Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05TELAVIV6264
2005-11-01 15:08:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:  

EC DEL HEAD IN ISRAEL SAYS EU IS AIMING FOR 11/15

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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 006264 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL KWBG EG IS GOI EXTERNAL GAZA DISENGAGEMENT
SUBJECT: EC DEL HEAD IN ISRAEL SAYS EU IS AIMING FOR 11/15
OPENING OF RAFAH BORDER CROSSING BETWEEN EGYPT AND GAZA

Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones. Reasons: 1.4 (b, d).

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SUMMARY
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 006264

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL KWBG EG IS GOI EXTERNAL GAZA DISENGAGEMENT
SUBJECT: EC DEL HEAD IN ISRAEL SAYS EU IS AIMING FOR 11/15
OPENING OF RAFAH BORDER CROSSING BETWEEN EGYPT AND GAZA

Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones. Reasons: 1.4 (b, d).

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) In an October 26 meeting at the European Commission
Delegation's office in Tel Aviv, EC Delegation Head
Ambassador Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal told Ambassador Jones that the
EU's objective is to have the Rafah crossing on the
Egypt-Gaza border opened by November 15. Cibrian-Uzal said
his EC Delegation and the EU are prepared to cooperate with
the U.S. "on the ground," and to support the Quartet in its
pursuit of a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He noted that the EC has helped the GOI and Palestinian
Authority to form effective, technical working groups in
transport, energy and trade, and that it now desires to
promote cooperation in the justice sector. Pointing to the
suicide bombing that had just taken place in the Israeli
coastal town of Hadera, Cibrian-Uzal said that violence is
not useful and is self-defeating for the Palestinians. He
also stated his own view that Israel's security fence has
limitations and will eventually be breached. Having recently
returned from the West Bank city of Hebron, Cibrian-Uzal
remarked that the Israelis should be given credit for
reducing the number of checkpoints throughout the West Bank
since the beginning of 2005. He said, however, that
procedures used by Israeli security services at the remaining
checkpoints are humiliating to the Palestinians.
Cibrian-Uzal agreed with the Ambassador that periodic,
informal get-togethers by the resident Quartet ambassadors to
coordinate positions and compare notes would be useful, and
offered to assist in arranging them.


2. (C) Cibrian-Uzal said he shares U.S. concerns about
Israel's respect for intellectual property rights, but had
not been able to make much progress with the GOI on the
matter and would welcome the U.S. joining the effort to get
the GOI to respect such rights. Cibrian-Uzal noted that the
EC Delegation is also involved in promoting civil society by

helping local NGOs, but is limited in how much assistance it
can provide due to Israel's ranking among potential
assistance recipients based on income levels. END SUMMARY.

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EU PREPARED TO COOPERATE ON RAFAH, OTHER PALESTINIAN ISSUES
-------------- --------------


3. (C) At the start of the meeting, Cibrian-Uzal stressed
that the Commission, and the EU as a whole, is prepared to
cooperate with the U.S. on the ground, and support the
Quartet, in pursuing a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian
problem, post-disengagement. He said he looks forward to
constructive relations with the U.S. embassy, and noted that
he sent the embassy a letter requesting the Ambassador's
views on how to better prepare for the November 11 "Forum for
the Future" meeting in Bahrain.


4. (C) In response to the Ambassador's question about the
Rafah crossing issue, Cibrian-Uzal said that EU approval of a
proposal to have Europeans man the Rafah crossing would take
at least two weeks from the time of an agreement on Rafah.
He said the EU's objective is to have the Rafah crossing
opened by November 15. He noted that the EU has not been
invited to send observers to Kerem Shalom -- only Rafah.


5. (C) Cibrian-Uzal noted that the EC has helped the GOI and
Palestinian Authority (PA) to form three technical working
groups in the transport, energy and trade sectors. He said
they have worked well so far because of their technical
nature. Cibrian-Uzal would like to form a fourth working
group on justice to identify areas of cooperation in that
sector. He said that one of his priorities is to bring
together the GOI and PA justice ministers to foster
cooperation in the justice sector, and broaden dialogue and
exchanges between the GOI and PA. In response, Ambassador
Jones noted that the new PA attorney general appears to be
eager, and seems to want to play a helpful role in stopping
public displays of arms in the Palestinian territories.
Ambassador Jones recommended that Cibrian-Uzal consider the
PA attorney general as a possible candidate for cooperation
in the justice sector.

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...SAYS VIOLENCE IS SELF-DEFEATING FOR THE PALESTINIANS
-------------- --------------


6. (C) Cibrian-Uzal said that violence is not useful and is
self-defeating for the Palestinians. He noted that PA
President Abbas has promised to "do something with Hamas"
(e.g., work with it on disarming) only after Palestinian
elections have taken place in January 2006. Cibrian-Uzal
noted that his delegation has an ongoing dialogue with the
Israeli security services, and said that Israeli security
officials have admitted to him that urging the PA to confront
Hamas in the immediate post-disengagement period is probably
not a good idea. Cibrian-Uzal said they told him that it
probably has boosted Hamas vis-a-vis the PA due to the
attention it has given to Hamas. Cibrian-Uzal said that the
U.S. and the EU need to maintain pressure on Abbas to fight
terrorists and disarm terrorist groups.


7. (C) Cibrian-Uzal said he is "not so optimistic" that
Israel's security barrier will serve its role as effectively
as its advocates proclaim. He said he thinks it has
succeeded in diverting some attacks, but has not prevented
them. Cibrian-Uzal observed that it is just a matter of time
before terrorists start digging tunnels under the barrier.
He noted that the Hadera suicide bombing was significant in
that it happened quickly after Islamic Jihad operative
Sa'adi's death at the hands of the IDF, demonstrating that
Islamic Jihad can decide and act quickly.


8. (C) Cibrian-Uzal said that he was recently in Hebron, and
that the conditions in Hebron are not as bad as he expected
they would be. He said he was told that the number of West
Bank checkpoints had been reduced from 600-700 (at the
beginning of 2005) to about 350, and that he thinks the
Israelis should be given credit for this. While he said that
the negative impact on the level of economic activity was not
that great, he described the procedures being used at the
checkpoints as humiliating.

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EC DEL HEAD SUPPORTS IDEA OF QUARTET AMBASSADOR MEETINGS
-------------- --------------


9. (C) In response to the Ambassador's idea of informal,
periodic get-togethers of the resident Quartet
representatives, Cibrian-Uzal said he liked the idea and
would be pleased to coordinate with the other resident
Quartet representatives. He advised pulling in the resident
UK Ambassador, Simon McDonald, to represent the EU
presidency. He noted that EU Special Envoy Marc Otte is also
a very important contact, as his mandate is "broader, and
more political."

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...SAYS HE IS DETERMINED TO ADVANCE RESPECT FOR IPR
-------------- --------------


10. (C) In response to the Ambassador's point that
intellectual property rights are important the USG, and his
question about how the EC Delegation Head views patent term
extension legislation in the Knesset, Cibrian-Uzal said that
his delegation had not had much success with the Israelis on
these issues. He noted that he had made a number of
demarches to the Ministries of Trade and Foreign Affairs. He
noted that the Ministry of Trade's head of Foreign Trade
Administration, Ronit Ken, and Shinui MK Ehud Rassabi --
chairman of the Taxation Sub-Committee in the Knesset's
Finance Committee -- have been helpful on the issues to date.
(NOTE: The Israeli Cabinet appointed Ronit Ken as director
of the Antitrust Authority, starting November 3. END NOTE.)

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...AND ASSIST ON CIVIL SOCIETY ISSUES, AS POSSIBLE
-------------- --------------


11. (C) Cibrian-Uzal said that the EC Delegation manages a
number of programs in Israel, but the degree of assistance it
can provide is limited, as it is based on income criteria
which makes Israel ineligible for certain forms of
assistance. The EC Delegation is currently running cultural
cooperation, information and Partnership for Peace (as heard)
programs in Israel. Cibrian-Uzal said the Delegation also
funds a number of NGOs, and that this "irritates" the GOI
from time to time.

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