JERUSALEM CATHOLIC HOSPICE DESCRIBES PROBLEMS FROM

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001748

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR D/NSA ABRAMS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG KPAL KDEM IS
SUBJECT: JERUSALEM CATHOLIC HOSPICE DESCRIBES PROBLEMS FROM
CONSTRUCTION NEXT DOOR


1. (SBU) Summary. During an April 25 meeting with ConGen
Poloff, the lead attorney for the Hospice Saint Vincent de
Paul -- a Vatican-supported institution situated near the Old
City of Jerusalem -- appealed for USG intervention with the
Government of Israel (GOI) in response to the construction of
a neighboring condominium complex and pedestrian shopping
area. The attorney accused the GOI of failing to adhere to a
1993 agreement intended to insure hospice control over the
lone access road serving the facility and preserving its
privacy. The attorney said that the ongoing construction
violated the terms of the 1993 agreement, and warned that the
hospice may be compelled to cease operations altogether
unless it can ensure complete control over the access road.
End summary.

Hospice Saint
Vincent de Paul
--------------


2. (SBU) The land encompassing the Hospice Saint Vincent
de Paul -- located in the Mamila section of West Jerusalem
near the Old City -- was purchased by the Roman Catholic
Church in 1884. The building complex, which includes a
convent, the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, a
kindergarten, grade school, and child care facility, supports
the daily needs of approximately 400 people, including 250
permanent residents composed of abandoned children, senior
citizens, and the mentally ill. (Note: The hospice serves
mainly Israeli Arabs and East Jerusalem Palestinians but
includes some Jewish Israelis, including two residents who
escaped from Nazi Germany. End note.) The hospice employs
approximately 80 personnel, including doctors, teachers, and
social workers. Funding for the facility comes from the
Israeli Ministry of Welfare as well as the Vatican and
private donors.

Lawyer Says Construction
Violates 1993 Agreement
--------------


3. (SBU) Jerusalem attorney Naeem Khoury told ConGen
Poloff April 25 that the construction of an upscale
condominium complex and pedestrian shopping area adjacent to
the hospice violates a 1993 agreement between the GOI and the
hospice. According to Khoury, the agreement stipulated that
a free motorway be provided for the exclusive use of the
hospice for its service and transportation vehicles. The
agreement also required that any building construction in the
adjacent area ensure the privacy of the convent by
restricting the height of the surrounding buildings.


4. (SBU) Khoury said that a review of the construction
site maps show that the building's main entrance would impede
entry by hospice ambulances, buses for the handicapped, and
emergency vehicles since it would place access to the
facility at the discretion of the condominium. Khoury added
that the construction also violates the privacy of the
convent since the surrounding buildings are slated to be
built higher than the terms agreed to in the 1993 agreement.

Fearing Closure, Attorney
Appeals For USG Intervention
--------------


5. (SBU) Khoury said that he has initiated legal action in
Jerusalem's district court but expressed doubts that he would
successful in delaying the construction during the litigation
period. He anticipated that the presiding judge would deny
his recent motion to halt the project altogether at the
building site. At the current pace of construction, Khoury
expected that building construction would be completed
sometime in 2008. Khoury warned that the hospice might cease
operations unless it secures total control over the access
road. He requested USG intervention with the Government of
Israel on behalf of the hospice to ensure that the 1993
agreement is upheld.

WALLES