MOFAZ DISCUSSES KARNI CROSSING WITH THE AMBASSADOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 003590

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2016
TAGS: KWBG PREL PGOV IS
SUBJECT: MOFAZ DISCUSSES KARNI CROSSING WITH THE AMBASSADOR

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


1. (C) Summary: Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz told
the Ambassador on September 6 that security is the main
problem concerning Karni crossing, citing the 400-meter long
tunnel discovered near there last week. Mofaz said that it
would be important to see how the Palestinians will perform
the security functions on their side of the crossing, and
that he would meet with USSC Lt. Gen. Dayton to discuss the
USSC's security plan for Karni. The Israeli Ministry of
Defense (MOD) is responsible for deciding when the crossing
is open based on intelligence of security threats, and the
Ministry of Transportation (MOT) only carries out the orders,
he emphasized. The Ambassador stressed the importance for
Karni to be open regularly to support the Palestinian economy
in the Gaza Strip. Yoram Shapira, deputy director general of
border terminals and domestic airports at the Israel Airports
Authority (IAA),discussed a proposal that the GOI is
preparing for security at Karni, and explained that one of
the most important factors of the plan would be operating a
joint traffic/information management system for the crossing
with the Palestinians. He also recommended that two
additional scanners for palettes to be placed on the
Palestinian side of Karni so that goods are scanned before
they cross into Israel. He responded to the Ambassador's
question that the GOI is getting ready to pick a
software-based management system, and suggested that the
Palestinians work with Israel on this, but he acknowledged
that the GOI still has to decide whether the MOD or MOT will
take the lead. End summary.

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Priorities for MOT
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2. (C) Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz told the
Ambassador on September 6 that he was warming to his first
opportunity to take responsibility for civilian issues. He
said that his two top priorities in the Ministry of
Transportation (MOT) are to expand the road networks to close
the gaps between central Israel and the periphery, and to
improve road and railway safety. He said that improving road
safety is an important and complicated goal. He added that
there has never been a national program in Israel to reduce
the number of casualties that Israel experiences due to car
accidents each year. Mofaz remarked that Israel "can do
better" with more funds and with better regulations for roads
to help prevent some of the 450-550 deaths that take place on
an annual basis. The Ambassador noted that roads in Israel
are very well-designed, and Mofaz responded that this is true
in central Israel, but not in the north and the south.

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Karni Crossing
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3. (C) Regarding Karni, the Ambassador commented that USSC
Lt. Gen. Dayton has been working to draw up a security plan
for the crossing that includes infrastructure improvements,
training, equipment, and new procedures for the Palestinians
to implement on the Palestinian side of the crossing. He
added that the USSC is looking at the possibility of adding
an international presence like that of the EUBAM at Rafah
crossing point. Mofaz said that the main problem at Karni is
security, and cited the tunnel discovered last week as an
example of security issues in the area. He explained that
the crossing was closed because the GOI knew there was a
tunnel being dug, and that it was only exposed just last
week. The Ambassador emphasized that it is important to keep
the crossing open despite the terror threats because it is
important for the Palestinian economy to survive; closing the
crossing only makes Palestinians more dependent on support
provided by terrorist organizations.

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Karni Plan
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4. (C) Yoram Shapira, deputy director general of border
terminals and domestic airports at the Israel Airports
Authority (IAA),proceeded to discuss a nine-point plan that
the Israelis are preparing for the operations at Karni.
Among the points are: a security zone; the security for
pedestrians going through the crossing (Note: Pedestrians
have not previously been accommodated at Karni. End note.);
facilities; cargo checks; technology (scanners and cameras);
movement of trucks; management operations; management
systems; and the international presence at Karni. Shapira
informed the Ambassador that this plan has not been vetted
throughout the Israeli government, and he focused on a few of
the major issues that the GOI would have to make decisions on
at higher political levels. Among the important points to
focus on would be for Israeli ministers to determine the
government's policy on an international force on the
Palestinian side, to include the force's mandate and
functions.

5. (C) Shapira continued that the IAA is ready to invest $1
million for a management system that gives Israel the maximum
information possible on trucks' movement from the minute a
truck calls for its time slot and is approaching the
terminal, through to the very end of the process. Shapira
claimed that until now no one has thought of a common
management system for the Palestinians and Israelis, and said
that this would be more efficient because arranging truck
movements in advance between the two parties could ensure
that a truck could drop off one load at Karni and pick up
another, running full on both legs of the trip to and from
Karni. Shapira said that it would be a computer-based
software system, that the GOI is in the process of choosing a
system now, and that "they can join us," referring to the
Palestinians. The Ambassador asked whether a joint working
group would be formed to develop the system, and Mofaz
responded that the GOI still has to decide who would run the
process within the GOI, i.e. the Ministry of Defense (MOD) or
the MOT. He assured the Ambassador that the MOT will support
the MOD in anything it needs or decides to do to "ease the
life of the Palestinians" while maintaining security for
Israelis, because Karni was and continues to be a target.
The Ambassador said that terror threats will never be
entirely eliminated, but noted that infrastructure
improvements and security measures could allow it to function
in spite of threats. The threat level would be reduced by
maintaining regularity in the crossing's operations.

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More Scanners
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6. (C) The Ambassador stressed U.S. interest in seeing
greater use of USAID-funded scanners at Karni. Although he
acknowledged that these container scanners are not being
utilized very well, Shapira responded that the GOI is
interested in obtaining an additional two palette scanners
for the Palestinian side of Karni to help increase throughput
to 400 trucks/day by mid-2007. He said that Palestinians
exports to Israel arrive on small palettes, and that these
cannot efficiently go through the large container scanners.
Shapira reported that Israel is interested in two U.S.
scanners for $6 million total that are newer and faster, and
are larger than the old palette-scanner currently at Karni --
2.5 m x 2.5 m, compared to 80 cm x 80 cm. He said that these
scanners could be placed in a locked room on the Palestinian
side of the crossing, so that the products are scanned before
they enter Israel. Shapira claimed that using five scanners
(two USAID-funded, one old palette-scanner, and two new),
would speed up the transfer of goods, saving a significant
amount of money.

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How Will the Palestinians Act?
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7. (C) Mofaz said that one of the major questions involving
the operations at Karni is how the Palestinians will operate
on their side to expose tunnels and to prevent suicide
bombers. Another question on Karni is how much budget the
GOI will have to invest in screening and security procedures
at the crossing over the coming years because this is an
issue that must be dealt with for the long run. He claimed
that if both of these issues are addressed with the highest
possible standards, "you'll see us doing the best we can" to
maintain the opening of Karni. He added that Karni is only
one of a number of crossings in the Gaza Strip, including
Erez, Sufa, and Kerem Shalom, and that there should be a
comprehensive discussion of all of the crossings. He agreed
Karni was the first priority, however.


8. (C) The Ambassador said that he understands that the
GOI's budget may be tighter in the future, given the recent
war in Lebanon, and Mofaz said that in the end, the budget
for operations is secondary to that for security. Mofaz
explained that when he was in the MOD, he had to make
decisions each week based on threat intelligence he received.
He said that it was a difficult choice to make because he
wanted to keep the crossing open, but that he had
intelligence that proved Palestinians were planning and
digging tunnels. He continued that the recent tunnel
discovered was 400 meters long, and 30 meters deep, and was
started approximately eight months ago when he was still in
the MOD. The Ambassador acknowledged that Israel faces a
real threat, but emphasized that now that the tunnel has been
found, Karni should be opened (In fact, Karni has been
operating normally since September 3). Mofaz responded that
the responsibility to decide when the crossing is open
belongs to the MOD and Shin Bet, and that the MOT implements
the MOD's decisions. He added that the MOT, and specifically
the IAA, can make technical recommendations to the MOD, but
that ultimately the MOD (which delegates it to the IDF's
Southern Command) and Shin Bet decide when the crossing is
open. Mofaz concluded that it would be important for Lt.
Gen. Dayton's team to understand how the Israeli bureaucracy
works, and that the team should focus its attention on the
Palestinian side of the crossing. He said that he knows that
the USSC has asked for a meeting with him, and that he will
be happy to discuss with the general the easing of life of
Palestinians while maintaining security.

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JONES