SURVEY OF WEST BANK ROAD OBSTACLES: SOME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002319

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS; BRUSSELS
FOR LERNER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2017
TAGS: KWBG ECON PHUM IS PREL
SUBJECT: SURVEY OF WEST BANK ROAD OBSTACLES: SOME
DISMANTLED, SOME STILL IN PLACE, MOST INSIGNIFICANT

REF: TEL AVIV 3184

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles for reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) Summary: ConGen officers visited 21 of 23 West Bank
obstacles to movement that the Israeli Ministry of Defense
(MoD) identified as recently dismantled (reftel) on November

2. While the removal of some will facilitate local movement,
the overall impact of this step will not significantly
improve general Palestinian movement. Local residents were
unaware of the existence of some of the obstacles, and most
of the obstacles were not included in the UN's tally of West
Bank obstacles. One large earth mound blocking a paved main
road, that we understand the MoD claims to have removed, is
still in place. End summary.


2. (C) On November 2, ConGen Pol and Econ Officers visited
21 of 23 obstacles identified by the Israeli MoD as recently
dismantled on a map provided to Embassy Tel Aviv. Some were
easily found. Others could not be located with certainty
because the map is ambiguous about precise locations and/or
they are small, minor obstacles to movement. ConGen Officers
tried to reconcile the Israeli map sites with a related list
of 24 obstacles obtained from the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on November 1,
following OCHA's discussions with Israeli officials. OCHA
officials admit that their list contains a number of
ambiguities, attributing them to imprecise information from
the GoI.


3. (C) Six of the obstacles that were removed will
facilitate local movement: Al-Ramadin checkpoint, a partial
checkpoint near Teqoa (though the infrastructure remains),
Aqraba gate/checkpoint, a road barrier near Yatma, and two
earth mounds near Tulkarm. (Note: Some of these were removed
prior to 2007 or by the Palestinians themselves, according to
UN OCHA and local residents. End note).


4. (C) The removal of the other 17 obstacles either was not
carried out or was not meaningful. One large earth barrier
blocking a paved road near Tene settlement remains in place.
Sixteen others did not significantly impede movement --
several were not even known to local residents -- and have
not been included in OCHA's count of over 560 West Bank road
obstacles. Brief descriptions of the 21 sites visited are
included below (where possible with their corresponding
number on OCHA's list, as provided to NEA/IPA).


5. (C) Begin list of visited obstacle sites:

Southern West Bank: Checkpoint Gone, Mound Remains
-------------- --------------

i) Ar-Ramadin Checkpoint: The checkpoint is dismantled and
no infrastructure remains. The removal improves access for
at least 4,000 Palestinian villagers in the Ar-Ramadin area
to larger nearby towns. (OCHA list number 22. Included in
OCHA obstacle count.)

ii) Tene Settlement: A large earth mound still blocks the
main paved road near the Israeli settlement of Tene leading
to al-Dhahiriya. ConGenOffs observed Palestinians drive to
the barrier, exit their vehicles and walk over the mound to
transportation on the other side. (OCHA list number 23.
Included in OCHA obstacle count.)

iii) Ten earth mounds along Route 325: No significant earth
mounds appear to have been in place except for mounds that
blocked dirt trails leading up hilltops. A few dirt roads
leading off Route 325 to small Bedouin villages are open.
According to OCHA, one mound blocking entrance to a quarry
was removed more than a year ago. (OCHA list numbers 11-21
(a discrepancy of one). Not included in OCHA obstacle
count.)

Central West Bank: Checkpoint No Longer Manned
-------------- -

iv) A partial checkpoint near Teqoa and the Herodiim (denoted
on map with large broken circle around the area):
Infrastructure for the checkpoint is still in place, but the
checkpoint was unmanned when observed at 1230 on November 2.
According to OCHA, the IDF still occasionally occupies this
checkpoint. When the checkpoint is unmanned, traffic flow is
unimpeded along Route 356, a major north-south artery. (Does
not appear on the OCHA list, but is included in the OCHA
obstacle count as a partial checkpoint.)

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Northern West Bank: Open Gate, Irrelevant Mounds
-------------- ---

v) Aqraba Gate/Checkpoint (near Migdalim): The gate blocking
access from Palestinian towns of Majdal Bani Fadil and Aqraba
to Route 505, a major east-west artery, was open when
observed at 1400 on November 2. Checkpoint infrastructure
next to the gate was dismantled. According to OCHA, a new
partial checkpoint was constructed further up the road to
Aqraba. (OCHA list number 9. Included in OCHA obstacle
count.)

vi) Yatma (north of the Rechelim settlement): Large stones
and a mound blocking access to Route 505 from the Palestinian
town of Yatma were removed. According to local residents,
the removal occurred more than one year ago. (Note: It is
difficult to tell from the MoD map whether this is the
obstacle denoted.) (OCHA list number 10. Not included in
OCHA obstacle count.)

vii) Three earth mounds on secondary roads between Qabalan
and Jurish: No evidence of obstacles, past or present, was
found. According to local residents, the roads between
Qabalan and Jurish were never blocked, and they did not know
of any other nearby obstacles (or recently removed
obstacles). (OCHA list numbers 6-8. Not included in OCHA
obstacle count.)

viii) Earth mound in Huwwara: An earth mound blocking a
short side road to a local school was removed. The mound may
have been intended to prevent circumvention of nearby
checkpoints, but had no significance for broader traffic flow
in the area. (OCHA list number 3. Not included in OCHA
obstacle count.)

ix) Earth mounds near Jit Junction: An earth mound blocking
a cross-country dirt track from Route 60 south of Jit
Junction was removed. The track was used to bypass Jit
checkpoint, which is no longer manned full time. (OCHA list
number 4. Recently removed from OCHA obstacle count.)
ConGenOffs were unable to locate evidence of a second removed
earth mound north of Jit Junction. (OCHA list number 5. Not
included in OCHA obstacle count.)

x) Tulkarm area: ConGen Officers were unable to reach two
other earth mounds in the Tulkarm area -- one near the
village of 'Isbat Abu Khameish and one near Deir al Ghusunin.
OCHA confirms the two have been removed (one by a
Palestinian contractor paving the road). Their removal
improves access among local villages and to the area's
agricultural land. (OCHA list numbers 1 and 2. Possibly
included in OCHA obstacle count, depending on precise
location.)

Note: OCHA's list of 24 includes an earth mound in the
Bethlehem area (number 24) that does not appear on the GOI
map. End note.
WALLES