This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001395 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/IPA, PRM FOR PDAS GREENE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IS PGOV PREF PREL SZ ICRC ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS GOI EXTERNAL
SUBJECT: EMBLEM: GOI HEALTH MINISTRY OPPOSES COMPOSITION OF 
MDA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 
 
REF: A. TEL AVIV 1392 
 
     ¶B. TEL AVIV 972 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Israel Representative for the 
International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) Anna Segall 
told poloff April 5 that the GOI has not yet approved changes 
to Magen David Adom (MDA) statutes because the Ministry of 
Health (MOH) opposes the proposed composition of the MDA 
executive committee.  Segall said that the GOI has planned an 
inter-ministerial committee meeting for April 10 to try to 
resolve this and other remaining conflicts between GOI 
officials and MDA leaders.  Segall also acknowledged that 
these statutes must be changed immediately so that the ICRC 
general assembly can consider them at a meeting on April 27 
in Geneva.  Meanwhile, ICRC Head of Delegation Dominik 
Stillhart told the Ambassador April 4 that the GOI must also 
take concrete and immediate steps to demonstrate progress 
toward fulfilling the memorandum of understanding (MOU) 
signed by Magen David Adom (MDA) and the Palestinian Red 
Crescent Society (PRCS) in December 2005.  The Ambassador 
discussed these issues in a meeting with MFA Director General 
Ron Prosor on April 5 (reftel A).  END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
POINTS OF CONFLICT BETWEEN THE GOI AND MDA 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) ICRC Head of Delegation Stillhart, IFRC 
Representative Segall, and MFA Director General Ron Prosor 
(reftel A) have all told post in the past two days that they 
do not know when the GOI will approve changes to MDA statutes 
necessary for MDA admission into the Red Cross/Red Crescent 
movement.  Segall reported that four amendments to MDA 
statutes remain to be completed before MDA can be accepted 
for admission into the movement.  Each amendment requires 
approval of both the MDA and the MOH.  She reported the 
following progress on each amendment: 
 
-- Composition of the MDA National Council: MDA has approved 
the necessary amendment; the MOH has not yet approved it. 
According to Segall, the Ministry does not oppose the MDA's 
amendment and will soon approve it. 
 
-- Composition of the MDA executive committee: The MDA 
national council approved an amendment last December but, 
according to Segall, the MOH will not accept it.  (See below 
for a further explanation.) 
 
-- Appointment of the MDA president: The MDA national council 
approved an amendment that Segall said "doesn't work at the 
moment, but the re-worked version that they have proposed 
should be OK." 
 
-- Adoption of fundamental Red Cross principles: The MDA 
council has not yet formally adopted these principles, but 
Segall said that this issue will not be difficult to resolve. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Segall explained that the MDA National Council 
voted in December 2005 to increase membership in the 
executive committee to 15 members from 12, divided roughly 
half and half between MDA representatives and government 
officials.  According to Segall, the Minister of Health at 
the time, Daniel Naveh, rejected this proposal and changed 
the composition to a total of 13 members, of whom seven would 
be MDA representatives, three government officials, and three 
public representatives.  All government officials and MDA 
leaders now accept this formulation, Segall said, but the MOH 
and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) demand that the MDA by-laws 
stipulate the qualifications required for new members and 
include what she termed a standard review procedure commonly 
adopted by public companies and government boards in Israel. 
MOJ officials support these demands, according to Segall, 
because they feel obligated to monitor MDA as a result of a 
recent report issued by the State Comptroller, that 
criticized the procedure by which MDA appoints its leaders. 
 
----------------------------- 
CONSEQUENCES OF FURTHER DELAY 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) If the GOI does not act soon to change MDA 
statutes, Segall warned, "then we are in an awkward situation 
where PRCS qualifies for recognition, but MDA doesn't." 
Segall said that the PRCS has taken the necessary steps to be 
eligible for admission into the movement. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) ICRC Head Dominik Stillhart stressed the political 
importance of GOI progress toward fulfilling the PRCS-MDA MOU 
of December 2005.  He emphasized again that the GOI must 
permit PRCS to station ambulances in East Jerusalem (reftel). 
 Even if the GOI takes all possible steps to expedite PRCS 
ambulances through IDF checkpoints, Stillhart said, the PRCS 
will remain free to claim that these steps are insufficient. 
No one can dispute, however, the presence of ambulances 
stationed in East Jerusalem, Stillhart said; a simple 
photograph, he noted, would serve as sufficient and 
irrefutable evidence that Israel has taken PRCS demands 
seriously on this issue.  Unfortunately, Stillhart added, the 
stationing of ambulances in East Jerusalem is so politically 
sensitive for Israel that it may ultimately require approval 
by the Prime Minister. 
 
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JONES