ECF: IMPACT OF RECENTLY REMOVED WEST BANK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 003578

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR
GOLDBERGER/SHAMPAINE/ROSENSTOCK/PECCIA; NSC FOR
ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL IS KPAL KWBG
SUBJECT: ECF: IMPACT OF RECENTLY REMOVED WEST BANK
OBSTACLES WILL BE LOCALIZED AND MINIMAL


Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) Brig. Gen. Eitan Dangot, Military Advisor to the
Minister of Defense provided the Ambassador in late November
with a second list of 25 West Bank obstacles identified by
the IDF as recently dismantled. According to Dangot, the IDF
completed the removal of these obstacles as of November 22.
Analysis by ECF (Economic Cooperation Foundation) Project
Coordinator Ron Shatzberg indicates that the direct impact of
the removal of these specific obstacles on the Palestinian
fabric of life will be localized and minimal. He noted that
the dismantlement of 11 earthmounds along Road 585 near Jenin
and the transition of the Deir Balut checkpoint to "normally
opened" are welcomed by local Palestinians and would benefit
multiple Palestinian villages. He also said however, that
the other obstacles will not likely increase the overall
movement and access of West Bank Palestinians. In some
cases, Shatzberg questioned the IDF's claim that an obstacle
was removed. End summary.


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Obstacles Removed Have Minimal Overall Effect
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2. (C) Brig. Gen. Eitan Dangot, Military Advisor to the
Minister of Defense provided the Ambassador with a list of 25
West Bank obstacles identified by the IDF as recently
dismantled. According to Dangot, the IDF completed the
removal of these obstacles to movement as of November 22.
The list provided to the Ambassador identifies these
obstacles as removed by the IDF:

-- Jenin Area (11): 11 earthmounds along Road 585 between
the Palestinian villages of Ya'bad and Arraba;

-- Nablus Area (1): One earthmound blocking access through
an underpass between the Palestinian villages of Burin and
Madama;

-- Tulkarm Area (4): Four earthmounds along the road
connecting the Palestinian villages of Bala'a and Silt al
Daher;

-- Qalqilyah Area (1): One manned checkpoint -- named Deir
Balut or Shield 50 -- removed and transitioned to "normally
opened;"

-- Ramallah Area (4): Four earthmounds removed near the
Palestinian villages of Silwad and Kafr Malik;

-- Bethlehem Area (1): One temporary barricade (large
cement cube) south of the Palestinian village of Nahalin
along Route 367;

-- Hebron Area (3): Three earthmounds along Route 317,
located south of the Palestinian village of As Samu'.


3. (C) Analysis by ECF (Economic Cooperation Foundation)
Project Coordinator Ron Shatzberg indicates overall, that the
direct impact of the removal of these specific obstacles on
the Palestinian fabric of life will be localized and minimal.
He, however, highlighted the dismantlement of 11 earthmounds
along Road 585 near Jenin and the transition of the Deir
Balut checkpoint near Qalqilyah to "normally opened" as
welcomed by local Palestinians and said that these removals
would benefit multiple Palestinian villages. Shatzberg
obtained the following information through field assessments,
with the assistance of the B'tselem and Machsom Watch
organizations who monitor Palestinian movement restrictions
in the West Bank, and interviews with IDF brigade commanders
and local Palestinians.


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Jenin
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4. (C) The IDF identified, and the governor of Jenin
confirmed, that 11 earthmounds were removed along Road 585 in
the northern West Bank. This removal has been welcomed and
is important to local Palestinian farmers who have increased
access to their fields around the villages of Arraba, Kufrat,
and Ya'bad from Road 585. Shatzberg noted that the removal of
these obstacles was likely an easy IDF security concession
because Road 585 east of the Hermesh and Mevo Dotan
settlements is not traditionally used by Israeli civilians.
Since Hermesh and Mevo Dotan are close to the Green Line,
settlers from these settlements usually exit the West Bank,

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and travel south through Israel proper, and reenter the West
Bank if they need to reach other settlement areas. For these
settlers, traveling through Israel deflects the need to drive
south through the large corridor between Jenin and Nablus.


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Nablus
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5. (C) Shatzberg, B'tselem, and local Palestinians contest
the IDF's claim that an earthmound blocking access to an
underpass linking the Palestinian villages of Burin and
Madama (located south of Nablus) was removed. They assert
that this underpass has been open for the past two years.


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Tulkarm
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6. (C) The IDF list identified four earthmounds removed on
the road connecting the Palestinian villages of Bala'a and
Silt Al Daher, located east of Tulkarm. According to local
Palestinians, however, the obstacles that the IDF recently
removed were erected approximately six months ago. This road
is regularly open, is used by Palestinians who want to bypass
the Anabta checkpoint (located south of Bala'a),as well as
those who have orchards adjacent to the road. While the road
is important and often used for travel to Nablus and Tulkarm,
the IDF's removal of these obstacles has minimal impact on
the local Palestinian population because they found ways to
go around the earthmounds when the IDF first established
them, according to Shatzberg.


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Qalqilyah
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7. (C) The IDF brigade commander and Palestinians confirmed
that the Deir Balut, or Shield 50 checkpoint, located on
Route 446 south of Qalqilyah has been transitioned to
"normally opened," meaning that soldiers no longer check
every Palestinian vehicle. The transition of this checkpoint
has been welcomed by Palestinian residents of Deir Balut and
nearby villages, as it had prevented Palestinian from
traveling southbound to reach Ramallah. Checkpoint watchers
say that although there is an IDF presence nearby and
soldiers still check cars on occasion, Palestinians are
traveling through this area fairly unobstucted. Deir Balut
and the nearby villages of Rafat and Az Zawya have an
estimated population of about 4,500 people.


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Ramallah
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8. (C) Although the IDF claimed that an earthmound was
removed along the road linking the Palestinian villages of
Silwad and Ein Yabrud, local Palestinians told B'tselem that
this road, which serves as a Palestinian bypass of Route 60,
has been open for years and was not recently been closed.


9. (C) While B'tselem confirms that the IDF removed an
earthmound blocking access through the Wadi Kis tunnel,
located north of Ramallah near the Palestinian village of
Yabrud, the organization notes that the tunnel was re-blocked
approximately one week ago. As this tunnel, which serves as a
bypass to Route 60, facilitates access to Palestinians who
have fields across Route 60, the opening of this tunnel would
be welcomed by local residents, according to Shatzberg.



10. (C) Shatzberg describes the removal of earthmounds east
of the Palestinian villages of Kafr Malik and Al Mughayyir as
helpful, but having minimal impact. Although the removal of
these earthmounds provide the villages access to Route 458,
Shatzberg notes that Palestinians from these villages do not
use Route 458 to reach Ramallah, which serves as their focal
point for economic activity and services. However, providing
an additional route in and out of these areas will be useful
in the event that alternative back roads used by the
Palestinians are blocked.


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Bethlehem
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11. (C) Although the IDF claimed that a large cement cube

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was removed at the entrance of the Palestinian village of
Nahalin, located southwest of Bethlehem, Shatzberg said that
this entrance was never blocked. Shatzberg opined that the
cement cube the IDF claims it removed was probably one that
was situated along the side of the road but not blocking
traffic. In the event that the IDF needed to establish a
roadblock or a flying checkpoint, this cement block could
have easily be moved to accommodate security requirements. It
is unclear what IDF action was taken in this area.


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Hebron
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12. (C) The IDF removed three earthmounds located at dirt
roads leading to Route 317 in the southern West Bank.
According to Shatzberg, obstacles along Route 317 were
supposed to be removed when, in 2006, the Israeli High Court
of Justice ordered the Defense Ministry to dismantle a small
concrete wall that was built along this road. When the order
was carried out approximately five months ago, the dirt roads
connecting to Route 317 were supposed to be opened for the
usage of the local Palestinian population. The removal of
these three earthmounds could have a localized positive
impact on a small number of farmers.

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