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 SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 002414 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2016 
TAGS: PREL PTER ECON ETRD KWBG KPAL ASEC EG IS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS GOI INTERNAL
SUBJECT: BARUCH SPIEGEL DISCUSSES QASSAMS, KARNI, OUTPOSTS 
AND OBSTACLES 
 
REF: TEL AVIV 2301 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (C) In a June 19 meeting with the Ambassador, reserve 
Brigadier General (BG) Baruch Spiegel reported that the 
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee had agreed that 
the Qassam rocket launches from Gaza must be stopped "at all 
costs."  Spiegel was interested, but hesitant, about the 
effect an international monitoring group might have on Qassam 
fire.  Spiegel repeated a request for U.S. assistance in 
procuring tunnel detection technology for use at the Karni 
Terminal.  Spiegel promised to check on the Ambassador's 
concerns regarding the alleged corruption of Israeli 
officials at Karni, the accumulation of demurrage charges on 
empty shipping containers, and the unwillingness to employ 
U.S.-leased container-scanning devices at the terminal. 
Spiegel confirmed that Defense Minister Peretz had appointed 
his political advisor to review the route of the separation 
barrier around Jerusalem and Ariel.  He also discussed GOI 
intentions to act against illegal outposts and admitted that 
the number of Israeli checkpoints and roadblocks in the West 
Bank had increased to 381 from about 350 over the past month. 
 
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QASSAM ROCKETS 
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¶2. (C) BG Spiegel (res) opened the meeting by saying that he 
had just returned from a three-hour meeting of the Knesset 
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee dominated by discussion 
of continued firing of Qassam rockets from Gaza into Israel's 
western Negev desert.  Spiegel said that the Qassam situation 
is grave and that the Committee had agreed that the rocket 
firing must be stopped "at all costs." 
 
¶3. (C) The Ambassador sought Spiegel's views on the 
establishment of an international mechanism -- such as the 
Israel-Lebanon Monitoring Group (ILMG) of 1996 -- to help 
neutralize the Qassam launches.  The Ambassador suggested 
that either the Egyptians or Jordanians might be able to play 
a positive role in such a body.  Spiegel agreed that the 
Qassam problem is analogous to the Katyusha threat from 
Lebanon.  He said that Israel would not accept such a 
mechanism if its purpose was to be an "international 
referee," but might see value in having such a body to 
provide crisis management and serve as a confidence-building 
measure.  Spiegel said that he could informally raise the 
Ambassador's idea with GOI officials, but he believed that at 
this point it was premature for the GOI to offer any 
conciliatory measures on the Qassam issue.  The Ambassador 
agreed that there would have to be agreed principles before 
such a mechanism could succeed.  He suggested that proposing 
the creation of such a mechanism at the proper time might 
strengthen the hand of Palestinians willing to take 
cooperative steps towards solving the Qassam problem. 
Spiegel also revealed that Defense Minister Amir Peretz was 
scheduled to meet with PLO chief negotiator Sa'eb Erekat 
later that evening. 
 
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GAZA CROSSING ISSUES 
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¶4. (C) Regarding the Karni Terminal, Spiegel said that the 
second deployment of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's 
Presidential Guard to secure the Palestinian side of Karni 
had begun.  Spiegel reported that 262 truckloads had passed 
into Gaza and 40 had left Gaza through Karni today.  He asked 
for Embassy help to follow up on the Israeli request for 
tunnel detection technology.  He said that the Israeli 
defense attach was working this issue from Washington, and 
that three IDF officials have prepared to visit the U.S. in 
July to discuss such technology. 
 
¶5. (C) The Ambassador raised the issue of corruption on the 
Israeli side of Karni, describing allegations from American 
companies that Israeli officials have demanded bribes to 
schedule their goods to cross into Gaza.  The Ambassador also 
raised the issue of empty containers, used to ship 
humanitarian goods to Gaza, that are being delayed at Karni. 
The containers are accumulating demurrage charges for UNRWA 
and WFP, among other NGOs.  The Econ Counselor reminded 
Spiegel that the USG leased high-power container-scanning 
devices specifically to screen containers while maintaining 
terminal security, but that the GOI had not yet employed them 
to full capacity at Karni.  Spiegel said that he would check 
on the scanners and the containers.  The Ambassador agreed 
with Spiegel's suggestion that he meet with Transportation 
Minister Shaul Mofaz and the Chief of the Israeli Airports 
Authority, Gadi Ophir, to discuss these issues in the coming 
weeks. 
 
¶6. (C) Spiegel was generally pessimistic about Rafah, saying 
that the situation is "very bad" and that "no one could stop 
the flow of money through Rafah."  The Ambassador suggested 
that the GOI would benefit from the adoption of the long-ago 
drafted customs protocol governing the Rafah crossing, which 
would help limit the amount of cash brought across the 
Egyptian border.  Spiegel recommended that the Ambassador 
raise the Rafah customs protocol issue with Foreign Minister 
Tzipi Livni and Finance Ministry Director General Yossi 
Bachar. 
 
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PERETZ REVIEWING ROUTE OF SEPARATION BARRIER? 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) The Ambassador asked Spiegel about the recent media 
report that Peretz had ordered a comprehensive review of the 
route of the separation barrier.  Spiegel said that it would 
be "impossible" for Peretz to conduct a complete review, but 
that he had heard that Peretz had appointed his political 
advisor, Hagai Alon, to meet with several NGOs, such as Peace 
Now, to discuss their concerns for the barrier's route around 
Ariel, Maale Adumim, the E-1 neighborhood, and other 
locations near Jerusalem.  Spiegel said that the decision on 
the barrier's final route would be one of the many decisions 
to be taken as part of the "realignment" plan. 
 
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DISMANTLING OUTPOSTS AND CHECKPOINTS 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (C) Spiegel reported that Justice Minister Haim Ramon and 
Peretz are in agreement that illegal outposts and settlements 
in the West Bank constitute "criminal activity" that must be 
stopped.  He said that the inclusion of settlers from such 
illegal outposts in the government's discussions has yielded 
productive results in earning settlers' trust.  Spiegel 
hinted that future actions to dismantle outposts could occur 
quite soon, once the government's lawyers reach an agreement 
on where to relocate the settlers.  The government is 
exploring options to relocate settlers on "legal settlements" 
and in communities within green-line Israel. 
 
¶9. (C) The Ambassador queried Spiegel about the latest GOI 
plans to remove obstacles to Palestinian movement in the West 
Bank.  Spiegel admitted that the number of checkpoints and 
roadblocks has actually increased in the past month to 381 
from about 350.  Spiegel told the Ambassador that despite 
this increase, he is confident that Peretz has a "clear 
philosophy" about removing obstacles to movement and 
encouraged the Ambassador to discuss this with Peretz. 
Spiegel said that the GOI understands that removing obstacles 
to movement would be a complementary part of the 
"realignment" plan. 
 
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