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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 002707 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG SY IS
SUBJECT: DEFENSE MINISTER BARAK BRIEFS THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS 
 
 ¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  Defense Minister Ehud Barak briefed 
members of the diplomatic corps December 11 on the role of 
the Labor Party in Netanyahu's coalition government.  Barak 
noted Labor's role in moderating the coalition's right-wing 
tendencies, and stressed the GOI's commitment to move forward 
in peace negotiations with the Palestinians.  He admitted 
that the settlement moratorium fell short of Palestinian 
expectations but said even Rabin's government had not halted 
private construction in settlements.  The moratorium, he 
said, is a way to "ensure that the door (to negotiations) 
remains open."  Barak said the settlers were "agitated" by 
the moratorium because it is the first time the government 
has ordered a full stop and they see it in the context of the 
Gaza disengagement.  Barak said he would not predict what 
will happen after ten months, but said the lack of Arab 
response is making it more difficult for the GOI.  He urged 
the international community to pressure the PA to enter 
negotiations.  On the new list of national priority areas, 
Barak said that while Labor wants to prioritize communities 
in the Galilee and Negev, they have to realize they are not 
alone in the coalition.  Barak reiterated that priority 
status for settlements will not apply to housing.  Overall he 
stressed that the moratorium was meant to keep the door open 
to the Palestinians to enter negotiations, but said the most 
difficult part for Abu Mazen may be "crossing the corridor to 
reach the door."  On Syria, Barak said Israel should seize 
every opportunity to engage.  He noted the differences 
between Syria and Israel's preferred approach to negotiations 
and said "diplomatic creativity" should be used to close the 
gaps if possible.  Barak assured the diplomatic corps that he 
believes "leaders are capable of making tough decisions when 
circumstances so require."  Barak said even the right-wing 
members of the GOI coalition understand that stalemate with 
the Palestinians will mean more violence.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Minister of Defense and Labor Party Chairman Ehud 
Barak briefed members of the diplomatic corps at the party's 
training institute (Beit Berl) in Kfar Saba December 11. 
Barak's main goal appeared to be to send the signal that the 
Labor Party remains relevant and is playing an important role 
in moving Prime Minister Netanyahu's right-leaning coalition 
toward the center, particularly on Israeli-Palestinian peace 
issues. 
 
GOI Committed to Peace 
---------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) After a brief introduction by former Member of 
Knesset and Chairwoman of the party's international 
department Collette Avital, Barak began by praising President 
Obama's Nobel Prize acceptance speech in Oslo, noting that 
the President had defined the major security challenges 
facing the world as nuclear proliferation, Islamist extremist 
terrorism, and rogue and failed states, all of which are 
linked.  Barak noted that Israel is at the focal point of 
these challenges, which can only be dealt with effectively 
through a broad international coalition.  He added that he 
also sees opportunities through Israel's search for peace 
with the Palestinians, as well as with Syria and Lebanon, 
hopefully in the framework of a regional peace arrangement. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Barak said the GOI is committed to moving forward 
with the Palestinians, but it is unclear whether Abu Mazen 
intends to return to negotiations.  At the same time, Israel 
is preparing for renewed confrontations with Hamas and 
Hizballah as well as dealing with the challenges posed by 
Iran.  Noting that since the Labor Party did not receive a 
popular mandate to lead in the last elections, it faced a 
choice of joining a right-wing government or entering the 
opposition.  Barak said he made the choice to join Prime 
Minister Netanyahu's coalition government in order to promote 
the opportunities for peace while helping Israel cope with 
the many challenges it faces.  He asserted that Labor has 
achieved a lot in the eight months since the coalition was 
formed.  Without Labor, Barak doubted that the coalition 
would have endorsed the two-state solution.  He defined the 
GOI's goal as a peace agreement leading to the establishment 
of a contiguous, viable Palestinians state and the end of the 
occupation that began in 1967.  This could not have happened, 
he said, without Labor in the coalition.  While joining the 
coalition had cost Labor some internal cohesion, Barak urged 
the diplomatic corps not to pay too much attention to polling 
data, but to focus on Labor's commitment to "do the right 
thing."  Barak said he did not believe it would make sense 
for Labor to join the left-wing Meretz Party, since the 
answers to Israel's security challenges are "at the center of 
the spectrum." 
 
Settlement Moratorium 
--------------------- 
 
 
TEL AVIV 00002707  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Barak admitted that the GOI's settlement moratorium 
falls short of Palestinian expectations, but he asserted that 
it should be seen as a daring step not taken by any previous 
Israeli government.  Barak described his vision as the large 
settlement blocs remaining part of Israel in any agreement 
with the Palestinians, while the fate of the isolated 
settlements should be resolved through negotiations.   Barak 
said he reminded Abu Mazen that the latter had negotiated 
with PM Olmert while the rate of construction in settlements 
was twice what it is now.  Striking a theme he repeated 
several times, Barak called on the international community to 
help convince Abu Mazen that the time has come to start 
negotiations.  The settlement moratorium, he said, was 
intended to be a way to ensure that the door to negotiations 
is left open. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) In response to A/DCM's question regarding 
difficulties in implementing the moratorium, Barak said the 
settler resistance was greater than expected.  He explained 
that this was due in part to the settlers' realization that 
the moratorium was unprecedented in that it covered privately 
funded construction as well as public construction, something 
Barak said even Rabin's government had not done.  The 
settlers are linking this step to Sharon's decision to 
disengage from Gaza, he stated.  Labor would like to propose 
voluntary movement of settlers and government compensation, 
but he said it was too early to pursue this legislation. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Noting PM Netanyahu's public comments that 
construction in the West Bank would resume after ten months, 
Barak said he preferred not to discuss what steps the GOI 
would take at the end of the moratorium.  He noted that the 
GOI's position was made more difficult by the lack of a 
positive Arab response to the moratorium.  Israelis are 
saying that the GOI made a unilateral concession and got 
nothing in return.  The Palestinians, Barak commented, should 
feel more pressure from the international community to 
negotiate with Israel.  Abu Mazen feels that he is up in a 
tree and he needs help to get down.  Barak stated that the 
moratorium was "not a tactic" but a serious effort to get 
negotiations restarted.  The time limit was meant to give Abu 
Mazen the incentive to come to the table. 
 
National Priority Areas 
----------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Noting the announcement by PM Netanyahu's office of 
plans to change the map of communities defined as national 
priority areas, Barak said this designation gives heads of 
municipalities and local councils an advantage in seeking 
additional funding.  Labor would like to prioritize funding 
for the Galilee and Negev regions rather than settlements, 
but Barak noted that Labor must bear in mind that it is part 
of a coalition government. He assured the diplomatic corps 
that the national priority area designation for isolated 
settlements was based on their security needs and would not 
include housing incentives. 
 
Seek Opportunities to Engage Syria 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Barak said Israel should "exploit any opportunity" 
to engage Syria.  President Asad's recent statements about 
wanting to resume negotiations were "not a coincidence." 
Barak noted, however, that Asad wants negotiations to be 
indirect and public, while Netanyahu wants negotiations to be 
direct and secret.  Asad effectively wants the outcome of 
negotiations to be known in advance.  Using the analogy of a 
corridor leading to the "door" of negotiations, Barak 
commented that all the parties are afraid of coming under 
assault and even being killed (at least politically) while 
crossing the corridor to get to the door.  Creative diplomacy 
should be applied to shortening the corridor so that the 
parties can engage in a serious process. 
 
GOI Able to Take Tough Decisions 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Asked whether the Israeli government is capable of 
taking tough decisions, Barak said he believes that Israeli 
leaders are capable of making difficult decisions when the 
situation requires.  Menachem Begin decided to give up the 
Sinai, while Sharon deserted the Gaza settlers.  Rabin 
accepted the Oslo process even though he despised Arafat. 
The question was how to cross the corridor in order to reach 
the door.  Abu Mazen, he commented, might be willing to take 
a decision to make peace but still not be able to cross the 
corridor.  Barak concluded the briefing by commenting that a 
political stalemate would create a vacuum that would in turn 
be filled by a return to violence.  The right wing elements 
of the GOI coalition also understand this situation and 
 
TEL AVIV 00002707  003 OF 003 
 
 
therefore are willing to make concessions to break the 
stalemate. 
CUNNINGHAM