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