(C) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTRY AND DEFENSE MINISTRY

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 003524

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2010
TAGS: IS KPAL PREL XF ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: (C) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTRY AND DEFENSE MINISTRY
OFFICIALS COMMENT ON UP-TICK IN PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE


Classified By: Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) BG Eitan Dangott, Defense Minister Mofaz's Military
Secretary, told the Ambassador late afternoon June 7 that the

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IDF is on alert and will act immediately if Palestinians are
seen preparing further mortar or Qassam attacks in Gaza.
Dangott hinted, but would not be pinned down, that the IDF
would not retaliate for the numerous attacks perpetrated
during the day by Palestinians in Gaza. After reviewing the
Qassam attack by Hamas against the Israeli town of Sderot
during the morning, which damaged a house and resulted in
three people hospitalized for shock, and the late afternoon
mortar attack, probably by Hamas, against the settlement of
Ganei Tal which reportedly resulted in the deaths of a
Palestinian and a Chinese worker, Dangott said that the
situation cannot continue in which Hamas or the Palestine
Islamic Jihad launches attacks and the Palestinian Authority
does nothing. He said that he had spoken directly during the
day with Palestinian Interior Minister Nassir Yousef and had
also reinforced the message in a conversation with
Palestinian Civil Affairs Minister Mohammed Dahlan.


2. (C) Dangott said that the Israeli Government is
concerned that, since PA President Abbas' visit to
Washington, Palestinian officials have conducted themselves
as though they expected no pressure from Washington to act
against terrorism. The Ambassador disputed this strongly,
saying that General Ward, Consulate General officials and
Washington-based officials have made clear to the most senior
levels of the PA that they must act against the terrorists
and stop the Qassam and rocket attacks. General Ward and our
Acting Consul General had delivered strong messages today to
Yousef and other senior Palestinian officials. Dangott
replied that Israel has not seen evidence of this, but he
accepted the argument that the U.S. is trying to dispel
Palestinian perceptions regarding U.S. attitudes. Dangott
also noted that Mofaz is weighing whether to cancel a
scheduled meetingset for late night June 7 with Interior
Minister Yousef. The Ambassador said that the Secretary
would very much like that meeting to take place, in that she
has argued for using bilateral security channels to deal with
these issues. Dangott said he would pass this to Mofaz.


3. (C) Previously, Prime Minister Sharon's Foreign Policy
Advisor, Shalom Tourgeman, told the Ambassador that the
attack on Sderot would likely evoke a prompt Israeli response
and would lead the Israelis to question the utility of
bilateral meetings with Palestinian officials. He said,
speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister, that President
Abbas' travels made it appear that he was running away from
the problem. Also, Interior Minister Yousef was proving
ineffective in dealing with Hamas attacks against Israel. In
response, based on consultations with Washington, the
Ambassador urged Israel not to react to Palestinian attacks
as though Israel did not have a partner. He noted that this
is not "the Arafat era" and that the Israelis should act in a
restrained fashion and use their bilateral contacts with the
Palestinians to try to deal with the security situation.
Tourgeman subsequently called to say that he had passed this
message to the Prime Minister, but the steady stream of
rocket attacks throughout the day undermined the viability of
pursuing this course. Further, Tourgeman said, the
Palestinians are tending to avoid progress in the bilateral
channels in the belief that they can gain more by waiting for
an outside envoy. He pointed to the failure of the mid-level
disengagement coordination meeting yesterday as evidence that
Palestinians had no intention of making progress during the
week when they expected meetings with Quartet envoy
Wolfensohn.


4. (C) Comment: While it appeared this morning that Israel
would retaliate immediately for the Qassam attack against
Sderot, following extensive consultations within the Israeli
defense establishment the GOI appears to have decided to
remain on alert in order to preempt further attacks. There
is no question, however, that tensions have heightened
considerably as a result of persistent Hamas and PIJ attacks
and the failure of the PA security forces to take any action
to prevent those attacks or arrest those responsible. It is
only a question of when, not whether, an attack by Hamas or
PIJ will cause enough casualties or damage to prompt a
significant Israeli response.

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