US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV5900

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 005900 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, IS, LE, GOI EXTERNAL, ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS 
SUBJECT: NEA DAS DIBBLE'S 9/21 MEETING WITH MFA HEAD OF UN 
DIVISION ABOUT ISRAEL'S RECENT UN ACTIVITIES 
 
Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR NORMAN OLSEN, FOR REASONS 1.4(B AND 
D). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C)  MFA Deputy Director General and Head of 
the UN and International Organizations Division Aharon 
Leshno Yaar told NEA Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth 
Dibble September 21 that the GOI plans to ignore 
Palestinian efforts to prevent adoption of a new symbol of 
the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) that 
would allow inclusion of the red star of David, and asked 
the USG to urge the Swiss to do the same.  He also 
requested that the USG encourage the Swiss to hold a 
conference on the symbol now, while the political climate 
is conducive to progressing toward its adoption.  Yaar 
noted that FM Silvan Shalom does not currently speak to 
Palestinian leaders, and said he has pressed Shalom to 
begin doing so.  Yaar reported that he himself plans to 
start talking to Marwan Jilani, the Palestinian assistant 
foreign minister for multilateral relations.  GOI relations 
with UNRWA have improved, Yaar said, while UNIFIL remains a 
problem for the Israelis.  Finally, Yaar described positive 
progress on the adoption of a Holocaust Remembrance 
Resolution in the UN General Assembly (UNGA). END SUMMARY. 
 
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Al-Kidwa's Opposition to red star of David 
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2. (C)  Yaar said that Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser 
Al-Kidwa has adopted a hard line against Israeli ICRC 
membership and ICRC adoption of a new symbol that would 
allow incorporation of the red star of David.  Yaar said 
Al-Kidwa is currently employing "every means to obstruct 
efforts" to recognize the Jewish emblem, as he is 
"desperate for achievements, since he cannot produce 
results for the Palestinians in the UN."  Yaar said 
Al-Kidwa told the Swiss he intends to mobilize Arabs, 
Muslims, and non-aligned nations to oppose adoption of the 
emblem.  According to Yaar, the best way to handle Al-Kidwa 
is to "ignore him."  The Swiss, he said, have a tendency to 
listen to Al-Kidwa and then ask for Israeli concessions. 
Yaar cautioned that if the Swiss respond in this manner 
they will only precipitate Palestinian demands for further 
concessions. 
 
3. (C)  Yaar requested that the USG encourage the Swiss 
Government to ignore Al-Kidwa.  The post-disengagement 
period, Yaar argued, offers a rare opportunity for progress 
in adopting the new symbol.  "If this is not the best 
time," he intoned, "then when is?"  Yaar suggested that 
"the Swiss plan a conference on the issue."  If the 
political climate changes, he said, then the conference can 
be canceled at a later date. 
 
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Encouraging FM Shalom to Speak to the Palestinians 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
4. (C)  According to Yaar, FM Shalom currently has no 
direct contact with the Palestinians.  Yaar has thus helped 
prepare an "action plan" that, among other tactics, 
encourages FM Shalom to speak to the Palestinians and to 
deal with Gaza as if it were a new Palestinian state.  Yaar 
said he had received FM Shalom's "green light" to speak to 
Marwan Jilani and has asked UN Middle East Envoy Alvaro de 
Soto to facilitate this contact. 
 
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GOI Relations with UNRWA and UNIFIL 
----------------------------------- 
 
5. (C)  Yaar reported that relations have improved between 
the GOI and UNRWA.  He said he personally likes Karen 
Koning Abu Zayd, commissioner-general of UNRWA.  He 
mentioned, however, a recent disagreement between the GOI 
and Abu Zayd about UNRWA devotion of an entire annual 
report chapter to discussing the subsequently disproved 
Israeli accusation that Palestinians had used UNRWA 
ambulances to transport Qassam rockets.  Yaar explained 
that Abu Zayd was upset that the Israelis communicated 
their opposition to inclusion of this chapter in the report 
directly to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.  In the end, 
Yaar said, Abu Zayd agreed to remove the chapter from the 
report. 
 
6. (C)  Yaar also said that the GOI and USG should 
reconsider UNRWA's long-term role in the Gaza Strip now 
that the Palestinians govern there.  He acknowledged UNRWA 
as an enduring symbol for Palestinians of their refugee 
status, but said he believes the GOI and USG should jointly 
conduct a study on the future role of UNRWA in Gaza.  Such 
a study, he warned, would require sensitivity and should 
not be made public.  He insisted that the study would be 
done "with UNRWA, not against it."  He said he has proposed 
this study to PRM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary 
Richard Greene. 
 
7. (C)  With regard to Lebanon, Yaar emphasized that 
Israel will not allow Hizballah to take refuge behind 
UNIFIL.  The GOI, he said, seeks to "fix the UNIFIL 
situation," while taking into account American and French 
interests and the vulnerability of the new Lebanese 
government.  Yaar said the GOI will present its ideas on 
this issue to the USG before the end of this year and the 
January 31 renewal of UNIFIL's mandate by the UN Security 
Council. 
 
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The Holocaust Remembrance Resolution 
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8. (C)  Yaar also discussed progress in the UNGA on the 
Holocaust Remembrance Resolution.  He said the next 
challenge is to acquire as many co-sponsors as possible for 
the resolution.  With a strong body of co-sponsors, Yaar 
explained, the "Arabs and Muslims cannot kill it."  He said 
70 states already support the idea of the resolution, 
including several Muslim and non-aligned countries.  China 
supports it, he added, and Russia is a co-author of the 
resolution. 
 
9. (U)  This cable has been cleared by NEA DAS Dibble. 
 
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