Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TELAVIV1844
2006-05-11 07:26:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:  

OLMERT: CONVERGENCE TO BE MAIN THRUST OF MY

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110726Z May 06
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001844 

SIPDIS

CODEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2016
TAGS: ECON EG IR IS KBCT KPAL PGOV PREL PTER SY GOI EXTERNAL ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: OLMERT: CONVERGENCE TO BE MAIN THRUST OF MY
GOVERNMENT


Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001844

SIPDIS

CODEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2016
TAGS: ECON EG IR IS KBCT KPAL PGOV PREL PTER SY GOI EXTERNAL ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: OLMERT: CONVERGENCE TO BE MAIN THRUST OF MY
GOVERNMENT


Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. In a meeting with CODEL Cochran on April
21, a tired but upbeat Ehud Olmert detailed his "convergence"
plan to establish Israel's final borders within four years
and begin the relocation of thousands of Israeli settlers.
Olmert told the CODEL that he had formed a coalition of 84
Knesset members, all of whom had agreed to support
convergence as a prerequisite for joining the government.
Calling convergence a "60 to 70 per cent solution" to a
lasting peace, the Acting Prime Minister (A/PM) stressed that
such an incremental approach to peace would yield greater
results than an "all or nothing" strategy. Olmert said he
was confident that he could garner sufficient international
support for convergence while President Bush, Tony Blair and
Angela Merkel are in office. On the April 17 suicide bombing
in Tel Aviv, he criticized Hamas' public support for the
attack and declared his intention to establish Israel's
borders soon rather than wait for Hamas to agree to the
Quartet's three conditions. Regarding Iran, Olmert doubted
that UN sanctions could prevent Iran's acquisition of a
nuclear weapon. Finally, he praised Egypt for its improved
security coordination along the Philadelphi Corridor, and
announced his intention to visit Cairo later in the year.
End Summary.


2. (C) The CODEL, consisting of Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS),
Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT),Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH),
RADM John Eishold, Tom Hawkins, Paul Grove, Keith Kennedy,
Stewart Holmes, Dr. Mark Keenan, Janice O'Connell, Kay
Webber, and the Ambassador met with Olmert, Senior Policy
Advisor Dov Weissglas, Foreign Policy Advisor Shalom
Tourgeman, Ambassador Yoram Ben-Zeev, Major General Gadi
Shamni, and MFA Congressional liaison Iris Sapir at the

Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor in Jerusalem.

--------------
A COALTION OF 84 ACCEPTS CONVERGENCE
--------------


3. (C) Wearing an open-collar shirt with no jacket, A/PM Ehud
Olmert apologized to the CODEL for his relaxed appearance and
explained that he had been in coalition negotiations until
0530 that morning and had just gone home to shower and change
before the meeting. The A/PM revealed that he would present
his government to Israeli President Moshe Katsav in late
April, and claimed that he had built the largest coalition
government -- at 84 members -- in the last 30 years. Olmert
added that he had included parties on both the left and right
in order to position himself in the center of a balanced
coalition, and had made acceptance of his convergence plan a
prerequisite for joining the government. He told the CODEL
that it was the goal of his administration to change the
borders of Israel, and that the convergence plan will be the
"main thrust" of his new government.

--------------
CONVERGENCE: A 60-70 PER CENT SOLUTION
--------------


4. (C) According to Olmert, neither he nor his supporters
believe that physically separating Israelis from Palestinians
will bring about complete peace, but he said that "all or
nothing" is the wrong strategy to pursue in the pursuit of
peace. Olmert claimed that, after the convergence is
completed, 90 per cent of Palestinians will have no contact
with Israeli soldiers or undergo searches at Israeli
checkpoints, which he called a "huge step" towards a lasting
peace. He characterized his convergence plan as a "60 to 70
per cent solution," after which his successors will be able
to "do the rest."

--------------
A POLITICAL WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
--------------


5. (C) When queried about his timeline for executing the
convergence plan, Olmert responded that within four years, he
intends to have completed all preparations and have begun
relocating "tens of thousands" of settlers. Although Olmert
acknowledged that convergence would be more effective if done
as part of an agreement with the PA, he refused to define the
move as "unilateral" without such an agreement so long as it
was coordinated with the United States and the international
community. Dov Weissglas interrupted Olmert briefly to
emphasize that, following convergence, Israel will want
international recognition of the new borders even without an
agreement from the Palestinians. Olmert called President
Bush the "natural partner" to help him see this plan through,
and said that he has an opportunity to build the necessary
international support for convergence while Bush, Tony Blair,
and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are in office. Olmert
said that he will visit Washington on May 23 and offered to
share more complete details of his plan with the senators at
that time. He advised the CODEL that when he is in
Washington, he will call for a more significant USG
involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian situation, and
cautioned that convergence will be "very costly."

--------------
ON HAMAS REACTION TO TEL AVIV BOMBING
--------------


6. (C) When asked about the April 17 suicide bombing in Tel
Aviv, Olmert answered that he would not be manipulated into
reacting and that the Israeli government was "mature enough"
to act at a time and place of its choosing. Olmert said he
was discouraged by the Hamas reaction to the bombing, the
first such attack inside Green-line Israel since Hamas
assumed control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
While noting that the GOI has no evidence that Hamas
provided direct logistical support for the attack, Olmert
asserted that its public support would legitimize and
encourage more terrorism. In Olmert's opinion, terrorism
will grow to fill the void created by the absence of a
political process towards peace. He declared that he will
act, rather than wait indefinitely for Hamas to agree to the
Quartet's three conditions for peace negotiations to resume.

--------------
ON SYRIA AND IRAN
--------------


7. (C) When asked why Israel does not put greater pressure on
Syria, given that Damascus is the home of the Palestinian
Islamic Jihad (PIJ) headquarters, Olmert answered that
neither the Syrians nor the PIJ leadership in Damascus "will
enjoy immunity. No one in no place should feel that they can
act free from accountability. We can touch them and we know
how to deal with them...on our own time."


8. (C) Regarding Iran, Olmert commented that while a UN
Security Council resolution leading to sanctions might "get
the attention" of Iranian President Ahmadinejad, he doubted
that Russia and China would support such diplomatic measures.
Even if sanctions proved possible, Olmert expressed concern
that the UN process would take so long that it would
ultimately be ineffective in preventing Iranian acquisition
of a nuclear weapon. He concluded by saying that in his life
experience, "when a dictator speaks about wiping out another
nation, you had better listen to him." Dov Weissglas
interjected that Ahmadinejad is a "psycho" with an
apocalyptic worldview.

--------------
RELATIONS WITH EGYPT NEVER BETTER
--------------


9. (C) Olmert characterized Israel's relations with Egypt as
"complex," but said that security coordination between the
two states is better than it has ever been. He claimed to
have spoken at least six times with Egyptian President
Mubarak in the last month alone. Olmert took credit for
promoting the creation of a Qualified Industrial Zone (QIZ)
for Egyptian textiles, and said that he plans to visit Cairo
later this year. He commended the Egyptians for improving
their efforts to interdict smuggling along the Philadelphi
Corridor, but warned that the threat of terrorism from Sinai
is still great. At Olmert's request, Major General Shamni
then briefed the CODEL on the recent Hamas nominee for
Director General of the Palestinian Interior Ministry, Jamal
Abu Samhadana. According to Shamni, Samhadana is the
"godfather" of the Gazan terrorist syndicate and has
facilitated the movement of personnel and weapons from Sinai
into Gaza for years.


10. (U) CODEL Cochran cleared this cable.

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