NEW BARRIER ROUTE AROUND MA'ALE ADUMIM LEAVES WEST

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001615

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE. NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2018
TAGS: PBTS PGOV PHUM PREL KWBG IS
SUBJECT: NEW BARRIER ROUTE AROUND MA'ALE ADUMIM LEAVES WEST
BANK DIVIDED

REF: A. TEL AVIV 01875

B. 2007 JERUSALEM 02131

C. 2007 JERUSALEM 02124

D. 2007 JERUSALEM 01840

E. 2007 SECSTATE 129800

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Jerusalem attorney Shlomo Lecker told
PolOff that a new barrier route around Ma'ale Adumim leaves
4,000 dunums (about 1,000 acres) of land outside the area
enclosed by the barrier, but still effectively cuts the West
Bank in two and separates Palestinians from Jerusalem. Abu
Dis Mayor Jaffal told PolOff he is concerned about
Palestinian access to the 4,000 dunums once the barrier is
complete. Ma'ale Adumim settlement Mayor Kashriel said he
will challenge the new route in court. End Summary.

JERUSALEM ATTORNEY SAYS BARRIER ROUTE
UNDERMINES VIABILITY OF PALESTINIAN STATE
--------------


2. (C) Jerusalem attorney Shlomo Lecker told PolOff August
26 that the GoI decided to reroute the separation barrier to
the south and east of Ma'ale Adumim -- the West Bank
settlement immediately east of Jerusalem -- to leave 4,000
dunums (1,000 acres) of land outside the area enclosed by the
barrier. He said this decision came roughly eleven months
after the deadline set by the Israeli High Court of Justice
(HCJ) for GoI DefMin Barak to review the barrier's route and
address its humanitarian impact. Lecker said the route
change does not decrease the distance by which the barrier
will cut into the West Bank.


3. (C) Lecker represents the Municipalities of Abu Dis and
al-Sawahira in two separate but related petitions to the HCJ
to reroute the barrier. He said the barrier incorporates
65,000 dunums of the West Bank into the Ma'ale Adumim
"bubble" (the area around Ma'ale Adumim and surrounding
settlements that is encompassed by the barrier),effectively
dividing the northern and southern parts of the West Bank.
This will undermine the viability of a future Palestinian
state, according to Lecker.


4. (C) Lecker said the GoI plans to complete the barrier
around the Ma'ale Adumim "bubble" and create a
Palestinian-use road south of it, running from Abu Dis and
connecting to Route 1 between Ma'ale Adumim and Jericho (see
Refs B-D). (Note: Lecker's petitions helped lead to
reconsideration of the barrier's route around Ma'ale Adumim.
End note.)

ABU DIS MAYOR: CHANGE IN ROUTE NOT ENOUGH
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5. (C) Ibrahim Jaffal, the Mayor of Abu Dis, told PolOff
August 26 that he welcomes the route change, but that it
falls short of Palestinians' expectations. He said the GoI
has not provided details about Palestinian access to the
4,000 dunums in question, and said he fears that they will be
prevented from using the land. PolOff observed the area of
the reroute on August 27, noting that is consists mostly of
largely unused rocky hills.

MA'ALE ADUMIM MAYOR: I WILL FIGHT THIS CHANGE
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6. (C) Benny Kashriel, the Mayor of Ma'ale Adumim, told
PolOff August 26 that he intends to fight the GoI decision to
reroute the barrier, but admitted that he is not optimistic
about returning to the original route. He said the
settlement of Qedar will remain inside the Ma'ale Adumim
"bubble" but denied that there are plans to incorporate Qedar
into the Ma'ale Adumim Municipality.


WALLES