SOLANA URGES PROGRESS ON PEACE; ISRAELIS CAUTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 000266

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2016
TAGS: PREL KPAL KWBG EUN IS
SUBJECT: SOLANA URGES PROGRESS ON PEACE; ISRAELIS CAUTION
AGAINST UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS


Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones; Reasons: 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: During his January 19-21 visit to Israel,
High Representative Javier Solana urged his hosts to use the
current window of opportunity to make progress with the
Palestinians on peace. He expressed full support for the
Secretary's idea of developing a "political horizon" and

SIPDIS
working with moderate Arab states, saying these efforts could
provide an "umbrella" for the Palestinian negotiators. EC
officials said that Solana found the most agreement with
Deputy Defense Minister Sneh, adding that both PM Olmert and
FM Livni had stressed the need to avoid unrealistic
expectations. Livni and Solana disagreed on whether the
international community should engage with a possible
Palestinian national unity government (NUG) that did not meet
the Quartet conditions. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) According to the local EC office, as well as one of
Marc Otte's staffers who attended the meetings in Israel,
Solana's main message was that the EU sees a window of
opportunity for progress on the Israeli-Palestinian agenda.
Solana told the Israelis that concern over Iraq and Iran
makes moderate Arab states more willing to support the peace
process than in the past, providing the Palestinians with an
"umbrella" to negotiate. Otte's staffer said that Solana
expressed full support for the Secretary's meetings with the
GCC-plus-two and her initiative to have the parties define a
"political horizon." Livni's special assistant told poloff
that Solana had argued that the current weakness of the
Israeli Government, the Palestinian President, and the "U.S.
administration" means that all three parties would benefit
substantially from a deal. Livni replied that moderate
leaders are always perceived as weak in the Middle East.


3. (C) Solana encountered the strongest agreement from Deputy
Defense Minister Efraim Sneh, who described the Labor Party's
non-official three-stage peace plan and reportedly expressed
a willingness to examine the applicability of the Arab League
(Saudi) peace plan. EC officials noted that both Olmert and
Livni had advised against raising expectations to a level
that would be impossible to meet. Otte's staffer claimed
that Solana left his meeting with Olmert with the impression
that the PM's office "will not be the motor pushing the
process forward."


4. (C) Livni and Solana engaged in a lengthy -- and
inconclusive -- discussion about overcoming Palestinian
resistance to a state with provisional borders. Solana
disagreed with his Israeli hosts on dealing with a possible
Palestinian NUG, with Livni insisting on full acceptance of
the Quartet's principles and Solana responding that a NUG --
even one that does not fully meet the Quartet conditions --
could bring stability and help avoid a Palestinian civil war.

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JONES