GOI AND PA OFFICIALS DISCUSS KARNI CLOSURE SOLUTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001110 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2016 TAGS: ECON PHUM PREL PINS EAID PTER KWBG EG IS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS GOI EXTERNAL SUBJECT: GOI AND PA OFFICIALS DISCUSS KARNI CLOSURE SOLUTION REF: TEL AVIV 1085 Classified By: DCM Gene A. Cretz, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is a joint Embassy Tel Aviv - Consulate General Jerusalem cable. ¶2. (C) Summary: Officials from the GOI, PA, Egyptian Embassy, and EU-BAM met at the Ambassador,s Residence on March 19 to discuss the movement of commercial goods and humanitarian supplies between Gaza and Israel and Egypt and Gaza given the closure of the Karni crossing. MOD Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs Amos Gilad said Karni was closed due to security threats and would open as soon as the PA arrested the named terrorists whom the GOI had identified as planning terror attacks on Karni. He offered the opening of Kerem Shalom for the importation of goods from Israel or Egypt to Gaza as the only alternative to Karni acceptable to the GOI. PLO Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat said the PA appreciates Israel,s security concerns generally but stressed that Karni should only be closed for imminent threats to the crossing specifically, not for broad security concerns. When Gilad posed the choice of receiving goods from Israel or goods from Egypt through the Kerem Shalom crossing, Erekat said the PA is prepared to terminate imports from Israel and to receive imports only from Egypt. The Egyptian Ambassador said Egypt is prepared to cooperate and supply whatever is needed to avoid a humanitarian tragedy. Following a separate heads of delegation meeting, the parties agreed to open Kerem Shalom to goods from Egypt and to hold separate meetings the next day to discuss modalities for Kerem Shalom and a security plan that would permit the other currently closed Gaza crossings to open. (End note: On Monday, March 20, the GOI announced the temporary opening of the Karni crossing. End note.) End summary. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador and Consul General chaired a meeting March 19 at the Ambassador's Residence to discuss proposals to ameliorate the humanitarian impact on Gaza of the continued closure of Karni crossing. Officials from the GOI, Palestinian Authority, EU-BAM, Egyptian Embassy, U.S. Embassy, Consulate General Jerusalem, USAID, and USSC participated. The Ambassador and Consul General welcomed those in attendance and set forth the agenda for the meeting. The Ambassador said that the U.S. places the utmost importance on both the humanitarian needs of the Palestinians and the security needs of Israel. He said that it was urgent on the eve of the announcement of a Hamas-led government that an immediate solution be found, as well as that work begin on a mechanism that would serve to avert problems over the longer term. The Consul General detailed the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, noting that staple goods and dairy products are running out and flour supplies had been exhausted or were about to be. He emphasized that no single crossing has the capacity to substitute for Karni. He stressed the importance of agreeing on what could be done to reopen Karni and how the other crossings (Sufa, Erez, and Kerem Shalom) could be utilized. ¶3. (C) Israel. Ministry of Defense Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs Amos Gilad, who led the GOI delegation, said that Israel is aware of the situation in Gaza. He noted, however, that security threats are the reason for Karni,s closure. He complained the PA had not acted on information, supplied to it by Israel,s security services, which identified a named Palestinian as planning an imminent attack on the crossing. Gilad said that Karni could be opened immediately if the PA arrested the terrorist the GOI had identified. He said Kerem Shalom, in the GOI view, is available and a respectable alternative to Karni for the importation of humanitarian goods from Israel to Gaza. He acknowledged that Kerem Shalom cannot handle large volumes of cargo, but urged the Palestinians to use it as a means of relieving humanitarian hardship. He said Sufa could not be used and Erez was not relevant to this discussion, because it is not configured at this point for cargo transfers. ¶4. (C) Palestinian Authority. PA Head of Negotiations Saeb Erekat stated that he appreciated Israeli concerns about security. He said there is a difference, however, between an imminent security threat and arresting someone because they could commit a terrorist act. He said the PA is ready to be a partner to Israel on security issues and to implement all commitments, but does not view it as acceptable to close Karni for non-imminent security threats and deprive 1.3 million Palestinians of basic commodities for daily living. Erekat noted that the Agreement on Movement and Access, which is the terms of reference for the crossings, says that Kerem Shalom should open for the importation of goods from Egypt to Gaza, and he called for its immediate opening. He questioned why the GOI was excluding Sufa and Erez from being used as alternative crossings, while Karni is closed, as it had in the past. Erekat said that the PA is prepared to turn to Egypt for the importation of commercial goods in order to avoid such a humanitarian crisis in the future. ¶5. (C) Egypt. The Egyptian Ambassador said that Egypt is ready to cooperate and supply whatever is needed to avoid a humanitarian tragedy. He stressed only two-three days remain before Gaza runs out of basic foodstuffs. He called for a balance between humanitarian concerns and security concerns. He noted that a catastrophe in Gaza would negatively affect Israeli and Egyptian security. ¶6. (C) EU-BAM. EU-BAM Head of Mission General Pietro Pistolese said that the EU-BAM has received good cooperation from both the PA and the GOI. He stressed that Egyptian cooperation is necessary in order to determine the right procedures for the movement of goods through Kerem Shalom. He noted that the Kerem Shalom crossing alone could not meet the needs of Gaza and also called for the export of goods from Gaza. ¶7. (C) Conclusion. During a contentious session where the parties stood by their positions and seemed to be at an impasse, the Ambassador suggested that the heads of delegation break off into a separate meeting. The parties then reached the following conclusions: Kerem Shalom would open for humanitarian goods from Egypt to Gaza; the two sides would meet at 8:30AM on March 20 at Kerem Shalom to discuss modalities of operations at Kerem Shalom (including possible fuel shipments from Israel to Gaza for UNRWA); and the USSC would host a meeting on March 20 to discuss security at the other crossings (Karni, Sufa, Erez) and develop a security plan that would allow those crossings to open. (End note: On Monday, March 20, the GOI announced the temporary opening of the Karni crossing. End note.) ********************************************* ******************** 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