BIL'IN VILLAGE: BARRIER NOT YET REROUTED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000185

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2018
TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS
SUBJECT: BIL'IN VILLAGE: BARRIER NOT YET REROUTED

REF: A. 2007 JERUSALEM 1905

B. 2007 JERUSALEM 4270

C. 2007 TEL AVIV 2670

D. 2007 TEL AVIV 2715

Classified By: Acting Principal Officer Thomas Duffy, per reasons 1.4 (
b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. On January 24, Abdallah Abu Rahman,
Coordinator of the Bil'in Land Defense and Popular Committee,
told Poloffs that the GoI has taken no steps to reroute the
separation barrier between Bil'in and the settlement of
Modi'in Illit following a September 7 Israeli High Court
ruling. He said Bil'in residents will not appeal the High
Court decision, but will follow up through attorney Michael
Sfard. Abu Rahman said he was beaten by settlers January 1
while protesting the placement of two caravans on Bil'in
residents' land in Mattityahu East enclave. He said Bil'in
residents continue to demonstrate weekly to protest the
separation barrier. End Summary.

Barrier Not Yet Rerouted
--------------


2. (C) Abdallah Abu Rahman, Coordinator of the Bil'in Land
Defense and Popular Committee, told Poloffs January 24 that
the GoI has not moved to reroute the separation barrier
between Bil'in and Modi'in Illit settlement following a
September 7 Israeli High Court ruling (reftels B and C). Abu
Rahman welcomed the ruling that will restore between 1,100
dunums (275 acres) and 1,600 dunums (395 acres) of Bil'in's
land, but said the victory is incomplete because only part of
the village's land was returned. Abu Rahman stressed that
the situation on the ground has not changed since the ruling.
(Note: According to the High Court decision, the GoI must
prepare, within reasonable time, a proposal for an
alternative route that leaves Bil'in's lands east of the
barrier. End Note). Abu Rahman reported that a barrier gate
allowing Bil'in residents access to their 2,300 dunums (575
acres) of land and 15,000 olive trees is open a maximum of
fourteen hours a day (6 am - 8 pm). However, he said, IDF
soldiers are frequently absent for short periods throughout
the day, which strands Bil'in residents on one side. Abu
Rahman said Bil'in residents will not appeal the High Court
decision, but will follow up with the GoI through attorney
Michael Sfard. He added that since January 1, Modi'in Illit
settlers uprooted twenty olive trees belonging to Bil'in
residents.

Demonstrations Continue
--------------


3. (C) Abu Rahman said despite the High Court ruling,
approximately 150 Bil'in residents continue to demonstrate
every Friday along the separation barrier, often with some
100 Israeli and international human rights activists. Abu
Rahman told Poloffs he was wounded in the head by a rubber
bullet fired by an IDF soldier at the demonstration three
weeks before. Residents will continue their weekly
demonstrations in their campaign of peaceful resistance
against the barrier, he said.

Mattityahu East Caravans
--------------


4. (C) Abu Rahman told Poloffs that on January 1, upon
observing settlers from Mattityahu East enclave (part of
Modi'in Illit settlement) unloading two caravans on Bil'in
land, he and Bil'in activist Muhammad al-Khatib stood beneath
the crane in protest of the caravans. According to Abu
Rahman, twenty settlers approached the two Palestinians
beneath the crane and beat them. Peace Now activists present
at the scene filmed the beating, and Border Police, who
arrived shortly after, detained several settlers. Abu Rahman
reported that the settlers were released just half an hour
later and on January 2, the caravans were removed and Modi'in
Illit Mayor Ya'akov Gutterman called to apologize for the
settlers' behavior. Separately, Mayor Gutterman told Poloff
that the caravans were brought by "troublemakers from outside
the settlement" and the incident was "embarrassing." (Note:
Modi'in Illit is an ultra-orthodox settlement -- not an
"ideological settlement" -- and generally does not use
caravans. End Note). Abu Rahman told Poloffs that fifteen
Bil'in families own some of the land where Mattityahu East
sits.

Unemployment on the Rise
--------------


5. (C) Abu Rahman told Poloffs that Bil'in (pop: 1,500)

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suffers from high unemployment due to the fifty-meter wide
separation barrier that separates residents from 57.5 percent
or 2,300 dunums (575 acres) of their land. (Note: With the
court ordered rerouting of the barrier, residents could still
be separated from 17.5 percent or 700 dunums (175 acres).
End Note). He said until the second Intifada in 2000, half
of Bil'in's male residents worked in Israel, but in recent
years, the separation barrier and restrictions on
Palestinians entering Israel, has caused unemployment to
skyrocket. Abu Rahman added that of the 1700 dunums (425
acres) on the east side of the barrier, Bil'in residents have
access to only 1300 dunums (325 acres) due to the 200 meter
buffer zone created by the IDF along the separation barrier.
DUFFY