US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV5022

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 005022 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IS, KPAL, PREL, XF, GAZA DISENGAGEMENT, GOI INTERNAL, PEACE PROCESS 
SUBJECT: SHARON: DISENGAGEMENT IS "COMPLICATED, PAINFUL AND 
HARD" BUT IT CAN PAVE THE WAY BACK TO THE ROADMAP 
 
 
1.  Prime Minister Sharon met August 14 with an 
AIPAC-sponsored Congressional delegation headed by 
Congressman Steny Hoyer and comprised of 10 Democratic 
Members of the House.  AIPAC board members and staffers 
attended.  Ambassador Kurtzer also joined the meeting. 
Sharon was relaxed and voluble, telling the delegation that 
he valued the time spent with them when his phone would not 
be ringing with calls from disengagement opponents. 
 
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Disengagement 
------------- 
 
2.  Sharon said that Israel's disengagement plan is "very 
complicated, painful and hard" but there is no better plan 
available to solve problems and pave the way back to the 
roadmap.  Sharon said Palestinians know there must be a full 
cessation of terrorism, violence and incitement, and there 
must be security reforms in order to return to the roadmap. 
Israel is a peace-seeking and courageous country, Sharon 
said, and it is the only place where Jews have the right and 
the power to defend themselves by themselves.  Sharon 
continued that he is ready for painful compromises for a 
genuine and durable peace, but he made equally clear that 
Israel will make no compromises on security.  Sharon 
emphasized that only Israel can decide what security it 
requires. 
 
3.  Sharon told the delegation that Palestinian terror 
continues even now, and that terrorism is causing a decline 
in the support of the Israeli people for disengagement. 
Sharon and his senior advisor, Dov Weissglas, noted the press 
conference given the evening before by the leadership of 
Hamas in Gaza in which Hamas promised brazenly to resume 
terrorism against Israel as soon as the disengagement is 
completed. 
 
4.  Sharon said that Israel wants the Palestinian Authority, 
not Hamas, to control Gaza after disengagement.  He told the 
delegation that, if terrorists attack during disengagement, 
Israel's reaction will be "very, very hard."  He predicted 
that the disengagement process will take several weeks to 
finish, because of the 4-5,000 "radical youngsters" who 
infiltrated Gaza in recent weeks. 
 
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Palestinian Security 
-------------------- 
 
5.  Weissglas told the delegation that Palestinians have the 
ability to enforce security, and there are two detailed plans 
(Tenet and Zinni) that specify how to dismantle terrorist 
organizations.  Whereas the PA has a significant manpower 
advantage to get the job done, whether this is done is a 
question of will. 
 
6.  Sharon pointed to President Bush's interview, aired on 
Israeli television August 13, as proof that the U.S. is 
trying to pressure President Abbas to clamp down on security. 
 Sharon said that Abbas recognizes the danger that terrorism 
poses for Palestinians, but the question is whether he is 
ready to act.  Sharon termed it a "major mistake" that Abbas 
signed an agreement with the terrorist organizations in which 
he committed the PA not to act against them.  Sharon said 
that the PA has a greater ability to act than they claim. 
The problem is will and whether the PA is eager to take hard 
steps.  Sharon repeated that Abbas seems to prefer to reach 
agreements with terror organizations, even when they announce 
publicly their intention to continue terrorism. 
 
7.  Asked whether the PA has the mechanisms to act against 
terror, Weissglas responded that Palestinians live in a 
"tribal society" in which every villager knows whose doing 
what.  The PA thus would not have a problem collecting 
intelligence against terrorists.  Sharon said that Israel 
cannot be responsible for organizing the way Abbas deals with 
terrorism.  If Hamas does continue to engage in terrorism, 
Sharon said he hopes the PA will act, but if not Israel will 
find a way to stop the terrorism.  "We are not going to live 
under terror." 
 
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Iran 
---- 
 
8.  Asked about Iran, Sharon said he sees no change in Iran's 
intention and plan to have nuclear weapons.  Sharon said Iran 
should be brought to the U.N. Security Council, and 
diplomatic and economic pressures should be brought to bear 
on Iran.  Sharon continued that Iran is the "center of world 
terrorism" and he pointed to Iranian support for Hizbollah in 
Lebanon.  Sharon noted that Hizbollah has becoming involved 
increasingly in terrorism against Israel with the assistance 
of some Israeli-Arabs. 
 
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Egypt 
----- 
 
9.  Sharon said that relations with Egypt are improving and 
that several long-standing problems (such as the Azzam Azzam 
case) had been resolved.  The Egyptians are making an effort 
to help, Sharon said, but they could do more.  After 
explaining the issue of the Philadelphi Strip, Sharon said 
that he looks forward to Egypt's deployment on the Gaza 
border, but, in fact, will not rely on anyone else to defend 
Israel.  He noted that the Israel-Egypt peace treaty remains 
intact, but Egypt is still active in trying to secure support 
for a boycott of Israel.  Sharon said you cannot find a map 
of the Middle East in Egyptian schools which shows Israel. 
In this regard, Sharon said, the main problem in the region 
is that the Arabs have never recognized the birthright of the 
Jews to have an independent Jewish state in the homeland of 
the Jewish people. 
 
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U.S. Assistance 
--------------- 
 
10.  Weissglas explained the background to Israel's request 
for more than $2 billion in assistance.  He said that the 
assistance is not directly related to disengagement, but 
rather would be a sign of U.S. support as Israel withdraws 
from Gaza.  Sharon added that Israel very much wants to 
develop the northern and southern parts of the country and 
would use U.S. assistance in support of this development. 
Weissglas asked the delegation for public statements of 
support in order to show the Israeli people that positive 
things will emerge from disengagement. 
 
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Fence and Outposts 
------------------ 
 
11.  Asked about the security fence, Weissglas said the fence 
is being constructed for purely security reasons.  He noted 
that "85 percent" of Israeli casualties resulted from suicide 
bombs, car bombs, and roadside shootings, and the fence would 
help stop prevent these.  At the same time, he admitted, 
Israel has tried to include in the fence those settlement 
blocs whose "life fabric" is west of the fence, while not 
separating Palestinians from their livelihood.  Weissglas 
suggested to the delegation that the fence be named for 
Yasser Arafat. 
 
12.  On outposts, Weissglas said, Israel has an obligation in 
the roadmap to dismantle outposts.  The GOI has found it much 
more complicated legally to do so than initially anticipated. 
 He predicted that the dismantling of the outposts would 
start soon after the disengagement. 
 
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