UNSC : MONTHLY MEETING ON THE MIDDLE EAST AUGUST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000799 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPKO KBIO UN IS LE SUBJECT: UNSC : MONTHLY MEETING ON THE MIDDLE EAST AUGUST 2009 REF: STATE 86157 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs (A/SYG) Oscar Fernandez-Taranco briefed the Security Council during its monthly meeting on the Middle East on August 19. He focused on evictions of Palestinians from East Jerusalem homes, the continuing difficulties at the border crossing points with Gaza, the situation in Lebanon, and upcoming meetings and reports on the Middle East. Noting the August 2 eviction of Palestinian families from homes in East Jerusalem, Fernandez-Taranco said that 450 other residents of the neighborhood are "at risk of displacement." The A/SYG said that the fact-finding mission led by Justice Goldstone is drafting its report and will present it at the September 29 meeting of the Human Rights Council. He informed Council members of the planned September meetings of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee and Quartet. On Lebanon, Fernandez-Taranco said that the situation in the UNIFIL area of operations remains quiet and tensions in Khirbat Silim and Kfar Shouba have subsided. The Security Council issued a press statement on the bombings in Iraq at the conclusion of the meeting. ¶2. (SBU) Summary Continued: In closed consultations, most Council members called on Israel to stop settlement activity and to cease evictions of Palestinians from homes in East Jerusalem. The French PermRep termed recent Israeli actions "unacceptable, illegal under international law, and negative to the peace process." Council members expressed concerns about the ongoing difficulties in moving goods and people into or out of Gaza and echoed support for implementation of UNSCR 1860. The Libyan Deputy PermRep called for the international community to engage with Hamas and cited "no indication of hope for a Palestinian state." He called for consideration of a one-state solution with equal rights for all citizens - Israeli and Palestinian - as an alternative. End summary. Assistant Secretary-General's Briefing ¶3. (SBU) Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs (A/SYG) Oscar Fernandez-Taranco briefed the Security Council during its monthly meeting on the Middle East on August 19 focusing on evictions of Palestinians from East Jerusalem homes, the continuing difficulties at the border crossing points with Gaza, the situation in Lebanon, and upcoming meetings and reports on the Middle East. (Note: The full text of the briefing can be found at http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/scact200 9.htm ). Fernandez-Taranco informed council members of the planned September meetings of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee and the Quartet; the latter will include consultations with members of the Arab League's Follow-Up Committee on the Arab Peace Initiative. ¶4. (SBU) Fernanez-Taranco recognized the Israeli announcement of expanded hours of operation at the Allenby crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, but called on Israeli authorities to take a number of additional steps to ease movement and access in the West Bank, given the 614 obstacles to movement present. He also called for the easing of restrictions in Area C. Noting the August 2 forcible eviction of nine Palestinian families (a total of 53 people) from homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, Fernandez-Taranco said that 450 other residents of the neighborhood are "at risk of displacement" and called for evictions to cease and be reversed. He underscored that unilateral actions cannot prejudge final status issues. ¶5. (SBU) Fernandez-Taranco highlighted the radicalization of certain elements in Gaza and the dangers of continued smuggling of weapons into Gaza by describing the August 14 confrontation between a radical group calling itself "Jund Ansar Allah" with Hamas forces in Gaza, after Jund Ansar Allah armed radicals took refuge inside a Rafah mosque and criticized Hamas for insufficient efforts to launch attacks against Israel. He also noted two rocket and mortar attacks against Israel by militant groups in Gaza, including one at the Erez crossing during the transfer of medical patients, and six recent Israeli ground incursions. He called for the release of Gilad Shalit. ¶6. (SBU) Despite the continuing difficulties at the crossings into Gaza, Fernandez-Taranco noted an average of 87 trucks per day, mostly of food and sanitation items, were allowed into Gaza, compared to 78 trucks per day in July but contrasted that to the 475 trucks per day in May 2007. He positively cited the shipments of diesel and gasoline into Gaza for private use for the first time in 10 months, as well as the shipment of USUN NEW Y 00000799 002 OF 003 cement and steel bars for repair of the Palestinian Water Authority's north Gaza wastewater treatment plant. Consultations with Israeli authorities on the UN proposal to reconstruct schools, homes, and health clinics are ongoing, he noted, but said it is unacceptable that no reconstruction activities for the Gazan civilian population have been facilitated since the end of the conflict. He called for a prisoner exchange to be pursued in good faith so that Shalit and Palestinian prisoners could be released. He said that the report of the fact-finding mission led of Justice Goldstone is expected to be presented on September 29 to the Human Rights Council. ¶7. (SBU) Fernandez-Taranco said the situation in the UNIFIL area of operations has remained quiet and that tensions in Khirbat Silim and Kfar Shouba have subsided. He noted the August 17 removal by the Israel Defense Forces of a watchtower near Kfar Shouba which had been the site of a Lebanese protest and Blue Line violation. He noted that the Golan had been quiet, aside from Israeli settlement activities. Council Consultations focus on East Jerusalem and Gaza Crossings ¶8. (SBU) During follow-on closed consultations, the majority of Council members called on Israel to stop settlement activity and to cease home demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from homes in the East Jerusalem. (Note: Ambassador Wolff delivered U.S. remarks drawn from reftel. End note.) The French Deputy PermRep called recent Israeli actions "unacceptable, illegal under international law, and negative to the peace process." The Ugandan PermRep said that evictions have increased tension in the region. The Libyan Deputy Perm Rep criticized the Council for not making a statement condemning the evictions in East Jerusalem and alleged that it is only because the victims are Palestinian that the Council is not criticizing Israel. The UK PermRep noted as positive the recent statement by Israeli Minister of Housing Atias that no new housing tenders have been approved, but cautioned on the need to wait to see real action in the West Bank. The Austrian Deputy PermRep called for the "rapid" removal of obstacles to movement in the West Bank. ¶9. (SBU) Members expressed concern about the impact of difficulties at the crossings into Gaza on reconstruction efforts, the humanitarian situation inside Gaza, and the Gazan economy. The Croatian Charge called the situation in Gaza a "protracted human dignity crisis." Council members called for opening the crossings with appropriate monitors and full implementation of UNSCR 1860. Intra- Palestinian tensions ¶10. (SBU) The Ugandan PermRep noted that Fatah members in Gaza had been prevented by Hamas from departing Gaza to participate in the recent Fatah Sixth Party Congress and called for further efforts at reconciliation. The Libyan Deputy PermRep called Hamas "no more extremist than the current Israeli government" and called on the international community to "engage with those who have popular support and are democratically elected." Peace process ¶11. (SBU) Council members France, Japan, Costa Rica, and the UK praised U.S. leadership in the peace process, including President Obama's personal involvement and the work of Special Envoy Mitchell. However, the Libyan Deputy PermRep said U.S. "pressure" on Arab states to make concessions or take steps towards normalization of relations with Israel, in order to support USG efforts to encourage an Israeli settlement freeze, places the entire burden on Arab states. He said this would not lead to peace but would just widen the gap between Arab rulers and the Arab people. The Costa Rican Deputy Perm Rep raised EU HighRep for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana's proposal for the Council to assume responsibility for the establishment of Palestinian statehood and make it a member state of the United Nations within a certain period of time. ¶12. (SBU) The Libyan Deputy PermRep said he saw "no indication of hope for a Palestinian state." He continued that without the withdrawal of all settlements from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, the return of all Palestinian refugees or appropriate compensation, and the establishment USUN NEW Y 00000799 003 OF 003 of equally sovereign entities ("not one with nuclear weapons and one demilitarized"),a one-state solution with equal rights for all citizens would be a more appropriate goal. The Russian Deputy PermRep said that Russia continues to plan for the Moscow conference to be held "hopefully before the end of the year." Only the Vietnamese PermRep also referred to the potential Moscow conference. Lebanon ¶13. (SBU) While the majority of council members reserved substantive comments on Lebanon for the August 20 UNFIL consultations, the Russian Deputy PermRep declared any violations of UN Security Council resolutions "unacceptable." Press statement on Iraq Bombings ¶14. (SBU) At the conclusion of consultations, the Council adopted a press statement on the August 19 truck bombings of government ministries and other locations in Baghdad. The Libyan Deputy PermRep initially objected to inclusion of expressions of consolation to the Iraqi government in the statement, but dropped objections when it was pointed out that the language mirrored previous Council press statements related to Iraq. RICE