US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV4207

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 004207 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KWBG, EG, IS, GAZA DISENGAGEMENT, GOI EXTERNAL, GOI INTERNAL 
SUBJECT: GAZA DISENGAGEMENT: ATTORNEY GENERAL MAZUZ 
INDICATES KNESSET WILL NOT NEED TO APPROVE EGYPTIAN BORDER 
DEPLOYMENT 
 
REF: A. TEL AVIV 4118 
 
     B. TEL AVIV 4194 
 
Classified By: by Deputy Chief of Mission Gene A. Cretz for reasons 1.4 
 (b) and (d), 
 
1.  (C) Attorney General Menachem Mazuz told Ministry of 
Justice Liaison to the Knesset Paz Barnett July 5 to convey 
directly to Poloff who was waiting in the adjoining office 
that he is about to announce his decision that an agreement 
between Israel and Egypt allowing Egypt to place some 750 
border police on the Gaza-Egypt border would only require 
Cabinet approval, and not the approval of the Knesset (ref 
A).  Mazuz added that he already received a letter from 
Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee 
Likud MK Yuval Steinitz's private attorney objecting to this 
decision and indicating Steinitz would seek legal action 
against it.  Barnett said that this means Steinitz would 
appeal Mazuz's decision to the High Court.  Senior Advisor to 
Prime Minister Sharon Dov Weissglas previously told the 
Ambassador July 4 that he believed that a Ha'aretz report 
that same day stating that Mazuz "is expected to advise that 
(the agreement) not be presented to the Knesset for its 
approval" is accurate, although Mazuz has not formally 
announced his decision (ref B). 
 
2.  (C) The Knesset held a discussion July 5 on allowing 
Egypt to place border police on the Gaza-Egyptian border in 
anticipation of Mazuz's decision and media reports that 
negotiations between the GOI and GOE on an agreement were 
nearing a conclusion.  Likud MK Michael Eitan, Chairperson of 
the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee agreed 
with Steinitz that any deployment agreement with Egypt was a 
material change to the 1973 Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty, 
thus requiring Knesset approval.  Eitan reportedly is 
attempting to formulate a Knesset position on the anticipated 
agreement with Egypt. 
 
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