THREE BEDOUIN MOSQUES IN THE NEGEV ORDERED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 004066

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2015
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL IS PHUM ECONOMY AND FINANCE ISRAELI SOCIETY
SUBJECT: THREE BEDOUIN MOSQUES IN THE NEGEV ORDERED
DEMOLISHED

Classified By: DCM Gene A. Cretz for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The GOI has served demolition orders for
three mosques built in Bedouin unrecognized villages in the
Negev. The regional council for the Bedouin, an Israeli-Arab
NGO, is taking action to publicize the threat to these
mosques as a means of pressuring the GOI to back off on the
demolition. One of these orders was issued by the Regional
Planning and Building Committee in the Negev, which
administers the Al-Dhiyya village. According to a GOI
source, the committee was "unaware" the structure it had
marked for demolition was a mosque. He said the committee is
therefore taking steps to work with Bedouin authorities to
resolve the "code violations" that led to the issuance of the
demolition order for this mosque, but that the Bedouin have
yet to take the corrective actions specified. A Bedouin
council contact said GOI has not rescinded the demolition
orders and "nothing has changed." END SUMMARY.

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Sawalha: Demolitions Will Turn Bedouin Against Israel
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2. (C) The continuous discussion between the GOI and the
Bedouin in the Negev over unrecognized villages sharpened
recently when the GOI issued orders for municipal authorities
to destroy three mosques. (Note: The GOI strictly regulates
all construction throughout Israel via various local and
national bodies, and has for years attempted to prevent
construction in the numerous "unrecognized" villages that
Bedouin have built throughout the northern Negev. In
addition, the GOI has for decades attempted to settle Bedouin
in GOI-planned villages. As part of this effort, official
bodies rarely approve building permits for structures outside
government approved areas. End Note). On April 25, Faisal
Sawalha of the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages in
the Negev contacted Econoff regarding what he said are
demolition orders, issued by the Ministry of Interior and the
Bni Shimon Regional Council in the Negev, against three
mosques located in the unrecognized villages of Um Al-Hiran,
Tel Al-Maleh, and Al-Dhiyya that together serve more than
2,050 Bedouin. All three mosques were built without permits.


3. (C) Sawalha said that the Um Al-Hiran Mosque is not only
to be demolished, but residents of the village are also
required to pay a fine of 30,000 shekels. In Tel Al-Maleh,
the district court has returned the case to a lower court for
review, he said, while in Al-Dhiyya, the demolition order
issued by the Regional Planning and Building Committee stands
and must be implemented this year.


4. (C) The involved villages have mobilized a public
relations campaign to save the mosques. Sawalha said he has
approached the local Bedouin committee in each village to
exchange ideas on how to deal with this matter, and has
informed Arab members of the Knesset. On April 22, Israeli
Arabs from Galilee, Tel Aviv, and other townships in the
Negev gathered at the Um Al-Hiran mosque for Friday prayers
as a sign of protest. Sawalha said this is not the first
time demolition orders have been issued: "Two mosques were
demolished in 2003," one in Tel Al-Maleh and another in the
village of Al-Za'roora. These two mosques were built without
permits.


5. (C) On May 23, Sawalha told Econoff that the GOI was
moving ahead with the demolition orders, citing licensing
violations with the mosques. He also said that demolitions
will "fuel extremist cause" (sic) within the Bedouin
community.

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Ritov: Building Codes Must Be Adhered To
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6. (C) On May 10, Econoff spoke to Amir Ritov, chairman of
the Regional Planning and Building Committee, about the
Al-Dhiyya demolition order. Ritov said when the Al-Dhiyya
mosque was built, incorrect documentation was filed, which
did not indicate the structure's religious nature. As the
structure did not fall within appropriate "code and permit"
parameters, he said, the committee was required to issue a
demolition order. When the committee was informed of the
building's purpose, his organization was "lenient," he said,
informing the village to "fix" deficiencies to bring the
structures into compliance with appropriate building codes.
Ritov claimed that in the months since Al-Dhiyya village was
informed about the deficiencies the village has not taken any
corrective action.

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Comment: Demolitions An Ongoing Issue
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7. (C) The ongoing issue of demolitions continues to be a
point of contention between the GOI and the unrecognized
Bedouin villages in the Negev as each side paints a different
picture to outside observers. GOI counterparts within the
Ministry of Interior have not responded to Post questions
regarding the pending demolitions.

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