Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09GENEVA336
2009-04-29 17:26:00
CONFIDENTIAL
US Mission Geneva
Cable title:  

ICRC BRIEFS CHARGE ON WEST BANK BARRIER REPORT

Tags:  PHUM PREF 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO2340
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHGV #0336/01 1191726
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 291726Z APR 09
FM USMISSION GENEVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8346
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GENEVA 000336 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2019
TAGS: PHUM PREF
SUBJECT: ICRC BRIEFS CHARGE ON WEST BANK BARRIER REPORT

Classified By: CDA Mark Storella for reasons 1.4 B & D

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GENEVA 000336

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2019
TAGS: PHUM PREF
SUBJECT: ICRC BRIEFS CHARGE ON WEST BANK BARRIER REPORT

Classified By: CDA Mark Storella for reasons 1.4 B & D


1. (C) Summary: The International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) in Geneva has issued a new confidential report
on the humanitarian consequences of the West Bank Barrier.
ICRC is sharing the report with the Government of Israel
(GOI) and a limited number of other countries through their
missions in both Tel Aviv and Geneva in order to raise
awareness of these issues and to ask governments to support
ICRC's recommendations in their own bilateral discussions
with Israel. A copy of the report is being sent to PRM/MCE.
End summary.


2. (C) Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, ICRC's Head of Operations
for the Middle East and North Africa, briefed the Charge
April 27 on ICRC's recent report, "Humanitarian Consequences
of the West Bank Barrier's Winding Route: The Case of
Qalqilia and Salfit Districts." Megevand-Roggo said this
report is being shared with the GOI and with a limited number
of Embassies in Tel Aviv and Permanent Missions in Geneva,
including the UK, Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Norway,
Germany, and the European Commission in Brussels. She
explained that ICRC considers the Barrier, in so far as it
deviates from 1949 Armistice Green Line, to be contrary to
International Humanitarian Law (IHL) as per the Fourth Geneva
Convention, since it represents a permanent annexation of
occupied territory.


3. (C) Megevand-Roggo continued that the current report is
focused solely on the humanitarian consequences of the
Barrier, in particular in Qalqilia and Salfit Districts where
the Barrier extends "like two fingers" into Palestinian areas
in order to encompass Israeli settlements. She stated that
the Green Line is approximately 18km long while the Barrier's
deviation covers some 50km. The ICRC report quotes the
effects of the Barrier to result "in expropriation, damage
and destruction of Palestinian property and curtailment of
access" and that it "hinders the local Palestinian residents'
access to their relatives, land, work and basic services."
ICRC claims in the report that all of the humanitarian
consequences of the Barrier taken together contravene
Israel's responsibility as an "occupier" under IHL.


4. (C) The Charge asked Megevand-Roggo if ICRC intended to
make the report public or if it was moving in the direction
of a public statement by discussing this report with a larger
circle of governments. Megevand-Roggo said the ICRC has no
intention at the moment to make the report public.
Exhibiting clear frustration, she said that for forty-two
years ICRC had maintained its traditional approach of
confidentiality with governments in conversations with, and
providing reports to, the GOI. She said that ICRC believes
this has had virtually no impact on GOI practices, pointing
to the recent Gaza conflict where Israeli conduct of
hostilities was even worse than the conduct for which ICRC
had criticized the GOI confidentially after the 2006 Lebanon
war. For this reason, ICRC has decided to share its new
report with a small number of countries it believes to have
influence with the GOI, in the hope that they will
incorporate ICRC's recommendations into their own bilateral
discussions with Israel. Megevand-Roggo said she could not
guarantee that ICRC would not make some sort of public
statement in the future about these matters should ICRC
decide that such action is necessary.


5. (C) The Charge thanked Megevand-Roggo for sharing the
report, noting that the Barrier is a difficult issue. He
reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to a two-state solution and
underscored the new Administration's active engagement in the
Peace Process. He urged ICRC, as it determines how to handle
dissemination of such information, to take into consideration
the strong investment the U.S. and others are making in
advancing the peace process. He encouraged ICRC to stay in
close contact with us on these issues, particularly if ICRC
decides to go beyond its usual practice of confidentiality
and make any public comments. Megevand-Roggo expressed
appreciation for the U.S. role in the region and promised to
stay in touch.


6. (C) The ICRC report lists the following recommendations:

- Refrain from building all planned sections of the Barrier
as long as they deviate from the Green Line.
- Re-route constructed segments of the Barrier, avoiding the
isolation of houses and villages in all cases.
- Wherever communities are landlocked, find viable solutions
for ensuring their regular access to essential services.
- Widen the criteria for the attribution of agricultural
permits, drastically increase their numbers, and refrain from
issuing gate-specific permits.
- Increase the number of gates and locate them in line with
agricultural roads.
- Allow year-round access with flocks, vehicles, machines,

GENEVA 00000336 002 OF 002


tools, fertilizers and pesticides to lands isolated by the
Barrier.


7. (U) We have forwarded a copy of the ICRC report to
PRM/MCE.
STORELLA