SPIEGEL WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD ON EASING MOVEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 006263

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID KWBG IS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS SETTLEMENTS
SUBJECT: SPIEGEL WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD ON EASING MOVEMENT
RESTRICTIONS; EMPHASIZES NEED FOR SCANNERS FOR KARNI

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


1. (C) Summary: Ministry of Defense (MOD) advisor Brigadier
General (res.) Baruch Spiegel told the Ambassador in a recent
meeting that terrorists had taken advantage of the removal of
some obstacles to movement in Gush Etzion to perpetrate the
October 16 deadly shooting attack against Israeli settlers.
He said that the GOI wants to make Palestinians' lives
easier, but the "day-to-day tactics" of terrorists affect the
GOI's overall strategy. Spiegel nevertheless expressed his
willingness to work with the U.S. on determining locations in
the West Bank where the GOI can reduce roadblocks and allow
the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take over security. He
also discussed the Rafah crossing with the Ambassador, and
said he needs clear guidelines from the political echelon
before final technical issues on management and security can
be resolved. He highlighted the GOI's need for scanners in
Karni, but said it could make do with a portable scanner for
now. Spiegel reported that the plans to civilianize Karni
are on hold for the time being. End summary.

--------------
The Impact of the Gush Etzion Attack
and Movement in the West Bank
--------------


2. (C) Ministry of Defense (MOD) advisor Brigadier General
(res.) Baruch Spiegel told the Ambassador on October 17 that
the shooting attack in Gush Etzion took place after the GOI
had removed some roadblocks and checkpoints in the area three
months ago. He said the GOI had wanted to send positive
signals to the Palestinians with the easing of movement, but
noted that terrorists almost always take advantage of the
openings. He cited as an example the attack at The Stage
nightclub in Tel Aviv. Spiegel commented that Israel has a
"master plan" to ease movement in the West Bank, but added
that the "day-to-day tactics" of terrorists are very
problematic and affect the overall strategy of trying to make
life easier for Palestinians. He explained that when an
attack takes place, the IDF immediately closes roads to
undertake its investigation. This creates problems for
Palestinians and they blame the GOI instead of the terrorists
who perpetrate the attacks. He opined that the Palestinian
Authority (PA) should take some responsibility on the ground
to control the rejectionist groups.


3. (C) Spiegel continued that his office had a meeting with
the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) six months ago where both parties agreed to count the
number of obstacles to movement in the West Bank and
subsequently negotiate locations where the obstacles could be
removed to increase movement and help the economy. Spiegel
reported that OCHA and the MOD are now working from a "common
map" after various technical meetings and have agreed on the
number of checkpoints present, with a discrepancy of some
40-60 obstacles, but that he is still waiting for OCHA's
suggestions on where to remove some obstacles. The MOD is
looking for a location where the PA can take more local
responsibility, taking into account the economic and security
impact on Palestinians and Israelis.


4. (C) The Ambassador said that easing movement in the West
Bank would help PA President Mahmud Abbas by allowing
economic activity and social connections to take place, which
would foster moderation. Spiegel agreed, noting that it is
also in Israel's interest to help Abbas in the upcoming
elections. He commented, however, that he wants to work with
the U.S. before making a final decision with the PA. He
added that working with OCHA is also difficult, and that the
GOI would prefer to work with the USG on this issue because
easing movement in the West Bank is part of Israel's
commitments to the U.S. under the Weissglas-Rice exchange of
letters. Spiegel noted that the Jenin area where the IDF
evacuated the four northern West Bank settlements has a lot
of potential and EconCouns offered to put together a team to
study the issue with the GOI. In response to a question,
Spiegel replied that Jenin would practically change from Area
C status to Area B status, but not officially.

--------------
Rafah and Karni Crossings
--------------


5. (C) Spiegel reported that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
would be making a decision very soon on how Vice Prime
Minister Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz would
share the responsibility of running the Rafah crossing.
(Note: Since this meeting, press reports have indicated that
Mofaz will be responsible for Rafah, and Peres will be in
charge of the West Bank/Gaza Strip link. Our GOI contacts,
however, tell us that the issue of responsibility for
passages is still in dispute. End note.) Spiegel noted that
the technical issues on management and security cannot be
completely resolved until his team has clear guidelines from
the political echelon, although he mentioned that his team is
working on some recommendations nevertheless. He also said
that whatever political and technical decisions are made now
would be precedents for the running of other crossings in the
future. The Ambassador commented that the procedures
established at Rafah could be transferred to Karni and Erez,
and Spiegel agreed, emphasizing the importance of Rafah. He
said that his team would continue to work with the PA and
Special Envoy Jim Wolfensohn, but assessed that at the
technical level, it "isn't enough because we need high-level
guidelines."


6. (C) Spiegel highlighted the GOI's need for scanners in
2-3 months at Karni, suggesting that until the tenders go
out, the GOI could make do with at least one portable
scanner. Jim Bever, Director of USAID, told Spiegel that
USAID's lawyers were looking at the GOI's tender to address
the financing of the scanners, but said that a mobile scanner
could be provided 30 days after the tender is awarded. He
asked if Israel could hire more people and add extra shifts
to man the portable scanners until the permanent scanners
arrive, and Spiegel responded that Israel does not have the
budget for extra shifts. He said he asked the Ministry of
Finance (MOF) for extra funds, but MOF officials said they
could not give him the money. Spiegel claimed he asked Mofaz
to look into it because for now, there "is no budget for it."


7. (C) In response to questions about the GOI's plan to
civilianize the crossings and whether estimates of $3-5
million per year for operations are correct, Spiegel replied
that the GOI has stopped making plans to civilianize Karni
because the GOI had wanted to use part of the $50 million in
U.S. aid to run the crossing but the aid is only for
scanners. He said Israel would civilianize Erez, Kerem
Shalom, and Sha'ar Efrayim for now, and will go to the MOF
later when the MOD has calculated how much money it will need
for Karni.


8. (C) Bever asked whether the GOI would be willing to
participate in an exchange of letters with the PA to show
that negotiations on crossings are moving in the spirit of
door-to-door transfer versus back-to-back. Spiegel responded
that it is possible, but asked the Ambassador to discuss the
issue with Mofaz because it will depend on the security
situation. Spiegel added that the GOI in the meantime would
work to make back-to-back more efficient.

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