DEPUTY SECRETARY RAISES TRANSIT OF GAZA STUDENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 002702

SIPDIS

PLEASE PASS TO DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2019
TAGS: PREL KWBG IS
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY RAISES TRANSIT OF GAZA STUDENTS
WITH SHIN BET: FOLLOWUP

REF: TEL AVIV 2519

Classified By: Ambassador James B. Cunningham; reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) Following up on DepSec Steinberg's discussion with
Shin Bet on transit of Gazan students through Israel
(reftel),EconCouns discussed possible options with Shin
Bet's head of international relations, Alan Moss. Moss said
he had met with his COGAT counterpart, Uri Singer, and they
had reviewed possible options under the 2008 law requiring
Gazan participants in international educational programs to
be escorted through Israeli territory while en route to or
from international destinations.


2. (C) Based on those discussions, Moss said that while the
escort requirement cannot be waived, the escorts need not
have diplomatic status. The law would permit the escort
responsiblity to be contracted out to a private firm or NGO
subject only to GOI vetting of the contractor to rule out any
ties to terrorist organizations or other conditions that
might limit the contractor's ability to be held accountable
in the event the escorted student(s) did not comply with the
provisions under which they were allowed entry into Israel.


3. (C) In subsequent conversations between Econoffs and Shin
Bet/COGAT, GOI officials confirmed Embassy's view that ConGen
locally engaged staff (LES) could also escort students,
subject to the condition that the individuals be vetted by
Shin Bet. They said this condition would limit the escort
duty to Israeli citizen LES, since Jerusalem ID holders could
not be properly vetted. COGAT officials expressed concern
that such Israeli citizens be provided adequate security
against potential attacks or efforts by Gazan students to
slip away from the escorted group for "unauthorized
activities." In a later conversation, COGAT agreed that this
was not a requirement under the 2008 regulation, but rather,
a matter of making sure the local employee could meet his/her
escort responsibilities. Embassy will continue to explore
with GOI exactly what the accountability/responsibility
requirements entail.


4. (SBU) ConGen is currently reviewing the options outlined
above to determine which is the least-risk, least-cost means
of moving students from Gaza through Israel to their onward
destinations.


5. (U) This cable was coordinated with ConGen Jerusalem.
CUNNINGHAM