CODEL MILLER HEARS VIEWS ON WAR FROM ISRAELI MFA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 TEL AVIV 003220 SIPDIS CODEL STATE FOR NEA, H, PM, S/CT PENTAGON FOR OSD ISRAEL DESK OFFICER (ANDERSON) NSC FOR LOGERFO E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2016 TAGS: PREL OVIP ASEC MOPS MASS PTER LE IS SUBJECT: CODEL MILLER HEARS VIEWS ON WAR FROM ISRAELI MFA AND MOD, IS BRIEFED ON ISRAEL'S MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Gene A. Cretz. Reasons: 1.4 (b, d). -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) On August 9, Israeli MFA Deputy Director General Yoram Ben Zeev hosted CODEL Miller to lunch in the Israeli Arab town of Abu Ghosh, using the opportunity to convey GOI views on the ongoing war against Hizballah, and stressing that Arabs and Israelis can live side-by-side in peace and harmony. Members of CODEL Miller, accompanied by members of CODEL Royce and Congressman Henry Waxman, stressed to Zeev that Israel needs to make a serious effort at getting its side of the story out to the international public. Congresswoman Nancy Johnson suggested that Israel take the risk of revealing some of its intelligence sources in order to demonstrate that Iran and Syria have been supplying funding, weapons, and material and other support to Hizballah. After lunch concluded, CODEL Miller relocated to the facilities of Tadiran Electronic Systems, Ltd. in Holon, where they received a briefing on Israel's missile defense (MD) systems. Tadiran's briefers stressed that Israel's MD architecture is multi-layered, relying first and foremost on the Arrow missile system, and then on U.S. and Israeli Patriot missile batteries. The Tadiran briefers noted that Israel's MD system is currently configured to intercept possible missile launches from Iran and Syria. They highlighted the important role U.S. companies and technology play in Israel's MD system, and the regular training Israel conducts alongside U.S. European Command (EUCOM) forces in bi-annual Juniper Cobra and other exercises. CODEL Miller ended the day with a briefing on the terrorist threat to Israel conducted by Israeli MOD Political-Military Bureau Head MGEN (Res.) Amos Gilad at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- MFA-HOSTED LUNCH FOCUSES ON ISRAEL-ARAB RELATIONS -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Israeli MFA DDG Yoram Ben Zeev hosted CODELs Miller and Royce, and Congressman Waxman to a lunch at a restaurant in the Arab-Israeli town of Abu Ghosh, mid-way between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. According to Zeev, he picked the location to show that Arabs could live at peace within Israel. He claimed that the Arabs of Abu Ghosh had decided, as far back as 1948, to stay in Israel in their town, and that there had never been any ugly incidents between Arabs and Israelis in the town. ¶3. (C) Zeev used the opportunity to explain to the representatives how Israel viewed the ongoing conflict with Hizballah. He said that Lebanon had allowed Hizballah to grow like a "cancer," and that Israel now had to go after the cancer to eliminate it. Zeev claimed that Israel can confirm that it has killed at least 273 Hizballah fighters, because it has the names of the dead. He suggested Israel has probably killed more than 400 fighters. At the conclusion of his remarks, he emphasized Israel's gratitude for America's moral and material support during its war with Hizballah and Hamas. ¶4. (C) Responding to questions, Zeev said: -- On Iran, that Iranian Republican Guards and weapons from Iran had entered Lebanon over the previous few hours. He said that Israel hopes that the UN Security Council will be more effective on Iran than in its dealings with other matters presented to it. Zeev said that sanctions -- including on things like Iranian VIP travel to Europe, and the participation of Iranian scientists in international conferences -- can be effective. He listed the main questions as, "How united is the West? What will be the role of Russia?" Zeev called for the creation of a coalition of the willing to block Iranian-sponsored terrorism and prevent Iran's acquisition of a nuclear capability. -- On Syria, Israel is unsure about how to split off Syria and isolate it. Zeev said Israel is quite certain that President Assad is "nothing like his father," and is more adventurist. He suggested that more human contact with Syria might be what is needed right now to moderate its behavior. Zeev claimed that Khalid Masha'al in Syria ordered Hamas in Gaza to kidnap the Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. -- On the Shebaa Farms, that it is a small territory taken by Israel from Syria during the Six Day War. Zeev said there is a "big debate" about who it belongs to. He said Israel does not want Shebaa farms referred to in the UN Security Council resolution because it will allow Hizballah to declare victory. Zeev said that Syria says Shebaa Farms should be "given" back to Lebanon because Syria does not recognize Lebanon as a sovereign country. -- On the multinational force that would enter southern Lebanon, that the French have said that they will not lead. Zeev said he expects that UNIFIL will be strengthened, but that there will be no embargo on shipments of weapons to Hizballah. He said Israel is not very optimistic about the situation. -- On the war with Hizballah, that it is only the "tip of the iceberg." Zeev referred to President Bush's speech earlier in the week in which the President said that any solution must address the roots of the conflict. Zeev predicted that Israel will emerge victorious from Lebanon: "If we do not, it will be a failure for the free world." -- On terrorist cells in Israel, that Iran has cells in the West Bank, and Hizballah recruits supporters from among the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. ¶5. (C) Congresswoman Nancy Johnson strongly suggested to Zeev that Israel needs to do a better job of making its case in the public arena. While Israel remained silent, Hizballah -- she observed -- was succeeding in getting the images it wanted out to the international public, portraying Israel as the aggressor, and Hizballah and the Lebanese people as victims. She cautioned that many people did not understand the link between Hizballah and Iran and Syria, and suggested that Israel take some risks and make the case by revealing the evidence -- including captured weapons and prisoner testimony. Even if this involved revealing sensitive, classified information, this would be better than to remain silent. Several of the representatives implied that it would help them to address the concerns of increasingly vocal Lebanese-American constituents, who -- they claimed -- are pressuring them on the basis of one-sided coverage of the war. Zeev responded drawing on long-standing Israeli positions regarding the release of classified information, and media coverage of the war, suggesting that it would be almost impossible to do what Congresswoman Johnson recommended. He nevertheless undertook to convey her suggestions to the appropriate officials. (NOTE: On August 14, the Israeli MOD publicly exhibited weapons that it captured during operations in southern Lebanon, highlighting their Iranian and Syrian origins. END NOTE.) -------------- -------------- MD PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS U.S-ISRAEL COOPERATION -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) At Tadiran Electronic Systems' facility in Holon, members of CODEL Miller received a briefing on Israel's missile defense system by Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) Director Arieh Herzog. The briefing -- which took place in the IMDO's Active Defense Battle Lab -- showed how Israel's MD umbrella consisted of two layers: an outer umbrella -- the Arrow anti-missile system, and an inner umbrella, comprised of U.S. and Israeli Patriot systems. Detection of incoming missiles relies on a sophisticated over-the-horizon Green Pine radar and a network of satellites. The architecture can also incorporate naval assets like an Aegis-class guided missile cruiser. Herzog stressed that Israel's MD system is configured to detect and destroy incoming long-range ballistic missiles (e.g., Scuds and Shahabs) from countries like Iran and Syria. He said the system's operations crews are working 24/7 because of the Israel-Hizballah conflict. Herzog claimed that Iran is now developing longer-range missiles with sophisticated decoy capabilities designed to counter the Arrow missile system, and to carry nuclear payloads. ¶7. (C) Herzog noted that Israel's MD system cannot intercept smaller Katyusha and Qassam rockets as they fly below the horizon. He said that the IMDO started a feasibility study with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in 2005 which has produced a possible solution to the Katyusha threat. He expressed IMDO's hope that the U.S. Congress will invest more in this area in 2007, and that Israel will field an active defense against short-range missiles and artillery rockets by the end of next year. In response to a question, he said that Israel's MD system incorporates know-how and technology from several U.S. defense contractors and companies. Lockheed Martin supplies the radar seeker for range management, a company in California supplies the electro-optical detectors, and Boeing in Huntsville, Alabama is the main contractor. Herzog said that 50 percent of the Arrow missile components are produced in the U.S., and that Congressionally-funded co-production is key to the Arrow missile system. ¶8. (C) The CODEL also watched two short film presentations that described how EUCOM assets deploy to Israel and take part in bi-annual Juniper Cobra missile defense exercises. The Juniper Cobra exercises of 2005 involved a U.S. Aegis-class guided missile cruiser and Patriot batteries. The next round of Juniper Cobra exercises are scheduled to take place 23 February - 30 March 2007. -------------- -------------- MOD BRIEFING PROVIDES TOUR D'HORIZON OF NEIGHBORHOOD -------------- -------------- ¶9. (C) At the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, CODEL Miller received a tour d'horizon on Israel's neighborhood from MOD Political-Military Bureau Head Major General (Res.) Amos Gilad. Gilad stressed that cooperation with Jordan was excellent and surpassed Israel's expectations in all areas. He suggested that Israel does not have to worry about terrorists entering Israel from the East, because they are stopped in Jordan. Gilad said that the relationship with Egypt is improving, and that significant progress in this area was made as a result of having to coordinate with Egypt over the Israeli evacuation of the Philadelphi corridor between Egypt and Gaza. ¶10. (C) Gilad said that Iran is the main threat to Israel now due to its regional superpower ambitions, nuclear weapons program, missile program, and support for terrorists, including Hizballah and Hamas. Gilad laid out for his guests his view of the region, with Iran patiently building up strongholds -- "Hamas-stan" in Gaza, and "Hizballah-stan" in southern Lebanon -- from where they plan to make their pushes against Israel. He said that Iran uses terrorism as a strategic weapon, and cares about legitimacy -- hence its support for Hamas and Hizballah representation in parliaments. On legitimacy, Gilad said France's unwillingness to declare Hizballah a terrorist organization benefits Iran. Gilad warned that an unacceptable situation will be reached when Iran demonstrates a nuclear capability, thereby empowering it to unleash terrorist groups in the region, and defend itself and them from attack through nuclear deterrence. In view of this possible scenario, Gilad stressed that Israel is grateful for U.S. leadership on the Iran nuclear crisis, and for U.S. support for Israel in its war against Hizballah and Hamas. ¶11. (C) In their responses, the representatives all stressed the USG and American people's support for Israel in its war with Hizballah. Representative Nancy Johnson made her case that Israel should do more to publicly demonstrate the role of Iran and Syria in Israel's war with Hizballah. She said Israel and western countries need to demonstrate that they have plans to rebuild Lebanon and its education system. -------------- PARTICIPANTS -------------- ¶12. (U) The participants in the various meetings on August 9 included: ISRAEL MFA Deputy Director General Yoram Ben Zeev MFA Counselor Eyal Sela MFA Counselor Iris Sapir Israel Missile Defense Organization Director Arieh Herzog MOD Political-Military Bureau Head Amos Gilad U.S.A. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) Rep. Clay Shaw (R-FL) Rep. Don Sherwood (R-PA) Rep. Edward Royce (R-CA) Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) (only at the lunch) Mrs. Waxman Mrs. Marie Royce HASC Staffer Doug Roach POL-MIL Officer (notetaker) ¶13. (U) The CODELs did not have an opportunity to clear on this cable. ********************************************* ******************** 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. ********************************************* ******************** CRETZ