ISRAELI VIEW OF CHILE AND CONFLICT IN LEBANON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTIAGO 001650

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2016
TAGS: PREL CI IS VE LE
SUBJECT: ISRAELI VIEW OF CHILE AND CONFLICT IN LEBANON

REF: SANTIAGO 1588

Classified By: Ambassador Craig A. Kelly for reasons 1.4 (b and d)


1. (C) Summary. Israeli Ambassador David Cohen met the
Ambassador August 1 to ask if the U.S. had formally
approached Chile about participating in a multi-national
force in Lebanon. Ambassador replied we he not made any
formal approaches, but had been sounding out Chilean
thinking. Cohen briefed the Ambassador on Israeli diplomatic
activity to create a Congressional group that could block
anti-Israeli resolutions. He said he had also asked the
Chilean Jewish community to be more vocal on Chile's upcoming
decision to UNSC vote for Venezuela or Guatemala. In a
follow-up phone call about his meeting with FM Foxley, Cohen
said Foxley stressed recent Chilean statements were directed
only at condemning the civilian losses at Qana and did not
mention possible Chilean participation in peacekeeping. End
Summary.


2. (C) Israeli Ambassador to Chile David Cohen called on the
Ambassador August 1 before meeting Chilean FM Foxley. Cohen
asked if the U.S. had officially approached Chile about
participating in multi-national peacekeeping in Lebanon. He
said Israel itself had not yet decided if it wanted Chilean
participation. The Ambassador replied that we had not
formally asked the GOC, however, Chile had been invited to
the Force Generation Meeting currently scheduled at the UN
for August 3. The Ambassador added the Chilean military had
approached the Embassy's Defense Attache's office about
logistical details of deploying to the Middle East. At least
some elements inside the GOC were looking at the possibility
of joining such a force. The Ambassador told Cohen that FM
Foxley had said privately July 31 while he personally would
like to see Chile offer troops, this was not official GOC
policy. The Ambassador reminded Cohen that Chile had
provided the key vote that passed UNSC 1559 and this remained
a point of pride in Chile.


3. (C) Cohen briefed the Ambassador on recent Israeli
diplomatic efforts. He had been asked by the Christian
Democratic Party to urge the Chilean Jewish community to a
more activist role. Cohen said he agreed and had met with
Jewish leaders July 31. Given Venezuelan President Chavez's
statements while in Iran, Chilean Jewish leaders had agreed
to make public statements urging Chile not to vote for
Venezuela for the UNSC seat. He said the leaders of the
Chilean Jewish community would also seek a private meeting
with FM Foxley on the issue.


4. (C) Cohen said there would be a special session in the
Chilean Chamber of Deputies August 3 to discuss the loss of
lives at Qana. Eugenio Tuma, an ethnic Palestinian delegate,
requested the session as he is reportedly frustrated over
what he perceives to be the pro-Israeli resolutions on the
Middle East passed by the Chilean Congress in the last two
months. Cohen said the Israeli embassy had developed an
inter-parliamentary group that includes 24 Chilean senators
and deputies. At this point, the group includes all of the
major parties except for the Socialist Party. In July, the
group was able to block and then modify three anti-Israeli
resolutions.


5. (C) In a subsequent phone call to the Ambassador, Cohen
said Foxley's desire for a meeting had been to explain the
context of GOC statements on the civilian deaths at Qana.
Foxley stressed to Cohen that Chile was not taking sides but
that President Bachelet had been greatly distressed over the
pictures of dead children at Qana. She had asked Foxley to
issue a statement condemning the attack. Cohen said he and
Foxley spent nearly an hour reviewing the areas in Israel
under attack by Hizbollah rockets. Foxley made no mention
about peacekeeping in Lebanon.


6. (C) Comment. It's possible FM Foxley, in his private
statements to the Ambassador and public hints about Chilean
participation in peacekeeping, has gotten out in front of
President Bachelet. Bachelet is likely anticipating the
question, but it is unclear how she would respond. Prominent
Chilean publisher Alvaro Saieh, himself of Palestinian
Christian origin, told Ambassador August 1 that he thought
Chileans would support a GOC decision to participate in an
international force in Lebanon. It is noteworthy Israel has
not decided if it would welcome Chilean participation. The
Israeli embassy does not consider the battle for Chilean
hearts and minds won, especially considering the size of the
ethnic though Christian Palestinian community. (Note: Chile
reportedly has the largest Palestinian community outside the
Middle East, some 300,000, overwhelmingly Christian and fully
integrated for generations.) Its efforts to develop a
balanced Congressional bloc and an activist Chilean Jewish
community could positively impact range of issues such as
Chile's decision on its candidate for the UNSC.
KELLY