UN OCHA: ISRAELI INFRASTRUCTURE NOW COVERS 38

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 002004 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE. NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2017 TAGS: KWBG PBTS PREL PHUM IS SUBJECT: UN OCHA: ISRAELI INFRASTRUCTURE NOW COVERS 38 PERCENT OF WEST BANK REF: A. JERUSALEM 01936 ¶B. JERUSALEM 01918 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) released a 147 page report on August 30 on the humanitarian impact of settlements and their infrastructure in the West Bank. The report finds that 38 percent of the West Bank is "taken up by Israeli infrastructure," and the settler population is growing 5.5 percent annually. OCHA representatives commented to Poloff September 18 that settlers are "filling in the seam" (the area between the green line and the separation barrier). END SUMMARY. Settlement Infrastructure -------------- ¶2. (C) OCHA's 147 page report, "The Humanitarian Impact on Palestinians of Israeli Settlements and Other Infrastructure in the West Bank," released August 30, concludes that 38 percent of West Bank land is now taken up by settlements, settlement infrastructure, roads, security zones, and Israeli-designated nature reserves. OCHA staff told Poloff September 18 that settlement infrastructure is becoming more entrenched and increasingly complicating Palestinians' lives. The report details, for example, the ongoing development of bypass roads that connect settlements Israel and each other. Outposts: Expanding Settlements Reach -------------- ¶3. (C) According to the report, physical features (i.e., fences and roads) that connect settlements to their outposts often divide Palestinian land and increase the percentage of land effectively occupied by settlements. OCHA staff described difficulties in identifying which areas around settlements were "officially zoned" by the GoI for particular settlements. (Note: Former Peace Now settlement monitor Dror Etkes told Poloff September 10 that he is pursuing a "freedom of information" case against the Civil Administration to obtain records and grid coordinates for settlement zones, which he expects the High Court of Justice to hear in October. Etkes plans to use GIS software and overlay maps to show precisely - for the first time - where settlements exceed their authorized boundaries. End Note). Population Growth Rate is High, But difficult to Capture -------------- ¶4. (C) OCHA reports that the West Bank settlement population grew at an annual rate of 5.5 percent between 1987 and 2005 and identifies Ariel, Maale Adumim, and Betar Illit as the "fastest growing." OCHA representatives told Poloff their report aims to show settler populations "filling in the seam" between the green line and the separation barrier between 1987 and 2007. (Comment: While the report contrasts this population growth with that of Israel, which was 1.8 percent 2003-2004, it does not explain that the difference in growth rate numbers is largely because of Betar Illit and Modiin Illit, two large ultra-orthodox settlements with estimated annual growth rates of 15 percent (reftel). In addition, OCHA used 2005 as the final year, but in 2006-2007, Ariel had negative population growth and an increasing average age, likely because the separation barrier around Ariel was completed, preventing additional growth. End Comment) ¶5. (U) The full text of OCHA's report can be found at http://www.ochaopt.org/documents. WALLES