SAADA JEWS SAFE IN SANAA

UNCLAS SANAA 000395 SIPDIS CORRECTED COPY - PARA. 7 AND 8 CHANGED TO SBU SENSITIVE SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CHANGE PARA 7/8 TO SBU) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MOPS PHUM PINR PREL YM SUBJECT: SAADA JEWS SAFE IN SANAA REF: A. SANAA 85 ¶B. SANAA 115 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Poloffs met on March 13 in Sanaa with Jewish families displaced by fighting that erupted in Saada in late January (reftels). Poloffs met, under the auspices of the MFA and Interior Ministry, with approximately 30 people from two major families. All members of the Jewish community that we spoke to voiced their gratitude to President Saleh for his support and protection. They also explained that they are proud to be Yemenis, and have no desire to leave their country. The families requested that poloffs provide religious texts in advance of the Passover holiday in April, and invited members of the Embassy community to join in the festivities. END SUMMARY "All We Have Is God and Saleh" - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (U) Poloffs had separate meetings with the two largest Jewish families who were displaced from their homes in al-Salem, Saada governorate due to threats to their safety by supporters of rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi. All 45 of the al-Salem Jews are living in apartments at the Tourist City complex across the street from the Embassy. The apartments that poloffs visited were furnished with armchairs, mattresses, televisions, gas cooking stoves, running water, and electricity. NOTE: The Tourist City complex is a gated community with soldiers guarding the entrances, small parks, swimming pools, and shops. Despite its name, Tourist City is not a major tourist destination, but is a mixed-use residential and commercial complex housing a variety of Yemenis and foreigners. The complex is owned by a relative of President Saleh. END NOTE ¶3. (U) During the first meeting, a middle-aged man representing his community thanked poloffs sincerely for their visit and explained that the families' needs have been taken care of by President Saleh and by Uthman Hussein Fayed al-Mugalli, a Member of Parliament from Saada, who is providing their food and spending money. He emphasized the gratefulness of the Jewish community to the President, saying "all we have is God and Saleh." "We Will Not Move From Yemen Even a Step" - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (U) Asked about Israeli press reports alleging that they were forbidden from leaving the country to go to Israel, the Jewish families strongly denied such claims, explaining that they are Yemenis and will not move from Yemen "even a step." "We are Yemenis until death," they reiterated and expressed love for their country. One individual commented that "religion belongs to God and the country belongs to all." In addition, they explained that they did not have problems before the Al-Houthi rebellion, and that they have been protected by the tribes for generations. Security - - - - - ¶5. (U) Poloffs asked whether the families would want to return to Saada after the conflict came to an end. All but one expressed a desire to return back to their homes, but explained that "we cannot leave here until we have a secure place to go to." One elderly woman told poloff that she did not want to return to Saada, even after the conflict is resolved. She explained that her brother was killed seven years ago and her son was physically attacked five years ago. She explained that she did not know why they were attacked. Poloff asked whether they were targeted because they were Jews, or because of a general lack of security, but she repeated that she did not know and did not connect the attacks to the al-Houthis. She said that her son was taken care of and received medical attention at the government's expense. She reiterated, however, that she did not want to leave Sanaa, as she feels safe in the capital city. Education and Religious Practice - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶6. (U) Poloff inquired about the educational status of the approximately 30 children among the displaced, and the families explained that they were not attending schools. One woman stated that they need to attend Hebrew schools and there are no such schools in Sanaa, so families are home-schooling the children. One community elder asked for notebooks and pens for the children, which Pol OMS provided the same afternoon. Community elders also said that, while their material needs were being met by the Yemeni Government, they did not have any religious materials, as they fled their homes in Saada without them. One elder asked if the Embassy could provide some religious texts in Hebrew in time for the Passover holiday, which he hoped Embassy officers could celebrate with the families. Comment - - - - ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: Post was able to confirm through this visit that the Jewish families are provided housing and protection by the ROYG. The MFA was cooperative in setting up the meeting, although Interior Ministry officials were present during most of our discussions. In keeping with Yemeni tradition, however, a woman poloff was able to meet and talk separately with the Jewish women, who echoed their male relatives' praise for Saleh's protection and affirmation of their desire to stay in Yemen. ¶8. (SBU) Post will work with the NEA/ARP Yemen/Oman deskoff to find a U.S. organization that may be able to send 45 religious texts that the community elders requested of poloff in time for Passover. KRAJESKI