SEPARATION BARRIER ROUTE REVISED, BUT PALESTINIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 003635 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/LOGERFO E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KWBG IS SUBJECT: SEPARATION BARRIER ROUTE REVISED, BUT PALESTINIAN PROBLEMS PERSIST REF: JERUSALEM 0954 Classified By: Acting Principal Officer Tom Duffy, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Following a July 2006 report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA),Palestinian and NGO contacts have informed ConGen that despite revisions, the route of the separation barrier will cut off tens of thousands of Palestinians from Palestinian-owned land, leave a significant number of Palestinians in "Seam Zone" areas between the barrier and the Green Line, and curtail Palestinian access to social and economic services that they previously relied upon in Jerusalem. END SUMMARY. -------------- OCHA REPORT UPDATES BARRIER PROJECTIONS -------------- ¶2. (U) According to a July 2006 report from the United Nations Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),the total length of the separation barrier has increased from 670 to 703 km. According to the report: -- 51 percent (362 km.) of the barrier is completed. The completed sections extend from the northern West Bank to the Modiin Illit settlement bloc in the central West Bank along the Green Line; a section to the north of Jerusalem; a section between Jerusalem and Bethlehem; and two sections in the southern West Bank. -- 13 percent (88 km.) of the barrier is currently under construction. This includes construction in Immanuel, Ariel, and Bet Arye in the northern West Bank; around the northern border of the Modiin Illit settlement bloc in central West Bank; between Ramallah and Jerusalem; and immediately south of the Gush Etzion bloc near Bethlehem. -- 36 percent (253 km.) of planned construction around the Ariel, Ma'ale Adumim, and Gush Etzion settlement blocs has not begun. ¶3. (U) The UN OCHA report indicated that according to the Israeli Cabinet's April 30, 2006 revisions to the barrier route: -- The route will split the Ariel settlement bloc into two sections: a northern "Immanuel" finger and the southern "Ariel" finger, with each connected to the Green Line. The report states that the Ariel and Immanuel "fingers" will surround more than 25,000 Palestinians on three sides, with one access route connecting this Palestinian population to other areas in the West Bank. -- The revised route of the barrier will be closer to built-up areas of the Alfe Menashe settlement in the northern West Bank and Eshkolot in the southern West Bank. -- The barrier route will encompass fewer olive trees from Abud and Rantis villages in the central West Bank. -- The village of Beit Iksa would be removed from the Jerusalem side of the barrier and placed within the Biddu/Beit Surik enclave in the West Bank. Most of the village population has West Bank ID cards. ¶4. (C) Despite the revisions in the path of the barrier, OCHA representative Allegra Pacheco told ConGen Poloff that the separation barrier route will still negatively impact the surrounding Palestinian population. She noted that the revised route will sever the Palestinian villages of Deir Ballut, Rafat and Azzawiya, located due west of Ariel, from the West Bank. The barrier route will also encircle the village of Wallaja (pop. 900) and cut the village from neighboring Bethlehem. According to Pacheco, 60,000 Palestinians would be left in "Seam Zone" areas between the Green Line and the barrier. This category of Palestinian residents will require permits to pass through special gates to access hospitals, schools, jobs and markets in the West Bank. -------------- PALESTINIAN ACCESS TO FARMLAND IMPEDED -------------- ¶5. (C) PLO Negotiations Support Unit (NSU) Policy Advisor Khaled Elgindy, citing statistics from the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the Palestinian Ministry of Planning, and the United Nations, told ConGen Poloff last month that revisions to the separation barrier will reduce the amount of West Bank land located on the western (Israeli) side of the barrier to 9 percent. He noted, however, that the number of Palestinians located on the western side of the barrier will increase from 240,215 to 259,000 (Note: This number includes Palestinians living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. End note.) He also indicated that the number of Palestinians separated from their farmlands will increase from 285,617 to 303,000. (see reftel for discussion of the difficulties facing Palestinian farmers trying to access land in the Seam Zone). Elgindy noted that the barrier, road restrictions, checkpoints and closures have led to a disintegration of the West Bank economy. -------------- ROUTE AFFECTS PALESTINIAN ACCESS TO JERUSALEM -------------- ¶6. (C) In an August 2 conversation with Poloff, Dana Alexander, an attorney for the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI),emphasized that the revised route of the separation barrier cuts off thousands of Palestinians from social services, employment, and family ties in Jerusalem. She cited the case of a family living in the village of Suwahra in East Jerusalem. According the Alexander, their home is within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, but is on the West Bank side of the revised barrier route. Because they are on the West Bank side of the barrier, the family does not hold Jerusalem residency and cannot receive social services from the municipality. Alexander is currently petitioning the Israeli Supreme Court to grant the family Jerusalem residency permits. ¶7. (U) The full text of the OCHA report is available at: http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/O CHA/OCHABarrier Proj_6jul06.pdf DUFFY