Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08JERUSALEM1823
2008-09-29 13:07:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Jerusalem
Cable title:  

JERUSALEM-BASED NGO REQUESTS SUPPORT TO REMOVE

Tags:  KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO3885
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1823 2731307
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 291307Z SEP 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2930
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001823 

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2018
TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS
SUBJECT: JERUSALEM-BASED NGO REQUESTS SUPPORT TO REMOVE
CHECKPOINTS IN EAST JERUSALEM NEIGHBORHOOD

Classified By: Acting Principal Officer Greg Marchese, per reasons 1.4
(b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001823

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2018
TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS
SUBJECT: JERUSALEM-BASED NGO REQUESTS SUPPORT TO REMOVE
CHECKPOINTS IN EAST JERUSALEM NEIGHBORHOOD

Classified By: Acting Principal Officer Greg Marchese, per reasons 1.4
(b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Palestinian residents of the East Jerusalem
neighborhood of Abu Majirah say they have been cut off from
their center of life by the separation barrier, and that the
IDF controls access to their neighborhood via checkpoints.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) may submit
a legal petition against the checkpoints, but an ACRI
attorney suspects the courts will reject it on political and
security grounds. She requested USG pressure to help remove
two checkpoints that severely limit residents' access.
Ateret Cohanim (AC),a settler organization, plans to build a
residential complex in the area, called Kidmat Tzion,
according to an AC spokesman. End Summary.

EAST JERUSALEM NEIGHBORHOOD:
ACCESS RESTRICTED
--------------


2. (C) PolOff visited the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu
Majirah September 25 to observe the impact of the Cliff Hotel
and Sawahara checkpoints on residents' access and movement.
Roughly 350 Palestinians live in the area -- members of the
Qunbar and Surkhi families -- plus two settler families. Abu
Majirah is located on the Jerusalem side of the separation
barrier, across from the West Bank town of Abu Dis, and built
on a steep hillside across the Kidron Valley (Wadi al-Nar)
from the Palestinian neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukabbir.
PolOff observed that access into the area is controlled by
the Cliff Hotel checkpoint on the north and the Sawahara
checkpoint on the south.


3. (C) Abu Majirah residents Einad Surkhi and Naif Qunbar
told PolOff that Abu Dis was their center of life until the
separation barrier cut them off from the town, including from
water, electricity, and phone lines. They said the IDF only
allows access to Abu Majirah for its residents, preventing
visits from family, friends, and service providers. They
said that members of the Surkhi family, who hold Jerusalem
IDs, can enter Jerusalem, but the Qunbars, who hold West Bank
IDs, can only leave Abu Majirah to go to the West Bank. They
added that what was a five-minute trip to Abu Dis now takes
an hour.


4. (C) Surkhi said the families pay Jerusalem Municipal
taxes and fees and bring in water, electricity, and phone
lines from the Municipality at relatively high prices. They
now use Jerusalem for shopping, medical treatment, and
schools, he said, but checkpoints make their access
unpredictable. He said the IDF warned residents that they
will be fired upon if they approach the Sawahara checkpoint,
forcing them to travel through the Cliff Hotel checkpoint.
Surkhi and Qunbar said, "We feel like we are in prison, but
this is our home." They said their primary goal is to remove
the checkpoints so that they can move freely.

ACRI ENCOURAGES DIPLOMATIC PRESSURE
TO OPEN EAST JERUSALEM CHECKPOINTS
--------------


5. (U) ACRI attorney Tali Nir told PolOff that ACRI is
considering submitting a petition to Israeli courts to remove
the checkpoints that restrict the movement of Palestinians to
and from Abu Majirah, which, she noted, do not apply to
settlers. She said the sick and elderly do not receive
necessary medical treatment, while children drop out of
school because buses (as well as taxis and ambulances) cannot
enter Abu Majirah and many residents do not own cars. She
predicted that security concerns will trump humanitarian
concerns in this case, leading the courts to reject ACRI's
petition. However, pressure from the USG could encourage the
GoI to remove the checkpoints, she said.

ATERET COHANIM EXPECTS SETTLEMENT EXPANSION
--------------


6. (C) AC Spokesman Daniel Luria told PolOff that AC plans
to expand the current settler residences into an apartment
complex called Kidmat Tzion (East of Zion) with over 300
housing units. He said Jews owned the land in the early
1900s and AC is working to reestablish the claim. He said
that security measures in Abu Majirah help ensure the
protection of Israeli residents of the area.

MARCHESE