VZCZCXYZ0021
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRL #0217 0561718
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 251718Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6628
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0931

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000217 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IO/HR CMUSSER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2020 
TAGS: IO PHUM UNGA GM
 
SUBJECT: GERMANS APPEAR SET TO ABSTAIN ON PALESTINIAN 
GOLDSTONE RESOLUTION 
 
REF: STATE 15722 
 
Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Stanley Otto for reasons 1.4 
(b/d) 
 
¶1. (C) POLOFF delivered the reftel demarche to the German MFA 
UN Human Rights Section, Herr Georg Klussmann.   Klussmann 
said that based on the Palestinian's current draft 
resolution, which no longer calls for a date for the Swiss to 
convene a conference of High Contracting Parties to the 
Fourth Geneva Convention to address this, it had been agreed 
by the Director of the 3rd Political Division Michaelis and 
the Director General for UN Affairs Freiherr von 
Ungern-Sternberg that the path of least harm would be for 
Germany to abstain. 
 
¶2. (C) Comment:  The German MFA appears to be trying to walk 
a fine line between trying to be supportive of Israel but 
concerns that a "no" vote could somehow weaken Palestinian 
Authority President Abbas.  End comment. 
Murphy