VZCZCXRO2039
OO RUEHROV
DE RUCNDT #0055/01 0292320
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 292320Z JAN 10
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8090
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 USUN NEW YORK 000055 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPAL KWBG UNSC IS SY LE
SUBJECT: UNSC: MIDDLE EAST OPEN DEBATE -- HEAVY CRITICISM 
OF ISRAEL'S "BLOCKADE" OF GAZA AND ITS PRACTICES IN EAST 
JERUSALEM 
 
REF: STATE 7686 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: At the Security Council's January 27 Open 
Debate on the Middle East, Assistant Secretary-General 
Fernandez-Taranco noted the "worrying impasse" that persists 
in the region with the lack of progress on restarting 
negotiations and called for the Quartet to play a role.  He 
voiced concern with Israeli plans for construction in 
Jerusalem and at the uptick in military operations in the 
West Bank.  He also called for an end to the "blockade" of 
Gaza, noting the recent decline in imports into Gaza but that 
the UN had successfully secured the release of humanitarian 
aid confiscated by Hamas.  The Palestinian Observer called 
for the international community to compel Israel to end the 
"blockade" of Gaza and to cease its actions in East Jerusalem 
to further entrench the de facto annexation of the city.  He 
reaffirmed that peace negotiations cannot resume while 
Israeli settlement activities continue.  The Israeli Perm Rep 
criticized the Secretariat's briefing as unbalanced and said 
Israel is ready for direct peace negotiations.  She 
highlighted the threats posed to Israel and its civilian 
population by Hamas and Hizballah arms smuggling.  The 
majority of Council members pressed for greater access to 
Gaza for humanitarian and reconstruction supplies.  All 
member states mentioned Jerusalem, with most voicing concern 
at recent Israeli activities in East Jerusalem.  All member 
states criticized settlement activities and expressed varying 
degrees of dismay at the failure to relaunch negotiations 
between the parties.  New Council member Lebanon focused 
exclusively on Israel's transgressions, while the other four 
new members offered more balanced remarks.  Twenty-five 
delegations spoke after Council members, including the EU 
Delegation (observer) and the Arab League Observer.  The ten 
Arab speakers harshly criticized Israel on Gaza and East 
Jerusalem, as did Iran and three ALBA countries (Cuba, 
Venezuela, and Nicaragua).  End Summary. 
 
Secretariat Briefing 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  On January 27, Assistant Secretary-General for 
Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco briefed the 
Security Council regular monthly meeting on the Middle East, 
which this month took the form of an Open Debate.  He noted 
that a "worrying impasse persists in efforts to bring about 
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, amidst low confidence 
between the parties" but that intense diplomatic activity has 
continued, including Special Envoy Mitchell's recent visit to 
the region.  He noted that "the Quartet can and must play its 
full role at this crucial juncture."  He reiterated the 
Secretary-General's concern about the situation in East 
Jerusalem calling for an end to activities such as 
"settlement construction and expansion, house demolitions, 
closure of institutions, and the revocation of residency 
rights."  He urged the Israeli government not to finalize 
approvals of plans for the expansion of settlements within 
the Israeli municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, including 692 
housing units in three existing settlements announced in late 
December, a new project for 24 families on the Mount of 
Olives, and 50 new units in the Palestinian neighborhood of 
Shu'fat, both announced in early January.  He noted that the 
partial temporary settlement restraint in the West Bank is 
"broadly being implemented" but said that construction 
activity has been reported in several settlements due to 
exemptions and in some cases construction continuing contrary 
to the policy.  He called settlement activity throughout the 
territory occupied in 1967 "illegal" and "contrary to the 
Roadmap."  He noted the substantial increase in Israeli 
military operations in the West Bank, including Israeli 
forces entering Nablus December 26, 2009, where they killed 
three Palestinians who allegedly killed an Israeli settler. 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) On Gaza, Fernandez-Taranco repeated the call "for 
an end to the blockade of Gaza," noting a decline in the 
weekly average of imported truckloads of goods to only 534. 
He reporting that the UN had been successful in securing the 
release of humanitarian aid that had been confiscated by 
Hamas at the end of 2009 and underscored that the UN will 
continue to insist on non-interference with international aid 
operations.  Noting an increase in the number of projectiles 
fired from Gaza, he called for all parties to refrain from 
violence and respect international humanitarian law.  He said 
that there has been no satisfactory Israeli response to the 
UN's proposal to complete stalled projects for housing, 
schools, and health facilities.  He referred to the 
Secretary-General's letter to the Security Council President, 
noting that Israel and the UN had agreed that the financial 
issues related the Gaza Board of Inquiry incidents had been 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000055  002 OF 007 
 
 
brought to a satisfactory conclusion, and he called for 
Israel to allow into Gaza sufficient material for the 
rebuilding of damaged UN facilities. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Turning to the region, he noted the progress made 
in Lebanese-Syrian relations with the Lebanese Prime 
Minister's first visit to Damascus.  He referred to the 
December 26 explosion in a Hamas building in southern Beirut, 
the slow reconstruction of the Nahr el Bard refugee camp, and 
the discovery by UNIFIL of several men digging a hole where 
250 kilograms of explosives were found in the vicinity of 
Sarda in southern Lebanon, as well as daily Israeli air 
violations.  He concluded by noting deep concern at the 
current stalemate and emphasized that "if we cannot move 
forward decisively towards a final status agreement, we risk 
sliding backwards, with potentially profound and negative 
implications." 
 
Palestinian Observer: Statements alone 
will not stop Israel's settlement drive 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Palestinian Permanent Observer began his 
20-minute remarks by noting that the Palestinian Authority 
had declared January 27 a day of solidarity with Palestinian 
prisoners.  He said that the population of Gaza remains 
traumatized from the "brutal crimes, including war crimes, 
perpetrated by the occupying Power" during the Israeli 
aggression against Gaza last winter.  He claimed that the 
"blockade" of Gaza "is aimed at collectively punishing and 
debilitating the population, young and old."  He said that 
the Palestinians will continue to persist in the pursuit of 
accountability and justice, "including in follow-up of the 
Goldstone Report, for the war crimes committed against our 
people."  He called for the international community to compel 
Israel to immediately open Gaza's border crossings. 
Regarding Jerusalem, he said, "Israel is blatantly and 
arrogantly accelerating to artificially create an 
overwhelming Jewish majority there and to further entrench 
its de facto annexation of the City."  He claimed that in 
2008 alone Israel revoked the residency rights of nearly 
5,000 Palestinians.  He said that Israeli actions are 
undermining the "viability, credibility and support of the 
peace process."  He said that the cessation of settlements is 
not a "so-called pre-condition fabricated by the Palestinian 
side" but a reflection of international consensus.  He 
reaffirmed that "the Palestinian leadership maintains that 
peace negotiations cannot resume while Israeli settlement 
activities continue" and called for negotiations to resume 
from the point at which they broke off.  He praised 
international efforts to revive the peace process including 
the December 2009 EU Council Conclusions and Special Envoy 
Mitchell's efforts.  He said that while welcoming and 
recognizing "the importance of statements from around the 
international community denouncing Israeli settlement 
activities and other illegal measures, ongoing developments 
provide ample proof that statements alone will not stop 
Israel's settlement drive." 
 
Israeli Permanent Representative: UNSC 
Debate not a substitute for negotiations 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Israeli Perm Rep opened her remarks by 
expressing condolences to the people and government of Haiti. 
 She criticized Fernandez-Taranco's briefing as "partial and 
unfortunately unbalanced."  (Comment: We agree that the 
Secretariat briefing was less balanced than usual and really 
only called for action by Israel.  End comment.)  Calling 
into question the value of frequent Security Council meetings 
on the Middle East, she noted, &History shows that nothing 
substitutes for negotiations between the parties" and 
reiterated that "Israel is prepared to immediately commence 
direct peace negotiations."  She called for the international 
community to confront the "real challenges to peace and 
security: the threat of extremism, the danger of nuclear 
proliferation, and the plague of weapons smuggling and 
terrorism."  In light of the ongoing smuggling of weapons and 
mortars and rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel and the 
silence when Israeli civilians are under terrorist attack she 
said, "the firing of any weapons from Gaza at Israeli 
territory will be met with a strong and immediate response." 
She said that the December 26, 2009 discovery in southern 
Lebanon of explosives, as well as incidents in Tayr Filsay 
and Khirbat Silim in 2009, highlights that Hizballah remains 
active in southern Lebanon.  She said that "weapons smuggling 
--- reflects a menacing pattern by two particular Member 
States that use terrorist proxies to sow violence" and called 
for continuing attention to the supplying of arms across the 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000055  003 OF 007 
 
 
Syrian-Lebanese border. 
 
Council members 
--------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) PRESS FOR GAZA ACCESS: The majority of remarks from 
Security Council members expressed support for greater access 
to Gaza for humanitarian and reconstruction supplies. 
Brazil, France, Gabon, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Russia, 
Turkey, and Uganda called for an end to the &blockade8 of 
Gaza, while Austria chose to use the term "de facto 
blockade."  Most called for the implementation of resolution 
¶1860.  Bosnia and Nigeria called for the opening of Gaza's 
crossings consistent with the Agreement on Movement and 
Access.  Mexico noted the need for an international 
monitoring mechanism for the Gaza crossings.  European 
Council members called for "unconditional" access for 
humanitarian supplies.  The Austrian PermRep noted that the 
Israeli financial transfer of 10.5 million dollars for 
incidents investigated by the Gaza Board of Inquiry will not 
repair the damage in Gaza unless there is unhindered access 
for construction materials.  In a forceful call for the 
easing of restrictions on Gaza access, the UK Perm Rep noted 
that a failure to do so increased the volume of tunnel 
smuggling, making detecting the smuggling of weapons all the 
more difficult, and increasing the power of radical groups in 
Gaza.  France, the UK, and the United States called for the 
release of Gilad Shalit.  (Note: Ambassador Wolff gave 
remarks drawn from reftel.  End note.) 
 
¶8.  (SBU) JERUSALEM/SETTLEMENTS: All member states mentioned 
Jerusalem with most voicing concern at recent activities in 
Jerusalem including home demolitions, expansion of Israeli 
settlements in Palestinian neighborhoods, and revocations of 
residency rights for Palestinians.  The Turkish Perm Rep 
pressed for a solution since Jerusalem "reflects our common 
heritage."  Both the UK and Turkish Perm Reps called for the 
status of Jerusalem to be settled so that Jerusalem can 
become the future capital of two states.  The Lebanese Perm 
Rep spent an undue amount of time focusing on religious 
issues. (Comment: Almost as if he was trying to be 
provocative.  End Comment.)  He discussed Israeli 
restrictions on Christian access to holy sites during 
Christmas and alleged that Israel is threatening holy sites 
in Jerusalem and the access of the faithful to those sites. 
He termed this a "brazen challenge to international law." 
All member states criticized settlement activities, and 
Austria, France, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, and Uganda took note 
of the Israeli settlement moratorium, which the Japanese 
PermRep called "a step in the right direction."  The French 
PermRep said that settlements make the peace process more 
difficult and do not improve Israeli security.  Brazil, 
Japan, Mexico, Russia, and the UK noted the need to refrain 
from steps that could prejudice the outcome of negotiations. 
 
 
¶9.  (SBU) GOLDSTONE: France noted that international 
humanitarian and human rights law must be respected both in 
Gaza and in southern Israel and expressed support for 
independent inquiries in line with international standards. 
The Brazilian PermRep said that accountability, through 
credible investigations in line with international practices, 
is needed in follow-up to the Goldstone Report.  Mexico noted 
that it is waiting for the Secretary General's report on 
Goldstone and called for all parties to respect international 
humanitarian law.  Austria and Nigeria echoed support for 
investigations. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) PEACE PROCESS: Council members expressed varying 
degrees of dismay with the failure to relaunch negotiations 
between the parties.  The Austrian PermRep expressed grave 
concern that the talks are "deadlocked" and that there is 
only a "fragile calm" in the region. The Brazilian Perm Rep 
said that the paralysis of the peace process risks a 
deterioration of the situation in the region.  Gabon lamented 
that negotiations are again at a state of impasse "because of 
the intransigence of the parties."  The Mexican PermRep said 
that responsibility for the peace process belongs to the 
Israelis and Palestinians, but that the international 
community can "facilitate."  Nigeria, Mexico and the UK 
expressed support for Special Envoy Mitchell.  The Japanese 
PermRep said that although there has been little progress the 
international community must not become discouraged from 
efforts to revive the peace process.  France, Japan, and the 
UK noted the positive role that Arab engagement could play. 
Gabon, Japan, Mexico, Russia, and Uganda noted the importance 
of Palestinian reconciliation.  The Russian PermRep noted 
that Russia continues its contacts with Hamas in order to 
seek to convince Hamas leaders to "transcend any 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000055  004 OF 007 
 
 
consideration not conducive to achieving the legitimate 
aspirations of the Palestinian people." 
 
¶11.  (SBU) CONFERENCES: The Russian PermRep announced a 
proposal for a Quartet meeting at the Ministerial-level in 
February in Moscow to discuss possible opportunities to 
overcome the "crisis in the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue." 
He expressed regret that it was not yet possible to announce 
the dates for the Moscow conference outlined in UNSC 1860, 
given the "continuing pause in negotiations."  The French 
PermRep noted that President Sarkozy is interested in 
convening a summit for peace.  Brazil voiced support for an 
international conference on the Middle East. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) REGIONAL ISSUES: Russia noted the importance of 
the Syrian and Lebanon tracks for a comprehensive regional 
peace.  Bosnia expressed support for efforts to revive 
Israeli-Syrian talks.  The French PermRep, as usual, began 
his remarks with Lebanon, noting the importance of Prime 
Minister Hariri's recent visit to Syria and calling for full 
Syrian-Lebanese border demarcation.  He also noted that an 
Israeli withdraw from Ghajar would contribute to the easing 
of tension in the area.  Austria noted the late December 2009 
discovery of explosives in southern Lebanon and called for 
keeping the area free from weapons.  The Lebanese PermRep 
said that his country struggles to implement resolution 1701; 
Israel violates its sovereignty and resolution 1701 on a 
daily basis, continues to occupy Ghajar and the Sheb'a Farms, 
and refuses to provide Lebanon with maps of mines it placed 
in southern Lebanon.  Lebanon also noted that Israel has 
failed to withdraw from the Golan Heights. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) TONE OF NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS: The Lebanese Perm 
Rep, as the Arab representative on the Council, focused his 
remarks exclusively on Israel's transgressions, saying that 
Israel has turned Gaza "into one big prison;" has destroyed 
Palestinian homes; revoked Palestinian residence permits; and 
increased construction in the settlements of Gilo and Har 
Homa, thereby threatening prospects for the peace process. 
As mentioned previously in para eight, he made unhelpful and 
provocative references to religious issues.  The Brazilian 
PermRep called Israeli efforts to create a fait accompli on 
the ground "unhelpful."  She noted that President Lula will 
travel to the region to meet Israeli, Palestinian, and 
Jordanian leaders in March.  The Bosnian representative 
condemned all violations of international humanitarian law 
and emphasized that both the Israeli and Palestinian civilian 
populations must be protected.  The Gabon Perm Rep called for 
lifting the blockade of Gaza but also noted the need to 
address the legitimate concerns of Israel, including arms 
smuggling and ending the firing of rockets from Gaza.  The 
Nigerian Perm Rep cited the lack of political will to resume 
negotiations but said that the Israeli settlement restraint 
creates "a window of opportunity that must be seized." 
 
European Union Observer & Norway 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶14.  (SBU) This was the first Open Debate since the 
implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, so the European Union 
delegation requested a speaking slot as a Quartet member. 
The acting head of the EU delegation, which has observer 
status at the UN, stressed that the resumption of 
negotiations is of utmost urgency.  He said the EU would not 
recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with 
regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed to by the 
parties.  He voiced support for the ongoing efforts of the 
United States, which are closely coordinated with the 
Quartet, and those of the Quartet Special Envoy Tony Blair, 
on building Palestinian institutional capacity.  He called 
for comprehensive regional peace and for all regional actors 
to undertake confidence-building measures, saying an 
important Arab contribution would be to build on the Arab 
Peace Initiative.  The Norwegian Perm Rep noted how similar 
the Assistant Secretary-General's briefing was to his 
November briefing with the situation remaining at a "deep and 
worrying impasse."  He said that efforts must still be made 
to drive the process forward towards a two-state solution. 
He underscored that steps in the right direction in some 
areas "must not be reversed by detrimental actions in others, 
including East Jerusalem."  On Gaza, he called for the 
"unacceptable and counterproductive strangle-hold on the 
civilian population" to end.  As Chair of the Ad Hoc Liaison 
Committee, he said Norway continues to stress the need for a 
political horizon in order to justify high levels of donor 
support to the Palestinian state-building project. 
 
Arab countries: Attack Israel 
on Gaza and East Jerusalem 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000055  005 OF 007 
 
 
----------------------------- 
 
¶15.  (SBU) GAZA: Ten Arab countries plus the Arab League 
Observer spoke, with Oman speaking for the Arab Group; Egypt 
speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM); and Syria for 
the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).  All ten 
gave long (significantly over the allotted five minutes) 
statements highly critical of Israeli actions continuing the 
"blockade" and "siege" on Gaza and "collective punishment" of 
the Palestinian people.  They called for the Security Council 
to assume its responsibility and ensure that Israel 
implements resolution 1860 and opens the crossings.  The 
Emirati representative called on Israel to stop the policy of 
starving Palestinians and called on the international 
community to double its assistance to the Palestinians. 
Egypt called for importation of construction materials into 
Gaza and suggested that Israel needs to compensate the 
Palestinian people for the damage and trauma they have 
suffered during the Gaza conflict.  The Arab League Observer 
referred to Israel's flagrant violations of international 
humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.  No Arab 
statement mentioned Hamas or rockets attacks from Gaza. 
 
¶16.  (SBU) JERUSALEM: Most Arab speakers also cited, at 
length, Israel's "illegal measures" in East Jerusalem, 
including home demolitions, evictions, and residency 
revocations, which many described as an attempt to "Judaize" 
East Jerusalem.  The Algerian Perm Rep called Israeli efforts 
an attempt to arrange a "fait accompli."  The Saudi and 
Emirati representatives both referred to the ethnic cleansing 
of the city.  The Moroccan Perm Rep decried the targeting of 
Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem through "suspect" 
archeological digs, the construction of a network of tunnels, 
and attacks on holy shrines.  The Jordanian Perm Rep said 
that Jordan will make every effort to protect the identity of 
Jerusalem.  The Syrian Perm Rep said a redline would be 
crossed if there was any action against the Haram al-Sharif. 
The Qatari representative referred to continued Israeli human 
rights violations against the Arab populations "within the so 
called Green Line." 
 
¶17.  (SBU) GOLDSTONE/BOI: The Syrian Perm Rep said that the 
GA resolution on Goldstone was an "important first step" but 
called for more actions by relevant organizations, including 
the Security Council, to put an end to Israel's impunity. 
The Qatari representative called on the Security Council to 
act on the Goldstone report even though the Human Rights 
Council was still considering it.  He also noted that the 
Security Council has not taken any action "in reply to the 
Board on Inquiry's recommendations."  The Saudi 
representative complained about the complete absence of the 
Security Council with respect to the policy of "state 
terrorism practiced by Israel." 
 
¶18.  (SBU) PEACE PROCESS: Oman called for a timetable to 
complete negotiations.  Many, including Oman and Egypt, 
attributed Israel's failure to institute a total settlements 
freeze as the reason why peace negotiations have not resumed. 
 Morocco and Jordan did note the efforts of the Obama 
administration and Senator Mitchell and hoped they would have 
the desired effect to restart negotiations.  For there to be 
progress, the Algerian Perm Rep called for (1) Israel to give 
an unequivocal commitment to the two-state solution and cease 
illegal activities; (2) Israel to respect the terms of UN 
resolutions that are the agreed framework for the way 
forward; and (3) the international community to find a 
clearer role for the Quartet.  The Jordanian Perm Rep called 
for the resumption of negotiations as soon as possible on the 
basis of where the last negotiations ended.  He stressed that 
the fate of the Palestinian people is at the heart of all 
conflicts in the region.  The Qatari representative 
reaffirmed the Arab Peace Initiative but noted that it is 
dependent on Israel not taking extreme positions.  He also 
emphasized the need to "involve all segments of the 
Palestinian people for the success of peace efforts."  The 
Egyptian Perm Rep called for speedy Palestinian 
reconciliation. 
 
¶19.  (SBU) LEBANON/GOLAN: Many of the Arab delegations also 
voiced deep concern by Israel's continued violation of 
Lebanese air, sea, and land and its continued occupation of 
Ghajar, Sheb'a, and Kfar Shouba.  Oman, Qatar, and Syria also 
spoke out against Israeli efforts to change the demographic 
status of the Golan and called for Israel's withdrawal.  They 
also called on the Security Council to condemn Israel's 
continuing violations of resolution 1701 but did not refer to 
the other violations of the weapons-free zone south of the 
Litani river. 
 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000055  006 OF 007 
 
 
Iran 
---- 
 
¶20.  (SBU) The Iranian Perm Rep, sitting next to the Israeli 
Deputy Perm Rep, decried Israel's "barbaric attack" on Gaza 
last year when he said Israel "willfully and systematically 
targeted women and children" and even the UN was not spared. 
He said these actions amounted to war crimes and crimes 
against humanity and called for an end to the culture of 
impunity by Israel for war crimes, at which point the Israeli 
Deputy Perm Rep exited the Chamber and did not return. 
(Note: Iran was the third to last speaker.  End note.)  He 
said that certain Council members are accustomed to giving 
long speeches on human rights but their true stance was 
revealed during the vote on General Assembly resolution 
64/10.  He also referred to Israel's persistence with its 
"aggressive and expansionist policies" toward Lebanon and its 
daily violations of land, sea, and airspace and refusal to 
withdraw from Sheb'a, Kfar Shouba, the northern Ghajar, and 
the occupied Syrian Golan.  He termed the Israeli occupation 
of Palestinian territory as the most gross violation and 
called for lasting peace. 
 
Mostly harsh Latin American comments 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶21.  (SBU) The representatives of Cuba, Venezuela, and 
Nicaragua all gave statements harshly critical of Israel, 
which attempted to surpass in tone those of the Arab states. 
The Cuban representative referred to the "constant siege of 
Gaza" and the "illegal blockade."  He said that Israel only 
is able to act with impunity because of the support given to 
it by "the superpower."  The Nicaraguan Perm Rep blamed the 
Council's inability to have Israel comply with its 
resolutions on Israel's "main ally."  She said it is time for 
the permanent members to force Israel to make a commitment 
and if Israel does not, then the Council should "take steps" 
according to the Charter.  The Venezuelan representative said 
that Israel's policy of "genocide" was apparent in Jerusalem 
where it had revoked the residency rights of Palestinians. 
The Argentine Perm Rep offered the only balanced statement 
from a Latin American non-Council member in which he called 
on both sides to fulfill their obligations and for a relaunch 
of the peace process with the support of the international 
community and active intermediation of the United States.  He 
explained that Argentina had voted for the Goldstone 
resolution in the General Assembly because it had to support 
a request to investigate war crimes accusations on both sides. 
 
OIC/NAM Asian members join in 
----------------------------- 
 
¶22.  (SBU) The Indonesian representative also gave a harshly 
worded statement, citing Israel's policies of collective 
punishment.  He said that the Council has an abundance of 
patience on this issue while on other issues it acts 
impatiently.  He urged greater Council impatience on this 
issue.  He termed the humanitarian situation in Gaza a 
"man-made situation" and called for an end to the "mayhem." 
He also called settlements a "blatant violation of 
international law" and called for Israel to stop construction 
and seek a comprehensive solution.  The Malaysian 
representative also spoke out against Israeli actions and 
called for the Council to focus on restoring the inalienable 
rights of Palestinians.  The Vietnamese Perm Rep also called 
on Israel to cease its "unilateral and provocative 
construction" of settlements, but he also noted the worrying 
resurgence of sporadic rocket attacks on Israel and the need 
for intra-Palestinian unity.  The Pakistani representative 
highlighted the Middle East as the "sacred birthplace of 
great religions" and calling continued conflict there a 
"collective failure."  He said there is no option but a 
return to the negotiating table and emphasized the need for 
greater political will to bring the parties together, 
stressing the Security Council's "significant and crucial 
role."  The Sri Lankan representative urged both sides to 
move to a climate conducive to the resumption of negotiations 
and voiced hope for a peaceful settlement. 
 
South Africa -- only 
sub-Saharan African voice 
------------------------- 
 
¶23.  (SBU) South Africa was the only non-Arab African state 
to speak.  The South African Deputy Perm Rep said there could 
be no military solution to the conflict and called for the 
parties to create a situation conducive to a return to 
negotiations.  He also called for the implementation of the 
Goldstone commission's recommendations and called on the 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000055  007 OF 007 
 
 
Security Council to assist the Palestinian people in their 
"long-held aspirations for self-determination and freedom." 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶24.  (SBU) This was the first Middle East Open Debate since 
the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, so the EU delegation 
spoke on behalf of its members.  With no other EU member 
state speaking, the lack of balance on the speakers list was 
noticeable and colored the tone of the meeting.  End comment. 
 
¶25.  (U) A full transcript of the Open Debate can be found at 
www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/scact2010.htm. 
RICE