US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV4118

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GAZA DISENGAGEMENT: KNESSET FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE CHAIR WANTS KNESSET TO DECIDE IF EGYPTIAN POLICE SECURE GAZA-EGYPTIAN BORDER

Identifier: 05TELAVIV4118
Wikileaks: View 05TELAVIV4118 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Tel Aviv
Created: 2005-06-30 10:45:00
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Tags: PGOV KWBG EG IS GAZA DISENGAGEMENT GOI EXTERNAL
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.


 
C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 004118 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KWBG, EG, IS, GAZA DISENGAGEMENT, GOI EXTERNAL 
SUBJECT: GAZA DISENGAGEMENT: KNESSET FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
COMMITTEE CHAIR WANTS KNESSET TO DECIDE IF EGYPTIAN POLICE 
SECURE GAZA-EGYPTIAN BORDER 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer for reasons 1.4 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) Attorney General Menachem Mazuz is to decide in the 
coming weeks whether allowing the Egyptians to deploy 750 
border police along the Gaza-Egyptian border as a security 
measure associated with implementing the disengagement plan 
is a material change to the 1973 Israeli-Egyptian Peace 
Treaty, thus requiring Knesset approval.  David Sharan, 
advisor to Likud MK Yuval Steinitz, Chairman of the Knesset's 
powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, told Poloff 
June 29 that Steinitz not only opposes deployment of the 
Egyptian border police along the border, but insists that the 
Knesset must approve any agreement with Egypt to allow this 
deployment.  Sharan said that Steinitz believes that such a 
deployment would end the demilitarization of the Sinai 
Peninsula, which, Sharan underlined, Steinitz believes is 
"the most important clause" of the 1973 treaty. 
 
2.  (C) According to Sharon, Mazuz has ordered for his review 
all documents associated with the 1973 treaty to decide if 
the proposed deployment is a material change to the treaty. 
Sharan said that even if Mazuz decides that the deployment 
does not require Knesset approval, there are "legal measures" 
Steinitz is considering to compel the matter to come before 
the Knesset.  Asked to elaborate, Sharan said that Steinitz 
is still reviewing his options, but that options definitely 
exist. 
 
********************************************* ******************** 
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 

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