CONSUL GENERAL AND UNRWA COMMISSIONER GENERAL

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001292 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAL KWBG PGOV PREL PREF IS SUBJECT: CONSUL GENERAL AND UNRWA COMMISSIONER GENERAL KAREN ABUZAYD: USD 40 MILLION COMMITTMENT AND USG SUPPORT ¶1. (U) In a June 21 meeting with UNRWA Commissioner General Karen AbuZayd, the Consul General confirmed the USG contribution of $40 million to UNRWA's 2007 Emergency Appeal and reaffirmed the USG commitment to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. AbuZayd expressed appreciation for continuing USG support, which she said will help provide much-need food, health services, and employment opportunities. She said UNRWA's Gaza operations have resumed following the violence that accompanied Hamas' take-over of Gaza, a small number of international staff have returned to Gaza, and local Gaza staff are resuming summer program plans. ¶2. (SBU) AbuZayd said finding a solution to the problem of crossings at Gaza will be critical for the requisite quantities of food and other assistance to reach Gazans, and she hopes the Karni/al Mintar crossing will reopen soon to avoid a depletion of available food stocks. She added that exclusive use of the Kerem Shalom crossing will be inadequate to meet humanitarian needs, because it cannot handle enough truckloads per day. The Consul General said the issue of security on the Palestinian side of the crossings will likely be a problem for the foreseeable future. ¶3. (U) Local Palestinian daily newspaper Al-Ayyam (circulation 22,000) and Ma'an online news, which has the highest readership among Palestinians news websites, covered the meeting between the Consul General and UNRWA ComGen, highlighting the Consul General's statement that the USG's "continued commitment to UNRWA illustrates our concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people, especially those in Gaza." Press reports quoted AbuZayd as stating that UNRWA is "immensely grateful for this generous contribution for our severely underfunded Emergency Appeal." All local media outlets also featured prominent coverage of the Secretary's June 18 annoucement. WALLES