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 000634 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2016 
TAGS: ECON KPAL KWBG PGOV IS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS GOI EXTERNAL GAZA DISENGAGEMENT
SUBJECT: EREZ CLOSES FOLLOWING ARMED ATTACK 
 
Classified By: DCM Gene A. Cretz, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary: Israeli officials closed the Erez crossing 
for an indefinite period following an assault by armed 
Palestinian gunmen in the early hours of February 9.  Israeli 
soldiers killed the attackers.  There were no Israeli 
casualties.  An MOD official said that, during the period of 
Karni's recent closure, officials had discovered a pipe that 
terrorists had penetrated near the crossing.  End summary. 
 
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EREZ ATTACKED 
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¶2.  (C) Erez crossing was closed February 9 following an 
early morning assault by armed Palestinian gunmen.  MOD 
Coordination and Liaison Administration Foreign Relations and 
International Organizations Department Chief Major Uri Singer 
told econoff that the two men, firing AK-47s and lobbing 
grenades, attacked the checkpoint at approximately 4:15AM 
local time.  (Note:  According to press reports, the Aksa 
Martyrs Brigade and the Popular Resistance Committees have 
claimed joint responsibility for the attack.  End note.) 
Singer said the two men had come down the road from the 
Palestinian side and hid behind cement blocks about 30 meters 
from the checkpoint before they commenced firing.  He said 
that IDF soldiers and the militants exchanged fire for thirty 
minutes before the attackers were shot dead.  There were no 
Israeli casualties.  Israeli soldiers found four unexploded 
hand grenades, eight full magazines, wire cutters, a suicide 
belt, and the two AK-47s when they checked the bodies, said 
Singer. 
 
¶3.  (C) Singer said the first indication of a possible 
incident was at 2:00AM when the number of Palestinian workers 
seeking to cross dwindled to zero.  Peak crossing times are 
between 1-8AM, said Singer, and normally there would have 
been hundreds of pedestrians at the checkpoint at that time 
of night.  He said a civilian security guard at the 
checkpoint alerted the IDF that something was afoot.  Singer 
said that this scenario was similar to an attack on Rafah 
that took place on January 13, 2005.  According to Singer, a 
search and destroy mission was ongoing (at mid-day February 
9) to make sure the area was clear of any unexploded 
ordinance. 
 
¶4.  (C) Singer did not know when Erez might be reopened.  He 
said that Erez is the only crossing point currently open for 
ordinary pedestrians entering Israel from Gaza.  He indicated 
that the crossing could be open for emergency situations, but 
such instances would be considered on a case-by-case basis. 
Regarding a possible alternative, he said that Israel could 
offer Kerem Shalom, but indicated that might not be a viable 
option.  Singer added that when a crossing is attacked there 
is no reason to open an alternative right away. 
 
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KARNI TUNNEL 
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¶5.  (C) Despite press reports to the contrary, Singer said 
that a tunnel had been discovered at Karni crossing during 
the nearly three-week period it had been closed.  He said 
that terrorists had penetrated a pipe from the storm water 
basin that had been funded by the World Bank.  He said that, 
prior to construction, the GOI had asked the World Bank to 
install safety grids to prevent unauthorized entry.  Singer 
did not know the width of the pipe, but offered that it is 
wide enough for someone to crawl through.  (Note: A USAID 
contract security expert examined the storm drain pipe, and 
he did not believe it had been used by terrorists.  End note.) 
 
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JONES