PA SECURITY ADVISORS: ANNAPOLIS DECLARATION AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 002445

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2017
TAGS: PGOV KWBG EAID PTER IS
SUBJECT: PA SECURITY ADVISORS: ANNAPOLIS DECLARATION AND
SPEECHES POSITIVE, BUT DECLARATIONS MUST BE MATCHED BY
SUBSTANTIVE PROGRESS


Classified By: Acting Principal Officer Thomas Duffy, for reasons 1.4 (
b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Presidential security advisor Haj Ismayil
and the Prime Minister's security advisor, BG Hazem Attallah,
told POLOFF on November 28 that the Annapolis declaration's
target timeline for negotiations and U.S.
monitoring/assessment are very positive. They welcomed U.S.
assessment of security reforms and performance on combating
terrorism. Both expressed concern about a political process
that is not accompanied by real improvements on the ground
for Palestinians, and said the IDF routinely undermines PA
security efforts. End summary.


President's Security Advisor: We Want
U.S. to Be a "Harsh Judge" for Both Sides
--------------


2. (C) Presidential security advisor Haj Ismayil Jabr told
PolOff on November 28 that he and other security officials
were pleased to see a target timeline for negotiations given
Palestinian fears of an open-ended process that does not
generate serious results. He said he welcomes USG
involvement as a serious monitor of both side's fulfillment
of Roadmap commitments, and said that the USG should be a
"harsh judge" in assessing performance. He commented that he
hoped the USG's monitoring role would be more serious than
past USG monitoring efforts, which he said were short-lived
and did not address the GOI's failure to cease settlement
construction or remove outposts. He said the PA will carry
out its security commitments regardless of Israeli
performance, and asked that the USG work with the GOI to
facilitate PA security forces' movements in the West Bank and
purchase of equipment from abroad.


PM Fayyad's Security Advisor:
U.S. Monitoring "Major Achievement"
--------------


3. (C) PM Fayyad's security advisor BG Hazem Attallah told
PolOff on November 28 that having the USG in a monitoring
role is a major achievement that the PA strongly supports.
He said USG assessment of performance will be helpful in
completing structural reforms and cracking down on terror
cells and criminal gangs. He said USG monitoring will
demonstrate that the PA is making bold efforts on security
and present the GOI with clear choices between seeking peace
or continuing settlement expansion. Attallah said USG
monitoring will also discourage what he termed "continual IDF
disruption of PA security efforts" that, whatever the
motivation, appears intentional to PA security officers who
watch the IDF undermine PA efforts to build public confidence
as Abu Mazen's "One Gun."

DUFFY