VZCZCXRO5747
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHTV #1346 1731312
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221312Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2278
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 001346 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/IPA AND PRM, TREASURY FOR AA/S BAUKOL, NSC 
FOR KUMAR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF KWBG IS
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON UNSCO PROPOSAL FOR GAZA 
 
REF: BURNETT 06/16/2009 EMAIL 
 
¶1. (SBU) Following up on our earlier conversations, and 
promising contacts at the June 8 AHLC meeting in Oslo, UN 
Senior Coordinator Robert Serry's staff met with Ministry of 
Defense PolMil Bureau official Oded Herman and Office of the 
Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories 
(COGAT) External Relations Director Uri Singer on June 16 to 
go over Serry's proposal to resume construction work on a 
number of construction projects in Gaza (Ref email).  Both 
sides characterized the meeting as very positive, though some 
follow up work remained to be done.  Gilad aide Oded Hermann 
told EconCouns after the meeting that the end-use assurances 
presented by UNSCO showed the UN agencies had benefited from 
being briefed by USAID on how the U.S. approaches end-use 
monitoring. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Serry then met with MOD PolMil Bureau Director Amos 
Gilad late on June 17 to get Gilad's views on how best to 
proceed.  In his June 18 debrief of that meeting to the 
Ambassador, Serry said the tone of this meeting had been far 
more constructive than that of the meeting he and Gilad had 
earlier in June.  Gilad said he had received a positive 
report from Herman and Singer.  Building on that, Serry said 
he pressed for a 'good news' statement at the June 26 Quartet 
meeting.  According to Serry, Gilad pushed back, saying his 
staff needed more time to evaluate the proposal.  Serry 
responded by indicating that the UN agencies did not need 
full agreement to all 27 projects mentioned in the proposal; 
indeed, only a handful could begin within weeks. Serry 
explained to Gilad that many of the projects would have to be 
re-tendered and could not begin for at least two months. 
Serry said he urged that when MOD Barak speaks by phone with 
UNSYG Ban Ki Moon on June 23, Barak be prepared to say that 
he is comfortable with the priorities and end-use approach 
laid out in the proposal, and that UN staff and MOD will be 
in further contact on the implementation details.  That would 
be sufficient for a positive UN report to the Quartet.  Serry 
said Gilad agreed to that suggestion. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that we had been in touch with 
the Israeli interlocutors, who also thought the meetings had 
been a real step forward.  He advised that the UN make clear 
at the June 26 Quartet meeting that the priorities outlined 
in the proposal had been arrived at in consultation with the 
Palestinian Authority.  Serry said he had already explained 
the importance of such language to the SYG and to his staff. 
The latter had been concerned about how prominent mention of 
the PA would affect their operations on the ground in Gaza, 
but Serry agreed that it was important to put reconstruction 
under the aegis of the PA. He explained that the UNSYG would 
be calling Salam Fayyad before the call to MOD Barak in order 
to be able to reassure Barak first-hand that the PA was fully 
on board with the proposal. The Ambassador told Serry he had 
already conveyed U.S. support to Gilad, and had urged COGAT 
to take a realistic approach to end-use monitoring.  Serry 
concluded that the ongoing dialogue had build confidence 
between MOD and the UN agencies and that both sides could now 
see a way forward to limited reconstruction and repair in 
Gaza. 
 
¶4. (SBU) EconCouns confirmed with Herman and Singer on June 
22 that they had received detailed responses to the questions 
raised in the earlier technical meeting.  Herman complained 
that UN staff had only given them the written responses late 
on Saturday, and had answered some follow-up questions on 
Sunday.  We continue to encouraged a positive reaction to the 
Serry proposal when SYG Ban and MOD Barak speak on June 23. 
 
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CUNNINGHAM