MUGHRABI GATE: JERUSALEM MAYOR OPEN TO TALKING,

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000339 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR WILLIAMS/SHAMPAINE/BELGRADE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2017 TAGS: PREL KWBG PBTS KHUM KPAL IS SUBJECT: MUGHRABI GATE: JERUSALEM MAYOR OPEN TO TALKING, BUT UNABLE TO HALT EXCAVATIONS REF: A. JERUSALEM 291 ¶B. JERUSALEM 274 ¶C. JERUSALEM 266 ¶D. JERUSALEM 252 CLASSIFIED BY: CONSUL GENERAL JAKE WALLES, PER REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: JERUSALEM MAYOR URI LUPOLIANSKI TOLD CONSUL GENERAL FEBRUARY 16 HE IS WILLING TO MEET WITH MUSLIM LEADERS TO TRY TO DISPEL THEIR CONCERNS THE MUGHRABI GATE RAMP. HE NOTED THAT EXCAVATIONS HAVE CONTINUED DESPITE HIS FEBRUARY 12 DECISION TO POSTPONE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW RAMP AT THE GATE UNTIL THE PLANS HAVE GONE THROUGH A PERMITTING PROCESS THAT INCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. FRIDAY PRAYERS AT THE AL AQSA MOSQUE WERE PEACEFUL FEBRUARY 16, BUT THERE WERE SCATTERED CLASHES BETWEEN PROTESTERS AND ISRAELI POLICE AROUND EAST JERUSALEM. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) JERUSALEM MAYOR URI LUPOLIANSKI AND HIS DEPUTY POLITICAL ADVISOR ELAD HALEVY DISCUSSED TENSIONS SURROUNDING THE EXCAVATIONS AND PLANNED CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW RAMP AT THE MUGHRABI GATE WITH THE CONSUL GENERAL ON FEBRUARY 16. LUPOLIANSKI SAID THAT HE DOES NOT THINK THE EXCAVATIONS CAN BE POSTPONED, NOW THAT THEY HAVE BEGUN, BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ANTIQUITIES THAT HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS. (CONGEN NOTE: IF LEFT EXPOSED, THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS COULD BE DAMAGED, BUT EXCAVATIONS ARE FREQUENTLY CONDUCTED IN STAGES, AND THE EXCAVATED AREAS COULD BE COVERED WITH PLASTIC SHEETING AND DIRT. END NOTE.) LUPOLIANSKI UNDERSCORED THAT THE DECISION TO CONTINUE OR HALT EXCAVATIONS BELONGS TO THE ISRAELI ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY AND THE GOI. HE SAID HE CANNOT MAKE ANY DECISIONS ON THE EXCAVATIONS, WHICH DO NOT REQUIRE A MUNICIPAL LICENSE. ¶3. (C) LUPOLIANSKI EXPRESSED APPRECIATION TO THE CONSUL GENERAL FOR HIS OFFER TO FACILITATE CONTACTS WITH WAQF ADMINISTRATOR ADNAN HUSSEINI AND OTHER MUSLIM LEADERS IN JERUSALEM TO RELIEVE TENSIONS SPARKED BY THE EXCAVATIONS. "I DON'T NEED AN ISRAELI FLAG ON AL AQSA," LUPOLIANSKI SAID. HE SAID HE IS HAPPY TO MEET WITH HUSSEINI, BUT THAT HUSSEINI HAD REJECTED A PREVIOUS OFFER TO MEET. (NOTE: HUSSEINI TOLD POLOFF FEBRUARY 14 THAT HE WILL NOT MEET WITH THE MAYOR WHILE THE EXCAVATIONS CONTINUE AND PROPOSED THAT THE WAQF BE ALLOWED TO RESTORE THE ORIGINAL EARTHEN RAMP. END NOTE). LUPOLIANSKI SAID HUSSEINI'S PROPOSAL TO RESTORE THE ORIGINAL RAMP CAN BE SUBMITTED DURING THE PERMITTING PROCESS, BUT THE NEW RAMP WILL NEED TO MEET SECURITY NEEDS AND PROVIDE LEGALLY-REQUIRED ACCESS FOR THE HANDICAPPED AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL WORKERS. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: IT IS CLEAR THAT LUPOLIANSKI WOULD LIKE TO DE-FUSE THE SITUATION SURROUNDING THE MUGHRABI GATE RAMP EXCAVATIONS AND THAT HE IS OPEN TO WORKING WITH LOCAL MUSLIM LEADERS TO RELIEVE TENSIONS. CONGEN WILL FOLLOW UP WITH THE WAQF. THE MAYOR'S DECISION TO HALT PLANS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW RAMP AND SUBMIT THOSE PLANS TO THE PERMITTING AND PUBLIC REVIEW PROCESS WAS A GOOD FIRST STEP. HOWEVER, CONTROL OF THE EXCAVATIONS RESTS EXCLUSIVELY IN THE HANDS OF THE IAA AND PM OLMERT'S OFFICE. PER REF A, WE CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO DEFER THE EXCAVATION WORK AND URGE THAT THIS ISSUE BE EXPLORED WITH THE GOI. WALLES