Spy Cables expose ‘desperate’ US approach to Hamas by Will Jordan and Rahul Radhakrishnan.
From the post:
A CIA agent “desperate” to make contact with Hamas in Gaza pleaded for help from a South African spy in the summer of 2012, according to intelligence files leaked to Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit. The US lists Hamas as a terrorist organisation and, officially at least, has no contact with the group.
That was just one of the revelations of extensive back-channel politicking involving the US, Israel and the Palestinian Authority as they navigate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict amid a stalled peace process.
Classified South African documents obtained by Al Jazeera also reveal an approach by Israel’s then-secret service chief, Meir Dagan, seeking Pretoria’s help in its efforts to scupper a landmark UN-authorised probe into alleged war crimes in Gaza, which was headed by South African judge Richard Goldstone.
Dagan explained that his effort to squelch the Goldstone Report had strong support from Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas.
The Mossad director told the South Africans that Abbas privately backed the Israeli position, saying he wanted the report rejected because he feared it would “play into the hands” of Hamas, his key domestic political rival.
The Spy Cables also reveal that US President Barack Obama made a direct threat to Abbas in hope of dissuading him from pursuing United Nations recognition for a Palestinian state.
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In case you don’t know the “back story,” the Goldstone report was in its own words:
On 3 April 2009, the President of the Human Rights Council established the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict with the mandate “to investigate all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law that might have been committed at any time in the context of the military operations that were conducted in Gaza during the period from 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009, whether before, during or after.”
When produced, the report found there was evidence that both Hamas and Israel had committed war crimes. The chief judge, Richard Goldman, has subsequently stated the report would have been substantially different had information in the possession of Israel had been shared with the investigation. Specifically, Judge Goldman is satisfied that Israel did not target civilians as a matter of policy.
Israel has only itself to blame for the initial report reaching erroneous conclusions due to its failure to cooperate at all with the investigation. Secrecy and non-cooperation being their own reward in that case.
Even worse, however, is the revelation that the United States and others had no interest in whether Hamas or Israel had in fact committed war crimes but in how the politics of the report would impact their allies.
I can only imagine what the election results in the United States had Obama’s acceptance speech read in part:
“I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease.” I will stop any reports critical of Israel and scuttle any investigation into Israel’s conduct in Gaza or against the Palestinians. Helping our allies, Israel and at times the Palestinian Liberation Authority, will require that we turn a blind eye to potential war crimes and those who have committed them. I will engage in secret negotiations to protect anyone, no matter now foul, it is furthers the interest of the United States or one of its allies. In all those ways, “I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.” (The non-bolded text was added.)
Interesting to see how additional information shapes your reading of the speech isn’t it?
Transparent government isn’t a technical issue but a political one. Although I hasten to add that topic maps can assist with transparency, for governments so minded.
PS: Ones hopes that for any future investigations that Israel cooperates and the facts can be developed more quickly and openly.