SPIEGEL ON CROSSINGS AND MOVING FORWARD WITH AMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 003938

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG IS
SUBJECT: SPIEGEL ON CROSSINGS AND MOVING FORWARD WITH AMA
NEGOTIATIONS


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


1. (C) Summary: In a September 4 meeting, BGen (ret.)
Baruch Spiegel and MOD Senior Adviser Haggai Alon reported to
the Ambassador that Minister of Defense Amir Peretz has given
the green light for the MOD to undertake talks with the USG
to implement the AMA, and that the MOD will also be working
on implementing the USSC's security plan for Karni. He
remarked that the weak point at Rafah is the lack of
coordination by the parties at the crossing on dangerous
elements entering Gaza. He said that all of the Gaza
crossings were open that day, but traffic at Karni was slowed
due to a strike by workers on the Palestinian side. He said
that the GOI was eager to develop further the Erez crossing,
and that it wants to coordinate with the Palestinians on a
cargo terminal at Erez. He claimed that Erez could have a
capacity of 150 trucks per day. End summary.

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Operations at Karni,
Renew Construction at Erez
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2. (C) BGen (ret.) Baruch Spiegel and Ministry of Defense
(MOD) Senior Adviser Haggai Alon on September 4 provided the
Ambassador with a brief update of the status of crossings to
the Gaza Strip. Spiegel said that all of the crossings were
open that day, but that traffic was slow at Karni because of
a strike by workers on the Palestinian side. He explained
that the workers have not received their salaries, and were
also protesting to seek an increase in the amount of time
that the crossing is open. He claimed that close to 250
trucks per day crossed through Karni last week, but said that
this week the strike had really slowed things down. Spiegel
added that Defense Minister Amir Peretz and MOD Director
General Gaby Ashkenazi are personally intervening to transfer
a palette scanner and a scanner for empty containers from the
port of Ashdod to Karni. He remarked that the scanners have
been waiting at Ashdod because preparation of infrastructure
at Karni was necessary before they could be put in place.


3. (C) Spiegel reported that the GOI has decided to develop
further the Erez terminal. He said a new passenger terminal
would be ready shortly, and that the GOI wants to continue
with construction of a new cargo terminal. He mentioned that
Israel has invested NIS 10 million to prepare the cargo
terminal thus far. Spiegel continued that the GOI is "ready
now," and wants to coordinate the construction with the
Palestinians, including infrastructure on the Palestinian
side of the crossing. He commented that feedback from the
Palestinians is necessary, and that now is the time to
coordinate construction of the cargo terminal, especially if
"something happens on the Erez Industrial Zone (EIZ)," so
that it can be used in addition to Karni. As an aside,
Spiegel said that he and Alon recently met with the Turkish
ambassador in Tel Aviv, who told them that Turkey is ready to
send a team to investigate the possibilities at the EIZ.


4. (C) In response to the Ambassador's question on the
capacity of Erez, Spiegel said that it could potentially
handle 150 trucks per day with scanners. The Ambassador
noted that when they were negotiating the Agreement on
Movement and Access (AMA),the parties focused on enhancing
operations at existing crossings to reach a particular
capacity. He commented, however, that it probably made more
sense to focus on total traffic through the crossings,
whether all the goods cross through Karni, or a combination
of Karni, Erez, and Kerem Shalom, to which Spiegel agreed.
Spiegel opined that it would be a pity if location of the
movement of the border (a step previously raised by Dahlan)
becomes a pre-condition for improving the Erez crossing. He
added that the GOI is reviewing an idea of using a rail line
from Erez to Ashdod for cargo.

--------------
The Secretary's Visit
and AMA Negotiations
--------------


5. (C) The Ambassador told Spiegel that the Secretary would
discuss the opening of Rafah during her trip to Israel. He
noted that while Palestinian Authority (PA) Chief Negotiator
Saeb Erekat had requested openings two days per week during
Ramadan, the U.S. would like for the crossing to be open
longer because regular hours increase security and make the
border easier to monitor for illegal activity. He mentioned
that the Secretary would also discuss Karni and LTG Dayton's
security plan for the crossing, and would encourage the start
of AMA talks and adoption of the customs protocol for
Rafah/Kerem Shalom.


6. (C) Spiegel reported that Peretz has given MOD officials
a green light to undertake talks with the USG to implement
the AMA. He said that the teams are almost prepared, and
that the USG and GOI can have a meeting within a week or two
at the working level to begin setting an agenda. He added
that the MOD will also be working on implementing LTG
Dayton's security plan for Karni. The Ambassador urged
constituting the Security Working Group for Rafah, and
Spiegel agreed. The U.S. should continue to work very
closely with the MOD (after Spiegel's impending departure
from government service) because the MOD has the power to
implement decisions, according to Spiegel.


7. (C) Spiegel said that a weak point at Rafah is the lack
of coordination between the parties on dangerous elements
entering Gaza. He cited the registry disk of Palestinians as
an example, explaining that the GOI database provided to the
PA is very comprehensive, with names in English, ID numbers,
and with information on individuals' movements across
borders. He commented that the database is used at Allenby
crossing in the West Bank and at Erez, questioning why the
Palestinians cannot use it at Rafah as well. He added that
the fiber optic cables between Rafah and Kerem Shalom need to
be fixed. On the customs protocol, Spiegel said that there
is no resistance to it from the MOD. He suggested that the
U.S. discuss it with the prime minister's office.

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