OPPOSING UNGA RESOLUTIONS WITH AN ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 001913 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, IO, IO/UNP (ANDREW MORRISON) E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV ID IS SUBJECT: OPPOSING UNGA RESOLUTIONS WITH AN ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS REF: STATE 118799 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Mission has reviewed points re upcoming Israel-related UNGA resolution with Presidential Palace and Department of Foreign Affairs contacts. We underscored the overall unbalanced number of UNGA resolutions explicitly critical of Israel and urged the overall reduction of one-sided UNGA resolutions. Accordingly, we urged the GOI to either vote "No" or "Abstain" on three upcoming resolutions. Our contacts took the USG points on board. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Per Reftel, Mission on November 19 urged the government of Indonesia to vote either "No" or "Abstain" in the proposed reaffirmation of the following three UNGA items containing an anti-Israel slant: -- 1) resolution on the "Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People"; -- 2) resolution on the "Division for Palestinian Rights within the UN Secretariat"; and, -- 3) resolution on the "Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories." Pol/C reviewed the points with Astari Daenuwy, an international affairs assistant at the President Palace, and poloff reviewed the points with Cicilia Rusdiharini of the Americas Desk at the Department of Foreign Affairs. ¶3. (C) More generally, we also underscored the overall number of one-sided UNGA resolutions on the Middle East, noting 21 resolutions out of 311 adopted last year focused on explicit criticism of Israel and/or support for the Palestinian people with a criticism of Israeli actions implied. We also stressed our continued opposition to full and undifferentiated General Assembly endorsement of the recommendations of the Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (aka the "Goldstone report"). ¶4. (U) The GOI took our points on board, and said it would pass them to its offices in New York and Geneva. HUME