REPORTED MESSAGE FROM KING ABDULLAH TO NETANYAHU

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 002678 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/04/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV KISL JO KWBG IS SUBJECT: REPORTED MESSAGE FROM KING ABDULLAH TO NETANYAHU ON JERUSALEM Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Luis G. Moreno, Reason 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (C) Yair Hirschfeld, the director general of the Economic Cooperation Foundation, a respected Israeli NGO that is very active in track two peace efforts, briefed PolCouns December 2 on renewed Jordanian pressure on the GOI over Jerusalem. According to Hirschfeld, King Abdullah recently sent PM Netanyahu a message with four Jordanian demands on Jerusalem (Note: The list of demands below may not be complete.) The King reportedly demanded an end to Israeli construction in the city's Arab areas; an "understanding" (note: no further details provided) on the construction of the Mughrabi Gate ramp leading from the Jewish quarter of the Old City to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif; freedom of movement for the leadership of the Jordanian Waqf officials who manage the Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques; and maximum GOI efforts to prevent Jewish extremists from gaining access to the Haram. Hirschfeld did not know how Netanyahu had reacted to the King's message, but he assessed that Jordanian pressure on Jerusalem issues is one of several factors pushing Netanyahu to adopt a serious approach toward final status issues. ¶2. (C) Comment: While we think Netanyahu is unlikely to accept King Abdullah's demand to halt all Israeli construction in East Jerusalem, the message may have been phrased in such a way ("Arab areas" instead of "East Jerusalem") so as to allow some flexibility in the GOI response. The other three points could be consistent with GOI policy, particularly if the reference to an "understanding" on the Mughrabi Gate ramp indicates a walking back of an earlier Jordanian demand to build the ramp themselves. We have been told that the GOI is interested in offering something to the King that could help rebuild trust and lower tensions with Jordan. If the Israelis are serious, they may seize on at least elements of the King's message as confidence building measures. CUNNINGHAM