WikiLeaks Unleashes Cache Of "New" Cables

Because of the size of the document dump, WikiLeaks has made the cables available at a searchable database, which is sorted by the location of each involved U.S. embassy, the Atlantic Wire reported.
The cables include information from U.S. embassies in China, Libya, Russia and Taiwan, among others.
Nearly 4,000 cables were made public were about the state of Israel, which included previously classified information regarding the Israel-Palestinian peace process and Vatican-Jewish relations, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Although WikiLeaks lauded the cables as new, the information was available to both the New York Times and the Guardian in November of last year, according to NPR's The Two-Way blog.
Below are a selection of cables from the most recent release:
Via NPR:
- A Two Hour Meeting With Saddam Hussein - Saddam Hussein complains to a U.S. ambassador about the West's attempt at keeping oil prices low, 1990.
- John McCain's Meeting With Gaddafi - Background information preceding the senator's visit to Libya, which shows the U.S. normalizing relations with the regime, 2009.
- Israel Strikes UN, Red Cross - "On January 8, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) decided to suspend movements inside Gaza following several security incidents involving IDF strikes on UN and ICRC staff, vehicles, and facilities," January 2009.
Via the Atlantic Wire:
- Libya Makes Progress On Banking Reform - The U.S. saw benefit in the privatization of Libya's banks, 2008.
- Turkey: Americans, Homosexuals And Bikinis Not Welcome Here - Based on a face-to-face survey of 1,714 Turks, June 2009.
Via the Jerusalem Post:
- Israeli Economy Pauses Following Yassin Killing - The U.S. State Department said that it was unsure of the economic effect that the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in Gaza.
- A Political Map Of The Orthodox Movement In Israel - This cable highlighted the importance of understanding the religious sector in Israel because "coalitions often give small parties, including the religious parties, influence far exceeding their electoral weight," 2005.
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