REP. SHAYS AND ISRAELI FM LIVNI DISCUSS HAMAS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001628 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/IPA AND H E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR KWBG KPAL IS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS GOI EXTERNAL SUBJECT: REP. SHAYS AND ISRAELI FM LIVNI DISCUSS HAMAS, CONVERGENCE, AND IRAQ Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Gene A. Cretz; Reasons: 1.4 (B a nd D). ¶1. (C) Summary: Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Representative Christopher Shays April 20 that there is no Palestinian partner with whom Israel can negotiate. She described A/PM Ehud Olmert's "convergence" plan, in which Israel seeks to define a new eastern border after evacuating isolated settlements and annexing larger settlement blocs with the support of the United States, as the only way forward. She praised the United States' role in Iraq, noting that Iran is now Israel's top concern. Livni was joined in the meeting by MFA Deputy Director General for North America Yoram Ben-Zeev, Chief of Staff Yaki Dayan, as well as staffers Dita Kohl-Roman, Hillel Newman, and Eyal Sela. Rep. Shays was accompanied by Senior Policy Analyst Nicholas Palarino, Minority Counsel Michael McCarthy, and military escort Major Carolyn Walford. End summary. -------------- Livni: we have no Palestinian partner -------------- ¶2. (C) In response to a question from Rep. Shays, Livni described current Israeli-Palestinian relations as "complicated," saying that Israel is facing problems for which there are no easy solutions. She complained of the gap between the desire for an end to the conflict and the reality of a "terrorist entity" in control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). She cautioned that elections "cannot be a laundry for terrorist organizations," and called the international community's support for elections in which Hamas was allowed to compete a "mistake." She attributed the Hamas victory to both anger at Fatah's corruption and support for extreme Islam among Palestinian voters. ¶3. (C) Livni described the difficulty of addressing the needs of the Palestinian people without providing any assistance to Hamas or the PA, noting that health and education programs in Gaza and the West Bank are largely controlled by the PA. Admitting that Hamas, too, faces a complicated situation as it seeks international legitimacy without relinquishing its extremist views, Livni urged Rep. Shays to listen to the different messages coming from Hamas in English and in Arabic. ¶4. (C) Livni maintained that President Abbas lends legitimacy to Hamas. Complaining that Abbas wants to skip to the final stage of the Roadmap and talk about final status issues, she advocated the continued isolation of Hamas and the PA. In response to Rep. Shays' question on whether the GOI would leave a line open to Abbas, Livni replied "not really." She explained the GOI's view that the PA is a terrorist entity, even though the GOI realizes that Abbas is the elected President and the international community wants to keep "someone on the bench" in case Hamas fails. She noted that it is too optimistic to believe that Hamas will fail in the next few months, unless Abbas confronts the group by calling new elections and changing the rules on who can run, steps Livni did not believe he would take. ¶5. (C) Rep. Shays agreed that the sooner Hamas fails, the better it will be for the region. He urged Israel to consider how to ensure that Hamas is blamed for its own downfall and to prepare to deal with the next Palestinian government. He cautioned that wide-scale Israeli deployments into Gaza could worsen the situation and deflect attention from the failures and intransigence of Hamas. Livni welcomed the strong U.S. position but expressed concern that the Europeans may begin to soften their stance once the Palestinians "provoke an image of a humanitarian crisis." She agreed with Rep. Shays that Israel must work to avoid such a crisis, adding that it would work against Israeli interests and would conflict with Israeli values. Rep. Shays urged Livni to find ways to maintain economic relations with the Palestinian people, noting the negative effect of current limitations on movement in the West Bank. -------------- - Convergence plan will set Israel's new borders -------------- - ¶6. (C) Livni described the challenge facing the new government as one of defining the borders of a democratic and Jewish Israel in the absence of a Palestinian partner. She insisted that the only way to do so "is with the help of the United States," which would lead to "the consent of the international community." She discussed the outlines of A/PM Ehud Olmert's "convergence" plan, including the evacuation of isolated settlements and the annexation of the larger settlement blocs. ¶7. (C) Rep. Shays asked about the route and permanence of such borders, as well as the future of religious areas such as those in Hebron. Livni replied that the line of the separation barrier could be moved in the future, provided that the settlement blocs "remain" Israeli. Rep. Shays said that Israel has the support of the United States, but the level of this support will depend upon how far Israel extends its borders into the West Bank. The GOI will also need to ensure that Palestinians can move freely throughout the West Bank, unhindered by Israel's possible retention of transportation corridors through the area. Finally, a solution would need to be found for Israelis who are forced to evacuate their homes. Livni replied that the separation barrier will leave over 90 percent of the West Bank available for a contiguous and viable Palestinian state. The evacuation of settlers is a price Israel is willing to pay for the new border. ¶8. (C) Livni said that a number of issues would remain for final status talks, since continued Israeli interests in the West Bank mean that "we can't just give the Palestinians the key" after new borders are established. These issues include refugees, the demilitarization of a future Palestinian state, and continued Israeli access to holy places, air space, and water in the West Bank. -------------- Iraq: "the United States made a difference" -------------- ¶9. (C) Livni praised the invasion of Iraq for creating positive changes in the region, saying, "the United States made a difference." In her view, the move had resulted in Libya's decision to change its policies and had even caused Syria and Iran to take the international community seriously. Livni claimed that the "clash of cultures" is real, and said Iran is now the most pressing concern for Israel. Rep. Shays noted the importance of impressing upon the insurgents in Iraq that coalition forces will remain as long as necessary to complete the mission, but noted that even when the mission is accomplished the terrorists are liable to claim "victory." Livni agreed, noting that Israel had faced the same scenario when it withdrew from southern Lebanon. -------------- Bio note: tired but busy -------------- ¶10. (C) Livni told the CoDel that the first time she was mentioned in the newspaper was as a 13-year old with a great future in basketball. She appeared tired during the meeting, which was not surprising considering the late-night coalition negotiations, Passover celebrations, heavy visitor load, and her continued triple-hatted service as minister of foreign affairs, justice, and immigration absorption. ¶11. (U) CoDel Shays did not have the opportunity to clear this cable before departing post. ********************************************* ******************** 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