the attacks. 
Jerusalem Post reported hat Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), a 
chief sponsor of the Syrian Accountability and Lebanese 
Sovereignty Restoration Act, threatened on Wednesday to 
develop new legislation that would not give the White 
House discretion on the issue unless Bush implements it 
soon and punishes Damascus. 
 
Jerusalem Post reported that the Justice Ministry 
issued a sharp response Wednesday night but did not 
entirely deny a Channel 2-TV report stating that a 
special committee appointed by A-G Menachem Mazuz to 
help decided the "Greek island affair" had concluded 
there was insufficient evidence to indict Sharon. 
 
All major media reported that Libyan leader Muammar 
Qadhafi's son, Saadi, has invited the Israeli chess 
team to participate in the World Chess Championships in 
Tripoli from June 18 until July 13. 
 
Ha'aretz and Israel Radio reported that a confrontation 
between Holocaust survivors and representatives of 
Jewish organizations is expected to take place today at 
a hearing in a federal court in Brooklyn on how to 
divide reparation money from Swiss banks. 
 
Hatzofe quoted former Mossad director Shabtai Shavit as 
saying in a speech in a synagogue on the eve of 
Independence Day that Israel should view the PA- 
controlled territories, Jordan and Sinai as Israel's 
"strategic backdrop." 
 
Leading media reported that Al Quds University 
President Sari Nusseibeh, who was arrested Wednesday 
for employing Palestinians without proper entry 
permits, was later released on bail. 
 
Yediot reported that for the first time the IDF will 
provide its colonels with American cars -- Chevrolet 
Opteras which, however, the newspaper notes are made in 
South Korea and are considered basic cars.  Yediot 
recalls that the U.S. had harshly criticized the 
Defense Ministry for choosing Japanese and European 
cars for its officers, despite the generous aid Israel 
is getting from the U.S. 
 
Hatzofe reported that the Secretariat of the 
Palestinian "Popular Boycotting Committee of Israeli 
Products" has asked the American company Caterpillar to 
stop selling vehicles and equipment to Israel.  The 
group says that the company's products are used in 
destroying Palestinian homes. 
 
Yediot detailed the possible implications to Israelis 
of the USD's current rise in world money markets. 
 
 
 
------------ 
1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "If [Sharon] fails 
with the Likud members, this would put Bush in a very 
embarrassing light....  The American response would be 
in kind." 
 
Liberal columnist Yael Paz-Melamed wrote in popular, 
pluralist Maariv: "I ... believed that Israel needed to 
shoulder the bulk of the burden [of peacemaking] in 
being forthcoming.... [But] it is incumbent upon the 
Israeli left wing to support [Arafat's] disappearance 
from the political map, even if that requires his 
assassination." 
 
Nationalist writer Uri Dan, a close associate of Prime 
Minister Sharon, opined in Maariv: "By a historical 
twist of fate, both the American and the Israeli 
peoples found themselves governed by leaders talking to 
terrorists in an identical language -- the only one 
they understand: force." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
I.  "After the Likud Referendum" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn wrote in 
independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (April 29): "Given 
the present state of trans-Atlantic tension and the 
Iraq imbroglio, the Americans will have to accommodate 
Sharon's critics, within the political limitations of a 
presidential election year. Jerusalem believes that the 
[U.S.] Administration will not retract its declarations 
on borders and refugees.  According to the positive 
scenario, the Americans will make do with underscoring 
the 'positive' fundamentals of the Bush letter to 
Sharon, such as a Palestinian state and an agreed-upon 
solution.  In the worst-case scenario for Israel, they 
will add declarations that would meet Palestinian 
demands, such as exchange of territories. 
 However, Sharon must get through the referendum first. 
If he fails with the Likud members, this would put Bush 
in a very embarrassing light, in that he would be seen 
as having risked his prestige and thrown his support 
behind an empty promise.  The American response would 
be in kind." 
 
II.  "Yes, Assassinate Arafat" 
 
Liberal columnist Yael Paz-Melamed wrote in popular, 
pluralist Maariv (April 29): "An elderly, inarticulate 
man whose level of corruption could make him enter the 
Guinness Book of World Records ... is a man whose bad 
influence is inimical to the lives of millions of 
people both in Israel and in Palestine. His name is 
Yasser Arafat.  He is the man with nine lives, who is 
directly and indirectly responsible for the death of 
thousands of people, Israelis and Palestinians.... He 
is the man who, if he is not removed from here -- be it 
by banishment or by assassination -- the reciprocal 
bloodletting will continue... It is not with a light 
heart that I write this here.  Like everyone else who 
believes that there is no forceful solution to the 
conflict, and that the only victory that is at all 
plausible is the removal of settlements and the 
establishment of a Palestinian state, I too believed 
that Israel needed to shoulder the bulk of the burden 
in being forthcoming....  Oslo was the beginning of the 
road, then came Camp David and Taba, and now 
disengagement.  Public opinion in Israel has begun to 
change; the public has begun to understand and to 
reconcile itself with the fact that only a political 
solution will produce the quiet we all seek.    But on 
the other side the very same anti-hero, like the 
phoenix, always stands.... At Camp David his deceit was 
fully exposed.... It is incumbent upon the Israeli left 
wing to support his disappearance from the political 
map, even if that requires his assassination.  The 
immorality of that action is negligible when compared 
to the immorality of the continued occupation, which 
cannot end as long as he is the 'Rais' and his word is 
policy." 
 
III.  "The Terror's Goal is to Overthrow Sharon" 
 
Nationalist writer Uri Dan, a close associate of Prime 
Minister Sharon, opined in Maariv (April 29): "Apart 
from their friendship, President George Bush and Prime 
Minister Ariel Sharon have something else in common: 
the hate of radical Muslims and other Arab elements for 
them.  Those elements want to see them defeated as soon 
as possible.  In that sense, the Spanish syndrome that 
was the consequence of the Madrid massacre can only 
encourage them.... By a historical twist of fate, both 
the American and the Israeli peoples found themselves 
governed by leaders talking to terrorists in an 
identical language -- the only one they understand: 
force.... Islamic-Palestinian terror was surprised by 
the efficiency of Bush and Sharon's war, each of them 
in his own domain.... As the U.S. elections are getting 
closer, those elements will intensify their efforts to 
bring down Bush, even as they are trying to overthrow 
Sharon.  The 'Islamic revolution' and its leaders 
believe that the clock of the 'rotten democracies' is 
working in their favor." 
 
---------- 
2.  Syria: 
---------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized: " The 
coalition states should not get excited over 
fabrications coming out of Damascus.  The earlier they 
attack Syria and overthrow its regime, the better it 
will be for the Americans and the new government in 
Iraq." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"The Enigma of Syria's Explosions" 
 
 
Nationalist, Orthodox Hatzofe editorialized (April 29): 
"A series of explosions shook Damascus's embassy area 
on Tuesday. In a short time the Syrian security forces 
controlled the situation, and the assessed damage was 
rather small.... Since we are talking about a 
dictatorship, it would be hard to trust those 
reports.... How is it possible that no Western embassy 
was harmed?  How could the Syrian security services, 
which know every single hair on the heads of their 
citizens, not have known about Al-Qaida's weapons 
chances and organizing in Syria?  Is it believable that 
Al Qaida is interested in implicating Syria with the 
West whereas it is a terrorist state that has 
absolutely no reservations about Al-Qaida 
activities?.... Syria is a terrorist state, which 
sponsors terrorism, including providing human resources 
to Al Qaida and support to Hizbullah.  The coalition 
states should not get excited over fabrications coming 
out of Damascus.  The earlier they attack Syria and 
overthrow its regime, the better it will be for the 
Americans and the new government in Iraq." 
 
--------- 
3.  Iraq: 
--------- 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Middle East affairs commentator Guy Bechor, a lecturer 
at the Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in mass- 
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot: "On the eve of 
a democratic experiment ... [Iraq] has gone through a 
small, almost unbelievable miracle." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"Iraq's Small Miracle" 
 
Middle East affairs commentator Guy Bechor, a lecturer 
at the Interdisciplinary Center, wrote in mass- 
circulation, pluralist Yediot Aharonot (April 29): "In 
Iraq, the Americans are conducting an all-out war 
against radicalism, tribalism and conservatism -- a war 
that is likely to be conducted for many more years 
before if brings forth fruits.  But they can already 
count some achievements.  For instance, the 
unemployment rate, which was 60 percent last year, has 
dropped to 25 percent.... The hope that Iraqi oil could 
fund the [country's] reconstruction looks real.  Thus, 
a race has been created between the will to reconstruct 
and develop, and that to destroy and lead the country 
into a civil war.... On the eve of a democratic 
experiment, which is in effect impossible within Iraq's 
current structure -- a lot of blood will be spilled 
over this -- that country has gone through a small, 
almost unbelievable miracle.  Time will tell how long 
this miracle will hold, and whether it will represent a 
miracle for the entire Middle East." 
 
KURTZER