NEW ISRAELI AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

S E C R E T AMMAN 005832

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2013
TAGS: PREL PINR IS JO
SUBJECT: NEW ISRAELI AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D)

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NEW ISRAELI IN AMMAN...
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1. (U) King Abdallah accepted the credentials of the new
Israeli ambassador to Jordan, Yacov Hadas Handlesman, during
a ceremony with seven other new ambassadors September 7.
Handlesman, Israel's fourth ambassador to Jordan, assumes the
post from Ambassador David Dadonn, who left Jordan two weeks
ago.


2. (U) As the first step of the accreditation process,
Handlesman met with Foreign Minister Marwan Mu'asher to
present copies of his credentials on September 4. According
to MFA sources and press reports, during the meeting,
Mu'asher stressed the importance of moving the peace process
forward through the roadmap, thus facilitating the end of
Israel's occupation and the realization of a Palestinian
state.


3. (SBU) Handlesman was born in Tel Aviv in 1957. He holds
an MA in Middle Eastern studies and is fluent in Arabic. He
served as an adviser to the deputy foreign minister from
1999-2001. Handlesman headed Israel's representation office
in Qatar from 2001 until his appointment as ambassador to
Jordan. MFA official Ashraf Zeitoon, who participated in the
Foreign Minister's meeting with Hadas, says the new Israeli
ambassador seems capable, given his prior service in Qatar,
Turkey, and the UK.

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...BUT NO JORDANIAN TO TEL AVIV--FOR NOW
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4. (S) The King told the Ambassador September 8 that the
deterioration in the Israeli-Palestinian situation would make
it difficult to return an Ambassador to Tel Aviv now, given
parliamentary views. He said he had been prepared to move
earlier--knowing it would be harder to send an Ambassador in
the event the political and security situation
deteriorated--but his first candidate had refused, thus
delaying action. The King said that now he needed cover with
Parliament, and hoped discussions with the Israelis on
release of some Jordanian prisoners would bear fruit.
Release of Jordanian prisoners would give him that cover.
The Ambassador cautioned the King not to tie prisoner
releases to the return of an Ambassador--even the perception
was liable to raise ire among Israelis.
GNEHM