Today's Situation

FROM RUSSIA WITH WAR, August 30, 2007

The Israeli media focused on two fronts on Thursday, with Syria and the Palestinian Authority grabbing the headlines in most of the newspapers.

Maariv leads with a report that accuses of Russia of being behind recent tensions between Israel and Syria, after officials in Moscow told the Syrian leadership that Israel was preparing for war.

'Israel is becoming increasingly convinced that diplomatic and defense officials in Moscow passed messages to the Syrian leadership, in which they claimed to have knowledge of Israeli plans for war. The Syrians took these reports seriously, and were very concerned by them - despite the fact that other international sources were passing contradictory messages, which tried to reassure Damascus that Israel had no intention of attacking.'

According to the report, Israeli officials are unable to explain why Russia would want to inflame tensions between Israel and Syria, but one possible explanation is linked to the fact that Russia is Syria's primary sources of arms.

Responding to the report later on Thursday, Amos Gilad - head of the Defense Ministry's political division - told Army Radio that Russia was guilty of stoking tensions between Israel and Syria.

'During a certain period, the Russians acted in such a manner that the Syrians thought Israel wanted to engage in a war against their country,' Gilad said. 'The Russians then stopped their incitement following explanations that were communicated to them, according to which Syria had no intention of attacking Israel, and Israel did not aim to take the initiative in a war against Syria. This allowed a calming of tensions,' he added.

There was no immediate comment from Russian officials.

In the meantime, The Jerusalem Post reports on its front page on Thursday that, contrary to various news reports, senior defense officials denied Wednesday that the IDF had not reduced its level of forces on the Golan Heights.

The officials noted, however, that 'certain messages' had been received by both Israel and Syria indicating that neither was interested in going to war.

Earlier Wednesday, several news outlets reported the IDF had decided to transfer its forces training on the Golan Heights to bases in southern Israel, in an effort to reduce tensions with Syria.

According to sources in the Northern Command, however, the IDF is maintaining a high-level of alert along the border with Syria and is not withdrawing forces from the North. The sources said, however, that recent diplomatic developments had allowed for a slight reduction in the tensions between Jerusalem and Damascus.

Haaretz, meanwhile, dedicates its lead story to a new plan by U.S. security coordinator in the territories, General Keith Dayton, which calls for the deployment of five new Palestinian battalions throughout the West Bank. The plan, the aim of which is to bolster Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, requires the approval of Israel if arms and equipment are to be transferred for the new force, political sources in Jerusalem said Wednesday. The plan, still in its early development, is likely to call for the staged creation of the force, with relatively small units undergoing the necessary training.

All of the newspapers report on the death Wednesday of three Palestinian children who were killed when the IDF fired at a Qassam launcher in the northern Gaza Strip. According to the army, soldiers spotted figures handling rocket launchers near Beit Hanun, and attacked them from the ground. The army expressed its regret over the deaths, and condemned Hamas' use of children for terrorist purposed. Chief Palestinian negotiators Saeb Erekat condemned the killings, saying that they would 'feed the fire' of conflict.

In its lead story, The Jerusalem Post reports that President Abbas has appointed a special adviser on Jerusalem affairs, which it interprets as an indication that Israel and the PA are now readying to grapple in earnest with the issue of the city's status.

According to the paper's sources, the decision was taken ahead of November's U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference, where Israel and the Palestinians are expected to focus on 'fundamental' issues like Jerusalem, the borders of the future Palestinian state and the problem of the Palestinian refugees.

Finally, Yedioth Ahronoth previews an extensive interview with former defense minister Amir Peretz, due to be published in full on Friday, in which the defeated Labor leader describes his decision to accept the defense portfolio as 'the biggest mistake of my life.' Peretz also uses the opportunity to blast his political colleagues and rival: he says that Olmert's vacuity worries him; that Ehud Barak humiliates people; that Shaul Mofaz did not do enough to prepare the army for the Second Lebanon War; and that Benjamin Ben-Eliezer betrayed him.

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