BENCHMARKS LEAKED TO HA'ARETZ

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 001330 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2017 TAGS: PREL PTER ECON MOPS KWBG IS SUBJECT: BENCHMARKS LEAKED TO HA'ARETZ Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones, Reason 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (SBU) The May 4 edition of the intellectual, left-leaning daily Ha'aretz featured a front page article on the benchmarks, including criticism of them by unnamed sources in the Prime Minister's office and security establishment, along with an inside page leak of the verbatim text. The focus of the criticism in the article -- the first to appear on the benchmarks in the Israeli press -- is, not surprisingly, security. Ha'aretz quotes officials in both the PMO and defense establishment as complaining about the benchmarks to remove roadblocks in the West Bank and regularize the opening of the Gaza crossing points. Two points that come across in the official leaks is that the GOI incorrectly views the benchmarks as seeking to impose a tight timetable for implementation and feels that the Israeli side is expected to carry out its end regardless of whether the Palestinians do their part. Ha'aretz quotes Saeb Erekat as saying the Palestinians "welcome the document." A GOI inter-ministerial meeting to discuss the benchmarks scheduled for May 3 was postponed (until next week). Ha'aretz claims Secretary Rice is scheduled to arrive May 15 to discuss implementing the benchmarks. ¶2. (C) A senior contact in the defense establishment told us May 4 that he was unsure of the source of the leak, but he dismissed the possibility that the leaker was trying to influence Israeli public opinion since the leak was to the highbrow, limited circulation Ha'aretz rather than one of the two mass circulation dailies. This contact complained about the "tone" of the benchmarks, however, calling both the content of the document and the fact that it was delivered to the Palestinians before discussing it with the GOI "an insult." Senior contacts in the PMO and MFA have made similar comments to us in the past few days. ¶3. (C) Comment: The GOI appears to have seized on the misconception that the U.S. is bent on imposing the benchmarks on the parties rather than using them as a set of complementary guidelines for both sides. Some of this is due to the heightened sensitivities resulting from the Winograd Committee's interim report and Israel's internal political crisis, but we also detect an Israeli sense of alarm that the U.S. may be raising Palestinian expectations that we are prepared to impose our approach on a weakened GOI. ********************************************* ******************** 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. ********************************************* ******************** JONES