NEW CONSTRUCTION NEAR ALFE MENASHE SETTLEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000535

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

OPS - PASS TO A/S WELCH AND PARTY; NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE;
NEA/IPA FOR WILLIAMS/SHAMPAINE/BELGRADE; NSC FOR
ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2017
TAGS: PREL KWBG PBTS KHUM KPAL IS
SUBJECT: NEW CONSTRUCTION NEAR ALFE MENASHE SETTLEMENT

CLASSIFIED BY: CONSUL GENERAL JAKE WALLES, PER REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY FOR THE FIRST OF 50
HOUSING UNITS IN NOF HASHARON, NEAR THE WEST BANK SETTLEMENT
OF ALFE MENASHE. POLOFF VISITED THE SITE ON MARCH 19. THE
MAYOR OF ALFE MENASHE SAYS NOF HASHARON IS A NEIGHBORHOOD OF
HIS MUNICIPALITY AND THAT THE NEW CONSTRUCTION IS AN
EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING SETTLEMENT, NOT A NEW ONE. POLOFF
OBSERVED THAT TRAVEL BETWEEN NOF HASHARON AND ALFE MENASHE
REQUIRES CROSSING THE SEPARATION BARRIER TWICE AND THAT THE
SHORTEST ROUTE IS A FIFTEEN MINUTE DRIVE. THE SECURITY CHIEF
AT NIRIT, THE COMMUNITY INSIDE ISRAEL IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO
NOF HASHARON, TOLD POLOFF THAT NOF HASHARON IS PART OF ALFE
MENASHE'S ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT, BUT OTHERWISE COMPLETELY
SEPARATE. THE SETTLEMENT WATCH OFFICER FOR THE ISRAELI NGO
PEACE NOW SAID THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOF HASHARON, WHICH WAS
APPROVED BY THE SUPREME PLANNING COUNCIL IN 2003, IS PART OF
A LARGER PLAN TO CONSTRUCT HOMES BETWEEN ALFE MENASHE AND THE
GREEN LINE. END SUMMARY.

VISIT TO NOF HASHARON
--------------


2. (C) POLOFF OBSERVED FIVE VILLA-STYLE HOMES ARE UNDER
CONSTRUCTION AT NOF HASHARON ON MARCH 19. (NOTE: PHOTOS
EMAILED TO NEA-IPA. END NOTE.) THIS COMMUNITY IS IMMEDIATELY
ADJACENT TO THE TOWN OF NIRIT, AND ACCORDING TO ZVIKA, THE
HEAD OF SECURITY AT NIRIT (INSIDE ISRAEL, FLANKING THE GREEN
LINE),WILL HAVE APPROXIMATELY 50 VILLA-STYLE SINGLE-FAMILY
HOMES. THE HOMES WILL BE OWNED BY INDIVIDUALS WHO PURCHASED
THE LAND AND PAID FOR THEIR CONSTRUCTION. POLOFF DROVE
BETWEEN ALFE MENASHE AND NOF HASHARON AND OBSERVED THAT THE
FIFTEEN MINUTE TRIP REQUIRES CROSSING THE SEPARATION BARRIER
TWICE AND DRIVING THROUGH TWO PALESTINIAN VILLAGES, RAS
'ATIYA AND WADI A-RASHA. ZVIKA ADDED THAT, WHEN THE
CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE, ACCESS WILL BE THROUGH A GATE INTO
NIRIT AND THERE WILL BE NO DIRECT ACCESS BETWEEN NOF HASHARON
AND ALFE MENASHE.

NEW SETTLEMENT OR EXPANSION OF AN EXISTING SETTLEMENT?
-------------- --------------


3. (C) ELIAZOR HISDAI, THE MAYOR OF ALFE MENASHE, POSTED A
LETTER ON THE SETTLEMENT'S WEBSITE CLAIMING THAT NOF HASHARON
IS A NEIGHBORHOOD OF ALFE MENASHE AND THEREFORE AN EXTENSION
OF THE EXISTING SETTLEMENT. YEHEZKEL LEIN, RESEARCH DIRECTOR
FOR B'TSELEM, THE ISRAELI INFORMATION CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, TOLD POLOFF MARCH 21 NOF
HASHARONS ONLY CONNECTION TO ALFE MENASHE IS THAT IT IS
LOCATED IN THE SETTLEMENT'S JURISDICTIONAL AREA, WHICH ALLOWS
THE GOI TO CONSIDER IT A NEIGHBORHOOD OF AN EXISTING
SETTLEMENT, RATHER THAN A NEW SETTLEMENT.


4. (C) HAGIT OFRAN, SETTLEMENT WATCH OFFICER WITH THE
ISRAELI NGO PEACE NOW, REJECTS MAYOR HISDAI'S CLAIMS AND TOLD
POLOFF MARCH 19 THAT ALFE MENASHE IS NOT A TRUE
ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT, WITH SEVERAL MUNICIPALITIES PAYING
TAXES TO THE IT, BUT RATHER A SOLITARY MUNICIPALITY. LEIN
SAID NOF HASHARON WILL RECEIVE MUNICIPAL SERVICES FROM NIRIT,
NOT ALFE MENASHE. HOWEVER, LEIN SAID THAT BECAUSE NIRIT IS
INSIDE THE GREEN LINE, NOF HASHARON CANNOT BE CONSIDERED PART
OF THAT TOWN WITHOUT ISRAELI ANNEXATION OF THE LAND ON WHICH
NOF HASHARON IS BUILT. (NOTE: THE RESIDENTS OF NIRIT FILED A
PETITION IN 2004 OPPOSING THE CONSTRUCTION OF NOF HASHARON,
SAYING THEY DO NOT WANT TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY
OR BE ASSOCIATED WITH WEST BANK SETTLEMENT ACTIVITIES. THE
ISRAELI HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE REJECTED THE PETITION. END
NOTE.)

PART OF A PATTERN
--------------


5. (C) OFRAN AND LEIN BOTH SAID CONSTRUCTION AT NOF HASHARON
IS PART OF A LARGER PATTERN OF SETTLEMENT EXPANSION IN WHICH
NON-CONTIGUOUS DEVELOPMENTS ARE GIVEN THE SAME NAME TO ALLOW
THEM TO BE CONSIDERED ONE SETTLEMENT. OFRAN SAID THE
CONSTRUCTION AT NOF HASHARON IS PART OF A LARGER PLAN BY
G.B.F.-NADLAN CONSTRUCTION TO DEVELOP THE AREA BETWEEN ALFE
MENASHE AND THE GREEN LINE. IN THE SAME LETTER POSTED TO HIS
WEBSITE, MAYOR HISDAI DISAVOWED ANY CONNECTION TO OR
KNOWLEDGE OF G.B.F.-NADLAN'S PLAN, ADDING THAT THE
MUNICIPALITY IS ONLY DEVELOPING THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF NOF
HASHARON.

COMMENT
--------------



6. (C) CIA METHODOLOGY DEFINES A NEW SETTLEMENT AS ISRAELI
CIVILIAN CONSTRUCTION IN THE WEST BANK THAT MEETS AT LEAST
TWO OF THE FOLLOWING THREE CRITERIA: 1) BE MORE THAN HALF A
MILE FROM AN EXISTING SETTLEMENT; 2) REQUIRE INDEPENDENT
ACCESS TO A MAJOR ROAD; AND/OR 3) HAVE A DIFFERENT
IDEOLOGICAL AFFILIATION THAN A NEIGHBORING SETTLEMENT. THE
COMMUNITY OF NOF HASHARON MEETS THE FIRST TWO OF THESE
CRITERIA. IT IS MORE THAN TWO MILES FROM ALFE MENASHE AND
REQUIRES A 15-MINUTE CIRCUITOUS ROUTE, CROSSING THE
SEPARATION BARRIER TWICE AND TWO ARAB VILLAGES, TO REACH ALFE
MENASHE. ACCESS TO A MAJOR ROAD COMES THROUGH NIRIT, A TOWN
INSIDE THE GREEN LINE, NOT THROUGH ALFE MENASHE. BY THIS
DEFINITION, THIS CONSTRUCTION REPRESENTS THE FIRST NEW
GOVERNMENT-APPROVED, NON-CONTIGUOUS SETTLEMENT SINCE 1991. A
NEW SETTLEMENT WOULD ALSO BE INCONSISTENT WITH THE GOI'S
ROADMAP COMMITMENTS. ALLOWING THE CONSTRUCTION AT NOF
HASHARON TO PROCEED UNCHECKED COULD ENCOURAGE OTHER
DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES TO PROCEED WITH SIMILAR DEVELOPMENT
PLANS. END COMMENT.

WALLES