NEA DAS DIBBLE'S 9/21 MEETING WITH MFA HEAD OF UN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 005900

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2015
TAGS: PREL PHUM IS LE GOI EXTERNAL ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: NEA DAS DIBBLE'S 9/21 MEETING WITH MFA HEAD OF UN
DIVISION ABOUT ISRAEL'S RECENT UN ACTIVITIES

Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR NORMAN OLSEN, FOR REASONS 1.4(B AND
D).

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) MFA Deputy Director General and Head of
the UN and International Organizations Division Aharon
Leshno Yaar told NEA Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth
Dibble September 21 that the GOI plans to ignore
Palestinian efforts to prevent adoption of a new symbol of
the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) that
would allow inclusion of the red star of David, and asked
the USG to urge the Swiss to do the same. He also
requested that the USG encourage the Swiss to hold a
conference on the symbol now, while the political climate
is conducive to progressing toward its adoption. Yaar
noted that FM Silvan Shalom does not currently speak to
Palestinian leaders, and said he has pressed Shalom to
begin doing so. Yaar reported that he himself plans to
start talking to Marwan Jilani, the Palestinian assistant
foreign minister for multilateral relations. GOI relations
with UNRWA have improved, Yaar said, while UNIFIL remains a
problem for the Israelis. Finally, Yaar described positive
progress on the adoption of a Holocaust Remembrance
Resolution in the UN General Assembly (UNGA). END SUMMARY.

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Al-Kidwa's Opposition to red star of David
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2. (C) Yaar said that Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser
Al-Kidwa has adopted a hard line against Israeli ICRC
membership and ICRC adoption of a new symbol that would
allow incorporation of the red star of David. Yaar said
Al-Kidwa is currently employing "every means to obstruct
efforts" to recognize the Jewish emblem, as he is
"desperate for achievements, since he cannot produce
results for the Palestinians in the UN." Yaar said
Al-Kidwa told the Swiss he intends to mobilize Arabs,
Muslims, and non-aligned nations to oppose adoption of the
emblem. According to Yaar, the best way to handle Al-Kidwa
is to "ignore him." The Swiss, he said, have a tendency to
listen to Al-Kidwa and then ask for Israeli concessions.
Yaar cautioned that if the Swiss respond in this manner
they will only precipitate Palestinian demands for further
concessions.


3. (C) Yaar requested that the USG encourage the Swiss
Government to ignore Al-Kidwa. The post-disengagement
period, Yaar argued, offers a rare opportunity for progress
in adopting the new symbol. "If this is not the best
time," he intoned, "then when is?" Yaar suggested that
"the Swiss plan a conference on the issue." If the
political climate changes, he said, then the conference can
be canceled at a later date.

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Encouraging FM Shalom to Speak to the Palestinians
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4. (C) According to Yaar, FM Shalom currently has no
direct contact with the Palestinians. Yaar has thus helped
prepare an "action plan" that, among other tactics,
encourages FM Shalom to speak to the Palestinians and to
deal with Gaza as if it were a new Palestinian state. Yaar
said he had received FM Shalom's "green light" to speak to
Marwan Jilani and has asked UN Middle East Envoy Alvaro de
Soto to facilitate this contact.

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GOI Relations with UNRWA and UNIFIL
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5. (C) Yaar reported that relations have improved between
the GOI and UNRWA. He said he personally likes Karen
Koning Abu Zayd, commissioner-general of UNRWA. He
mentioned, however, a recent disagreement between the GOI
and Abu Zayd about UNRWA devotion of an entire annual
report chapter to discussing the subsequently disproved
Israeli accusation that Palestinians had used UNRWA
ambulances to transport Qassam rockets. Yaar explained
that Abu Zayd was upset that the Israelis communicated
their opposition to inclusion of this chapter in the report
directly to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In the end,
Yaar said, Abu Zayd agreed to remove the chapter from the
report.


6. (C) Yaar also said that the GOI and USG should
reconsider UNRWA's long-term role in the Gaza Strip now
that the Palestinians govern there. He acknowledged UNRWA
as an enduring symbol for Palestinians of their refugee
status, but said he believes the GOI and USG should jointly
conduct a study on the future role of UNRWA in Gaza. Such
a study, he warned, would require sensitivity and should
not be made public. He insisted that the study would be
done "with UNRWA, not against it." He said he has proposed
this study to PRM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Richard Greene.


7. (C) With regard to Lebanon, Yaar emphasized that
Israel will not allow Hizballah to take refuge behind
UNIFIL. The GOI, he said, seeks to "fix the UNIFIL
situation," while taking into account American and French
interests and the vulnerability of the new Lebanese
government. Yaar said the GOI will present its ideas on
this issue to the USG before the end of this year and the
January 31 renewal of UNIFIL's mandate by the UN Security
Council.

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The Holocaust Remembrance Resolution
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8. (C) Yaar also discussed progress in the UNGA on the
Holocaust Remembrance Resolution. He said the next
challenge is to acquire as many co-sponsors as possible for
the resolution. With a strong body of co-sponsors, Yaar
explained, the "Arabs and Muslims cannot kill it." He said
70 states already support the idea of the resolution,
including several Muslim and non-aligned countries. China
supports it, he added, and Russia is a co-author of the
resolution.


9. (U) This cable has been cleared by NEA DAS Dibble.

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