BASSEY DISCUSSES THE PROBLEMS OF GAZA EVACUEES AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001438

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG IS GAZA DISENGAGEMENT ISRAELI SOCIETY
SUBJECT: BASSEY DISCUSSES THE PROBLEMS OF GAZA EVACUEES AND
A POSSIBLE WEST BANK DISENGAGEMENT

REF: JERUSALEM 01463

Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Yonatan Bassey, director of the
Disengagement Authority (SELA),told EconCouns on April 4
that Gaza disengagement was a success because the level of
violence was lower than he had predicted a year ago. He
commented, however, that the evacuees have had a very
difficult time adjusting to their new lives. He explained
that most still do not have jobs, and many are seeing staff
psychologists to deal with the trauma of disengagement. He
said settlers had to live in hotels after disengagement
because they did not approach SELA in time to have
appropriate housing ready for when they moved out of the
settlements in Gaza. Bassey predicted that a disengagement
from the West Bank would be extremely difficult compared to
the evacuations from the Gaza Strip because "evacuating
70,000 is not the same as 7,000, and it will not be done in
one step." He added that much of the problem with a future
disengagement lies in the ideology of the settler youth, who
have been taught by their rabbis and teachers to be
"fanatics." End summary.

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Gaza Disengagement a Success
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2. (C) Yonatan Bassey, director of the Disengagement
Authority (SELA),told EconCouns on April 4 that Gaza
disengagement, from his point of view, was a success. He
reminded EconCouns that a year ago he had predicted severe
violence, but said he was glad to see that it was "nothing at
all." He explained that from the GOI's perspective,
disengagement was beneficial because former Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon had been able to prove that evacuating
settlements could be done if the government was serious about
it. He claimed that Ilan Cohen, director general of Sharon's
office, has received bouquets of flowers from parents who are
happy that their children no longer have to do reserve duty
in Rafah. Bassey noted, "In the last seven or eight months,
not one Israeli has been wounded in Gaza." He commented that
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is as "brave" as Sharon, but does
not quite have the same mandate, so there may be problems in
the future when trying to move ahead with another possible
disengagement.

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Evacuees Still Have Problems
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3. (C) Bassey continued that while the GOI is pleased with
the outcome, there are still many problems in the evacuee
community because half do not have jobs, and cannot move on
with their lives (reftel). He noted that the Ministry of
Industry, Trade, and Labor (MOITL) has been involved in
helping the settlers find employment, but noted that the
settlers have to come to the GOI first with a desire to work.
He cited as an example the new Intel plant in Kiryat Gat,
and said that the managers of Intel spoke to the MOITL
because they were interested in hiring and training 50
settlers from Nitzanit to work in the plant. He said that
only two settlers showed in interest in the offer. Bassey
added that it has taken others half a year to rebuild 60-70
greenhouses to start farming again, but he conceded that at
least "now they're moving on."


4. (C) Bassey pointed out that the GOI still has
psychologists on staff to help because the evacuees have
experienced significant emotional trauma (reftel). He
mentioned that kids have had difficulties fitting into their
schools and concentrating to study because of the stress of
moving and the divorces that have taken place
post-disengagement. He said, however, that "little by little
it gets better," and that SELA officials talk to settlers and
their leaders every day. He noted that the GOI has invested
a lot of money to care for the evacuees because after the
evacuations of Yamit in 1982, the government learned of the
need to be close to the settlers for 2-3 years, not just a
month or two.


5. (C) On housing, Bassey said that many evacuees are not in
new homes yet because "we can't move him to a new house
against his will." He explained that since many settlers did
not want to coordinate with SELA before disengagement
started, it was impossible for the government to prepare all
the necessary housing for them to move into in a short amount
of time. He reported that the GOI had rented 800 apartments
for evacuees to move into before their houses would be ready,
but said that only 100 families took advantage of this. The
rest stayed in hotels until their caravans were ready, and
even now 50 families remain in hotels, although they should
move out by the time Passover ends. Bassey assessed that
large groups of settlers had not moved to settlements in the
West Bank because they do not want to be moved again, fearing
another possible disengagement in the future. He said that
there are approximately 10-15 families who will be moving to
Ariel next month, but added that overall, settlers have
stayed in Green Line Israel.

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West Bank Withdrawal Will
Be Nothing Like Gaza
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6. (C) In discussing another possible disengagement, Bassey
said that Gaza disengagement was "easy" in comparison to his
expectations of what the West Bank will be like, especially
taking into consideration settlements like Itamar and Eli
where the more ideological settlers live. "Evacuating 70,000
is not the same as 7,000, and it will not be done in one
step." He explained that he was proud of having taken part
in the most strategic step Israel has undertaken in 30 years,
but added that he would end his tenure in 2-3 months because
he does "not want to be in the next one." He said he did not
know when or how the next disengagement would be done, and
noted that it would be difficult regardless of the timing.
He said there is currently a debate within the GOI on what
type of compensation to provide, and added that the amount of
pressure from the USG could also make a difference.

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Settler Movement Educating "Fanatics"
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7. (C) Bassey explained that the weakness of the YESHA
Council is now being emphasized every day because its "orange
ribbon campaign didn't work." As a result, Bassey predicted,
all the settlers will gather at Itamar settlement to resist
if there is another disengagement. In response to EconCouns'
question on a possible split in the settler movement, Bassey
responded that the problem is deeper than what happened at
the demolitions in Amona outpost on February 1. He
speculated that it is a question of educating the new
generation of settlers in the West Bank, and asked
rhetorically, "Will they continue to be fanatics, or will
they understand to not use words like 'catastrophe,'
'messiah,' or 'end of days'?" He explained that he has
spoken to settler youth in their late teens, and seen their
eyes full of anger. He wondered aloud who has taught them,
and said that although he comes from the religious population
in Israel, he knows that rabbis and teachers have to learn to
harness the "evil" they themselves released from Pandora's
Box by teaching young settlers to behave this way. Bassey
commented that it would take ten years for the youth to see
that "we don't live alone," that they have to understand that
there are Palestinians in the picture, and that they should
not think that they can wait for God and everything will work
out.

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