AMBASSADOR'S JUNE 30 MEETING WITH ISRAELI PUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 002695

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2016
TAGS: PREL KWBG MOPS PTER IS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS ISRAEL RELATIONS
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S JUNE 30 MEETING WITH ISRAELI PUBLIC
SECURITY MINISTER DICHTER

REF: TEL AVIV 2622 - NOTAL

Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones. Reasons: 1.4 (b, d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Israeli Public Security Minister and former
Shin Bet Chief Avi Dichter told the Ambassador June 30 that
after Palestinian militants kidnapped an Israeli soldier on
June 25, Israel understood that its policy of not targeting
Hamas had been a mistake and that Israel must now draw its
"red lines" so that Hamas understands what Israel can not
tolerate. Dichter also discussed the Gaza crossings,
explaining which Israeli agencies have authority over the
crossings and saying that while Israel wants to keep transit
points open, it would not do so if it threatens Israeli
lives. Dichter and the Ambassador discussed potential
measures to improve security at the crossings -- including
the creation of a buffer zone between the Palestinian and
Israeli sides -- and pledged to work with United States
Security Coordinator (USSC) LTG Dayton. Finally, Dichter and
the Ambassador touched on corruption at Karni, the state of
Israel's Arab community, and sharing fingerprint data on
terrorism suspects. END SUMMARY.

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OPERATION SUMMER RAINS: DRAWING RED LINES
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2. (C) In response to the Ambassador's question about
Israel's ongoing operations in the Gaza Strip following
persistent Qassam rocket attacks, the killing of two Israeli
Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, and the kidnapping of another
on June 25, Dichter explained that Israel realizes it had
been a mistake to not target Hamas earlier given that the
terror organization has assisted or blessed other factions'
attacks on Israel. "Deterrence didn't work. Hamas does not
know what our red lines are; we are now drawing them," he
continued. Dichter said that jailing Hamas members helps
make Israel's red lines clear and that Palestinian Authority
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, whom he claimed had been
deeply involved in terror activities as an aide to former
Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, would have a file of
charges awaiting him if Israel decided to arrest him.
Dichter then provided an assessment of Hamas's strength in
Gaza and the West Bank. He explained that Hamas has remained
strong in the Gaza Strip because Israel had largely remained
outside Palestinian areas there since 1994. In the West
Bank, however, Israel since 2002 has penetrated camps,
villages and cities, and has gleaned valuable information
from terrorists that Israeli forces had arrested. Israel, in
Dichter's assessment, "badly destroyed" Hamas cells in the
West Bank, which he said at one time had been responsible for
90 percent of Israeli casualties.

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CROSSINGS SHOULD BE OPEN, BUT
NOT IF IT PUTS ISRAELIS AT RISK
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3. (C) The Ambassador told Dichter that the USG is working
hard to keep crossings open, noting that the USG assesses
that terrorists are targeting the crossings as a way to
undermine contacts between Israel and the Palestinians. He
mentioned that USSC Dayton is working with USAID, the
Palestinians and the IDF to improve crossing designs and
systems, and to improve training for security personnel. The
Ambassador then asked Dichter for clarification on which GOI
agency is responsible for Karni. Dichter, drawing on a
notepad, explained that the IDF is responsible for the
perimeter surrounding the Karni crossing. Once individuals
or goods enter the crossing, however, the Israeli Airport
Authority (IAA) -- under the Transportation Ministry -- is
responsible. The Israeli National Police (INP),which
Dichter's Public Security Ministry oversees, provide the IAA
with overall guidance and direction, and order it to take
specific measures in response to terror alerts. Dichter
stressed to the Ambassador that terrorist threats are not
abstract, and he related several terrorist incidents
involving the crossing in recent years. He acknowledged that
the crossings need to be open, but not when doing so puts
Israelis in jeopardy. According to Dichter, Israel takes
substantial risks in opening the crossings. He cited as
evidence the GOI's decision to open the crossings on June 25,
despite specific warnings -- which turned out to be accurate
-- that terrorists would attack either Kerem Shalom or Karni.


4. (C) Dichter and the Ambassador also discussed ways that
Israel could improve security at the crossings. The
Ambassador urged Israel to use the scanning equipment that
the USG has provided for the crossings. Dichter, not
directly addressing the Ambassador's request, suggested that
security at the crossings could be improved if trusted and
experienced third parties could search individuals and
containers on the Palestinian side of the crossings and then
allow cleared individuals and containers to proceed into a
sealed-off "buffer zone" between the two sides before
entering the Israeli side of the crossing. The Ambassador
told Dichter that he would recommend to USSC Dayton that he
meet with Dichter to discuss such ideas further.

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CORRUPTION AT KARNI
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5. (C) The Ambassador told Dichter that U.S. companies have
complained to USG officials that both Palestinian and Israeli
officials have been extracting bribes as a requirement for
getting trucks in the queue to transit the crossing. Dichter
responded that such corrupt practices could be related to
organized crime and that he would welcome additional
information the USG could pass to the INP. He mentioned that
one "mafia" kingpin of southern Israel recently had been
arrested and intimated that this may have a positive impact
at Karni. The Ambassador suggested that a more formal and
transparent system for queuing shipments through the crossing
in both directions might alleviate the problem.
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ARAB ISRAELIS "A POTENTIAL ASSET," BUT TRENDS ARE TROUBLING
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6. (C) Dichter, who had just come from a meeting with
Arab-Israeli Kadima party members, shared his views regarding
trends in the Arab-Israeli community. The Ambassador said
that the Arab community in Israel represents a potential
asset for Israel in the broader Middle East. Dichter said
two segments of the Arab community seek separation -- the
Islamist groups represented by Raad Salah of the Northern
Islamic Movement and the nationalist groups represented by MK
Azmi Bishara of the Balad Party. Dichter said he tried to
convince the Arab sector that they have not benefited from
their efforts to remain separate from other Israelis.
According to Dichter, the Arab sector had not developed as
rapidly as the Jewish sector, and has remained "fully
dependent" on the Jewish economy: "They have no
entrepreneurs, no hi-tech, no real factories." Dichter added
that this characterization also applied to the economies of
the West Bank and Gaza.

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SHARING FINGERPRINT DATA
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7. (C) The Ambassador concluded the meeting by inquiring
about the status of an initiative in which the GOI and the
USG would share terrorism suspects' fingerprint data. The
issue had been raised with Dichter by U.S. Attorney General
Gonzales in an earlier meeting (reftel). The Ambassador
asked Dichter whether his agency plans to allocate the funds
required to upgrade Israel's system to facilitate the
exchange of data. Dichter replied that if the U.S. system is
more developed than Israel's then it would make sense for
Israel to improve its technology. He said that there still
may be legal issues related to sharing data, but that his
office would look into them, as well as look into the
possibility of allocating funds for the upgrade, and will
provide the Ambassador with a response. As an aside, Dichter
noted that the Israeli National Police increasingly deeply
involved with biometrics, particularly for foreign workers in
Israel.

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