Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05TELAVIV4948
2005-08-11 08:36:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:
ROADS LEADING TO NEGEV DEVELOPMENT
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. 110836Z Aug 05
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 004948
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2015
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL IS ECONOMY AND FINANCE ISRAELI SOCIETY
SUBJECT: ROADS LEADING TO NEGEV DEVELOPMENT
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Gene A. Cretz for reasons 1.4 (b
) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 004948
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2015
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL IS ECONOMY AND FINANCE ISRAELI SOCIETY
SUBJECT: ROADS LEADING TO NEGEV DEVELOPMENT
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Gene A. Cretz for reasons 1.4 (b
) and (d).
1. (C) SUMMARY: Public sector, NGO and academic leaders
indicate that success of the GOI's economic development
initiative for the Negev is contingent upon a fair, inclusive
and robust plan. In their view, that plan should address,
among other things, the historical land dispute between the
state and the Bedouin, creating the conditions necessary for
employment growth, and finally, revival of the education
system to meet national standards for Israeli Jews, Bedouin
and other residents of the Negev. Embassy contacts stress
that this is a critical time, in light of development
opportunities associated with the disengagement plan, and
that this opportunity should not be lost. END SUMMARY.
--------------
Rifman: Marketing the Negev
--------------
2. (C) Deputy econcouns met with Shmuel Rifman, who serves as
mayor of the Negev Regional Council, Chairman of the
Association of Negev Development, and Chairman of the
Association of Regional Councils of Israel, on July 20.
Rifman works closely with Vice Premier Shimon Peres's office
on Negev development. Rifman said that planning and
coordination efforts with Peres's Negev development committee
aim to make the Negev an attractive residential location, not
just for new immigrants, but also for Israelis.
3. (C) Rifman noted that employment in the Negev is a key
concern for both Jewish and Bedouin residents of the Negev
and that a solution needs to be found to keep young Jewish
residents in the Negev. He noted that 16,000 students study
at Ben Gurion University. According to Rifman, those who
graduate have a difficult time finding employment locally
because there are not enough jobs, and salaries are not
competitive with those in the Tel Aviv area. He did not
elaborate on Bedouin employment.
4. (C) Regarding the Bedouin sector, Rifman stressed that
upgrades in public education for Bedouin youth are necessary.
If solutions are not found to address the problems facing
the 150,000 Bedouin in the Negev, he said, the region cannot
be developed. He also indicated the need for the Bedouin to
change their mindset, to forge a path for a better life.
5. (C) Rifman also noted the recent discussions about USG
assistance for Negev development, and cited projects such as
extension of Highway Six, railway lines between Tel Aviv and
Be'er Sheva, and power stations fueled by natural gas, that
could provide needed infrastructure for economic development.
6. (C) Rifman touched on the socio-political relationship
between the state and the Bedouin, noting the historical land
dispute between the two sides. Rifman said a compromise is
needed between the GOI's plan to establish seven new
townships for the Bedouin and the Bedouin's demand that the
GOI recognize some 45 existing Bedouin villages.
7. (U) In a related story, the Prime Minister's office has
announced a comprehensive development plan for the Abu Basma
regional council in the south, which has 25,000 Bedouin
residents. This plan was approved by the Ministerial
Committee on the Non-Jewish Sector, chaired by PM Sharon, on
July 18. It is estimated to cost approximately NIS 470
million (USD 104 million) and includes investment in
education, transportation, infrastructure, employment,
construction, housing, health, social affairs, and
agriculture.
--------------
CBI: Getting the GOI and Bedouin To Talk
--------------
8. (C) Michele Ferenz, a senior associate in the Consensus
Building Institute (CBI),a non-profit organization dealing
with conflict resolution, met with econoff July 24. Ferenz
said that the CBI has been involved in conflict resolution
between the GOI and the Bedouin over land use and ownership
since 2003. Ferenz is the project director and works with
CBI President Lawrence Susskind and another associate to
ensure that CBI is aware of what is happening in the Bedouin
community on governance and land use issues.
9. (C) Ferenz said the CBI has a unique approach regarding
the historical land dispute between the GOI and the Bedouin
because CBI is not involved in Negev development, and has no
monetary interests. Ferenz commmented that the consulting
firms of Daroma and McKinsey, both contracted by the GOI to
work on Negev development, indirectly address the GOI-Bedouin
conflict, but are not involved in conflict resolution efforts.
10. (C) Ferenz discussed how CBI carries out various stages
of conflict assessment. First, she said, CBI seeks approval
from the main parties involved for a CBI-led intervention.
Both the GOI and Bedouin leadership have already given CBI
their approval to carry out this process. At the moment, the
organization is on the ground working with the Bedouin
villages of Kseifeh and Um Bitin, Ferenz said, where
interviews and discussions will identify key areas of
agreement and disagreement between the GOI and the Bedouin.
In September, CBI will present preliminary findings to the
GOI and Bedouin. CBI plans to present a complete analysis
and set of recommendations on dispute resolution by February,
2006.
--------------
BGU President: Must Seize The Moment
--------------
11. (C) Econoff met with Professor Avishai Braverman,
President of Ben Gurion University (BGU),on July 25.
Braverman said the next ten years will determine the future
of the state of Israel, and Negev development is directly
linked to that future. For his part, Braverman plans to
bring the "best and the brightest" to Be'er Sheva to make BGU
a powerhouse. BGU would serve as the regional center in high
technology, engineering, medicine, nanotechnology, and
biotech, said Braverman.
12. (C) Braverman took econoff on a tour of BGU. He
discussed the possibility of creating a high-tech park in a
200 acre area within the campus. Braverman said both Israeli
investment and foreign capital were needed to make this
high-tech park come to life. The Negev has not seen huge
government investment or spending, he said. Out of the USD
four billion invested in Israel in the 1990's, said
Braverman, only 0.3 percent was invested in the Be'er Sheva
area. His vision, he said, is for an industrial science park
to be built on the BGU campus with U.S., and possibly
European, help.
13. (C) Braverman noted that addressing the needs of the
Bedouin population makes any Negev plan more difficult. He
said there has never been enough investment in the Bedouin
sector. He referred to the need for some sort of
international fund made up of private and public money for
the education and vocational training of the Bedouin.
********************************************* ********************
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
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2015
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL IS ECONOMY AND FINANCE ISRAELI SOCIETY
SUBJECT: ROADS LEADING TO NEGEV DEVELOPMENT
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Gene A. Cretz for reasons 1.4 (b
) and (d).
1. (C) SUMMARY: Public sector, NGO and academic leaders
indicate that success of the GOI's economic development
initiative for the Negev is contingent upon a fair, inclusive
and robust plan. In their view, that plan should address,
among other things, the historical land dispute between the
state and the Bedouin, creating the conditions necessary for
employment growth, and finally, revival of the education
system to meet national standards for Israeli Jews, Bedouin
and other residents of the Negev. Embassy contacts stress
that this is a critical time, in light of development
opportunities associated with the disengagement plan, and
that this opportunity should not be lost. END SUMMARY.
--------------
Rifman: Marketing the Negev
--------------
2. (C) Deputy econcouns met with Shmuel Rifman, who serves as
mayor of the Negev Regional Council, Chairman of the
Association of Negev Development, and Chairman of the
Association of Regional Councils of Israel, on July 20.
Rifman works closely with Vice Premier Shimon Peres's office
on Negev development. Rifman said that planning and
coordination efforts with Peres's Negev development committee
aim to make the Negev an attractive residential location, not
just for new immigrants, but also for Israelis.
3. (C) Rifman noted that employment in the Negev is a key
concern for both Jewish and Bedouin residents of the Negev
and that a solution needs to be found to keep young Jewish
residents in the Negev. He noted that 16,000 students study
at Ben Gurion University. According to Rifman, those who
graduate have a difficult time finding employment locally
because there are not enough jobs, and salaries are not
competitive with those in the Tel Aviv area. He did not
elaborate on Bedouin employment.
4. (C) Regarding the Bedouin sector, Rifman stressed that
upgrades in public education for Bedouin youth are necessary.
If solutions are not found to address the problems facing
the 150,000 Bedouin in the Negev, he said, the region cannot
be developed. He also indicated the need for the Bedouin to
change their mindset, to forge a path for a better life.
5. (C) Rifman also noted the recent discussions about USG
assistance for Negev development, and cited projects such as
extension of Highway Six, railway lines between Tel Aviv and
Be'er Sheva, and power stations fueled by natural gas, that
could provide needed infrastructure for economic development.
6. (C) Rifman touched on the socio-political relationship
between the state and the Bedouin, noting the historical land
dispute between the two sides. Rifman said a compromise is
needed between the GOI's plan to establish seven new
townships for the Bedouin and the Bedouin's demand that the
GOI recognize some 45 existing Bedouin villages.
7. (U) In a related story, the Prime Minister's office has
announced a comprehensive development plan for the Abu Basma
regional council in the south, which has 25,000 Bedouin
residents. This plan was approved by the Ministerial
Committee on the Non-Jewish Sector, chaired by PM Sharon, on
July 18. It is estimated to cost approximately NIS 470
million (USD 104 million) and includes investment in
education, transportation, infrastructure, employment,
construction, housing, health, social affairs, and
agriculture.
--------------
CBI: Getting the GOI and Bedouin To Talk
--------------
8. (C) Michele Ferenz, a senior associate in the Consensus
Building Institute (CBI),a non-profit organization dealing
with conflict resolution, met with econoff July 24. Ferenz
said that the CBI has been involved in conflict resolution
between the GOI and the Bedouin over land use and ownership
since 2003. Ferenz is the project director and works with
CBI President Lawrence Susskind and another associate to
ensure that CBI is aware of what is happening in the Bedouin
community on governance and land use issues.
9. (C) Ferenz said the CBI has a unique approach regarding
the historical land dispute between the GOI and the Bedouin
because CBI is not involved in Negev development, and has no
monetary interests. Ferenz commmented that the consulting
firms of Daroma and McKinsey, both contracted by the GOI to
work on Negev development, indirectly address the GOI-Bedouin
conflict, but are not involved in conflict resolution efforts.
10. (C) Ferenz discussed how CBI carries out various stages
of conflict assessment. First, she said, CBI seeks approval
from the main parties involved for a CBI-led intervention.
Both the GOI and Bedouin leadership have already given CBI
their approval to carry out this process. At the moment, the
organization is on the ground working with the Bedouin
villages of Kseifeh and Um Bitin, Ferenz said, where
interviews and discussions will identify key areas of
agreement and disagreement between the GOI and the Bedouin.
In September, CBI will present preliminary findings to the
GOI and Bedouin. CBI plans to present a complete analysis
and set of recommendations on dispute resolution by February,
2006.
--------------
BGU President: Must Seize The Moment
--------------
11. (C) Econoff met with Professor Avishai Braverman,
President of Ben Gurion University (BGU),on July 25.
Braverman said the next ten years will determine the future
of the state of Israel, and Negev development is directly
linked to that future. For his part, Braverman plans to
bring the "best and the brightest" to Be'er Sheva to make BGU
a powerhouse. BGU would serve as the regional center in high
technology, engineering, medicine, nanotechnology, and
biotech, said Braverman.
12. (C) Braverman took econoff on a tour of BGU. He
discussed the possibility of creating a high-tech park in a
200 acre area within the campus. Braverman said both Israeli
investment and foreign capital were needed to make this
high-tech park come to life. The Negev has not seen huge
government investment or spending, he said. Out of the USD
four billion invested in Israel in the 1990's, said
Braverman, only 0.3 percent was invested in the Be'er Sheva
area. His vision, he said, is for an industrial science park
to be built on the BGU campus with U.S., and possibly
European, help.
13. (C) Braverman noted that addressing the needs of the
Bedouin population makes any Negev plan more difficult. He
said there has never been enough investment in the Bedouin
sector. He referred to the need for some sort of
international fund made up of private and public money for
the education and vocational training of the Bedouin.
********************************************* ********************
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