Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 51122 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 05TELAVIV4169, ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #05TELAVIV4169.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
05TELAVIV4169 2005-07-05 11:18 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 06 TEL AVIV 004169 
 
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.  Lebanese-Syrian Track 
 
3.  Global War on Terrorism 
 
------------------------- 
Key stories in the media: 
------------------------- 
 
Israel Radio reported that a joint session of the 
Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and of 
the Knesset's Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee 
this morning started discussing the issue of 
disengagement.  PM Sharon, senior ministers, and top 
defense establishment officials and civil servants, are 
among the meeting's participants.  The radio quoted 
Sharon as saying that the government will not accept 
the creation by settlers of a 'tent city,' which he 
said was a political protest.  Sharon called for the 
evacuees to "think of the children." 
 
Leading media reported that the Knesset plenum will 
hold a special session and vote today on the planned 
deployment of Egyptian forces along the Philadelphi 
route.  The session is being held in the wake of 
Ha'aretz's lead story on Monday, according to which 
Israel and Egypt are on the verge of concluding an 
agreement that will see Egyptian border guards deployed 
opposite the Philadelphi route in Rafah.  On Monday, 
leading media reported that Attorney-General Menachem 
Mazuz stated that there was no need for the Knesset's 
approval of the deal. 
 
Israel Radio reported that Israel and the PA have 
reached an agreement on the creation of an overland 
connection between Gaza and the West Bank following the 
disengagement.  Under the agreement, during the first 
stage Israel security forces will escort convoys of 
Palestinian vehicles traveling between the two areas. 
Israel has proposed linking the two territories by 
railroad in the future. 
 
All media quoted Israel's National Security Council 
Chairman Giora Eiland as saying that PA Civil Affairs 
Minister Muhammad Dahlan is demanding that Israel 
extend its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip two 
kilometers northward, in accordance to the 1949 
borders.  Jerusalem Post reported that Eiland dismissed 
Dahlan's demand as a "gimmick," and that Israel made it 
"clear" to the PA that the present border had been set 
in agreement with Egypt in 1950, and that the same 
border was reconfirmed in 1994 under the Oslo Accords. 
The media cited the concerns of the residents of Moshav 
Netiv Ha'asara, which occupies this piece of land, that 
their community could become a new "Sheba Farms" area. 
 
Ha'aretz reported that the Bayit Leumi (National Home) 
movement, which is responsible for the road-blocking 
campaign to protest the disengagement plan, has told 
its members to camp out in Gush Katif. 
Maariv cited an official Hamas document, according to 
which the group intends to turn Qassam rockets into 
weapons that would bypass the separation fence after 
the disengagement and reach major Israeli cities. 
Leading media quoted Hamas spokesmen in Gaza as saying 
that Hamas dismisses the usefulness of Hamas's joining 
the Palestinian government. 
 
The weekend's headlines were dominated by Finance 
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's alleged intention to 
absent himself from Wednesday's Knesset vote on a 
postponement of the disengagement, and the possible 
firing of Netanyahu by Sharon over this matter. 
 
Leading media reported on the Fourth of July 
celebration held last night at Ambassador Dan Kurtzer's 
residence in Herzliya Pituach.  Sharon, who praised 
American democracy and democratic developments in the 
Middle East, said that the pullout from Gaza and the 
northern West Bank would proceed on schedule. 
 
Israel Radio reported that, concerned about possible 
Palestinian claims that Israel is poisoning Palestinian 
areas, the Environment Ministry will conduct an 
independent survey about the state of pollution in the 
areas due to be vacated by Israel. 
 
Jerusalem Post reported that on Monday, former U.S. 
Middle East envoy Dennis Ross attacked EU officials who 
have met recently with Hamas members, saying that such 
meetings are undercutting the PA. 
 
On Monday, leading media quoted IDF officials as saying 
that last week's infiltration of a Hizbullah cell into 
the Sheba Farms region was part of a plan to abduct 
soldiers. 
 
Israel Radio reported that Israeli security forces have 
arrested an Islamic Jihad member in Ramallah. 
 
On Sunday, Ha'aretz and Jerusalem Post reported that 
the bulk of residents in the Jenin-area settlement of 
Ganim packed up on their own volition -- a full six 
weeks before the community's slated evacuation is to 
begin. 
 
On Monday, Jerusalem Post reported that, in a test case 
to force the government to take the issue of 
unauthorized outposts seriously, Pease Now asked the 
High Court of Justice on Sunday to force the Defense 
Ministry to demolish nine homes in the unauthorized 
West Bank outpost of Amona. 
 
On Monday, Maariv reported that European infrastructure 
companies are considering cooperating with Israeli 
firms in PA projects following the disengagement. 
 
Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli astronomers 
equipped with a special telescope supplied the U.S. 
with useful data on Monday about Deep Impact, the first 
man-made collision with a comet, which was carried out 
on July 4 to mark U.S. Independence Day. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
------------ 
1.  Mideast: 
------------ 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one 
of popular, pluralist Maariv: "Why make Bibi 
[Netanyahu] look big?  Why extricate him from the 
government of disengagement?  Why not let him keep on 
sweating within it, imprisoned and helpless?" 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized: 
"Military cooperation between the PA and Hamas could 
suggest and perhaps even guarantee a smoother and 
quieter withdrawal.... When the time comes for 
political negotiations, Israel can demand that every 
organization represented in the PA recognize Israel's 
right to exist as a precondition for such talks." 
 
Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: 
"Hamas's inclusion [in the PA government] would also 
give the lie to Abbas's claims of support for the road 
map and a two-state solution." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
I.  "Kindergarten" 
 
Diplomatic correspondent Ben Caspit wrote on page one 
of popular, pluralist Maariv (July 3): "Let us start 
with the bottom line: Ariel Sharon never had a shred of 
intention to dismiss Binyamin Netanyahu if he had been 
absent without warning, or as part of a plot, from this 
coming Wednesday's Knesset vote on the postponement of 
disengagement.... It is obvious that if Netanyahu 
supports the postponement of disengagement in the 
Knesset, he will be dismissed.  But to abstain, or to 
absent himself from the vote?  That can be borne in 
silence.  Why make Bibi look big?  Why extricate him 
from the government of disengagement?  Why not let him 
keep on sweating within it, imprisoned and helpless? 
The prevailing attitude around Sharon is simple: be 
quiet, we're disengaging.  Just six more weeks to go. 
This is not the time to rock the boat, however 
enjoyable that may be.  Netanyahu outside can start 
riots, create chaos, or ignite tempers.  No one can 
know how far that will go.  It is better to keep quiet, 
wipe the spit off your face and keep going." 
 
II.  "Hamas, a Part of the PA" 
 
Independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz editorialized (July 
5): "Palestinian Authority Chairman [President] Mahmoud 
Abbas' proposal to Hamas that it join the government he 
heads managed to evoke livid Israeli reactions even 
before Hamas made a decision on the matter.  Israel's 
conditioned response, according to which it will not 
negotiate with any entity defined as a terror 
organization, left no room for discretion, and 
certainly not for a review of the advantages in the 
proposal.  In Palestinian society, the Hamas movement 
is perceived as part of the political and cultural 
tapestry.  In Israel, it is seen as a terror 
organization.... Without the inclusion of Hamas as the 
largest military opposition organization, Abbas cannot 
offer the Palestinians and Israel a responsible 
authority that is capable of meeting its commitments. 
From Israel's point of view, political and, primarily, 
military cooperation between the PA and Hamas could 
suggest and perhaps even guarantee a smoother and 
quieter withdrawal.... In light of the fact that, at 
this stage, Israel is not offering the PA anything in 
return in the political field, but sees the PA only as 
a functional organization that has the job of 
preserving the quiet, it would be best if Israel were 
to refrain from raising the roof over the issue of 
cooperation with Hamas.  When the time comes for 
political negotiations, Israel can demand that every 
organization represented in the PA recognize Israel's 
right to exist as a precondition for such talks." 
 
III.  "Two Unities" 
 
Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized 
(July 5): "In Israel, the settler leadership and its 
rabbis are reportedly close to issuing a code of 
conduct for opposition to the disengagement plan, 
insisting on complete non-violence. On the Palestinian 
side, Mahmoud Abbas has offered Hamas to join a 'unity 
government.'  Both of these efforts, on the surface, 
are geared toward stemming the slide toward civil war 
within each community.  The contrast between them, 
however, could not be more stark.... The difference 
between democracy and its hijacking is whether 
terrorist groups that join a political process, whether 
Hizbullah in Lebanon or Hamas in the PA, disarm and 
abandon terrorism.  Hizbullah and Hamas have done 
neither, so their inclusion grants them veto power that 
can only mean violence, instability and stalemate. 
Hamas's inclusion would also give the lie to Abbas's 
claims of support for the road map and a two-state 
solution.... Our 'civil war' represents the tail end of 
our political metamorphosis. Abbas's unity pitch, by 
contrast, once again avoids the necessary Palestinian 
transformation, whereby that polity stops dreaming of 
destroying Israel and starts building a peaceful, 
democratic state alongside us." 
 
-------------------------- 
2.  Lebanese-Syrian Track: 
-------------------------- 
 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized: 
"If even Tony Blair's UK will not employ its presidency 
[of the European Union] to lead the way to the minimal 
and obvious step of branding Hizbullah a terrorist 
organization, it is hard to imagine anyone, certainly 
not the rogue states themselves, taking the West's 
rhetoric about fighting terrorism seriously." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"Start With Hizbullah" 
 
Conservative, independent Jerusalem Post editorialized 
(July 4): "While the threat from Hizbullah might be 
seen as small potatoes compared to the nuclear 
challenge from its Iranian sponsors, the two are 
clearly connected.  Why should Iran take Europe's 
claim, that it will block an Iranian bomb, seriously 
when the EU seems too timid even to confront the 
mullah's terrorist proxy?  Every year since 9/11, G8 
summits have made resounding statements about the need 
to fight global terrorism, and even unveiled concrete 
initiatives for international cooperation to this end. 
The real test, however, is whether the West can stand 
together and use its collective diplomatic and economic 
power (let alone military strength) to defend itself 
from rogue states and their proxies.  If even Tony 
Blair's UK will not employ its presidency [of the 
European Union] to lead the way to the minimal and 
obvious step of branding Hizbullah a terrorist 
organization, it is hard to imagine anyone, certainly 
not the rogue states themselves, taking the West's 
rhetoric about fighting terrorism seriously." 
---------------------------- 
3.  Global War on Terrorism: 
---------------------------- 
                       Summary: 
                       -------- 
 
Nationalist writer Uri Dan opined in conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post: "Perhaps it would be best 
for the U.S. to intervene now in the affair of the 
attack in Mombasa and explain to the Kenyan government 
the gravity of releasing, unpunished, the seven accused 
in Nairobi." 
 
                     Block Quotes: 
                     ------------- 
 
"Soft on Terrorism" 
 
Nationalist writer Uri Dan opined in conservative, 
independent Jerusalem Post (July 3): "The court in 
Nairobi, Kenya, that recently acquitted seven people 
accused of perpetrating a terrorist attack on Israelis 
in Mombasa awarded another victory to al-Qaida.  If it 
hadn't been for the efforts of the Israeli 
investigators sent to Kenya immediately after the 
attack in 2002, none of the accused would have been 
arrested.... It was well known in Washington, and 
particularly in the CIA, that the incriminating 
evidence presented for the arrest of the seven accused 
in Kenya, was very serious.  But the judicial 
authorities in Kenya apparently don't care.... It seems 
that Kenya does not understand that through its actions 
it is abetting al-Qaida in its terrorist activities. 
Perhaps it would be best for the U.S. to intervene now 
in the affair of the attack in Mombasa and explain to 
the Kenyan government the gravity of releasing, 
unpunished, the seven accused in Nairobi." 
 
KURTZER