GHAJAR DISCUSSIONS WITH UNIFIL TO RESUME DECEMBER

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 002627

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/04/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV UN LE IS
SUBJECT: GHAJAR DISCUSSIONS WITH UNIFIL TO RESUME DECEMBER
21

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Luis G. Moreno, Reason 1.4 (b) (d)


1. (C) Summary. According to a briefing by MFA IO
A/S-equivalent, the GOI inner cabinet voted in favor of the
MFA's proposal that Israel accept the UNIFIL "temporary" plan
for the divided village of Ghajar on the border between
Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied Golan. MFA Director General
Gal briefed UNSCO Williams and UNIFIL commander Graziano
December 3 on the inner cabinet's decision and guidelines,
and they agreed to resume discussion of the modalities for
implementing the agreement the week of December 21. Graziano
will brief Lebanese PM Hariri and report back to the
Israelis. Manor said he did not know how long it would take
to conclude the discussions with the UN, though he estimated
that it would likely be over a month, but he stressed the
GOI's desire to conclude the discussions and withdraw the IDF
presence on the Lebanese side of the village as soon as the
details of continuing to provide full GOI services after the
IDF's withdrawal could be resolved. Manor stressed the GOI's
concern that leaving Israeli citizens under the security
protection of a foreign body could establish a precedent for
the West Bank, and therefore the GOI would take a meticulous
approach to discussions with the UN. End Summary.


2. (C) MFA Deputy Director General for the UN and
International Organizations Eviatar Manor briefed PolCouns
December 3 on the latest developments regarding the village
of Ghajar, which is bifurcated by the Blue Line between
Lebanon and the Golan Heights, and whose Syrian Alawite
residents were accorded Israeli citizenship in the 1970s.
Manor confirmed that the GOI inner cabinet, at its November
22 session, approved the MFA's recommendation that Israel
accept a "temporary solution" based on the UNIFIL plan for
IDF withdrawal from the northern section of the village. The
inner cabinet established the following four guidelines: the
temporary arrangement with UNIFIL must be in accordance with
Israel's political, security, and civil interests; there will
be no specific time limit for the temporary arrangement; the
transition to a permanent arrangement cannot be imposed by
any party and may only happen with the concurrence of Israel
and Lebanon; and following the IDF withdrawal, the UN will
issue a statement declaring that Israel has fully met the
requirements of UNSC Resolution 1701.


3. (C) Manor said that MFA Director General Yossi Gal met
with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams and
UNIFIL Commander Graziano earlier on December 3 and presented
them with the guidelines, to which they reportedly did not
offer any objections. Manor confirmed that Gal told them
that the GOI will be ready to resume engagement with the UN
on the modalities of implementing the UNIFIL plan the week of
December 21. General Graziano expressed interest in
completing the discussions before the end of his tour of duty
at the end of January. Manor said the Israeli side is
sympathetic to Graziano's desire to see the agreement through
to implementation, but could not make a commitment to
conclude the talks by January 31. He added that the Israeli
side assured the UN that once the discussions start, Israel
is committed to working as intensively as possible with the
aim concluding the discussions as soon as possible. Graziano
said he would brief PM Hariri and report back to the
Israelis. Manor said Gal, Williams and Graziano agreed that
at this point there would be no public announcement by either
Israel or the UN, and in the event of leaks, both would
merely comfirm that they were engaged in discussions on
Ghajar.


4. (C) PolCouns asked Manor why it the Israelis thought it
would take over a month to work out the modalities given the
small size of the population of the northern side of Ghajar
and the fact that the GOI and UNIFIL already discussed the
UNIFIL plan over several months last spring. Manor said the
GOI was taking a meticulous approach because of concern that
the Ghajar arrangement, in which Israeli citizens would live
under the security protection of a foreign body (in this case
UNIFIL) while the GOI remains responsible for providing all
non-security government services, could serve as a precedent
in the event of a final status agreement with the
Palestinians. Manor added that the GOI expects the Ghajar
residents, who have full rights as Israeli citizens and have
made clear that they do not want the IDF to withdraw, are
likely to appeal to the High Court of Justice. The Ministry
of Justice has already advised that the level of services to
be provided after implementation of the UNIFIL plan must meet
the standards within Israel, another complicating factor.


5. (C) Manor noted that PM Netanyahu insists that the final
agreement with UNIFIL be reviewed and approved by the inner
cabinet (known here as the forum of seven),but Manor assured

PolCouns that the GOI has made its decision and wants to
withdraw as soon as the modalities can be worked out.
MORENO