US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV277

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 000277 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2010 
TAGS: IS, KPAL, PREL, PTER, ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS, GAZA DISENGAGEMENT, COUNTERTERRORISM 
SUBJECT: (C) SHARON AND WEISSGLAS ON KARNI TERRORIST 
OPERATION 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) I called Dov Weissglas this afternoon and he reported 
on his conversation earlier today with Saeb Erekat. 
Weissglas told Erekat: 
 
-- All passages in and out of Gaza have been closed 
indefinitely. 
 
-- Without visible and serious action by the PA, all contacts 
between Israeli and PA officials have been suspended. 
 
-- If the PA does not take action, Israel will consider 
informing the U.S. and other international parties that 
Israel will not cooperate in the "game of rebuilding 
Palestine." 
2.  (C)  Weissglas said that Israel has intelligence to the 
effect that Palestinian security elements in Gaza requested 
authorization several days ago from Abu Mazen to operate 
against terrorists but the answer came back negative. 
Weissglas said that the Karni operation was a sophisticated 
and joint operation involving Hamas and Fatah elements.  He 
stressed that the points he conveyed to Erekat cannot be 
answered by a Palestinian public statement.  Israel demands 
action now against the groups that perpetrated the attack, 
and wants the PA to deploy immediately to stop the Qassam 
rockets. 
 
3.  (C)  Sharon then got on the phone and told me that Israel 
cannot tolerate what has been happening in the past few days. 
 Terrorists attacked and killed an Israeli in Morag and, in 
addition to the Karni attack yesterday, the IDF intercepted 
and destroyed a car filled with hundreds of pounds of 
explosives that was being transported to conduct an attack 
against Israelis in Gaza. 
 
4.  (C)  Sharon said that Karni was open last night late in 
response to a Palestinian request to help the population. 
The terrorists passed through a fenced area that was supposed 
to be guarded by Palestinian security.  It is not clear if 
Palestinian security simply failed or actually facilitated 
the terrorist activity. 
 
5.  (C)  Sharon said he has seen no attempt whatsoever by the 
PA to do anything.  He said he is tired of telling us and 
others that he will not compromise when it comes to terrorism 
or Israel's security, but this is the case. 
 
6.  (C)  Sharon continued that he wanted to meet with Abu 
Mazen but will not do so unless Palestinians take immediate 
steps, today.  Sharon feared that the Palestinians don't take 
this seriously, but rather hope that Israel will come under 
pressure from the international community in order to 
"understand the Palestinians' problems."  Sharon said Israel 
also has problems, and now has funerals occurring again 
almost every day. 
 
 
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KURTZER