Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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05TELAVIV1430 | 2005-03-10 17:54:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Tel Aviv |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001430 |
1. (U) Summary and Comment: Attorney Talia Sasson on March 8 submitted a report on illegal settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The report has been characterized as a "powerful bombshell" and "explosive on an international level." In the document, Sasson emphasizes the roles of the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the Civil Administration, and the Ministry of Construction and Housing (MOCH) in fostering the establishment and expansion of illegal outposts and settlements. She notes that the GOI has taken control of private Palestinian land, and issues various recommendations: suspending the activities of the Settlements Division, conducting an examination on the rights to the lands, and controlling the movement of trailers. Post has received a copy of the report from the GOI in Hebrew and will follow up with a more detailed analysis. End Summary and Comment. -------------------------- -------------------------- Illegal Outposts: A Government-Sponsored Process -------------------------- -------------------------- 2. (U) Talia Sasson's "powerful bombshell" document on illegal settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) confirms post's reporting about the Israeli government's involvement in the establishment of illegal outposts and settlements. According to press, Sasson's report states that "the process of outpost expansion is profoundly under way," and explains how illegal outposts are established under the government's sponsorship. Using what is probably the example of the Migron outpost, she notes that first an antenna was set up, which immediately required "an electrical line to feed the antenna." Then a booth was put in place for a guard, a dirt road was paved, and infrastructure was set up for the guard's booth, and then for trailers. Once the trailers arrived, the settlers came and the outpost became an established fact on the ground. Press reports that another method used is to set up a farm or educational institution which needs housing for the staff, with the staff eventually becoming settlers in a new outpost. -------------------------- Among the Guiltiest of Parties... -------------------------- 3. According to Maariv's Ben Caspit, the Sasson report emphasizes the roles of the Settlements Division of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), -- which he incorrectly identified as belonging to the Jewish Agency instead of WZO -- the Civil Administration, and the Ministry of Construction and Housing (MOCH) as the key players in the establishment and expansion of illegal settlements and outposts. -- Sasson writes in her report that "the Settlement Division built unauthorized settlement outposts while disregarding the need to draft a detailed and viable plan, and this was not accidental but rather a work method." She claims that the Settlements Division violated the Jordanian planning and construction laws that apply to land in the WBGS. -- The Sasson Report also severely criticizes the Civil Administration's activities in the WBGS (Note: the Civil Administration is responsible for allocating lands for settlements and outposts. End note). Sasson discovered during her research that some the land that was allocated for construction or establishment of outposts was privately owned by Palestinians. -- Sasson notes that the MOCH used its own and external architects to plan outposts after they were established even if the GOI had not authorized them. She also reports that the Ministry fraudulently acquired 520 trailers in 2003 for NIS33 million: the trailers were ordered, manufactured, and in position before the MOCH even issued the tender for them. In addition, the Ministry did not sign any agreements with the settlers who would be using the trailers, and thus did not receive payment for them for "approximately a year and a half," ultimately costing the state million of shekels. -------------------------- Trailer Shenanigans -------------------------- 4. (U) According to press, there have been a number of other instances in which settlers or GOI officials have misused trailers. The settlers can establish outposts overnight using the trailers because they are houses on wheels and can be "transported, positioned on the ground, and hooked up to the infrastructure" in short periods of time, even without the appropriate transportation and construction permits. At times, according to Sasson's report, the Defense Minister's Settlements Advisor, Ron Shekner, had approved moving a trailer to an area without settlement status. In addition, Sasson notes that in reviewing the fate of 111 trailers that had authorization to move to certain locations but never made it to the final destination, 70 of the trailers may have ended up in illegal outposts. -------------------------- Sasson's Recommendations -------------------------- 5. (U) Among Sasson's recommendations is stopping the activity of WZO's Settlement Division, "unless the Settlement Division is authorized, ad hoc, by the government to function as a settling body for the purpose of building a new settlement or expanding a concrete settlement." In addition, Sasson advocates conducting an in-depth examination of who hold the rights to the lands that are being allocated for the establishment of settlements and outposts, particularly since the Civil Administration has allocated land that is privately owned by Palestinians. She also makes several recommendations on the trailer phenomenon: requests for trailers should come with legal construction permits, affidavits explaining the need for a trailer, aerial photos of the trailer's destination, and "the signature of the local council's chief engineer ensuring that the trailer will be positioned legally." Sasson recommends that individuals who apply for permits to move their trailers must pay monetary deposits for 18 months to ensure that the trailers reach their declared destinations. She also suggests that the Prime Minister and Defense Minister approve trailer purchases prior to the issuance of tenders. -------------------------- Comment -------------------------- 6. (U) Post will conduct a more thorough examination of Sasson's report when the Hebrew version we have received from the GOI is translated into English. The preview of the report is indeed "explosive," particularly when it notes: "no one seriously intends to enforce the law. It seems as if the violation of the law has become institutional and institutionalized. There is blatant violation of the law by certain state authorities, public authorities, regional councils in Judea and Samaria, and the settlers." ********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** KURTZER |