US embassy cable - 04TELAVIV2293

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 002293 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KWBG, IS, GAZA DISENGAGEMENT, ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS 
SUBJECT: PEACE NOW DIRECTOR: NETANYAHU AND SHARON FINAGLE 
AGREEMENT ON DISENGAGEMENT PLAN 
 
REF: TEL AVIV 2250 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Norm Olsen for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( 
d). 
 
1.  (C) Summary: Peace Now Director Yariv Oppenheimer told 
poloff on April 20 that PM Sharon and FinMin Netanyahu both 
know that prior GOI decisions on the fence route leave the 
Ariel settlement outside the main separation barrier, thereby 
not meeting Netanyahu's demand that it be fully on the 
"Israel" side of the route.  Oppenheimer believes that Sharon 
and Netanyahu are masking the differences to cast the 
withdrawal plan to suit their own political exigencies.  End 
summary. 
 
----------------- 
You Say Tomato... 
----------------- 
 
2.  (C) Peace Now Director Yariv Oppenheimer told Poloff on 
April 20 that according to his understanding of the relevant 
GOI decisions on separation barrier routing to which PM 
Sharon referred in media comments after his April 18 Cabinet 
session (reftel), Ariel and some other major settlements deep 
in the West Bank would be protected by security fences, but 
those fences would not be connected to the main separation 
barrier at least in the near term.  Netanyahu, however, 
announced to the media after the Cabinet meeting that he 
would support the plan because, he claimed, Sharon agreed 
that completion of the separation barrier, with Ariel and 
other major West Bank settlements on the "Israel" side, would 
occur before any settlement evacuations. 
 
3.  (C) According to Oppenheimer, PM Sharon needed to find a 
way to give Netanyahu an opening to support his plan -- 
support that most observers agree was critical to persuading 
other ministerial disengagement opponents to back the plan 
(reftel).  Some politicos and media pundits also argue that 
Netanyahu's support for the plan will sway Likud voters to 
favor it in the May 2 referendum.  Netanyahu cast Sharon's 
commitment to follow prior government decisions on the fence 
route as fulfilling Netanyahu's earlier demand for inclusion 
of named West Bank settlements, such as Ariel.  Sharon did 
not dispute this interpretation, but never, publicly at 
least, named specific settlements to be included in the fence 
route.  "Everyone is hearing what they want to hear," 
Oppenheimer exclaimed. 
 
-------------------- 
It's All About Image 
-------------------- 
 
4.  (C) Netanyahu could not afford not to back the plan in 
the face of USG support, said Oppenheimer, so he needed to 
find a way to back it and Sharon helped him do this. 
Sharon's reference to prior government decisions "was just a 
political game to get Netanyahu" to support the plan, 
according to Oppenheimer.  Oppenheimer pointed out that the 
game also worked for Netanyahu in that by supporting Sharon's 
plan, he could position himself within the mainstream, and 
thereby cast himself as prime minister material in case 
Sharon faces removal from office.  "Netanyahu doesn't want to 
be alone on the right," Oppenheimer noted, but rather to back 
what he understands most Israelis want, especially if he 
wants to be prime minister again someday. 
 
 
********************************************* ******************** 
Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website. 
********************************************* ******************** 
KURTZER