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PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #2166 2741434
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 011434Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3662
INFO RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 2897
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0636
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS BE PRIORITY
RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN 0827
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0621
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 1137
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0468
RUEHVT/AMEMBASSY VALLETTA 0199
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 3135
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 4737
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6647
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 6858
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 1109

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002166 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE PASS USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWBG ETRD ECON PREL IS
SUBJECT: GOI HARDENS LINE ON PA WTO OBSERVER STATUS 
 
REF: A) GENEVA 0814 B) SECSTATE 99831 
 
¶1. (SBU) MFA's Middle East Economic Bureau Director Yael 
Ravia called EconCouns late Wednesday evening to inform 
Embassy of the hardened GOI position on a potential 
Palestinian Authority request for permanent WTO observer 
status.  Ravia said the current GOI position, which she 
confirmed had been communicated to the Israeli mission in 
Geneva (ref A), is to oppose both permanent and ad hoc 
observership for either General Council or Ministerial 
meetings.  She would not be drawn out on the decision to take 
a tougher stance, other than to note that the Palestinian 
resolution in Geneva endorsing the Goldstone report, the 
Palestinian ICC complaint, and statements by senior PA 
officials at the recent Fatah Congress had not set a very 
positive tone for the GOI-PA relationship. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Ravia pressed for info on the U.S. position and 
urged USG support for the Israeli stance, indicating that she 
had heard we were leaning in that direction.  EconCouns told 
Ravia that there were two issues at play.  The USG is now 
reviewing the technical question of whether the PA legally 
qualifies for permanent observer status.  While preliminary 
review raised questions suggesting that a PA request for 
permanent observer status might be premature, the USG has not 
yet determined that to be the case. 
 
¶3. (SBU) On the political question, EconCouns reminded Ravia 
that the USG had a long-standing policy of supporting 
capacity-building work that would prepare the Palestinians 
for statehood.  He noted that in 2005, this had led the U.S. 
to support ad hoc PA observership at the Hong Kong 
Ministerial, and told her that we would support inviting the 
PA to be an observer at the November 30 - December 2 
Ministerial for the same reasons. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ravia characterized the PA's request for permanent 
WTO observer status as "purely political," and reiterated 
that there was no wiggle-room in the GOI position.  She asked 
that the Embassy inform the MFA of any final USG legal 
determination of PA qualifications for permanent observership. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: Earlier discussions with MFA and the 
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor (MOITaL) had left the 
door open to discussion of ad hoc observership, at least for 
Ministerial meetings. Ravia's comments made it quite clear 
that the GOI wants USG to join it in taking a hard line, is 
not willing to hear that our position is more nuanced than 
the current Israeli stance.  Even if we can convince our 
Israeli interlocutors that there is daylight between us on 
this issue, a GOI shift on ad hoc observer status seems 
unlikely. 
CUNNINGHAM