GUIDANCE: MIDDLE EAST SESSION, JANUARY 6

UNCLAS STATE 000737 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC PREL MOPS IS KPAL SUBJECT: GUIDANCE: MIDDLE EAST SESSION, JANUARY 6 ¶1. (SBU) This is an action message. USUN is authorized to draw from points in para 2 below during an open session of the Security Council on the Middle East likely to be scheduled for January 6. ¶2. (U) Talking points. -- Mr. President, the United States has been working around the clock to end the violence in southern Israel and Gaza. We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation there. But as we all work to address this, it is very important for us all to remember what precipitated this crisis ) the firing of hundreds of rockets and mortars by Hamas into southern Israel. -- Hamas resumed its campaign of rocket and mortar attacks in early November. On December 19, Hamas unilaterally announced it would not renew the ceasefire that had been negotiated by Egypt, and instead intensified and extended the range of its daily barrages against civilian targets. The United States has strongly condemned these continuing rocket and mortar attacks. -- Hamas, announcement and escalation occurred only three days after this Council passed Resolution 1850 in support of ongoing, bilateral Israeli-Palestinian negotiations initiated at Annapolis. The resolution noted that lasting peace can only be based on an enduring commitment to mutual recognition; freedom from violence, incitement, and terror; and the two-state solution. Hamas, callous and premeditated decision not to extend the Egyptian-brokered period of calm is the root cause of this current situation. It has gravely endangered the residents of both Gaza and southern Israel. -- Mr. President, I would like to make four points about the situation we are here to address. -- First, every country has the right to self-defense. Israel,s right to self-defense is non-negotiable. Israel, in response to Hamas, terrorist rocket and mortar attacks, launched military operations on Hamas positions in Gaza on December 27, over a week after Hamas, escalation. Moreover, the Israeli Government has stated that it is doing its utmost to avoid and minimize civilian casualties and to take the necessary precautionary measures in accordance with Israel,s obligations under international humanitarian law. -- Unforgivably, part of Hamas, strategy is to hide within the civilian population, deliberately placing innocent Palestinian civilians at very high risk. The United States deeply regrets the loss of innocent life. We continue to urge Israel to minimize incidental loss of civilian life, and for all concerned to protect innocent civilians and to address the urgent humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza. -- Second, a durable and sustainable ceasefire that ensures the safety and security of Israeli and Palestinian civilians over the long term is the only the way to achieve an end to this violence and to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The situation before the cease fire was not sustainable for either side. Three hundred thousand Israelis lived under the daily threat of rocket attack, and 1.5 million people of Gaza lived in dire circumstances because of the isolation imposed on them by Hamas' actions. -- Mr. President, a cease fire that returns to those circumstances will be equally unsustainable. -- The elements that would create a sustainable cease fire should include an end to rocket, mortar, and other attacks on Israel originating from Gaza, an end to all smuggling into Gaza including weapons smuggling, and a re-opening of the border crossings in accordance with the principles of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access so that Palestinians can benefit from legitimate trade. No ceasefire will hold if rocket attacks continue, and no ceasefire will hold if arms smuggling continues. Ways must be found, with the consent and full cooperation of the Egyptian Government ) which is trying to prevent the violation of Egyptian sovereignty and borders ) to prevent any arms or explosives from entering Gaza. Key to the success of these efforts is that the tunnel systems between Gaza and Egypt must be completely destroyed and prevented from re-opening. -- Third, the elements that will make up a sustainable ceasefire require dialogue and prior coordination. We are actively working with like-minded groups to create the necessary groundwork to sustain such a cease fire. The Arabs and the Arab League have an important role to play, and we welcome the engagement of Secretary General Amr Moussa and the Arab League foreign ministers who have traveled to New York for this session. The European Union also has an important mission role to play. President Sarkozy and a delegation of EU Foreign Ministers have visited the region and should be given the time needed to bridge the existing differences. -- Fourth, Mr. President, we must remain focused on the urgency of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israel has taken positive steps to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. The United States has contributed $25 million as an initial response to 2009 UNRWA,s Emergency Appeal for the West Bank and Gaza. In Fiscal Year 2008, the United States provided $57 million in support of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) 2008 Emergency Appeal for the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This emergency funding supports humanitarian assistance for over one million Palestinian refugees in Gaza and over 750,000 in the West Bank. -- In addition, in FY08, the United States provided $14.34 million to support the International Committee for the Red Cross,s operations in West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon -- the majority of which supported operations in the West Bank and Gaza. -- The United States has provided and will continue to provide, humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. But we should remember that Hamas bears responsibility for the situation in Gaza. -- Let us be very clear: this crisis will not end so long as Hamas is shooting rockets and mortars into Israel. Hamas has turned Gaza into a terrorist base. That is the root of the crisis we face today. -- Mr. President, Hamas is watching this Council. It is watching for any hope that it will be protected by the actions we take. We must not take any actions that support that hope and thereby lengthen this conflict. End talking points. RICE