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Labor MK Ephraim Sneh

Israeli labor MK Ephraim Sneh told visiting Senator Jon Corzine and the Ambassador March 14 that he sees military action against Iran’s nuclear program as only a last resort. Sneh advocated external support for popular efforts for regime change in Iran, but stressed that the change has to come from within Iran.

Source: WikiLeaks

Reference	Created	Classification	Origin
05TELAVIV1588	2005-03-17 12:12	CONFIDENTIAL	Embassy Tel Aviv

 

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001588

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2015
TAGS: OREP PGOV PINR PREL KPAL MNUC IS IR GOI EXTERNAL ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: LABOR MK SNEH TELLS SENATOR CORZINE ISRAEL CANNOT
ACCEPT NUCLEAR IRAN

Classified By: Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer for reasons 1.4 (b,d).

¶1. (C) Summary: Labor MK Ephraim Sneh told visiting Senator
Jon Corzine and the Ambassador March 14 that he sees military
action against Iran’s nuclear program as only a last resort.
Sneh advocated external support for popular efforts for
regime change in Iran, but stressed that the change has to
come from within Iran. Sneh said he was optimistic about
developments between Israel and the Palestinian Authority,
but contended that Israel would view a strong Hamas showing
in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections this July as
problematic. Senator Corzine stressed the need for Israel to
do all it can — without compromising its security — to
ensure that PA President Abu Mazen succeeds. Sneh praised
the Palestinian Authority for arresting terrorists and
identifying explosives workshops, but stressed the difficulty
the GOI faces in turning over control of areas in the West
Bank and Gaza to the PA, as it requires the GOI to place
trust in the PA and, perhaps, compromise Israel’s security.
End Summary.

———————————-
Israel Cannot Tolerate Iran Threat
———————————-

¶2. (C) Labor MK Ephraim Sneh highlighted to Senator Corzine
and the Ambassador in a March 14 meeting what he
characterized as the threat presented by a nuclear Iran. He
stressed that Israel, as a Jewish state and with its history,
cannot accept the combination of an “anti-Jewish state with
huge military power.” He underscored that Israel could not
“tolerate” the Iranian situation as it stands, noting that
“(Israel’s) ability to negotiate with Arab states is
compromised with this threat.” Sneh assessed that Iran’s
missile range presently covers the “entire Gulf area” and
that Iran is continuing to develop its enrichment capability.
“We think it will be one-and-a-half years until (Iran) can
produce (enriched) material without external support,” Sneh
assessed, and that it would take “another year and a half (to
produce nuclear weapons.)” Ambassador Kurtzer pointed out
that the GOI and USG have similar data, but that the GOI has
assessed that Iran would become “independent” at an earlier
date. Senator Corzine underlined that the situation with
Iran is “very disconcerting” and that the USG would not
“stand by when Israel is imperiled.”

——————————-
Encourage Regime Change in Iran
——————————-

¶3. (C) Sneh dismissed as “stupid” and “baseless” claims in a
March 13 article in The Sunday Times of London that the U.S.
gave Israel a “green light” to take military action against
Iran. Despite the threat that Iran presents, Sneh said, he
is “not preaching for a preemptive strike.” Sneh stressed
that other options should be explored, such as “helping the
Iranian people to change their regime.” The Iranian people,
in Sneh’s view, are “thirsty for democracy” and should be
encouraged. He underlined, however, that regime change in
Iran should be at the hands of the Iranian people, not
through outside military action. The USG, Sneh suggested,
could encourage the Iranian people to initiate change by
promising that a different regime would receive USG
assistance.

¶4. (C) Sneh charged that the USG sent the wrong signal to
the Iranian government by closing the Washington office of
the Mujahadeen Khalq. Sneh contended that the group no
longer merits inclusion on the U.S. list of terrorist
organizations because, he said, it had committed no terrorist
acts since killing Americans in the 1970s. The “easiest way”
to send a strong signal to the Iranian government that the
USG is serious about its demands would be to remove the
terrorist designation from the Iranian opposition group and
allow it to reopen its Washington offices. He said the group
has strong popular backing in the U.S. and Europe, having
brought 15,000 supporters to Washington for a demonstration.
Sneh said that he raised this issue with then-Under Secretary
Grossman when Sneh was last in Washington.

¶5. (C) Senator Corzine asked whether the GOI has any
indications of other countries in the region developing
nuclear capabilities. Sneh said the GOI has some
“suspicions,” but “no proof.”

——————-
Worries About Hamas
——————-

¶6. (C) Sneh said that he is “optimistic” about the current
dynamics between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA),
but expressed concern about a possible strong showing by
Hamas in the July Palestinian Legislative Council elections.
Senator Corzine stressed the importance of Israel “doing all
it can” to help PA President Abu Mazen without compromising
Israel’s security. Sneh commented that discussions are
ongoing within the Israeli “security apparatus” about how
much control over Palestinian territory to give to the PA.
The GOI is weighing the need to give the PA more security
responsibility against the security risk, Sneh said. He
commended the PA for detaining terrorists and discovering
explosives workshops, cooperation, he noted, that has not
been publicized.

¶7. (U) Senator Corzine did not have an opportunity to clear
this message before leaving the country.

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KURTZER