Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
05TELAVIV1395 | 2005-03-09 12:57:00 | 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 TEL AVIV 001395 |
1. (C) ICRC Head of Delegation Francois Bellon and Deputy Head Carlos Batallas met March 1 with Polcouns, Legatt and Poloff to review details and follow-up of a reported potential threat to ICRC members inside the Gaza Strip. Legatt had conveyed to the ICRC February 26 a non-specific report he had received suggesting that an ICRC employee had been detained by unknown persons inside the Gaza Strip, and that any ICRC personnel sent to Gaza to assist in the detainee's retrieval would be a target for a kidnapping/terror. Legatt cautioned that this information, received from GOI contacts, was uncorroborated and its credibility unknown. Legatt later received information from PA officials that a Red Crescent employee had been detained by the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip and subsequently released, which may have corroborated the earlier GOI information. 2. (C) Bellon voiced thanks for the warning, however non-specific, and said that he had immediately undertaken communications with Gaza leaders of PIJ, Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committees to convey his concern and seek their assurances that they had not undertaken any action against ICRC personnel. Bellon noted that the PRC, in particular, has various cells, but said it was clear from his discussions that "none of the known actors" were behind the reported threat. The concern, he said, is that a single very small cell may be determined to disrupt the peace process. Bellon recalled to emboffs a threat that the ICRC received via the GOI during the hudna, or cease-fire, in early July, 2003, identifying the ICRC as a soft target. He added that half of the ICRC Gaza staff remained outside of the Gaza Strip as of March 1, and that he would be reviewing conditions to determine when they might return. 3. (C) Bellon added that in discussions with now-Interior Minister Nasser Yusif, immediately after receiving Legatt's warning, Yusif cited the possibility that a single individual could be at fault. Yusif agreed, Bellon said, that there would be very strong repercussions if any action occurred against the ICRC, and agreed to enhance police vigilance around ICRC facilities in the Gaza Strip. Bellon said that "the ICRC usually enjoys high acceptability" in conflict situations. He noted that an ICRC withdrawal from the Gaza Strip prior to disengagement would be "very painful," and suggested that the U.S. could help by calling on the Palestinian Authority to ensure the safety of ICRC personnel from future attack or detention. ********************************************* ******************** 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. ********************************************* ******************** KURTZER |