US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV1173

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001173 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON PLEASE PASS TO THE SECRETARY'S PARTY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2010 
TAGS: IS, KPAL, PREL, PTER, COUNTERTERRORISM, ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS 
SUBJECT: (C)  ISRAELI POLITICAL-MILITARY BRIEFING ON 
FEBRUARY 25 TERRORIST ATTACK 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C)  Ambassadors from countries on the UN Security Council 
and of European Union were summoned to the Foreign Ministry 
February 28 for a political-military briefing on the February 
25 terrorist attack in Tel Aviv that killed 5 Israelis and 
wounded more than 50.  MFA Director General Ron Prosor and 
Director of Military Intelligence BG Yossi Kuperwasser 
briefed. 
 
2. (C)  Prosor said the terrorist attack revealed a number of 
major dilemmas for the Palestinian Authority, Israel and the 
international community.  He said Israel supports Palestinian 
Authority efforts but not its strategy of co-optation which 
results in bringing into the PA elements bent on the PA's 
destruction.  "Spoilers" both within and without Palestinian 
society are undermining the chances of President Mahmoud 
Abbas to succeed.  While international support for the 
Palestinian Authority is positive, many international players 
appear willing to allow the PA to proceed without dismantling 
terrorist infrastructure.  There is not enough pressure from 
the international community on Hizballah or on the state 
supporters of terrorism, in particularly Syria and Iran. 
Israel has undertaken a number of good-will measures -- such 
as releasing prisoners and stopping house demolitions -- but 
even this has not persuaded the PA to combat terrorism. 
Prosor said that time is of essence; the PA faces legislative 
elections on July 17, and Israeli evacuation of Gaza 
settlements will begin on July 22.  He thus called on the 
international community to do its part in putting pressure on 
outside elements to stop terrorism and in persuading the PA 
to dismantle terrorist infrastructure. 
 
3. (C)  Kuperwasser said that, although the period of 
"tahidiya" or calm started on January 21, Palestinian Islamic 
Jihad and several other groups continued their preparations 
for terrorism.  There were 13 PIJ attacks against Israelis 
before the Friday night suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.  He said 
local PIJ commanders repeatedly asked for guidance from their 
leadership in Damascus on how to proceed.  Understanding that 
the PA was taking no action to enforce the "tahidiya," the 
PIJ leadership communicated to its cadres that they needed to 
"keep working."  Specifically, the most active PIJ cells, 
located in Jenin and Tulkarm, sought and received clearance 
to continue to operate as well as a promise of money. 
Kuperwasser said the Friday night terrorist attack had been 
in preparation since early February. The suicide belt was 
completed a week before the attack and the suicide video was 
prepared several days later.  The PIJ cells in Tulkarm and 
Jenin informed the leadership of the attack immediately after 
it took place and were promised even more money, given the 
success registered in Tel Aviv.  Kuperwasser said that there 
is another PIJ terrorist attack in preparation which appears 
to be focused on Israelis inside the occupied territories, 
given PIJ's belief that the Palestinian population would not 
support another attack inside Israel. 
 
4. (C)  Kuperwasser said the PIJ office in Damascus operates 
24 hours a day, every day, despite Syrian denials.  Four PIJ 
leaders operate out of Damascus, most notably, Ramadan 
Shalah, Ziad Nakaleh (who told Reuters that PIJ was 
responsible for the Friday night attack), and two other 
operational experts.  The Damascus office provides money, 
establishes policy regarding attacks against Israel, delivers 
new technologies, and oversees training in bases within Syria. 
 
5. (C)  Kuperwasser described the explosives and the make up 
of the suicide belt from the Friday night attack as identical 
to those used in the October 2003 terrorist attack at the 
Maxim Restaurant in Haifa and the foiled attempt to attack a 
school in Yoqneam, both of which were PIJ terrorist attacks. 
Kuperwasser continued that Israel has also traced $250,000 
from Iran to PIJ operatives in the territories since the 
beginning of the year.  The PIJ leadership remains in close 
contact with Syrian intelligence which never interferes in 
PIJ activities.  Kuperwasser said Hizballah was not involved 
in the Friday night attack, but there are 50 Hizballah-funded 
cells in the West Bank and Gaza planning to carry out 
attacks. 
 
6. (C)  Kuperwasser concluded that the Palestinian Authority, 
although frustrated by the terrorist attack, has done little 
to deal with it, while trying to create the impression of 
action.  The PA has tried to assign responsibility for the 
attack to Hizballah, which is not the case.  The PA statement 
of condemnation did not condemn terrorism but rather "the 
operation."  The PA made some arrests but none of those 
arrested were from a list of 18 people passed to the PA by 
Israel as suspects in the terrorism.  Finally, Al Quds 
newspaper continued the practice of hailing the "martyr" on 
the front page of its weekend edition. 
 
7. (C)  Comment: This briefing, clearly designed to stimulate 
diplomatic action at the United Nations, against Hizballah 
and vis-a-vis the PA, was somewhat more definitive on the PIJ 
headquarters connection than other briefings we received this 
weekend.  Nonetheless, a relatively clear picture has been 
painted of on-going PIJ terror activities in the terrorities, 
stimulated and funded from PIJ headquarters in Damascus and 
at least tolerated by the Syrian government. 
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KURTZER