Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05TELAVIV6846
2005-12-08 11:50:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:
LABOR MK HERZOG: "SHARON STOLE HANEGBI," AND MORE
how-to read a cableThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 006846
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KWBG KPAL IS ELECTIONS GOI INTERNAL ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: LABOR MK HERZOG: "SHARON STOLE HANEGBI," AND MORE
ON ISRAEL'S "MADHOUSE" POLITICS
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 006846
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KWBG KPAL IS ELECTIONS GOI INTERNAL ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: LABOR MK HERZOG: "SHARON STOLE HANEGBI," AND MORE
ON ISRAEL'S "MADHOUSE" POLITICS
1. (SBU) Summary: In a December 7 meeting with the
Ambassador, Labor MK and former Housing Minister Isaac
(Itzchak) Herzog discussed the ever-evolving Israeli
political scene, including then breaking news that acting
Likud Party Chairman and Minister-without-Portfolio Tzachi
Hanegbi had decided to join Prime Minister Sharon's Kadima
Party. Herzog said that new Labor Party leader Amir Peretz
intends to focus the campaign on economic issues, rather than
security. Herzog said he believes Kadima and Labor have
similar diplomatic agendas with regard to the peace process
and could form a majority coalition in a Sharon-led
government. He stressed, however, that Labor wants an
unconditional uprooting of illegal outposts. End Summary.
-------------- ---
Herzog: "Pillar of Likud" Hanegbi to Join Kadima
-------------- ---
2. (SBU) Labor MK and former Housing Minister Itzchak Herzog
entered his December 7 meeting with the Ambassador bursting
with news that acting Likud Chairman Minister Tzachi Hanegbi
intended to announce his decision to join the Kadima Party.
He commented that Israeli politics is a "madhouse" and
charged that Sharon "stole" Hanegbi. Herzog referred to
Hanegbi as "a major pillar of the Likud Party," and assessed
that Hanegbi's move is a "big blow to Likud." He
characterized Hanegbi as an asset to Sharon since Hanegbi has
strong grassroots ties, something Herzog claimed that Sharon
lacks. "(Hanegbi) is a machine of politics," Herzog
commented, despite the fact that he is "wounded" due to the
criminal investigation against him for political cronyism.
Sharon is trying to take everyone with him, according to
Herzog, and continued that, "I was one of the first people
Sharon called to ask to join Kadima... Sharon begged me to
join." Herzog said he could not do so since the Labor Party
is his "home."
--------------
Sharon Won't Fire Mofaz, According to Herzog
--------------
3. (SBU) In response to the Ambassador's query as to the
extent to which Sharon and Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz
are cooperating since Sharon left Likud, Herzog acknowledged
that the two could be having problems. He commented that
after December 8, Sharon can appoint new ministers without
Knesset approval. He added that Sharon can also fire any
minister, but added that he does not believe Sharon will fire
Mofaz. Herzog said that after Likud's December 19 leadership
primaries, Likud will decide whether to leave the government.
In response to the Ambassador's query, Herzog said he does
not believe that either Mofaz or Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom would leave Likud for Kadima, but indicated that given
the state of play, he could not rule anything out. At one
point in the discussion, Herzog remarked that "every six
hours you have a new crisis."
--------------
Labor Wants Campaign on the Economy
--------------
4. (SBU) Turning to the upcoming election campaign and party
politics, Herzog said that the real campaign battle would be
over the agenda. Acknowledging that Sharon has a stronger
message than Peretz on security issues, Herzog said that
Labor wants to focus the campaign on the economy rather than
on security. He stressed several times during the meeting
that Peretz is a "hard worker" and that he would be focusing
on improving his campaign organization. Herzog also
discussed Labor's setbacks and weaknesses, including:
-- the decision by former Labor Party interim Chair Shimon
Peres to ally himself with Sharon;
-- being embroiled in internal party politics at the expense
of developing a national campaign;
-- lack of a strong message on security issues;
-- some of Peretz's left-of-center platform proposals, such
as embracing the Oslo Accords and his commitment to appoint
an Israeli-Arab minister;
-- replacement of some veteran Labor Party field workers with
Peretz supporters.
5. (SBU) On the positive side, Herzog assessed that Labor
will put together an attractive Knesset list that will
include Ben Gurion University President Avishai Braverman,
former Shin Bet head Ami Ayalon, and Labor MKs Yuli Tamir and
Ofir Pines-Paz. Herzog asserted that Labor has a good
security team, but added that "Sharon is more sexy." In
response to the Ambassador's query, Herzog said that Labor
does not plan to recruit any security experts per se to the
party, but said that Ayalon and Labor MK Binyamin
Ben-Eliezer, a retired general, bring important security
experience with them. Herzog speculated that once Labor has
a strong Knesset list, and after the Likud primaries, the
polls will show Kadima with some 30 Knesset seats rather than
the 40 that polls now predict.
6. (SBU) Herzog said that Labor will not fully organize its
national campaign until after Labor's Knesset list primaries,
likely to be moved up to January 11 from the 17th. Herzog
noted that the some 120,000 registered Labor Party members
would select the list, with the first 12 slots reserved for
the most popular candidates, and four of those slots held for
women. Additional slots beyond the first 12 are allocated
based on regional and sectoral criteria, he said. Herzog
said that so far, Peretz and Labor Party Secretary Eitan
Cabel are assured top slots as is Labor MK Rabbi Michael
Melchior. The party "respects" Melchior, and, since he
represents the Meimad faction of the Labor Party, Melchior
will bring additional support to Labor, Herzog said.
7. (SBU) Commenting on the changing political landscape,
Herzog said that following Likud's formation in 1973, Likud
drew much of its strength from blue collar workers, while
Labor continued to represent the white-collar workers.
Peretz, he said, is now attracting the blue-collar sector
back to Labor. He assessed that the Russian immigrant sector
will mainly support Sharon, since "they prefer Ashkenazi
leaders," but said that Labor is making some small inroads
with the Russians by promoting Labor's egalitarian economic
policies. Herzog said that Labor is also trying to prevent
Kadima from eating into Labor's traditional support from the
Kibbutz and Moshav sectors. To keep that support, Herzog
asserted, Peretz knows that he will need the support of
former Prime Minister Ehud Barak -- who recently indicated he
will not run for a Knesset seat.
--------------
Israel/Palestinian Issues
--------------
8. (SBU) In response to Herzog's inquiry as to what actions
the USG has taken after the Netanya attack, the Ambassador
noted that the Secretary had called PA President Mahmud Abbas
to urge him to take action against terrorism and that A/S
Welch would be here this week for meetings. The Ambassador
said that the PA had made a number of arrests of suspected
terrorists. Herzog said that the GOI is promoting what he
termed a huge project to prevent smuggling of weapons, drugs
and people across the border with Egypt.
9. (SBU) Herzog asked the Ambassador whether the USG prefers
that Israel take unilateral moves or seek agreement with the
Palestinians with regard to the West Bank and Gaza. The
Ambassador responded that unilateral steps such as the
disengagement plan can help the parties move back to the
roadmap, but if Sharon wants to define Israel's borders, the
USG believes the GOI should do so through agreement with the
Palestinians. Herzog questioned how long progress on the
roadmap could be held up while Sharon demands PA action
against terrorism. He also questioned whether removal of
illegal outposts should be conditioned by the GOI on PA
action against terrorism. Herzog stressed that Labor wants
an unconditional uprooting of illegal outposts, but he noted
that there are always delays. He cited the example of the
Almona outpost where the High Court ruled in August that nine
permanent homes be removed, but the houses are still
standing.
10. (SBU) Herzog said that both Labor and Kadima have
similar peace agendas and he could see the parties forming a
majority coalition. He added that Peretz had only ruled out
joining a coalition led by Likud. One led by Kadima could be
a different story.
********************************************* ********************
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
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KWBG KPAL IS ELECTIONS GOI INTERNAL ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: LABOR MK HERZOG: "SHARON STOLE HANEGBI," AND MORE
ON ISRAEL'S "MADHOUSE" POLITICS
1. (SBU) Summary: In a December 7 meeting with the
Ambassador, Labor MK and former Housing Minister Isaac
(Itzchak) Herzog discussed the ever-evolving Israeli
political scene, including then breaking news that acting
Likud Party Chairman and Minister-without-Portfolio Tzachi
Hanegbi had decided to join Prime Minister Sharon's Kadima
Party. Herzog said that new Labor Party leader Amir Peretz
intends to focus the campaign on economic issues, rather than
security. Herzog said he believes Kadima and Labor have
similar diplomatic agendas with regard to the peace process
and could form a majority coalition in a Sharon-led
government. He stressed, however, that Labor wants an
unconditional uprooting of illegal outposts. End Summary.
-------------- ---
Herzog: "Pillar of Likud" Hanegbi to Join Kadima
-------------- ---
2. (SBU) Labor MK and former Housing Minister Itzchak Herzog
entered his December 7 meeting with the Ambassador bursting
with news that acting Likud Chairman Minister Tzachi Hanegbi
intended to announce his decision to join the Kadima Party.
He commented that Israeli politics is a "madhouse" and
charged that Sharon "stole" Hanegbi. Herzog referred to
Hanegbi as "a major pillar of the Likud Party," and assessed
that Hanegbi's move is a "big blow to Likud." He
characterized Hanegbi as an asset to Sharon since Hanegbi has
strong grassroots ties, something Herzog claimed that Sharon
lacks. "(Hanegbi) is a machine of politics," Herzog
commented, despite the fact that he is "wounded" due to the
criminal investigation against him for political cronyism.
Sharon is trying to take everyone with him, according to
Herzog, and continued that, "I was one of the first people
Sharon called to ask to join Kadima... Sharon begged me to
join." Herzog said he could not do so since the Labor Party
is his "home."
--------------
Sharon Won't Fire Mofaz, According to Herzog
--------------
3. (SBU) In response to the Ambassador's query as to the
extent to which Sharon and Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz
are cooperating since Sharon left Likud, Herzog acknowledged
that the two could be having problems. He commented that
after December 8, Sharon can appoint new ministers without
Knesset approval. He added that Sharon can also fire any
minister, but added that he does not believe Sharon will fire
Mofaz. Herzog said that after Likud's December 19 leadership
primaries, Likud will decide whether to leave the government.
In response to the Ambassador's query, Herzog said he does
not believe that either Mofaz or Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom would leave Likud for Kadima, but indicated that given
the state of play, he could not rule anything out. At one
point in the discussion, Herzog remarked that "every six
hours you have a new crisis."
--------------
Labor Wants Campaign on the Economy
--------------
4. (SBU) Turning to the upcoming election campaign and party
politics, Herzog said that the real campaign battle would be
over the agenda. Acknowledging that Sharon has a stronger
message than Peretz on security issues, Herzog said that
Labor wants to focus the campaign on the economy rather than
on security. He stressed several times during the meeting
that Peretz is a "hard worker" and that he would be focusing
on improving his campaign organization. Herzog also
discussed Labor's setbacks and weaknesses, including:
-- the decision by former Labor Party interim Chair Shimon
Peres to ally himself with Sharon;
-- being embroiled in internal party politics at the expense
of developing a national campaign;
-- lack of a strong message on security issues;
-- some of Peretz's left-of-center platform proposals, such
as embracing the Oslo Accords and his commitment to appoint
an Israeli-Arab minister;
-- replacement of some veteran Labor Party field workers with
Peretz supporters.
5. (SBU) On the positive side, Herzog assessed that Labor
will put together an attractive Knesset list that will
include Ben Gurion University President Avishai Braverman,
former Shin Bet head Ami Ayalon, and Labor MKs Yuli Tamir and
Ofir Pines-Paz. Herzog asserted that Labor has a good
security team, but added that "Sharon is more sexy." In
response to the Ambassador's query, Herzog said that Labor
does not plan to recruit any security experts per se to the
party, but said that Ayalon and Labor MK Binyamin
Ben-Eliezer, a retired general, bring important security
experience with them. Herzog speculated that once Labor has
a strong Knesset list, and after the Likud primaries, the
polls will show Kadima with some 30 Knesset seats rather than
the 40 that polls now predict.
6. (SBU) Herzog said that Labor will not fully organize its
national campaign until after Labor's Knesset list primaries,
likely to be moved up to January 11 from the 17th. Herzog
noted that the some 120,000 registered Labor Party members
would select the list, with the first 12 slots reserved for
the most popular candidates, and four of those slots held for
women. Additional slots beyond the first 12 are allocated
based on regional and sectoral criteria, he said. Herzog
said that so far, Peretz and Labor Party Secretary Eitan
Cabel are assured top slots as is Labor MK Rabbi Michael
Melchior. The party "respects" Melchior, and, since he
represents the Meimad faction of the Labor Party, Melchior
will bring additional support to Labor, Herzog said.
7. (SBU) Commenting on the changing political landscape,
Herzog said that following Likud's formation in 1973, Likud
drew much of its strength from blue collar workers, while
Labor continued to represent the white-collar workers.
Peretz, he said, is now attracting the blue-collar sector
back to Labor. He assessed that the Russian immigrant sector
will mainly support Sharon, since "they prefer Ashkenazi
leaders," but said that Labor is making some small inroads
with the Russians by promoting Labor's egalitarian economic
policies. Herzog said that Labor is also trying to prevent
Kadima from eating into Labor's traditional support from the
Kibbutz and Moshav sectors. To keep that support, Herzog
asserted, Peretz knows that he will need the support of
former Prime Minister Ehud Barak -- who recently indicated he
will not run for a Knesset seat.
--------------
Israel/Palestinian Issues
--------------
8. (SBU) In response to Herzog's inquiry as to what actions
the USG has taken after the Netanya attack, the Ambassador
noted that the Secretary had called PA President Mahmud Abbas
to urge him to take action against terrorism and that A/S
Welch would be here this week for meetings. The Ambassador
said that the PA had made a number of arrests of suspected
terrorists. Herzog said that the GOI is promoting what he
termed a huge project to prevent smuggling of weapons, drugs
and people across the border with Egypt.
9. (SBU) Herzog asked the Ambassador whether the USG prefers
that Israel take unilateral moves or seek agreement with the
Palestinians with regard to the West Bank and Gaza. The
Ambassador responded that unilateral steps such as the
disengagement plan can help the parties move back to the
roadmap, but if Sharon wants to define Israel's borders, the
USG believes the GOI should do so through agreement with the
Palestinians. Herzog questioned how long progress on the
roadmap could be held up while Sharon demands PA action
against terrorism. He also questioned whether removal of
illegal outposts should be conditioned by the GOI on PA
action against terrorism. Herzog stressed that Labor wants
an unconditional uprooting of illegal outposts, but he noted
that there are always delays. He cited the example of the
Almona outpost where the High Court ruled in August that nine
permanent homes be removed, but the houses are still
standing.
10. (SBU) Herzog said that both Labor and Kadima have
similar peace agendas and he could see the parties forming a
majority coalition. He added that Peretz had only ruled out
joining a coalition led by Likud. One led by Kadima could be
a different story.
********************************************* ********************
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