EREZ CLOSES FOLLOWING ARMED ATTACK

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 000634

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2016
TAGS: ECON KPAL KWBG PGOV IS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS GOI EXTERNAL GAZA DISENGAGEMENT
SUBJECT: EREZ CLOSES FOLLOWING ARMED ATTACK

Classified By: DCM Gene A. Cretz, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Israeli officials closed the Erez crossing
for an indefinite period following an assault by armed
Palestinian gunmen in the early hours of February 9. Israeli
soldiers killed the attackers. There were no Israeli
casualties. An MOD official said that, during the period of
Karni's recent closure, officials had discovered a pipe that
terrorists had penetrated near the crossing. End summary.

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EREZ ATTACKED
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2. (C) Erez crossing was closed February 9 following an
early morning assault by armed Palestinian gunmen. MOD
Coordination and Liaison Administration Foreign Relations and
International Organizations Department Chief Major Uri Singer
told econoff that the two men, firing AK-47s and lobbing
grenades, attacked the checkpoint at approximately 4:15AM
local time. (Note: According to press reports, the Aksa
Martyrs Brigade and the Popular Resistance Committees have
claimed joint responsibility for the attack. End note.)
Singer said the two men had come down the road from the
Palestinian side and hid behind cement blocks about 30 meters
from the checkpoint before they commenced firing. He said
that IDF soldiers and the militants exchanged fire for thirty
minutes before the attackers were shot dead. There were no
Israeli casualties. Israeli soldiers found four unexploded
hand grenades, eight full magazines, wire cutters, a suicide
belt, and the two AK-47s when they checked the bodies, said
Singer.


3. (C) Singer said the first indication of a possible
incident was at 2:00AM when the number of Palestinian workers
seeking to cross dwindled to zero. Peak crossing times are
between 1-8AM, said Singer, and normally there would have
been hundreds of pedestrians at the checkpoint at that time
of night. He said a civilian security guard at the
checkpoint alerted the IDF that something was afoot. Singer
said that this scenario was similar to an attack on Rafah
that took place on January 13, 2005. According to Singer, a
search and destroy mission was ongoing (at mid-day February
9) to make sure the area was clear of any unexploded
ordinance.


4. (C) Singer did not know when Erez might be reopened. He
said that Erez is the only crossing point currently open for
ordinary pedestrians entering Israel from Gaza. He indicated
that the crossing could be open for emergency situations, but
such instances would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Regarding a possible alternative, he said that Israel could
offer Kerem Shalom, but indicated that might not be a viable
option. Singer added that when a crossing is attacked there
is no reason to open an alternative right away.

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KARNI TUNNEL
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5. (C) Despite press reports to the contrary, Singer said
that a tunnel had been discovered at Karni crossing during
the nearly three-week period it had been closed. He said
that terrorists had penetrated a pipe from the storm water
basin that had been funded by the World Bank. He said that,
prior to construction, the GOI had asked the World Bank to
install safety grids to prevent unauthorized entry. Singer
did not know the width of the pipe, but offered that it is
wide enough for someone to crawl through. (Note: A USAID
contract security expert examined the storm drain pipe, and
he did not believe it had been used by terrorists. End note.)

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