COGAT COMMENTS ON GAZA AND WEST BANK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 003083

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2017
TAGS: PREL PHUM MOPS ECON KPAL IS
SUBJECT: COGAT COMMENTS ON GAZA AND WEST BANK

Classified By: DCM Luis G. Moreno, Reason 1.4 (b) (d)


1. (C) Summary. DCM and PolCouns called on the Coordinator
of Government Activities in the Territories, Major General
Mishlev, October 23 as part of the Embassy's efforts to
improve the atmosphere in advance of the international
meeting. Mishlev agreed that COGAT staff would work with the
Embassy to resolve problems and address specific humanitarian
issues. He also provided an overview of the situation in
Gaza, noting that Hamas was clashing with Palestinian Islamic
Jihad as well as with prominent clans. He said the IDF has
proposed limiting electricity to Gaza in response to ongoing
rocket attacks, but stressed that this would be done
carefully in order to limit the impact on the civilian
population. Mishlev said Israel must control the crossing of
people from Gaza because "everyone" now wants to leave, but
he agreed that COGAT will be responsive to requests from the
Embassy to allow the departure of specific individuals. End
Summary.


2. (C) DCM, accompanied by PolCouns and Assistant Army
Attach, called on Major General Yossef Mishlev, the
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories
(COGAT) October 23. DCM and PolCouns stressed the importance
of improving the atmosphere and avoiding problems before the
international meeting, and asked Mishlev to renew the
previously established channel for working with COGAT's
officers. Mishlev agreed, but noted that his responsibility
was to work with the IDF's civil administration; security
issues in the Ministry of Defense were the responsibility of
Amos Gilad.


3. (C) Mishlev agreed on the need to improve conditions,
noting that he had agreed to the transit of a number of Gazan
students who were beneficiaries of USG-funded scholarship
programs, as well as a community of Palestinian Christians
who are being threatened by Islamic extremists. Mishlev said
that Hamas is watching carefully to see how the Annapolis
conference turns out and is trying to maintain a ceasefire.
Hamas members had clashed earlier that day with Islamic Jihad
near Rafah, he said, adding that it will be interesting to
see what the Egyptians decided to do with the wounded from
those clashes. Also, Hamas was attacking some of the clans
in Gaza. A clash with the Hillis clan resulted in five dead
and fifty wounded. He assessed Fatah as weak but not totally
inactive. Commenting that it was "good to keep Hamas busy,"
Mishlev expressed sympathy for the civilian population of
Gaza, which he noted was "caught in the middle."


4. (C) Mishlev described some of his efforts to address
civilian needs in Gaza. He said he had recently met
Palestinian Minister of Agriculture Habash and had helped
arrange a meeting between Habash and Israeli Minister of
Agriculture Simhon. Mishlev said he had discussed with
Habash ways of resuming exports of flowers, potatoes and
tomatoes from Gaza. Thirty to forty critically ill and other
humanitarian cases were being allowed to cross through Erez
crossing daily, but that effort was now jeopardized by
intelligence that terrorists were seeking to exploit this
process. Kerem Shalom will become the principal crossing.
The GOI planned to close Sufa crossing at the end of October
and transfer its operations to Kerem Shalom. Mishlev said he
was encouraged by indications that the PA may agree to use
Kerem Shalom for the transit of people as well as goods. He
estimated that 700 Palestinians wanting to return to Gaza
were still stranded in Egypt while he had recommended to
Defense Minister Barak that 5,000 be allowed to leave Gaza.


5. (C) Turning to the GOI's September designation of Gaza as
a "hostile entity," Mishlev noted that the decision to limit
supplies of electricity and fuel to Gaza had not yet been
implemented, but the MOD was pressing to do so soon,
especially since a rocket had been fired at the power station
in Ashkelon that was supplying power to Gaza. Mishlev
predicted that Israel would soon impose more restrictions on
Gaza, "but will do so carefully" to limit the impact on the
civilian population.


6. (C) Regarding the West Bank, Mishlev said they had
streamlined procedures for ID cards so that ninety percent of
West Bank Palestinians who used to need to apply to the Civil
Administration could be handled entirely by the PA. He took
credit for ensuring that West Bank crossing points had
remained open until midnight during the Muslim feast (Eid
Al-Fitr) and that Israeli Arabs were allowed to visit the
West Bank during Eid. Seventeen or eighteen West Bank
villages have been connected to the Israeli power grid, and
there were plans to connect about ten more. Olmert had
delivered on his promise to President Abbas to legalize the
residency of about 5,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, and
planning was moving forward for two industrial parks.


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7. (C) In Gaza, Mishlev said he had authorized the entry of
material needed for a World Bank sewage project, and asked
that USAID be in touch with him regarding the need for
pumping equipment. He reiterated that he had approved the
transit to the West Bank of a group of over twenty Gazan
Christians, including their families, but noted that the
problem was that "everyone" wanted to leave Gaza, so Israel
could only allow humanitarian cases and "special" requests by
the U.S. Embassy.

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