[IMRA: It should be noted that while the startling remark by senior Kadima
member Defense Minister Mofaz, in apparent reference to the consequences of
the retreats, that " a new reality was being created in which the security
response to terrorists' attempts to attack Israeli citizens would have to be
strengthened" received little if any attention by the media, the
considerable discussion concerning the "cutting down of olive trees"
received considerable coverage. One of the puzzles about the "cutting down
of olive trees " is that the more descriptive term might be in most cases
"pruning of olive trees". While vandals could be expected to simply cut down
the trees, the "cut down" trees instead are "attacked" via the time
consuming cutting of individual branches in a way that permits them grow
back (aka pruning).]

CABINET COMMUNIQUE
(Communicated by the Cabinet Secretariat)
At the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday), 8.1.06:

1. Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made the following remarks:
"In recent days, we have all been paying attention - first and foremost - to
what is happening at Hadassah-Ein Kerem Hospital and have been praying and
hoping to hear good news. We are very encouraged to hear the doctors'
opinions that the situation is stabilizing and improving, and that there is
a spark of hope. Even now, from here, we are hoping and wishing that the
Prime Minister will recover, strengthen and return to presiding over the
Israeli government and leading the state of Israel.

If I could speak with him this morning and ask, 'Arik, what would you tell
us? What would you want us to do?', he would say: 'I appreciate the fact
that you are all concerned about my health. Thank you, but get to work.
You must continue running affairs of state and doing everything to take care
of security and socio-economic issues.' And this is what we will continue
to do. We will pay attention, we will pray and we will believe that we will
hear good news from Hadassah-Ein Kerem Hospital. In the meantime, we will
continue to do what Arik would want - running affairs as they should be.

Israeli democracy is strong and all institutions are functioning in a
stable, serious and responsible manner; this is as it should be and this is
how it will continue."
The Cabinet supports the Hadassah-Ein Kerem Hospital management, medical
personnel, and all those involved for their dedicated work on behalf of
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's health.

Acting Prime Minister Olmert referred to the messages of solidarity and
concern that he has received from various world leaders, all of whom
expressed - first and foremost - personal concern for Prime Minister Sharon
as well as their wishes for a rapid recovery; they also expressed solidarity
with the State of Israel and the Jewish People, as well as the Sharon family
and the Government. In this regard, the Acting Prime Minister mentioned
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, US Secy. Of State Dr. Condoleeza Rice,
Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmud Abbas (http://tinyurl.com/8ck74),
Jordanian King Abdullah II and South African President Thabo Mbeki
(http://tinyurl.com/8ck74). Messages and letters were also received - inter
alia - from UN Secy.-Gen. Kofi Annan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, UK
Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Chinese
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Canadian
Prime Minister Paul Martin, senior EU envoy Javier Solana, Irish Prime
Minister Bertie Ahern, Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and
Polish President Lech Kaczynski. Acting Prime Minister Olmert said that the
interest in Prime Minister Sharon's health was global, unprecedented and
very impressive from an emotional standpoint. The Acting Prime Minister
thanked everyone for their important remarks on both the personal and
national levels, and added that the Israeli public knew how to appreciate
them.

2. OC Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yedlin and ISA Director Yuval Diskin
briefed ministers on the current state of affairs in the PA, on issues
related to the northern border, Syria and Iran, with emphasis on the growing
anarchy in the PA (especially in the Gaza Strip), preparations for the
upcoming PA elections and terrorism.

IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Halutz gave ministers a detailed briefing on the
IDF's operational activities against Palestinian terrorism, especially
recent counter-terrorist operations He also discussed the cutting down of
olive trees in Samaria. Attorney-General Meni Mazuz also referred to the
issue of the cutting down of olive trees and said that in light of the
seriousness of the matter, the state must undertake an urgent response.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz also discussed the issue and said that this was
a very severe and disturbing phenomenon that reflected a wide-range of
malicious acts against the Palestinian population; he said that law
enforcement on this issue would be stepped up. Acting Prime Minister Olmert
said that the cutting down of olive trees was a criminal act and needed to
be dealt with accordingly, with full force and without hesitation or
compromise: "This is a terrible thing being perpetrated by a group whose
roots and agenda we can identify; we cannot countenance such a thing. This
must be prevented; the perpetrators must be apprehended. I commend the
Attorney-General's statement that civil, as well as criminal, steps would be
taken against them."

Defense Minister Mofaz emphasized in both the Gaza Strip and Judea and
Samaria, a new reality was being created in which the security response to
terrorists' attempts to attack Israeli citizens would have to be
strengthened. In the north, the defense Minister said that general
preparedness would continue in the face of attempts by Hizbullah and of
other elements to bring about an 'additional front' by trying to divert
attention from Syria's plight vis-a-vis the international pressure that it
is under.

Defense Minister Mofaz also noted the weakness and ineffectualness of both
the PA security services and the PA leadership and said that the security
establishment would be prepared for any possible escalation.

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom discussed the international attention that
Prime Minister Sharon's medical condition is receiving. He said that since
last Wednesday, both the Foreign Ministry and Israel's embassies abroad have
received thousands of letters and get-well wishes for the Prime Minister.
World media continues to devote extensive coverage to the situation; many
senior correspondents have arrived in Israel to cover it.

Foreign Minister Shalom discussed the upcoming PA elections, the Lebanese
government's decision to allow the opening of a Palestinian interests office
in Beirut, criticism in Egypt of Palestinian behavior at Rafiah, the Iranian
nuclear issue and the pressure on the Syrian regime.

Foreign Minister Shalom noted that last week Turkish Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul signed a joint declaration on the rehabilitation of the Erez
Industrial Zone and the Norwegian Finance Minister's call for an economic
boycott of Israel. The foreign Minister said that he had instructed the
Israeli Ambassador in Oslo to work with the Norwegian government in order to
acquaint it with the severity with which Israel views this call. Following
the Ambassador's activity, the Norwegian Finance Minister was summoned to
the Prime Minister's Office where she issued an apology. She also told the
Norwegian media that her call was both a mistake and contravened Norwegian
government policy. Her remarks gave rise to statements of support for
Israel from across the Norwegian political spectrum.

3. The Cabinet, pursuant to its authority under the 1960 Israel Land
Administration Law, appointed Yoav Saguy as a member of the ILA Council on
behalf of public environmental organizations.