GOI POISED TO ACT AGAINST SETTLERS REESTABLISHING

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 000932 SIPDIS SIPDIS NSC WASHINGTON DC, NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR WILLIAMS/SHAMPAINE/ROSENSTOCK/MAHER; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG IS SUBJECT: GOI POISED TO ACT AGAINST SETTLERS REESTABLISHING HOMESH CLASSIFIED BY: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION GENE A. CRETZ FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) BRIGADIER GENERAL (RES.) BARUCH SPIEGEL, FORMER ADVISOR TO DEFENSE MINISTER PERETZ, TOLD ECONCOUNS ON MARCH 26 THAT THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE (MOD) IS PREPARED TO ACT AGAINST SETTLERS THAT MAY TRY TO REOCCUPY HOMESH, ONE OF FOUR NORTHERN WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS EVACUATED BY THE GOI IN 2005. SPIEGEL SAID THAT DEFENSE MINISTER PERETZ HAS ORDERED THE IDF TO REMOVE SETTLERS FROM THE SITE IF ANY EFFORTS TO REOCCUPY OR REBUILD THE SETTLEMENT WERE SEEN. IN RESPONSE TO ECONCOUNS QUESTION ON WHY THE MOD ALLOWED THE SETTLERS TO MARCH TO HOMESH, SPIEGEL SAID THAT THE MOD THOUGHT THAT THE SETTLERS WOULD MARCH ANYWAY AND BY ALLOWING THEM TO DO SO, THE IDF WOULD BE ABLE TO MORE EFFECTIVELY CONTROL THE SITUATION. SPIEGEL ALSO NOTED THAT IF THE SITUATION ESCALATED TO THE IDF HAVING TO PHYSICALLY REMOVE SETTLERS, THE IDF WOULD APPLY LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE FEBRUARY 2006 FORCIBLE EVACUATION OF SETTLERS FROM THE AMONA OUTPOST. (NOTE: ALTHOUGH RETIRED FOR APPROXIMATELY FOUR MONTHS, SPIEGEL HAS BEEN ASKED TO ADVISE THE MOD ON VARIOUS ISSUES OVER THE LAST MONTH. END NOTE.) ¶2. (C) PRIME MINISTER OLMERT ALSO PUBLICLY PLEDGED THAT THE GOI HAD "NO INTENTION OF REOCCUPYING SETTLEMENTS THAT WERE DISENGAGED AS PART OF THE DISENGAGEMENT." OLMERT ALSO STATED THAT THAT THE GOI WAS "CERTAINLY COMMITTED TO CARRY OUT THE ISRAELI PROMISE TO DISMANTLE THE UNAUTHORIZED OUTPOSTS, SO WE ARE NOT NOW IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING NEW UNAUTHORIZED OUTPOSTS, AT A TIME WHEN WE WANT TO DISMANTLE THE EXISTING OUTPOSTS." ********************************************* ******************** VISIT EMBASSY TEL AVIV'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/NEA/TELAVIV YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THIS SITE THROUGH THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S CLASSIFIED SIPRNET WEBSITE. ********************************************* ******************** JONES