VISIT TO USINT BY ISRAELI EMBASSY OFFICIAL FROM

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000483 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2013 TAGS: CU IS PREL SUBJECT: VISIT TO USINT BY ISRAELI EMBASSY OFFICIAL FROM BUENOS AIRES REF: HAVANA 300 (NOTAL) Classified By: COM Michael E. Parmly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Modi Ephraim, Political Counselor from the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires called on P/E Counselor June 23. Ephraim is in Havana for three days looking at a variety issues of interest to the GOI. Since Canada acts as protecting power for Israel in Cuba, Ephraim had arranged the visit with the help of DFAIT and the Canadian Embassy in Havana. He said the GOC granted him a one week visa with an annotation that he would not be allowed to meet with Cuban government officials. When asked why the Embassy in Buenos Aires had been tasked with the trip, Ephraim explained that he had been selected personally because he had followed Cuba issues in the past, and he is preparing to depart Buenos Aires soon for an onward assignment in the Israeli Foreign Ministry. ¶2. (C) Ephraim said his principal interests were to review concerns about consular coverage for the growing number of Israeli tourists coming to Cuba, and to look at possible support for the Jewish community in Havana. He also was interested in a political/economic overview, with a focus on the treatment of religious groups. He queried P/E Counselor regarding plans to build a mosque for Havana's Islamic community (see also reftel),and possible Iranian activity in that area. In response to a question, Ephraim said he did not believe there is significant interest in investing on Cuba in Israel. He went on to say that there is an ongoing debate within the Foreign Ministry over whether Cuba matters at all in the larger scheme of things. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: We think it is noteworthy that the Cuban government granted Ephraim a visa at all given the fact that Cuban propaganda has always subjected Israel to the same level of scorn it employs with us. USINT maintains good relations with the leadership of the small (1,200 to 1,500 member) Jewish community, and meets regularly with groups from U.S.-based Jewish congregations, which provide significant amounts of support to that community. Ephraim was unaware of the high level of support given to the Cuban Jewish community by its U.S. counterparts and indicated that such information might convince GOI officials that they did not need to invest as much in the community as they do in other countries. PARMLY