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### Viewing cable 08BRASILIA1685, BRAZIL: LAYING BLAME AT THE FEET OF ISRAEL, U.S.

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08BRASILIA1685 | 2008-12-31 19:28 | 2011-07-11 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Brasilia

`

    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

`