CHRISTIAN INSTITUTIONS CONCERNED ABOUT ISRAELI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 002087

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2012
TAGS: PREL PGOV KIRF VT IS
SUBJECT: CHRISTIAN INSTITUTIONS CONCERNED ABOUT ISRAELI
PLANS FOR WALKWAY AROUND SEA OF GALILEE


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Classified By: DCM Gene A. Cretz for reasons 1.4 b/d.


1. (U) SUMMARY. (Note: See action request para 7.)
Christian leaders representing the holy sites on the Sea of
Galilee (Lake Kinneret) are concerned about a GOI plan to
construct a pedestrian pathway around the lake. They argue
the planned walkway would bisect their properties and destroy
the atmosphere of holiness maintained at the Galilee sites.
The plan received formal government approval in December but
has not yet been funded. Nevertheless, the religious orders
in charge of the holy sites fear that once funding is
allocated, the plan will proceed with little consideration
for their interests, despite their view that the Fundamental
Agreement with the Holy See obligates the GOI to protect such
sites. We intend to recommend to the GOI that it construct
the pathway in such a way as to bypass the Christian holy
sites on the northern shore, and welcome any input the
Department may wish to add. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) In a May 22 letter to FM Livni (copied to the
Ambassador and forwarded to NEA/IPA) and in a July 2 meeting
with poloff, representatives of Christian institutions in
Israel expressed concern over a GOI plan to build a
continuous pedestrian pathway around the Sea of Galilee (Lake
Kinneret). The GOI plan, initiated by the Society for the
Protection of Nature and approved in December 2006 by the
National Council for Planning and Building (but not yet
funded),calls for a pathway to circumnavigate the lake no
more than fifty meters from the shore line. The intent is
twofold: to preserve the lake by stemming the tide of illegal
private beach development along the state-owned shore, and to
provide easier access to the lake for vacationers.


3. (U) According to representatives of the Roman
Catholic-administered holy sites at Tabgha, Capernaum and the
Church of the Multiplication (all situated on the Galilee's
northern shore),the planned walkway would effectively
separate these sites from their corresponding shore lines.
In their letter to FM Livni, the Christian representatives
argue that the contiguity of the sanctuaries with the shore
is integral to the holiness of these sites, and fear that a
public path would bring noisy vacationers, effectively
destroying the atmosphere of prayer and reflection maintained
at the sites. "Indiscriminate implementation of the newly
adopted plan risks creating a permanent source of tension
between the Churches and the State," they wrote.


4. (C) In a July 2 meeting with poloff, Franciscan Spokesman
Fr. Athanasius Macora, Interior Ministry Director for
Christian Affairs Cesare Marjieh, and Israeli National Police
liaison to the Christian communities Saliba Saliba all
expressed concern that the GOI would implement the plan
without further consultation with the affected Christian
churches. Fr. Macora, who mediates Status Quo and Church-GOI
disputes for the Franciscan custodianship of the Holy Land,
said the religious orders in charge of the Galilee holy sites
had so far been unsuccessful in their attempt to secure GOI
assurances that the Galilee pathway would not transverse
their properties. Their strategy, he said, was to rely on
the religious argument that the sanctity of the sites should
be preserved. He said the religious orders recognized they
would lose any argument built on property claims because in
1996, the GOI expropriated all land within 50 meters of the
shore.


5. (C) Macora, Marjieh and Saliba said the GOI could achieve
its aims and ensure the sanctity of the Christian sites at
the same time by moving the pathway inland at the small
stretch of land that houses the holy sites on the northern
shore, thus bypassing the sites altogether. They thought the
law authorizing the expropriation and development of the
shore line was sufficiently flexible to allow such a
solution, but feared the GOI would not be concerned enough
about Christian equities to pursue it. Macora said the
Vatican was recommending they frame their concerns in the
context of Israel's obligations to the Holy See under the
1993 Fundamental Agreement (FA) between the GOI and the
Vatican, which commits the GOI to "continuing respect for and
protection of the character proper to the Catholic sacred
places..." Macora noted that the Holy See's chief
Fundamental Agreement negotiator, Fr. Jaeger, had quietly
helped to draft the letter to FM Livni.


6. (C) Macora said that the Churches were also concerned that
they would be subject to more frequent harassment and
vandalism -- already a periodic problem -- if the pathway is
developed as planned. He noted that during Passover this
year, the fence surrounding the Benedictine Monastery of
Tabgha was torn down and property damaged by "NRP (i.e.
religious-Zionist) activists." Saliba added that Capernaum

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was broken into and mildly damaged about two weeks ago.
Macora, Marjieh and Saliba also stressed their view that the
GOI was not behaving in its own interests by pursuing the
pathway plan, because the damage to Israel's image among
Christian pilgrims would inevitably impact tourism revenue.

Comment and Action Request
--------------


7. (C) We consider the overall intent of this project -- to
protect the lake and preserve its shoreline as a national
treasure -- as highly commendable. However, we agree there
is a real risk the project could be implemented hastily,
without adequately protecting the interests of Israel's
Christian community. We propose recommending to the GOI that
the pathway be constructed so as to bypass the primary
Christian holy sites on the northern shore. We would welcome
any further points the Department may wish to make. Please
advise.

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