AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MOD SPECIAL ASSISTANT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 000914 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2017 TAGS: PREL ECON KWBG IS SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MOD SPECIAL ASSISTANT HERZOG Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defense, Mike Herzog, told the Ambassador that as soon as a replacement was found for General Spiegel, the bilateral dialogue on settlements and outposts could be restarted. In the meantime, Herzog confirmed, he was the day-to-day point of contact on settlement and outpost issues and data collection efforts begun by Gen. Spiegel were ongoing. The Ambassador raised the recent construction of new housing at Alfe Menashe and Herzog said he would investigate and report back to clarify its status. While agreeing that signing the Customs Protocol with the Palestinians would help in controlling the Rafah crossing, Herzog said the issue was still under consideration by the Prime Minister's office and they hoped to have a decision soon. End Summary. Renewal of Dialogue on Settlements and Outpost -------------- - ¶2. (C) In a March 9 meeting with Herzog, the Ambassador requested that the GOI restart the bilateral dialogue on settlements and outposts called for in the 2003 Rice-Weissglass letter. The dialogue, formerly led on the MOD side by Gen.Baruch Spiegel (ret) has been in abeyance since shortly after Minister Peretz took office and General Spiegel retired. The Ambassador also requested that a working level point of contact be designated for discussion of issues related to settlements and outposts that arise almost weekly. ¶3. (C) Herzog responded that it was the intention of the Ministry to revive the dialogue but that could not occur until a suitable replacement for Gen. Spiegel had been appointed. He hoped that in the near future they would add someone to the Minister's staff for this purpose. Originally, the Embassy was told that Herzog was to take charge of this issue but he countered that his duties with the Minister had left him little time to devote to becoming an expert on this subject. However, Herzog said that in the interim, he would be available to answer questions about settlement and outpost activity when it occurs. ¶4. (C) In answer to the Ambassador's question about who in the ministry was continuing the data collection on settlements and outposts previously overseen by Gen. Spiegel, Herzog confirmed that a team of technical staff continued to compile this information. Though the data collection is being continued on the ground and by reconnaissance aircraft it was difficult to interpret this data into something useful for policy purposes until a replacement for Gen. Spiegel is appointed. Trouble with Nof HaSharon -------------- ¶5. (C) The Ambassador raised the issue of the new construction at Nof HaSharon, saying that the position of the new housing units at a significant distance from two existing settlements indicated new settlement construction rather than natural expansion of Alfe Menashe. Herzog claimed not to know the details of this new construction and promised to investigate the circumstances and get back to the Ambassador. (Note: MOD Advisor Lt. Col. Oded Herman told EconOff that the Nof HaSharon master plan was approved in 2003, and called for building 59 individual villa style houses in a "neighborhood" that would be part of Alfe Menashe's administrative district. EconOff visited the site on March 19, and observed that travel between Alfe Menashe and Nof HaSharon required a 15 minute drive along a circuitous route that crossed the separation barrier twice. End Note.) Rafah Customs Protocol -------------- ¶6. (C) In a discussion on the operation of the Rafah terminal, Herzog confirmed that the MOD endorsed the renewal of the EU-BAM. He said that concerns on the smuggling of money and the movement of terrorists through the passage still needed a solution. The Ambassador raised the signing of the Customs Protocol with the Palestinians as am important step for creating efficient and effective control of the border. He asked about the status of the agreement. Herzog, agreeing that the Customs Protocol would be a helpful tool for controlling the border, said that the issue is still under internal discussion, had been raised with the Prime Minister, and would be resolved soon. TEL AVIV 00000914 002 OF 002 ********************************************* ******************** 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