Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TELAVIV1595
2008-07-24 11:23:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:  

MOD AND MFA RESPONSE TO WEST BANK DEMARCHE

Tags:  PREL PHUM KWBG KPAL IS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0004
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #1595/01 2061123
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 241123Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7669
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 4501
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 2500
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0151
C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 001595 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/24/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM KWBG KPAL IS
SUBJECT: MOD AND MFA RESPONSE TO WEST BANK DEMARCHE

REF: STATE 78069

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Luis Moreno. Reason 1.4 (B/D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 001595

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/24/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM KWBG KPAL IS
SUBJECT: MOD AND MFA RESPONSE TO WEST BANK DEMARCHE

REF: STATE 78069

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Luis Moreno. Reason 1.4 (B/D)


1. (C) Summary: Charge raised reftel demarche points with
MOD Political Military Director res. MG Amos Gilad and newly
appointed MFA Deputy Director General for North American
Affairs, Barukh Binah, on July 23. Gilad provided details of
GOI efforts to improve coordination with the PA in the West
Bank and outlined the elements of a mechanism for MOD-PA
problem-solving in which he would play the lead role. The
MOD and MFA both committed to providing us with information
on IDF land confiscation in the Jordan Valley, though Gilad
dismissed the area in question as one of "no real
consequence." Both the MOD and MFA challenged our demarche
on an East Jerusalem eviction order on the grounds that this
is an "internal issue" on which the Israeli High Court of
Justice has ruled. End Summary.


2. (C) Charge approached Amos Gilad on the margins of MOD
Ehud Barak's July 23 meeting with Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad
at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem to discuss USG concerns
regarding recent Israeli actions in the West Bank and
Jerusalem (reftel). Although Gilad expressed general
pessimism about prospects for an agreement with the
Palestinians, he told the Charge that the MOD was taking
steps to coordinate more effectively with the Palestinian
Authority and would notify the PA about IDF operations in the
West Bank. To that end, Gilad informed the Charge that he,
Gilad, would talk with Fayyad every "week to ten days" and
establish a "hotline" between the MOD and PA.


3. (C) Regarding the four issues raised by the Charge, Gilad
provided the following reactions:

-- Nablus operations: The MOD agreed to allow the mall to
reopen in Nablus, effectively reversing recent GOI decisions.
Gilad clarified that this would be done "unofficially" and
in a very low key manner.

-- Jordan Valley land confiscations: Gilad referred to this
as "a small area of no consequence" in the Jordan Valley, but
tried without immediate success to obtain further information
regarding this action. Gilad committed to look into this
matter further.

-- Settler violence: Gilad referred to settlers who launched

rockets at Palestinians as "terrorists" and promised that the
perpetrators would be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law. He pointed out that several had already
been arrested.

-- East Jerusalem eviction: Gilad professed surprise that
the USG would raise an "internal issue" on which the Israeli
High Court of Justice had already ruled. Gilad added,
without prompting, that the recent bulldozer attacks carried
out by East Jerusalem residents would likely result in
"drastic" security measures in East Jerusalem.


4. (C) In a subsequent telcon, Gilad reported that he had
relayed the subject of the U.S. demarche with MOD Barak, who,
according to Gilad, professed to be "shocked that such a
demarche would be made."

---
MFA
---


5. (C) Charge and A/PolCouns also raised demarche issues
with MFA DDG Binah and his deputy, Dan Arbell, and informed
them of the issues raised with Gilad. The Charge expressed
our hope that the MOD-PA hotline and Fayyad-Barak talks could
serve as an important mechanism for communicating concerns
and resolving issues, and updated the MFA on the latest MOD
thinking regarding West Bank issues. Binah commented that
the overall political situation in Israel was not auspicious
for government action on many of the contentious issues on
our agenda, but he and Arbell provided some additional
reactions to the four issues we raised:

-- Nablus operations: Binah inquired whether we were aware
of money-laundering operations in Nablus.

-- Jordan Valley land confiscations: Arbell noted that the
Department of State had already raised this issue with the
Israeli Embassy in Washington, and he acknowledged that the
MFA owed us an answer.

-- East Jerusalem eviction: Binah remarked that the
Secretary had already raised this issue with FM Tzipi Livni
on July 17. He reacted to this element of the demarche by
underscoring that he viewed it as a "disturbing" development.
He described what he viewed as a "sharp debate" within
Israel about the rule of law and the role of the High Court
of Justice (as well as the role of the Attorney General).
Binah argued that questioning (Israeli) laws, as they are
interpreted by the High Court, would not be helpful. He
noted that the High Court often ruled against the Government,
and warned that it would be problematic to react selectively
to the Court's rulings.

--------------
FULBRIGHTER FOLLOW-UP
--------------


6. (C) The Charge raised the situation of Palestinian
Fulbright scholarship winners (2008) who would soon need
authorization to leave Gaza for onward travel to the U.S.
Arbell noted that the MFA had already flagged this issue with
Israeli security services and that FM Livni and Director
General Aharon Abramovitch would shortly discuss this issue
with ISA Director Yuval Diskin. Arbell also underscored that
the GOI had shared derogatory information on several of the
students, and had been surprised that they might be found
eligible to receive U.S. visas. Charge noted that
information the GOI had provided to the USG was apparently
not sufficiently detailed to be of use.


7. (C ) Comment: The MOD seemed seized with the importance
of better coordination and has proactively engaged PM Fayyad
in what we hope will become a more effective and timely
mechanism for directly resolving bilateral
Palestinian-Israeli relations, particularly as they affect
joint efforts in the northern West Bank. Both the MOD and
MFA share our perspective on the negative nature of settler
violence and the need to apply and enforce Israeli law in
this regard. The East Jerusalem issue we raised clearly
raised hackles, for it appears to our GOI interlocutors that
our demarche calls into question the rulings of their High
Court of Justice. The Israeli state views the East Jerusalem
property dispute as an "internal issue" rather than an
unresolved final status issue involving the overlapping
claims of Israelis and the Palestinians. While the Al-Kurd
family circumstances are tragic and their eviction could
provoke communal tensions, USG diplomatic efforts would gain
more traction with the GOI in cases that have the backing of
the High Court. Given the different U.S. and Israeli
perspectives on the status of Jerusalem and the sensitivity
of GOI authorities to what they perceive as criticism of
their High Court, we believe that our efforts would be more
successful in challenging eviction or demolition activities
of the GOI in the West Bank (where the Court's role has been
more proactive) rather than in Jerusalem at this time. End
Comment.



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