VZCZCXRO2933
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHLO #2595 3231612
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 191612Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4017
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0611
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0332
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1515
C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 002595
NOFORN
SIPDIS
FOR IO/UNP ANDREW MORRISON
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2019
TAGS: PREL UNGA KPAL IS UK
SUBJECT: UK WANTS LESS UN FOCUS ON ISRAEL; SEES ABSTENTION
ON GOLDSTONE AS BEST TACTIC
REF: STATE 118799 Classified By: Political Counselor Greg Berry for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d) (C/NF) Greg Quinn, Head of
the UN Team in the International Organizations Department, told Poloff on November 19 in response to reftel demarche
that the UK agrees that UNGA's excessive focus on Israel wastes resources and takes us farther from a two-state solution
to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The only area of divergence between our countries' position is in voting on the Goldstone
Report. Quinn said HMG agrees with the U.S. evaluation of the report's weaknesses and that there was never any chance
that the UK would vote to endorse the report. He also said that the British Embassy in Tel Aviv has reported overall
satisfaction with Israeli moves to investigate allegations of improper conduct. However, he said HMG sees abstention as
the best voting tactic, since it is a less-confrontational approach to the Arab states. Quinn argued it was important to
leave a door open to the other Arabs in looking for ways to get negotiations back on track. Visit London's Classified
Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX
Susman