MOD ADVISOR SPIEGEL SAYS HE HAS NO PALESTINIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 006022

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/30/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG IS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS SETTLEMENTS
SUBJECT: MOD ADVISOR SPIEGEL SAYS HE HAS NO PALESTINIAN
PARTNER ON PASSAGES

Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Brigadier General (ret.) Baruch Spiegel,
Ministry of Defense (MOD) advisor, told Ambassador Jones on
September 27 that one of the most difficult problems in
dealing with the passages is the lack of a Palestinian
Authority (PA) counterpart with whom to coordinate technical
matters such as management and security procedures. Spiegel
cautioned against high expectations for a future convoy
system because there are many security issues left to be
resolved. On outposts, Spiegel remarked that while GOI
officials have the legal and technical tools necessary to
dismantle them, doing so requires a political decision. He
also reported that the IDF is negotiating with the U.N.
Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). End
summary.

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No Palestinian Partner on Passages
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2. (C) Spiegel began by declaring that he does not have a
counterpart in the Palestinian Authority (PA) with whom to
discuss passage-related technical issues. He said the PA
needs someone on the ground to work with the GOI. He offered
the example of PA Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, whom he
characterized as a &respected and good man.8 The PA's
internal dynamics, however, allow him to talk to Fayyad only
when PA Civil Affairs Minister Muhammad Dahlan is out of the
country. (Note: Dahlan is in the Czech Republic with back
problems. End note.) He said he had given Fayyad a tour of
Sha'ar Efrayim and Tarqumiya in the West Bank so as to
facilitate cooperation with the PA from the very beginning of
those projects, but complained that Fayyad had not brought
engineers with him. He stressed that decisions on management
and technology need to be taken soon because any further
delays will postpone the opening of the passages, saying "If
we wait, we just lose time." He commented that Kerem Shalom
will be finished in a couple of days, but "there is no one to
talk to on procedures." He reiterated the GOI position that
Rafah will be closed until January, but added that this could
be negotiated or coordinated through practical dialogue. In
response to the Ambassador's offer of assistance from USAID,
Spiegel replied that he "know(s) USAID is willing to help but
there are bottlenecks that have nothing to do with the U.S."
He concluded that all of the advice of the international
community via General Ward or the World Bank will not get the
PA to start doing the necessary work on its own.


3. (C) Regarding the $50 million in U.S. scanner aid for the
passages, Spiegel reported that he would give USAID the GOI's
specifications in English in the upcoming days. He claimed
that the GOI does not presently have money to install and
service the scanners, but is working the problem with the
Ministry of Finance. In response to the Ambassador's
suggestion of charging a transit fee for upkeep, Spiegel said
"we are ready to discuss it and find a way."


4. (C) Spiegel said that the lack of Palestinian initiative
also extends to the greenhouses issue. He explained that
planting needs to begin in the next few weeks so as not to
lose the growing season, but noted again that, with Dahlan
out, no one is in charge. He said that only strong pressure
on Dahlan could change this situation.

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Convoys: No High Expectations
--------------


5. (C) Spiegel reported that the GOI is working on options
for passenger and cargo convoy systems, but cautioned that
nothing will be finalized soon. He warned against high
expectations, noting that initial convoys will be small and
have no immediate impact. He explained that many details
remain to be worked out, particularly on security. He cited
a recent incident during which seven Palestinians had
disappeared when the GOI took a group from the Gaza Strip to
visit relatives in West Bank jails. He added that Israeli
intelligence claims that Palestinians are transferring
"terror infrastructure and know-how" to the West Bank, and
that there are now "Qassems in the West Bank," a development
that &crosses a red line8 for GOI security officials.
Despite the problems, Spiegel said, his team &will know what
to do8 when a political decision is made to implement the
convoys.

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Outposts
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6. (C) Spiegel told the Ambassador that he had worked with a
team to map every outpost in the West Bank, and that his
files detail the construction and legal status of each one.
He said that Talia Sasson's March report on illegal outpost
activity had suggested legal tools to use to control outpost
funding and support. He added that since Israeli officials
now have the technical information and legal tools necessary
to begin dismantlement, the only thing missing is the policy
decision to start doing it. He added that he does not know
when that decision will be made. Spiegel further explained
that many people live in the outposts and that the GOI will
have to deal with them systematically. In response to the
Ambassador's questions on Sasson's legal recommendations,
Spiegel replied that everyone is waiting for Justice Minister
Tzipi Livni's inter-ministerial committee to propose the
appropriate legislation. He said that parts of the
legislation might require full Knesset approval, while other
parts will only need Knesset committee approval. (Note:
Talia Sasson told EconCouns Septel that she did not
anticipate full Knesset action on any of these points. End
Note). As an example of the Sasson Committee,s work, he
cited its recommendation to build three courts in the West
Bank to facilitate the trials of settlers accused of criminal
activities.

7. (C) In response to a question on the dismantling of the
nine permanent houses in the Amona outpost, Spiegel replied
that the High Court had issued demolition orders for the
houses and that the families who lived in them had been
evacuated last month. He noted that the houses will be
demolished when a
political order is given to do so. With respect to evacuated
settlers from the Gaza Strip moving to outposts and
settlements in the West Bank, he assessed that the numbers
are small, but acknowledged that it is difficult for the GOI
to control.

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Checkpoints and Roadblocks
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8. (C) Spiegel then reported on the work that the GOI has
been doing with the U.N. Office for Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). He acknowledged that OCHA
counted 50-60 more checkpoints and roadblocks than did the
GOI, but added that "we know where the gaps are." He
explained that the counting methodologies used by the two
sides were different, and gave the example of the GOI not
including agricultural gates, empty watch towers, and open
gates in its figure. He said that OCHA and the GOI are now
working from the same map, and are beginning to negotiate
reducing the obstacles to Palestinian movement in the West
Bank. Spiegel agreed with the Ambassador,s comment that
this will help improve Palestinians' lives and help PA
President Mahmud Abbas at the expense of Hamas. He added
that it will be an opportunity for the PA to take security
responsibility and noted that the GOI is considering a pilot
program to allow the PA to take full security control in the
area of the northern West Bank from which Israel recently
disengaged. In addition, he indicated that the number of
roadblocks might be reduced in the area of the separation
barrier near Hebron. Spiegel then referred again to what he
called the PA,s "human infrastructure problem," claiming
that the biggest hurdle for the PA is institutional, not
financial. He said that &Abbas can give ten orders and not
one will be fulfilled. The bottleneck is on the ground."

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Separation Barrier
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9. (C) Spiegel told the Ambassador that the separation
barrier is complete from the Jordan Valley to the Qalqilya
area. He commented that the High Court decision on the
barrier around Alfe Menashe was &very interesting,8 and
that the GOI will build a road from Nof Hasharon to Alfe
Menashe, bordered by a rebuilt fence that takes in less land.
He said that "We want Alfe Menashe, but there are 2,000
Palestinians stuck in the enclave8 created by the present
barrier from villages such as Ras al-Tira and Ras Atiya. He
continued that the route of the separation barrier around
al-Ram, north of Jerusalem, is still in court, and that the
GOI has stopped work on the barrier in the Ariel bloc.
Around Ma'ale Adumim, Spiegel reported, there are many
petitions against the land confiscation orders recently
issued by the GOI, and nothing is yet being done on the
ground.

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