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