OLIVE GROVE DESTROYED IN SOUTHERN WEST BANK VILLAGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000079

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MUSTAFA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/06/2016
TAGS: ASEC CASC IS KDEM KPAL KWBG PBTS PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: OLIVE GROVE DESTROYED IN SOUTHERN WEST BANK VILLAGE

REF: JERUSALEM 05550

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

This cable was cleared by Embassy/Tel Aviv.


1. (SBU) Palestinian villagers from the southern West Bank
village of Juwaya January 6 discovered 102 olive trees --
planted over 30 years ago -- deliberately cut down,
presumably by settlers residing in nearby Ma'on settlement.
According to contacts from the Christian Peacemaker Teams
(CPT),the olive grove, which covers approximately five
dunams of land (1.5 acres) and is owned by a Palestinian
family residing in neighboring Yatta village, was cut down
sometime overnight, January 5-6. CPT officials said the
olive trees appeared to have been cut half-way through the
tree trunks with a bow saw and physically torn from the tree
stumps. Rich Myers of CPT suggested that it would take
approximately five individuals less than one hour to cut down
the entire grove.


2. (SBU) Following the discovery, the IDF and Israeli
police arrived to conduct an investigation. Myers indicated
that the grove was located less than 100 meters from Road
317, which is banned to Palestinian traffic but used by the
nearby settlements of Ma'on, Carmel, Suseya, and Bayt Yatir.
Myers was incredulous that the IDF, which patrols the road,
did not observe any activity in the grove. The IDF told
Myers that it did not send out a patrol the previous evening.


3. (C) Human rights groups and Israeli media reported that
over 1,000 trees have been uprooted or cut down by Israeli
settlers in recent months (reftel). Embassy Tel Aviv last
month spoke with Major Daniel Beaudoin, Deputy Head of the
Foreign Relations Branch of COGAT, and expressed our concern
about the apparent lack of IDF willingness to protect
Palestinian farmers. Beaudoin reported back that
responsibility for action in these cases was with the Israeli
police, and that COGAT would ask the INP to investigate.


4. (SBU) Note: According to a local Palestinian
agricultural engineer, olive trees take 15 years to reach
full maturity, though they start producing some fruit after
seven years. A one dunam grove of olive trees (about 15 to
25 trees, depending on the terrain) cost approximately NIS
300 per year to maintain. Five dunams of 30 year-old olive
trees represents an investment loss of at least NIS 45,000
(USD 9,800). End note.

WALLES