Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09LAPAZ66
2009-01-14 22:43:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy La Paz
Cable title:  

EVO BREAKS RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL; ATTACKS VATICAN

Tags:  PGOV PREL PINR OFDP VN IS VT BN 
pdf how-to read a cable
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PP RUEHROV
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ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 142243Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9723
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 8713
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 6078
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0041
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 7261
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 4307
RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 0311
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 4642
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 6064
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 6926
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 1702
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0285
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0034
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 1592
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0203
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LA PAZ 000066 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/15/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR OFDP VN IS VT BN
SUBJECT: EVO BREAKS RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL; ATTACKS VATICAN

REF: A. 07 LA PAZ 2671

B. 07 LA PAZ 2566

Classified By: A/EcoPol Chief Joe Relk for reasons 1.4 (b)(d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LA PAZ 000066

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/15/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR OFDP VN IS VT BN
SUBJECT: EVO BREAKS RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL; ATTACKS VATICAN

REF: A. 07 LA PAZ 2671

B. 07 LA PAZ 2566

Classified By: A/EcoPol Chief Joe Relk for reasons 1.4 (b)(d)


1. (C) Summary: President Evo Morales announced January 13
that Bolivia would break relations with Israeli, although the
Israeli Honorary Consul told us he is still waiting for a
formal notification from the Foreign Ministry. Morales also
claimed he would charge Israel with war crimes at the
International Criminal Court and railed against the Catholic
Church at a diplomatic event, following an obvious attempt on
the part of the new Holy See Nuncio to send out an olive
branch. The Israeli Honorary Consul tells us there has been
no violence against Israeli or Jewish property or persons in
Bolivia due to Gaza violence, but that he never-the-less
canceled a trip by the Ambassador, who resides in Lima and
shares responsibility for Peru and Bolivia, the first week of
January. According to the Consul, Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez sent an envoy to Jerusalem January 13 to discuss
opening diplomatic relations by another name, giving him hope
a similar backtrack may be in the offing for Bolivia. End
Summary.

Morales Breaks Relations; Taking Israel to Court for Gaza
-------------- --------------


2. (U) Bolivian President Evo Morales announced January 14
that Bolivia has broken diplomatic relations with Israel:
"Bolivia used to have diplomatic relations with Israel, but
in the face of these facts of grave acts against life,
humanity, Bolivia breaks diplomatic relations with Israel."
Morales announced this decision at the annual presidential
reception for accredited diplomats. Morales explained that
any state may present a case against actors in crimes against
humanity and genocide in the International Criminal Court and
that Bolivia would bring charges against Israeli President
Simon Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Morales
also called for Simon Peres' Nobel Peace Prize to be taken
away.

Israeli Consul: "We Were Waiting for Them to Blast Us"
-------------- --------------



3. (C) Israel does not have an Ambassador in La Paz, but is
instead represented by Walid Mansur, Ambassador to Peru who
is also accredited to Bolivia. Local Honorary Consul Roberto
Nelkenbaum, who was also interviewed on national TV, told
PolOff late January 13 that he had "still not received
anything official from the MFA" and that "no one at the MFA
appears to have known this was going to happen," although "we
were waiting for them to blast us." He conceded having "no
idea" how the Morales rant will play out, but suspected there
might be room for the Bolivians to backtrack as "there is
really not much here" to cut back on and both the La Paz and
Santa Cruz Israeli Honorary Consul staffs were exclusively
composed of Bolivian nationals. He cited relatively large
amount of student exchanges and the more than 2,000 Israeli
tourists a year in Bolivia as motivation to reconsider.

Chavez Allegedly Steps Back on Israel, Will Evo Follow?
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Nelkenbaum also explained Ambassador Mansur told him
that although the break in relations was "no surprise after
Venezuela (expelled the Israeli Mission in Caracas)," but
that if Bolivia follows the Chavez playbook, Morales may be
following "symbolic" rhetoric with rapprochement. Mansur
allegedly told Nelkenbaum that Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez sent a delegation to Jerusalem January 13 to negotiate
a new relationship that would function as a diplomatic
relationship, but without calling it that. Nelkenbaum
suggested Chavez may be looking for something along the lines

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of a commercial and/or consular attache' with a smaller
staff, but performing the same functions as a full mission.

Monkey See, Monkey Do Talk Not Helpful
--------------


5. (C) Nelkenbaum commented that Opposition Senate President
Oscar Ortiz's description of Morales as "the little ape," who
is only copying the behavior of "the big ape," Hugo Chavez,
was "probably not helpful." Instead, Nelkenbaum preferred
thoughtful analysis criticizing the break in relations or
silence.

No Significant Gaza-Related Backlash, Yet
--------------


6. (C) Nelkenbaum claimed there had been no reports of
attacks on Israeli or Jewish places or persons related to the
Gaza violence or Morales, comments to date, although members
of La Paz's Jewish community had complained about an upturn
in anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic graffiti. Nelkenbaum canceled
a January 6-7 visit by Mansur to Bolivia. Nelkenbaum said
Gaza-related protests December 30 and January 5 (reftel a)
prompted the decision, as his small office in a La Paz
business building "has no security at all." Although
Nelkenbaum said the marches stayed away from potential
Israeli and Jewish targets, content to march around public
squares, he never-the-less closed his offices January 5 and

6. Nelkenbaum discounted the prior protests as
sparsely-attended poor emulations of the Caracas protests,
without popular support, with few Palestinians, and organized
"by the Egyptian car dealer just down the street." He said
he doubted the government is financing or organizing the
protests directly, because they have "bigger things to worry
about," such as the January 25 constitutional referendum and
recent conflict with the Catholic Church, a fight he felt the
government would lose.


7. (U) Another La Paz march is planed for January 15 "in
support of the Palestinian resistance." The march is being
organized by local groups including Lucha Socialista
(Socialist Struggle, associated with the International
Workers, League),the Islamic Cultural Foundation of
Bolivia, and other social movements. Press reports January
14 showed earlier protests with posters showing a dead child,
presumably a victim of the violence in Gaza.


8. (C) Nelkenbaum spoke passionately about the friendships
between the Bolivian Jewish and Arab, largely
Lebanese/Syrian, not Palestinian, communities that date back
to emigrations at the end of World War II. He was more
skeptical about recent arrivals from Iran. Nelkenbaum
lamented the ever-dwindling population of Jews in Bolivia,
largely due to youth going overseas to Israel or the United
States for education and not coming back. Once as many as
3,000 in La Paz during the 1960s, he estimated there were
only about 200 Jews left in La Paz, 400 in Santa Cruz, and 40
in Cochabamba, with only about five Israeli expats or dual
citizens nation-wide.

Holy See Tries to Calm the Waters
--------------


9. (U) As the newest diplomat accredited to Bolivia and per
tradition, Vatican Nuncio, Jean Batista di Quatro, spoke
first at the diplomatic event. Di Quatro expressed innocuous
and positive comments about working with the Morales
Administration to move forward in the New Year with common
goals of poverty reduction and political inclusiveness. His
only remotely critical comment was that the Vatican "will
pray for you, if you allow us," a veiled reference to
Morales' recent contention that the Catholic Church in
Bolivia should refrain from making political comments in

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general and particularly taking stands that favor opposition
positions.

Morales Keeping it Real by Blasting the Church
-------------- ---


10. (C) President Morales followed these relatively benign
comments with a blasting critique of the Church in Bolivia.
Although Morales acknowledged the Church's efforts supporting
"social justice," Morales also said he was compelled "to be
frank" about the Church's relationship with the government.
Morales complained bitterly about Bolivian Cardinal Julio
Terrazas' alleged description of Bolivia as "a state ruled by
narco-traffickers." (Note: In fact, Terrazas said he was
concerned that the current socio-political trajectory could
lead to a narco-state. Reftel b. End Note.) Morales likened
Terrazas' statements to characterizations of him as a
narco-trafficker he claimed the U.S. State Department had
used in the past, inferring some kind of U.S. control over
the Catholic Church's speaking points and politics. Morales
also accused the Church of denying the existence of slavery
in the Chaco region.

Meanwhile, Inside the Receiving Line ...
--------------


11. (C) While moving through the perfunctory receiving line
at the diplomatic event, Charge' attempted to wish President
Morales a Happy New Year and say "I hope relations will
improve in the new year." Morales, however, cut him off at
"I hope relations will improve" and, smiling, completed the
sentence "with Obama." Vice Foreign Minister Hugo Fernandez
later told Charge' that the first he had heard of the break
in relations with Israel was during Morales' speech.

Comment:
--------------


12. (C) Somewhat surprisingly, Morales did not single out the
United States for attack, content to focus his vitriol on the
Vatican and Israel. Except for explaining his personal
consternation and pain, Morales' Gaza and Israel comments
were awkwardly read from a script. We wonder if the script
was drafted in part or wholly by the Iranian "cooperation"
delegation, which left yesterday. End Comment.
URS