PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY MINISTER OF INTERIOR POINTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002271 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KWBG KPAL IS SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY MINISTER OF INTERIOR POINTS TO HOLES IN SECURITY UMBRELLA REF: JERUSALEM 2260 Classified By: Consul General Daniel Rubinstein for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary. Palestinian Authority (PA) Minister of Interior Said Abu Ali expressed frustration at what he characterized as poor Israel Defense Forces (IDF) situational awareness and response time, in the wake of a December 11 arson attack on a West Bank mosque allegedly carried out by extremist settlers. He argued that Israeli restrictions on the deployment of PA security forces to much of the West Bank left the Palestinian population "vulnerable" to settler attacks, and encouraged organized crime, including cross-"Green Line" smuggling. Abu Ali also noted that the PA's anomalous status as a quasi-governmental entity limited its capabilities and reach. End Summary. MOI: SETTLERS ORGANIZED, MILITIAS PRESENT -------------- ¶2. (C) In a December 13 meeting, Minister of Interior Said Abu Ali told Post that the PA's security sector leadership was intently focused on settler-Palestinian violence following the December 11 arson attack on a mosque in the West Bank village of Yasuf, allegedly by extremist Israeli settlers. "We've moved away from talking about settlement construction as a problem," he said, "to talking about immediate threats from the settlements. There are signs of organized action. There are militias among the settlers, acting against property and individuals. And now they have moved to a higher level by targeting a place of worship. They've moved from being aggressive towards Palestinians near settlements, and at roadblocks, to going on the offensive." PA OPPOSED TO PALESTINIAN RETALIATION -------------- ¶3. (C) Abu Ali noted that he was firmly opposed to retaliation, saying, "we accept that we must turn the other cheek. We accept this is the rational response to the situation. We have to accept the challenge of proving on a daily basis, when it comes to attacks, that we are better than they are." He noted, however, that the Israeli authorities also had a role to play. "The other problem we have," he said, "is that the settlers are protected by the (Israeli) army. At the settlements, there are fortified observation towers, gates. They're controlled and monitored by the (Israeli) army." IDF CRITICIZED FOR UNRESPONSIVENESS -------------- ¶4. (C) Abu Ali criticized the IDF for what he termed its inattention and slow response time. "There is no doubt in my mind," he said, "that when these people went out of the settlement in the early hours, before dawn, some elements of the (Israeli) army were aware. And the army arrived in Yasuf only several hours later, after the settlers had finished what they came for. The big question is if the Israelis are shouldering their responsibilities. In meetings, they tell us, 'when there is a problem, we need to be informed.' Well, the (Israeli) army was informed. And this lingering, not showing up at a reasonable time -- it raises questions about their intentions." GAPS BETWEEN PA SECURITY FORCE, IDF MANDATES -------------- ¶5. (C) Abu Ali continued, "when we ask (the IDF) why it is like this, they say they have no legal mandate to deal with settlers. That gives us the sense that we are vulnerable in the West Bank, that we are defenseless against settler conduct. If the Israeli army is not tasked with defending us from settlers, who is? All of these attacks take place in areas where Palestinian security forces cannot go without prior coordination. We cannot even try to defend ourselves." He argued that PA security forces were capable of policing Areas B and C (where the GOI retains full security control), saying, "we are certainly ready. We are ready to deploy logistically, and we are ready politically. We are ready to fill the vacuum." HIGH CRIME, THREAT LEVEL IN AREAS B AND C -------------- ¶6. (C) He suggested that the deployment of Palestinian security forces to Areas B and C was also necessary to combat high crime rates, including cross-Green Line smuggling, in JERUSALEM 00002271 002 OF 002 those zones. He said, "we face the threat of drugs, weapons trafficking which is not under our control. There are serious problems with crime in the periphery areas around Jerusalem -- but we are not allowed to operate there at all. And with all these weapons smuggled from Israel into the West Bank, there are no arrests. Israel arrests people for making inflammatory statements, but not for smuggling." He concluded, "maybe Israel thinks this criminal activity on their borders affects only us, not them? If so, they are wrong. There needs to be a political decision to let the (Palestinian) police do their job." PA IN GOVERNANCE LIMBO -------------- ¶7. (C) Abu Ali ended by expressing frustration with the legal limbo in which, he said, West Bank security rested. "At the end of the day," he said, "overarching security responsibility rests with Israel. Or at least that's the position they've been taking. But in fact, the (Palestinian) people are vulnerable -- there's no law except the law of the jungle to protect them. That's the problem with the Palestinian Authority. It's not sovereign, it's not a real government. But we're also not under (total) occupation. We're responsible for many things, including the protection of our people, that we can't do anything about." RUBINSTEIN