US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV6264

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 006264 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KPAL, KWBG, EG, IS, GOI EXTERNAL, GAZA DISENGAGEMENT 
SUBJECT: EC DEL HEAD IN ISRAEL SAYS EU IS AIMING FOR 11/15 
OPENING OF RAFAH BORDER CROSSING BETWEEN EGYPT AND GAZA 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones.  Reasons: 1.4 (b, d). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C)  In an October 26 meeting at the European Commission 
Delegation's office in Tel Aviv, EC Delegation Head 
Ambassador Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal told Ambassador Jones that the 
EU's objective is to have the Rafah crossing on the 
Egypt-Gaza border opened by November 15.  Cibrian-Uzal said 
his EC Delegation and the EU are prepared to cooperate with 
the U.S. "on the ground," and to support the Quartet in its 
pursuit of a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
He noted that the EC has helped the GOI and Palestinian 
Authority to form effective, technical working groups in 
transport, energy and trade, and that it now desires to 
promote cooperation in the justice sector.  Pointing to the 
suicide bombing that had just taken place in the Israeli 
coastal town of Hadera, Cibrian-Uzal said that violence is 
not useful and is self-defeating for the Palestinians.  He 
also stated his own view that Israel's security fence has 
limitations and will eventually be breached.  Having recently 
returned from the West Bank city of Hebron, Cibrian-Uzal 
remarked that the Israelis should be given credit for 
reducing the number of checkpoints throughout the West Bank 
since the beginning of 2005.  He said, however, that 
procedures used by Israeli security services at the remaining 
checkpoints are humiliating to the Palestinians. 
Cibrian-Uzal agreed with the Ambassador that periodic, 
informal get-togethers by the resident Quartet ambassadors to 
coordinate positions and compare notes would be useful, and 
offered to assist in arranging them. 
 
2. (C) Cibrian-Uzal said he shares U.S. concerns about 
Israel's respect for intellectual property rights, but had 
not been able to make much progress with the GOI on the 
matter and would welcome the U.S. joining the effort to get 
the GOI to respect such rights.  Cibrian-Uzal noted that the 
EC Delegation is also involved in promoting civil society by 
helping local NGOs, but is limited in how much assistance it 
can provide due to Israel's ranking among potential 
assistance recipients based on income levels.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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EU PREPARED TO COOPERATE ON RAFAH, OTHER PALESTINIAN ISSUES 
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3. (C) At the start of the meeting, Cibrian-Uzal stressed 
that the Commission, and the EU as a whole, is prepared to 
cooperate with the U.S. on the ground, and support the 
Quartet, in pursuing a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian 
problem, post-disengagement.  He said he looks forward to 
constructive relations with the U.S. embassy, and noted that 
he sent the embassy a letter requesting the Ambassador's 
views on how to better prepare for the November 11 "Forum for 
the Future" meeting in Bahrain. 
 
4. (C) In response to the Ambassador's question about the 
Rafah crossing issue, Cibrian-Uzal said that EU approval of a 
proposal to have Europeans man the Rafah crossing would take 
at least two weeks from the time of an agreement on Rafah. 
He said the EU's objective is to have the Rafah crossing 
opened by November 15.  He noted that the EU has not been 
invited to send observers to Kerem Shalom -- only Rafah. 
 
5. (C) Cibrian-Uzal noted that the EC has helped the GOI and 
Palestinian Authority (PA) to form three technical working 
groups in the transport, energy and trade sectors. He said 
they have worked well so far because of their technical 
nature.  Cibrian-Uzal would like to form a fourth working 
group on justice to identify areas of cooperation in that 
sector.  He said that one of his priorities is to bring 
together the GOI and PA justice ministers to foster 
cooperation in the justice sector, and broaden dialogue and 
exchanges between the GOI and PA.  In response, Ambassador 
Jones noted that the new PA attorney general appears to be 
eager, and seems to want to play a helpful role in stopping 
public displays of arms in the Palestinian territories. 
Ambassador Jones recommended that Cibrian-Uzal consider the 
PA attorney general as a possible candidate for cooperation 
in the justice sector. 
 
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...SAYS VIOLENCE IS SELF-DEFEATING FOR THE PALESTINIANS 
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6. (C) Cibrian-Uzal said that violence is not useful and is 
self-defeating for the Palestinians.  He noted that PA 
President Abbas has promised to "do something with Hamas" 
(e.g., work with it on disarming) only after Palestinian 
elections have taken place in January 2006.  Cibrian-Uzal 
noted that his delegation has an ongoing dialogue with the 
Israeli security services, and said that Israeli security 
officials have admitted to him that urging the PA to confront 
Hamas in the immediate post-disengagement period is probably 
not a good idea.  Cibrian-Uzal said they told him that it 
probably has boosted Hamas vis-a-vis the PA due to the 
attention it has given to Hamas.  Cibrian-Uzal said that the 
U.S. and the EU need to maintain pressure on Abbas to fight 
terrorists and disarm terrorist groups. 
 
7. (C) Cibrian-Uzal said he is "not so optimistic" that 
Israel's security barrier will serve its role as effectively 
as its advocates proclaim.  He said he thinks it has 
succeeded in diverting some attacks, but has not prevented 
them.  Cibrian-Uzal observed that it is just a matter of time 
before terrorists start digging tunnels under the barrier. 
He noted that the Hadera suicide bombing was significant in 
that it happened quickly after Islamic Jihad operative 
Sa'adi's death at the hands of the IDF, demonstrating that 
Islamic Jihad can decide and act quickly. 
 
8. (C) Cibrian-Uzal said that he was recently in Hebron, and 
that the conditions in Hebron are not as bad as he expected 
they would be.  He said he was told that the number of West 
Bank checkpoints had been reduced from 600-700 (at the 
beginning of 2005) to about 350, and that he thinks the 
Israelis should be given credit for this.  While he said that 
the negative impact on the level of economic activity was not 
that great, he described the procedures being used at the 
checkpoints as humiliating. 
 
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EC DEL HEAD SUPPORTS IDEA OF QUARTET AMBASSADOR MEETINGS 
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9. (C) In response to the Ambassador's idea of informal, 
periodic get-togethers of the resident Quartet 
representatives, Cibrian-Uzal said he liked the idea and 
would be pleased to coordinate with the other resident 
Quartet representatives.  He advised pulling in the resident 
UK Ambassador, Simon McDonald, to represent the EU 
presidency.  He noted that EU Special Envoy Marc Otte is also 
a very important contact, as his mandate is "broader, and 
more political." 
 
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...SAYS HE IS DETERMINED TO ADVANCE RESPECT FOR IPR 
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10. (C) In response to the Ambassador's point that 
intellectual property rights are important the USG, and his 
question about how the EC Delegation Head views patent term 
extension legislation in the Knesset, Cibrian-Uzal said that 
his delegation had not had much success with the Israelis on 
these issues.  He noted that he had made a number of 
demarches to the Ministries of Trade and Foreign Affairs.  He 
noted that the Ministry of Trade's head of Foreign Trade 
Administration, Ronit Ken, and Shinui MK Ehud Rassabi -- 
chairman of the Taxation Sub-Committee in the Knesset's 
Finance Committee -- have been helpful on the issues to date. 
 (NOTE: The Israeli Cabinet appointed Ronit Ken as director 
of the Antitrust Authority, starting November 3.  END NOTE.) 
 
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...AND ASSIST ON CIVIL SOCIETY ISSUES, AS POSSIBLE 
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11. (C) Cibrian-Uzal said that the EC Delegation manages a 
number of programs in Israel, but the degree of assistance it 
can provide is limited, as it is based on income criteria 
which makes Israel ineligible for certain forms of 
assistance.  The EC Delegation is currently running cultural 
cooperation, information and Partnership for Peace (as heard) 
programs in Israel.  Cibrian-Uzal said the Delegation also 
funds a number of NGOs, and that this "irritates" the GOI 
from time to time. 
 
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