FURTHER UPDATE ON E-1 DEVELOPMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000265 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR WILLIAMS/SHAMPAINE/BELGRADE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS; E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON ETRD KWBG KPAL IS SUBJECT: FURTHER UPDATE ON E-1 DEVELOPMENT REF: A. JERUSALEM 204 ¶B. TEL AVIV 374 ¶C. JERUSALEM 0120 ¶D. JERUSALEM 4909 [2006] CLASSIFIED BY: CONSUL GENERAL JAKE WALLES, PER REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) ISRAELI HUMAN RIGHTS NGO IR AMIM FOUNDER DANNY SEIDEMANN VISITED THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OF THE ISRAELI POLICE HEADQUARTERS IN THE E-1 AREA BETWEEN MA'ALE ADUMIM AND JERUSALEM WITH POLOFF FEBRUARY 8. POLOFF AND SEIDEMANN OBSERVED LEVELING OF THE GRADED AREAS AT THE SITE HAS CONTINUED. (NOTE: DIGITAL PHOTOS EMAILED TO NEA/IPA AND EMBASSY TEL AVIV.) SEIDEMANN SAID HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THE GRADED AREA, WHICH THE PALESTINIAN FOREMAN INDICATED DECEMBER 6 AS THE LOCATION FOR A 600-UNIT HOUSING COMPLEX (REF D),IS LARGE ENOUGH FOR THIS SCALE CONSTRUCTION BUT HE SAID HE THINKS THE GRADED AREA BELOW THE POLICE STATION IS SUFFICIENT FOR A HOUSING COMPLEX. SEIDEMANN ALSO SAID BE BELIEVES THE INFRASTRUCTURE WORK SURROUNDING THE ISRAELI POLICE HEADQUARTERS FAR EXCEEDS WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR A POLICE STATION. (NOTE: INFRASTRUCTURE WORK INCLUDES ROADWORK PREPARATION AND PLACEMENT OF LARGE CONCRETE PIPES. END NOTE.) SEIDEMANN ALSO SAID HE BELIEVES THE WORK HE AND POLOFF OBSERVED EXCEEDS WHAT WAS PERMITTED. ACCORDING TO SEIDEMANN, THE ORIGQAL PERMIT FOR THE AREA ALLOWED FOR CONSTRUCTION OF A TWO-LANE ROAD INTO THE SITE; WHEREAS, HE NOTED THAT THE CURRENT ROAD IS 50 FEET WIDE OR WIDER, WHICH IS MORE APPROPRIATE FOR A FOUR TO SIX LANE HIGHWAY. (NOTE: THE ROAD HAS BEEN FURTHER WIDENED SINCE POLOFF LAST VISITED THE SITE JANUARY 31. END NOTE.) WALLES