VZCZCXRO8176
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #1685/01 3661928
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 311928Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3205
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 7293
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 4829
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 6005
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 4312
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 6766
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 4066
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 7630
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0470
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 2670
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 0787
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0163
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 8857
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7041
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 3271
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 001685 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2018 
TAGS: PREL KPAL IR BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: LAYING BLAME AT THE FEET OF ISRAEL, U.S. 
FOR ATTACKS IN GAZA 
 
REF: 08 BRASILIA 896 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affairs Lisa Kubiske, Reason 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Brazilian government heavily criticized 
Israel's actions against HAMAS in Gaza, after originally 
suggesting it might take a more nuanced approached with its 
initial statements.  President Lula, backed by most Brazilian 
media outlets, harshly criticized both Israel and the United 
States, and, while stressing that HAMAS bore some 
responsibility, minimized the group's actions.  Lula, 
according to press reports, has instructed Foreign Minister 
Amorim to contact his French counterpart to organize an 
international conference to discuss the situation, although 
sources at Itamaraty would not confirm this.  Protests took 
place today at the Israeli before they dispersed after a 
fight broke out among the protesters.  End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
Criticism of Israel, U.S. and call for International 
Conference 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
¶2. (U) After the initiation of the Israeli strikes into the 
Gaza strip over the weekend, the Brazilian government, 
through the Ministry of External Relations (Itamaraty) has 
issued two official statements calling on both sides of the 
conflict to reestablish a cease fire, and criticizing Israel 
for its "disproportionate" response to HAMAS rocket attacks 
into southern Israel from Gaza.  During public remarks on 
December 30, President Lula criticized Israel for its 
excessive use of force and compared the conflict to a fight 
between someone holding a bomb versus someone holding matches 
in their hands. Lula also blasted the UN for its impotence 
during the crisis, but laid blame for this impotence at the 
feet of the United States, which, according to Lula, blocks 
any attempts by the international community to establish 
peace.  Going further, Lula added that domestic politics in 
Israel were responsible for Israel's actions, comparing them 
to a supposed strategy of President Bush to win reelection by 
invading Iraq. 
 
¶3. (U) Commenting on Brazil's possible role, Lula noted that 
it has been "proven" that the U.S. role in the 
Israeli-Palestine peace process has not had success, and that 
other countries should step in to stop the violence.  In his 
comments, Lula added that he had instructed Foreign Minister 
Amorim to contact his French counterpart to organize an 
international conference.  News reports also indicate that 
Amorim contacted Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas 
and the Palestinian Ambassador to Brazil, to whom he 
committed to send humanitarian supplies to Gaza. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Israel: Hope for Change Quickly Dashed 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (C) Israeli Charge d'Affaires Raphael Singer told poloff 
that the Israeli government was pleased with the original 
public statement put out by Itamaraty on December 27, but 
that subsequent declarations have proven disappointing.   In 
the first declaration, the Brazilian government first noted 
its concern over HAMAS' firing of rockets into Israel before 
criticizing Israel's disproportionate response in a separate 
paragraph, a semantic change from Brazil's statements during 
the 2006 conflict with Hizballah in Lebanon which lumped the 
actions of the two sides as equivalent.  Itamaraty's second 
statement and Lula's subsequent remarks, however, reverted 
back to Brazil's usual stance of playing to the UN majority 
by deploring Israel's disproportionate use of force and 
calling on an immediate ceasefire, which Singer found 
disappointing but not surprising.  Singer also noted that the 
Israeli Embassy had only heard about Brazil's position 
through the press and that there had been no direct 
communication between Brazilian and Israeli governments. 
 
 
BRASILIA 00001685  002 OF 002 
 
 
------------------------------- 
Itamaraty: We haven't changed 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) According to Minister Rodrigo Amaral de Souza, chief 
of staff to Undersecretary for Political Affairs for Africa, 
Asia and the Middle East Ambassador Roberto Jaguaribe, 
Brazil's statements are motivated by three objectives:  to 
reestablish the ceasefire, to allow for humanitarian 
assistance to go into Gaza, and get the parties back to the 
peace table following the process laid out at the Annapolis 
conference.  Asked whether Brazil recognized the incongruence 
of asking Israel to halt its actions and return to the status 
quo ante knowing that HAMAS did not abide by the ceasefire in 
the first place, Amaral sheepishly recognized that Brazil 
understood Israel faced a difficult situation, but Brazil was 
primarily concerned that Israel's actions were threatening 
the progress of Annapolis and would create an irreversible 
momentum in a direction away from peace.  Amaral also added 
that because Brazil has no relationship with HAMAS, it rarely 
addresses its actions officially.  Brazil, instead maintains 
contact with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. 
 
¶6. (C) Asked by poloff if Brazil had considered that it might 
lose credibility in Israel's eyes as a balanced peace broker 
with its declarations and actions, Amaral replied that 
Brazil's position has never changed, that Brazil has always 
stood fast against disproportionate use of force, has always 
criticized attacks against Israel, and that a successful 
peace must begin with recognition of Israel's right to exist. 
 According to Amaral, "while we understand and sympathize 
with Israel's plight, it has been our longstanding policy, 
for humanitarian, legal, and practical reasons, to deplore 
the disproportionality of the attacks."  Asked if Brazil 
defined proportionality in terms of deaths and wounded or 
number of rocket attacks, Amaral demurred, and noted that 
they do not count the number of deaths or rocket attacks from 
each side, but that it was obvious that Israel was acting in 
a disproportionate fashion in this case.  By way of showing 
Brazil's balanced attitude, Amaral also highlighted President 
Lula's comments criticism the UN for its impotent role in 
establishes peace in the region.  Poloff noted, however, that 
Lula had, in fact, blamed that impotence on the United 
States, but Amaral refused to comment further.  Asked if 
Brazil was working to organize an international conference to 
discuss the situation, he demurred once again, but hinted 
that Lula may have been more forward leaning in his remarks 
than Itamaraty was at that point. 
 
------------- 
Comment 
------------- 
 
¶7. (C)  Brazil's initial reaction might have given reason for 
hope for a more balanced approach to Middle East peace issues 
if it had not been followed up by the usual one-sided posture 
of laying most of the blame at Israel and taking potshots at 
the U.S. for not doing more to stop Israel.  The clich-laden 
bromides of Brazilian officials are also indicative of a lack 
of real understanding of the Middle East that is troubling in 
a government that proposes to become involved.  While it is 
unlikely that the proposed Lula-Amorim mediation will result 
in anything more than political grandstanding, we will have 
to continue to engage Brazil at high levels (reftel) if we 
are to have any hope that Brazil adopts a more balanced 
approach, rather than simply adding their voice to the 
already fully-stocked anti-Israeli chorus. 
KUBISKE