ISRAEL/WBG: EU ENVOY ADVOCATES "SOFT" OPENING FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 006516

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2015
TAGS: ECON ETRD EU IS KPAL KWBG PREL ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS GOI EXTERNAL GOI INTERNAL GAZA DISENGAGEMENT
SUBJECT: ISRAEL/WBG: EU ENVOY ADVOCATES "SOFT" OPENING FOR
RAFAH CROSSING WITH WELL-DEFINED EU THIRD-PARTY ROLE


Classified By: Ambassador Richard Jones for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: During a November 9 meeting with the
Ambassador, EU Special Representative for the Middle East
Peace Process Mark Otte advised that the GOI and PA were
close to a final agreement on re-opening the Rafah crossing.
The only major obstacle remaining was the lack of agreement
on how quickly PA border personnel will provide video feed to
the GOI for review. Otte advised that the GOI and PA had
moved closer on what the EU third party role at Rafah would
be, but added that the EU would require greater specificity.
Otte said he was impressed by the preparations made at Rafah,
including high quality USG-funded equipment and training. He
hoped that a phased opening could begin by the end of
November. He agreed with the Ambassador that there is an
urgent need to expand the flow of goods through other
crossings, particularly Karni. Otte's EU colleague Christian
Leffler voiced skepticism about the need to construct a
seaport and asserted that re-opening Gaza's airport was a
greater priority and could be done to GOI satisfaction.
Lastly, Otte advised that an expanded EU police program for
the Palestinians should be underway by January 2006. End
Summary.

--------------
Rafah Almost Ready for "Soft" Opening
--------------


2. (C) Otte, in a November 9 meeting with the Ambassador and
also attended by Christian Leffler, Director of the European
Commission's Middle East Department, asserted that the GOI
and PA were close to agreement on re-opening the Rafah
crossing. Palestinian ID holders would be able to travel in
both directions; goods from Gaza could be exported to Egypt
through Rafah; and imports would be handled by the
GOI-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing with Egypt. The
GOI, however, was still demanding that the PA provide
"real-time" video of individuals seeking passage through
Rafah, The PA, asserting that real-time transmission of
passport picture and data should be sufficient, have
committed to providing video feed only after twenty-four
hours. Otte noted that a USAID contractor at Rafah had
advised that, due to technical constraints, "real-time" video
would still take fifteen minutes to be transmitted to GOI
authorities in Kerem Shalom. Otte said he expected a
compromise would be reached as he believed both sides
remained convinced that Rafah had to be opened soon and a
third-party presence would go far in easing many concerns.



3. (C) Otte advocated a "soft" opening in which Rafah would
gradually expand its operations over time. He described his
November 8 tour of Rafah in the company of Minister of Civil
Affairs Mohammed Dahlan and noted that a great deal had been
done in preparing the crossing, including the purchase of
high-quality security equipment. (Note: USAID has funded
new equipment and training for personnel at Rafah.) Leffler
said that a technical expert had told him that Rafah was now
better equipped then it had been when under IDF control.
Otte, however, said the GOI was still not satisfied and
doubted that Rafah would be ready by November 15. In
response to a question from the Ambassador, he suggested that
a limited opening could occur by late November. As GOI
confidence in the process and PA personnel capabilities grew,
Rafah could begin processing travelers who do not hold
Palestinian IDs and possibly private vehicles. Otte added
that it would be necessary to lower the Palestinian public's
expectations about what could be done in the near term.

--------------
EU Third-Party Role
--------------


4. (C) Otte advised that, while an EU monitoring role had
been approved in principle (see reftel),he was seeking
clarification from both the GOI and PA on what the
responsibilities would be. He said the GOI had "backed off"
insisting on "active monitoring" whereby EU personnel would
perform certain functions that should normally be assigned to
Palestinians. Otte said he stressed to both sides that
ninety-nine percent of the cases would go smoothly but the
remaining one percent would require a trusted and true
"incident mechanism." No end-date for an EU presence has
been determined, but Leffler described a "successful mission"
as one in which the third party leaves the Palestinians in
control of Rafah operations with the full confidence of and
coordination with the GOI.

5 (C) Otte suggested that the threat of an abrupt EU
third-party withdrawal from Rafah would serve as a huge
deterrent to any deviation from a final agreement. Otte said
that although Dahlan had assured him that the Palestinians
"won't let you down," he remained concerned that upcoming
election in the Gaza and the West Bank, in preparation for
which candidates would have to resign their PA positions,
might make it difficult to determine who is in charge. The
Ambassador noted that Dahlan would certainly maintain his
influence over something as important as Rafah. Otte replied
that during his tour of the area, it was clear that Dahlan
was in control and his people were in charge of the terminal.

--------------
Goods Must Move
--------------


6. (C) The Ambassador said that, in the past, efforts to
defeat terrorism had often lacked an economic component, but
this could no longer be the case. For example, expanding the
movement of people and goods to and from the West Bank and
Gaza would help revitalize the Palestinian economy and render
extremist views less attractive to the general public. The
Ambassador mentioned to Otte that a senior GOI MOD official
had recently told him that the Karni crossing with Gaza must
be kept open so that soon-to-be harvested agricultural
produce can be exported. Leffler added that the EU message
on the subject was similar to that of Special Envoy
Wolfensohn: passages must not only be kept open, but
throughput capacity must be significantly increased, as well.
The Ambassador advised that the USG is working with the GOI
on the purchase of scanners with USG funds for Karni and
other crossings.


7. (C) Otte said the "Israeli mentality has changed" and now
the importance of a vibrant Palestinian economy was better
appreciated. He said he expected progress on improving the
passages. The Ambassador interjected that the Palestinians
also need to understand that it is in their best interest to
maintain tight control over the crossings. In reply, Otte
said that bulk of the problem remained elsewhere in the form
of about 50 tunnels running into Gaza. The Ambassador noted
that long-standing restrictions at the crossings had driven
even legitimate trade through the tunnels and onto the black
market. Increasing capacity at the crossings will allow more
goods in legally, crowding out the black market and freeing
up PA resources to concentrate on intercepting the most
dangerous contraband.


8. (C) Leffler suggested that construction of a Gaza seaport
did not make economic sense because several other ports can
unload Gaza-bound goods. He said that current port talks
give a sense of movement but a port will take 3-5 years to
build. Re-opening the airport in as little as six months, on
the other hand, should be a priority as it would provide a
strong and immediate positive impact. Leffler said that
Israeli growers in the Negev could also use the airport to
export their goods. Otte suggested that the PA, in
coordination with the GOI, could sign a contract with a
reputable foreign cargo carrier as an initial step. Leffler
asserted that, if required, the PA would accept security
standards more rigorous than those at Israel's Ben Gurion
airport.


9. (C) On a cautionary note, Leffler suggested that from a
West Bank perspective, things were not that encouraging.
Palestinians in the West Bank are watching what is happening
in Gaza and hearing about initiatives to improve life there.
In the West Bank, however, they see more GOI infrastructure
projects, walls, settlement expansion, and wonder about what
is happening to them, according to Leffler.

--------------
EU Police Mission
--------------


10. (C) Otte advised the Ambassador that his current visit
also concerned the EU's program to provide training and other
assistance to the Palestinian police. The program should
commence by January 1, 2006 and be running at full capacity
by April 2006. He said the number of EU police advisors had
increased from seven to thirty, with a goal of placing one in
each district. The EU program would also send Palestinian
policemen abroad for training, according to Otte. He said
one goal was to re-open the Jericho police training center.
He emphasized that the program would link policies with rule
of law. Lastly, Otte said the GOI should understand and be
prepared to accept that at some point the Palestinian police
would need to be better equipped.


********************************************* ********************
Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv

You can also access this site through the State Department's
Classified SIPRNET website.
********************************************* ********************
JONES