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

110726Z May 06

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001844 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CODEL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2016 
TAGS: ECON EG IR IS KBCT KPAL PGOV PREL PTER SY GOI EXTERNAL ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: OLMERT: CONVERGENCE TO BE MAIN THRUST OF MY 
GOVERNMENT 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
 ¶1. (C) Summary.  In a meeting with CODEL Cochran on April 
21, a tired but upbeat Ehud Olmert detailed his "convergence" 
plan to establish Israel's final borders within four years 
and begin the relocation of thousands of Israeli settlers. 
Olmert told the CODEL that he had formed a coalition of 84 
Knesset members, all of whom had agreed to support 
convergence as a prerequisite for joining the government. 
Calling convergence a "60 to 70 per cent solution" to a 
lasting peace, the Acting Prime Minister (A/PM) stressed that 
such an incremental approach to peace would yield greater 
results than an "all or nothing" strategy.  Olmert said he 
was confident that he could garner sufficient international 
support for convergence while President Bush, Tony Blair and 
Angela Merkel are in office.  On the April 17 suicide bombing 
in Tel Aviv, he criticized Hamas' public support for the 
attack and declared his intention to establish Israel's 
borders soon rather than wait for Hamas to agree to the 
Quartet's three conditions.  Regarding Iran, Olmert doubted 
that UN sanctions could prevent Iran's acquisition of a 
nuclear weapon. Finally, he praised Egypt for its improved 
security coordination along the Philadelphi Corridor, and 
announced his intention to visit Cairo later in the year. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) The CODEL, consisting of Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), 
Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), 
RADM John Eishold, Tom Hawkins, Paul Grove, Keith Kennedy, 
Stewart Holmes, Dr. Mark Keenan, Janice O'Connell, Kay 
Webber, and the Ambassador met with Olmert, Senior Policy 
Advisor Dov Weissglas, Foreign Policy Advisor Shalom 
Tourgeman, Ambassador Yoram Ben-Zeev, Major General Gadi 
Shamni, and MFA Congressional liaison Iris Sapir at the 
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor in Jerusalem. 
 
------------------------------------ 
A COALTION OF 84 ACCEPTS CONVERGENCE 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (C) Wearing an open-collar shirt with no jacket, A/PM Ehud 
Olmert apologized to the CODEL for his relaxed appearance and 
explained that he had been in coalition negotiations until 
0530 that morning and had just gone home to shower and change 
before the meeting.  The A/PM revealed that he would present 
his government to Israeli President Moshe Katsav in late 
April, and claimed that he had built the largest coalition 
government -- at 84 members -- in the last 30 years.  Olmert 
added that he had included parties on both the left and right 
in order to position himself in the center of a balanced 
coalition, and had made acceptance of his convergence plan a 
prerequisite for joining the government.  He told the CODEL 
that it was the goal of his administration to change the 
borders of Israel, and that the convergence plan will be the 
"main thrust" of his new government. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
CONVERGENCE: A 60-70 PER CENT SOLUTION 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C)  According to Olmert, neither he nor his supporters 
believe that physically separating Israelis from Palestinians 
will bring about complete peace, but he said that "all or 
nothing" is the wrong strategy to pursue in the pursuit of 
peace.  Olmert claimed that, after the convergence is 
completed, 90 per cent of Palestinians will have no contact 
with Israeli soldiers or undergo searches at Israeli 
checkpoints, which he called a "huge step" towards a lasting 
peace. He characterized his convergence plan as a "60 to 70 
per cent solution," after which his successors will be able 
to "do the rest." 
 
--------------------------------- 
A POLITICAL WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) When queried about his timeline for executing the 
convergence plan, Olmert responded that within four years, he 
intends to have completed all preparations and have begun 
relocating "tens of thousands" of settlers.  Although Olmert 
acknowledged that convergence would be more effective if done 
as part of an agreement with the PA, he refused to define the 
move as "unilateral" without such an agreement so long as it 
was coordinated with the United States and the international 
community.  Dov Weissglas interrupted Olmert briefly to 
emphasize that, following convergence, Israel will want 
international recognition of the new borders even without an 
agreement from the Palestinians.  Olmert called President 
Bush the "natural partner" to help him see this plan through, 
and said that he has an opportunity to build the necessary 
international support for convergence while Bush, Tony Blair, 
and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are in office.  Olmert 
said that he will visit Washington on May 23 and offered to 
share more complete details of his plan with the senators at 
that time.  He advised the CODEL that when he is in 
Washington, he will call for a more significant USG 
involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian situation, and 
cautioned that convergence will be "very costly." 
 
------------------------------------- 
ON HAMAS REACTION TO TEL AVIV BOMBING 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) When asked about the April 17 suicide bombing in Tel 
Aviv, Olmert answered that he would not be manipulated into 
reacting and that the Israeli government was "mature enough" 
to act at a time and place of its choosing.  Olmert said he 
was discouraged by the Hamas reaction to the bombing, the 
first such attack inside Green-line Israel since Hamas 
assumed control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). 
 While noting that the GOI has no evidence that Hamas 
provided direct logistical support for the attack, Olmert 
asserted that its public support would legitimize and 
encourage more terrorism.  In Olmert's opinion, terrorism 
will grow to fill the void created by the absence of a 
political process towards peace.  He declared that he will 
act, rather than wait indefinitely for Hamas to agree to the 
Quartet's three conditions for peace negotiations to resume. 
 
----------------- 
ON SYRIA AND IRAN 
----------------- 
 
¶7. (C) When asked why Israel does not put greater pressure on 
Syria, given that Damascus is the home of the Palestinian 
Islamic Jihad (PIJ) headquarters, Olmert answered that 
neither the Syrians nor the PIJ leadership in Damascus "will 
enjoy immunity.  No one in no place should feel that they can 
act free from accountability.  We can touch them and we know 
how to deal with them...on our own time." 
 
¶8. (C) Regarding Iran, Olmert commented that while a UN 
Security Council resolution leading to sanctions might "get 
the attention" of Iranian President Ahmadinejad, he doubted 
that Russia and China would support such diplomatic measures. 
 Even if sanctions proved possible, Olmert expressed concern 
that the UN process would take so long that it would 
ultimately be ineffective in preventing Iranian acquisition 
of a nuclear weapon.  He concluded by saying that in his life 
experience, "when a dictator speaks about wiping out another 
nation, you had better listen to him."  Dov Weissglas 
interjected that Ahmadinejad is a "psycho" with an 
apocalyptic worldview. 
 
--------------------------------- 
RELATIONS WITH EGYPT NEVER BETTER 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) Olmert characterized Israel's relations with Egypt as 
"complex," but said that security coordination between the 
two states is better than it has ever been.  He claimed to 
have spoken at least six times with Egyptian President 
Mubarak in the last month alone.  Olmert took credit for 
promoting the creation of a Qualified Industrial Zone (QIZ) 
for Egyptian textiles, and said that he plans to visit Cairo 
later this year.  He commended the Egyptians for improving 
their efforts to interdict smuggling along the Philadelphi 
Corridor, but warned that the threat of terrorism from Sinai 
is still great.  At Olmert's request, Major General Shamni 
then briefed the CODEL on the recent Hamas nominee for 
Director General of the Palestinian Interior Ministry, Jamal 
Abu Samhadana.  According to Shamni, Samhadana is the 
"godfather" of the Gazan terrorist syndicate and has 
facilitated the movement of personnel and weapons from Sinai 
into Gaza for years. 
 
¶10. (U) CODEL Cochran cleared this cable. 
 
********************************************* ******************** 
Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website. 
********************************************* ******************** 
JONES