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OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHTV #2604/01 3381142
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O 041142Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4448
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 002604 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS KWBG IS
SUBJECT: SETTLEMENT FREEZE: YEDIOTH REPORT ON IDF CONCERNS REGARDING 
POLITICAL SUPPORT 
 
¶1. (U) Influential journalist Alex Fishman, lead military 
correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth, published an article on Friday, 
December 4 (Note: this is the equivalent to the Sunday paper) in 
which he conveyed IDF concerns about the extent of GOI political 
support for IDF efforts to uphold the law in the West Bank, 
especially on outposts, and for their failure to uphold previous 
commitments on settlements.  Fishman adds his own criticism of the 
GOI for undermining U.S. efforts to build a regional coalition 
against Iran through unhelpful actions and rhetoric.  Fishman writes 
that as the IDF enforces the current settlement freeze, it is 
wondering if the political leadership will once again "send troops 
to a mission" while betraying that mission with a "wink" to the 
settlers.  The full text of the article, as translated from Hebrew 
by Israel News Today, appears in paragraph 3. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) COMMENT: The Embassy is repeating this article for two 
reasons.  First, the article is significant because appears in 
Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's largest circulation daily.  Unlike 
Ha'aretz, Yedioth Ahronoth is written for the Israeli mainstream; 
its audience is "middle Israel" rather than the expatriate community 
and Israeli intellectuals.  The tone of the article is unusually 
harsh for both the newspaper and the author.  Second, Alex Fishman 
maintains very close ties to the leadership of the IDF.  He is their 
favorite avenue for strategic leaks and his articles, while 
reflecting his own opinions, almost always capture the pulse of 
army.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶3.  (U) See below for the full text of Alex Fishman's article. 
 
BEGIN TEXT 
 
URBAN WARFARE 
Yedioth Ahronoth (p. B4) by Alex Fishman -- In two to three months, 
around February-March, the free world will move on to a new phase in 
its confrontation with Iran. There is already an understanding, 
including among the Americans, that the Iranians have no intention 
of accepting any compromise offered. All efforts at dialogue have so 
far ended in failure. Even the Russians realize this and are now 
cooperating. 
 
The International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to reach a 
decision this month, which will lead the UN Security Council to 
tighten economic and political sanctions against Iran. Approving 
this and garnering international support will take at least two 
months. The Americans are acting wisely and patiently this time 
around. They don't want to go at it alone. They're reaching 
understandings with all sides. 
 
Only the Chinese are left. The Saudis, for their part, have been 
recruited to guarding their oil prices the day after sanctions on 
Iran are imposed. And at the same time economic sanctions begin, so 
will the military clock start ticking. 
 
Only America's intimate and strategic partner is dealing with 
trivialities. Senior administration officials have not said this 
clearly to the defense minister or the prime minister, when the two 
visited Washington, but this is what they are thinking and 
transmitting: We're fed up with you! You want money, aid, 
cooperation? Start behaving like allies. Our present day interest 
mandates quiet in the Middle East. Do not disturb! 
 
Your contribution to the game ought to be calming the region by 
reviving the peace process with the Palestinians. After all, it was 
you who suggested, as far back as September, the idea of freezing 
settlement construction as a means of bringing Abu Mazen back to 
talks, so do something with this. We don't really believe in this 
move, but you're the ones who sold us on this whole temporary 
construction freeze idea, so at least stand by it. 
 
This was not said in words. There is still diplomatic cordiality. 
But there's nobody who isn't getting the message, which states: 
"we're heading towards an escalation with Iran, and recruiting the 
entire world, so stop behaving like the spoiled and delinquent kid 
in class." 
 
Seriousness Fees 
On Sunday the government decided to join the enlightened world, to 
behave properly and to abide by its commitments. But someone who has 
grown accustomed to lying all these years, one who has always 
announced day and night that he is upholding the law, all the while 
sending winks to the settlers, and making it clear to them that they 
are his favorites - has a hard time going clean. 
 
For decades the state has existed in the shadow of these lies, and 
everyone knew, including the army. 
 
On the eve of concluding his service as OC Central Command two 
months ago, Gadi Shamni wrote a document for his superiors in the 
IDF General Staff. It was an internal conclusion letter, but it 
intentionally deviated towards the political echelon. He wrote: One 
 
TEL AVIV 00002604  002 OF 002 
 
 
cannot expect the OC Central Command to seriously deal with 
evacuation of outpost and illegal settlements, if these decisions 
are not backed by significant support in manpower, inspectors, heavy 
machinery for demolition, police, transport vehicles and so forth. 
As long as the political echelon's decisions are not supported by 
the appropriate resources, this is essentially a wink to the 
settlers. 
 
This is not a precise quote, but it does reflect the spirit of 
things. The document was passed on to Shamni's replacement, Avi 
Mizrahi, and subsequently became the Central Command's guidebook. 
Now everyone is waiting to see if this too is an Israeli-style 
bluff. Will this freeze melt away and turn into a temporary 
moratorium, in lip service only, at the end of which ministers and 
settlers embrace each other warmly, and those remaining bruised and 
battered on the field licking their wounds will again be the 
inspectors, the policemen and the Civil Administration officials - 
and the soldiers? 
 
The new OC Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi has not yet had 
time to lose his innocence. He has not yet served as a military 
secretary-not for the defense minister and not for the prime 
minister. Mizrahi was and still is a tank man. At the end of the 
weekend he issued executive orders to freeze construction in the 
West Bank, which did not fall - in either their extensiveness or 
detail - from a plan to occupy the Syrian capital. 
 
On Friday "intelligence before operation" footage was taken by Ofek 
aircraft. Aerial photos were distributed to the various brigades, 
the Civil Administration prepared its work plan, the regional 
brigades were to execute a series of orders and to approve the 
plans, determine the traffic movement, and pass on 
event-and-response data. 
 
The earlier aerial photos are the basis. What was legally built up 
until the photo taken, will be allowed. All construction from the 
moment the photo was taken - is to be forbidden. 
 
However, already that Friday, the IDF received a problematic signal. 
Minister Gilad Erdan explained to all those concerned that the 
freeze order issued by the cabinet was legally flawed and that it 
should therefore not be implemented. The military leadership sprung 
as though bitten by a snake: "What is this thing? On the one hand 
the government tasks us with a mission, and on the other hand, a 
government minister, of the Likud, is telling us that it is illegal. 
How can we send troops to a mission this way?" asked a senior 
officer in anger. 
 
Barak and Netanyahu extinguished this small fire with internal 
conversations. On Tuesday the defense minister arrived at the 
Central Command with one mission only: promise the OC and the top 
command there that there would be no winks. That he was serious. 
 
What remains pending is how to legally handle the council chairmen 
who tore up construction freeze orders - before all in sundry and 
video cameras - and one council chairman who locked the settlement's 
gates, and forced the police to forcefully enter. Barak ordered that 
complaints be filed against them and that legal proceedings begin. 
At the same time he ordered the IDF: the settlements whose leaders 
show resistance to security forces activity are to receive a cold 
shoulder in return. 
 
Is the defense minister truly prepared to change the historical 
rules of the game in West Bank? Will "seriousness fees" truly be 
paid? What will be done, for example, to Beit Aryeh's security 
coordinator, who blocked the entry of inspectors with his military 
vehicle, which is financed by the IDF? So far the army has 
confiscated his vehicle. And what will come next? Will he be 
employed in the future? 
 
On the surface, it appears that Barak is serious. At the beginning 
of the week, for example, he held discussions about financial 
support given by various unnamed organizations to soldiers who 
demonstrate against settlement evacuation. In the end he ordered the 
State Attorney's Office to examine the possibility of filing 
lawsuits against these organizations for sedition. The State 
Attorney's Office was hesitant. 
They had their own legal reservations. But on the weekend, after 
having examined the evidence, they began legal proceedings against 
these foundations. If this works, the defense minister is truly 
establishing new rules for the game. 
 
END TEXT 
 
MORENO