This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 001391 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP: GAYATRI PATEL; NEA/IPA: JOSHUA DAVIS; 
NEA/RA: JOHN MENARD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB IS KCRM HUMANITARIAN AID ISRAELI SOCIETY GOI INTERNAL
SUBJECT: RECENT GOI PROGRESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST 
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Director 
General Aharon Abramovitch told the Ambassador April 3 that 
the GOI seeks to abolish all forms of trafficking in persons. 
 De facto Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Rahel Gershuni 
reported that the government's inter-ministerial 
anti-trafficking committee plans to educate police officers 
about the importance of pursuing more criminal indictments 
instead of administrative penalties when confronting 
employers that abuse their foreign workers.  The committee 
has recommended creation of a coordinator position within the 
Israeli National Police (INP) to handle cases of employers 
that abuse their workers.  The Ambassador stressed to DG 
Abramovitch the importance of creating an official anti-TIP 
coordinator position, and Abramovitch replied that technical 
difficulties that have caused delays should be resolved 
within "a few weeks."  The Ambassador replied affirmatively 
to a request from Abramovitch for USG support for a one-day, 
anti-TIP seminar that Gershuni has planned for July.  After 
the meeting, the Ambassador informed Gershuni that the 
Department has selected her as a "hero" in the fight against 
trafficking.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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DIRECTOR-GENERAL VOICES GOI COMMITMENT TO FIGHT TRAFFICKING 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Ministry of Justice Director General Aharon 
Abramovitch told the Ambassador that the GOI seeks to abolish 
all forms of trafficking in persons.  He said that 
trafficking is a relatively new phenomenon in Israel, but he 
emphasized that "we as a country will not accept trafficking 
as a phenomenon that can continue." 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
PROGRESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST LABOR TRAFFICKING 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Gershuni said that the GOI's inter-ministerial 
anti-trafficking committee has met four times already this 
year specifically to address the issue of labor trafficking. 
She reported that the committee has decided to focus its 
efforts in the coming months particularly on educating police 
officers about the importance of pursuing more criminal 
indictments instead of administrative penalties when 
confronting employers that abuse their foreign workers.  The 
committee has also recommended creation of a coordinator 
position within the Israeli National Police (INP) to handle 
cases of employers that abuse their workers.  Gershuni added 
that the Supreme Court ruling of March 30 that prohibits the 
current practice of "binding" foreign workers to one employer 
will significantly decrease the power of potentially abusive 
employers. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Gershuni said that she is aware of approximately 15 
to 20 cases of labor trafficking in 2005, and noted that 
while she may be unaware of other cases, she firmly believes 
that fewer than 100 instances of labor trafficking occurred 
in Israel during the past year.  She explained that she 
perceives a difference between conditions that violate 
workers' rights and conditions that amount to labor 
trafficking.  She claimed that trafficking in persons for the 
purposes of labor occurs rarely in Israel, while abuse of 
foreign workers unfortunately occurs more often.  The 
Ambassador noted that, by definition, traffickers deprive a 
"trafficked" person of the agency or power to change basic 
aspects of his personal circumstances; it seems possible, he 
said, that if the GOI claims that about 70,000 foreign 
workers resided in Israel during 2005, then more than 100 
were trafficked. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
PROGRESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SEX TRAFFICKING 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Gershuni reported that the MOJ will issue April 10 
to the INP and the Immigration Administration (IA) a new 
policy directive intended to help identify trafficking 
victims in Israel's detention centers.  According to the new 
policy, Gershuni explained, police officers and IA officials 
must now fill out a "checklist" every time they detain a 
foreigner in Israel.  The checklist, Gershuni said, contains 
questions about the detainee's country of origin and point of 
entry, among many other details.  Judges at the detention 
center must then review the checklist to see whether the 
detainee matches a profile of trafficking victims.  If so, 
Gershuni said, then the judge must immediately contact the 
Legal Aid office in the MOJ.  Gershuni called poloff April 6 
to report that Justice Minister Tzipi Livni just approved new 
guidelines to provide free legal representation, through the 
Legal Aid office, to any persons in Israel's detention 
centers who are suspected victims of trafficking.  (Note: The 
government previously provided this free legal aid only to 
trafficking victims residing in the shelter for trafficked 
women.  End note.) 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Gershuni reported that these efforts also have the 
full and enthusiastic support of Boaz Okon, president of the 
Israeli Courts Administration.  She said that she hopes these 
changes "will create a synergy between immigration officials, 
police, and judges so that many more trafficking victims can 
be identified."  Since the new policies may lead to the 
identification of a greater number of sex trafficking victims 
in the detention centers, Gershuni explained, a team 
comprising the inter-ministerial anti-trafficking committee, 
the Ministry of Public Welfare, NGOs, and the shelter staff 
has begun seeking additional housing for victims of sex 
trafficking, since the shelter only has space for 50 people. 
According to Gershuni, they are currently examining the 
possibility of secure "half-way houses" similar to those used 
by the GOI to accommodate victims of domestic violence. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Abramovitch added that the GOI may begin paying to 
send back to their countries of origin victims who request to 
recover at home, and then pay again to fly the victims back 
to Israel in order to testify against their traffickers.  In 
the past, Gershuni noted, the GOI generally required the 
victims to stay in Israel pending the trial of their 
traffickers.  Gershuni also said that she will be meeting 
April 11 with the director general of the Population 
Administration, Yissachar Katsir, who leads the process of 
devising and implementing visa policy for trafficking 
victims. 
 
--------------------------------- 
GOI ANTI-TIP COORDINATOR POSITION 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Ambassador stressed to DG Abramovitch the 
importance of creating an official coordinator position in 
order to improve collaboration within the government and to 
establish a single entry-point for ideas and complaints from 
outside the government.  The Ambassador then asked what has 
delayed the official appointment of a coordinator, since the 
government budgeted for the position in May 2005. 
Abramovitch first cited "technical difficulties," but then 
said that these should be resolved within "a few weeks." 
Abramovitch noted that the government has also budgeted for a 
part-time administrative assistant for Gershuni, as well as 
two law students to provide research and support.  (Note: The 
director general of the MOJ heads the inter-ministerial 
committee of directors general that oversees GOI 
anti-trafficking efforts.  NGOs and de facto coordinator 
Gershuni have told poloff that Abramovitch has the power to 
ensure the creation of the official coordinator position, or 
to delay its creation.  End note.) 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Gershuni added that she believes that the 
government should create two coordinator positions -- one to 
fight sex trafficking, and one to prevent labor trafficking. 
She reported that the foreign workers ombudsman, Iris Mayan, 
has already begun to move beyond her official duties to play 
the role of unofficial coordinator of the GOI fight against 
employers who abuse their foreign workers.  Abramovitch noted 
that Gershuni also began her coordinating work by quietly 
acting first, and then seeking permission later.  The 
Ambassador asked whether the soon-to-be-established 
anti-trafficking coordinator position might lead, in the 
future, to creation of an anti-trafficking agency or 
authority.  Abramovitch replied that he hoped that 
trafficking would be abolished before the GOI needed such an 
institution.  He added that situating the anti-trafficking 
coordinator in the MOJ has the significant advantage of 
proximity to the Attorney General. 
 
-------------------- 
GOI ANTI-TIP SEMINAR 
-------------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Abramovitch asked for USG support for the one-day, 
anti-TIP seminar that Gershuni has planned for July. 
Gershuni told poloff in several previous meetings that she 
views this seminar as a major opportunity both to create 
pressure on the government to appoint an official 
coordinator, and to announce publicly the identity and role 
of this coordinator.  She said that she plans to invite to 
the seminar officials from approximately 18 government 
ministries as well as leading NGOs and selected journalists. 
(Note: Gershuni herself will likely be appointed to serve as 
the GOI's first official coordinator.  End note.)  The 
Ambassador noted that this seminar will be a good opportunity 
for the newly empowered -- and official -- anti-TIP 
coordinator to increase momentum in the fight against 
trafficking.  Abramovitch requested that the USG provide 
official support to the seminar by recruiting a high-profile 
speaker from Washington, and that we provide a minimal 
financial contribution.  He noted that the speaker is more 
important to the GOI than the grant.  The Ambassador 
communicated USG support for this seminar and said we will 
try our best to provide both a speaker and a small grant. 
 
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ANTI-TIP "HERO" AWARD 
--------------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The Ambassador informed Gershuni and Abramovitch 
that the State Department has selected Gershuni as a "hero" 
in the fight against trafficking.  Gershuni said that she 
felt honored, but that NGOs deserve this recognition.  Poloff 
explained that while the NGOs do excellent and vital work, 
Gershuni has demonstrated that committed individuals can work 
effectively from within government to fight against 
trafficking.  She expressed her thanks and accepted the terms 
of the award. 
 
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