IDF DEMOLISHES HOMES IN TWO WEST BANK BEDOUIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001980

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/RAMCHAND/PASCUAL; PRM
FOR RAMGOOLIE/BROOKS-RUBIN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2018
TAGS: PREL PBTS PREF PHUM KWBG KPAL IS
SUBJECT: IDF DEMOLISHES HOMES IN TWO WEST BANK BEDOUIN
COMMUNITIES

REF: A. JERUSALEM 1841

B. JERUSALEM 1712

C. JERUSALEM 1612

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) Summary. On October 29 and 30, IDF soldiers
demolished 25 structures in two Bedouin communities: one
south of Hebron in Umm al-Khair, and one east of Ramallah in
Mughayir al Dir. The demolitions leave 142 people, including
71 children, homeless. These are the first demolitions of
inhabited structures in the West Bank since March 2008. Two
structures, initially spared by the IDF because they housed
orphans, are slated for demolition on November 2. End
Summary.

Umm al-Khair Village
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2. (SBU) On October 29, the IDF demolished seven Bedouin
structures -- six residences and one animal shelter -- in Umm
al-Khair. Six of the structures received demolition orders
in November 2007 because they lacked building permits.
According to OCHA, one of the demolished residences had been
constructed with a permit 40 years ago and was not under
demolition order. Forty-five of the encampment's 125
residents lost their homes; all are UNRWA-registered
refugees. UNRWA, OCHA, and ICRC responded by providing food,
blankets, tents, and basic household items. UNRWA's Deputy
Director for West Bank Operations told RefCoord October 30
that the families will likely attempt to rebuild their homes
in the same location, as they have no other alternative.

Milehat-Ka'abneh Encampment at Mughayir al-Dir
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3. (SBU) On October 30, Poloffs visited the Milehat-Ka'abneh
tribe's encampment at Mughayir al Dir near Ma'ale Mikhmas
settlement after receiving news from OCHA of the impending
demolition. On arrival at 1130 local, PolOffs witnessed a
large bulldozer razing the last of 18 structures belonging to
eight extended families comprising 97 people (Note: Photos
are available on ConGen Jerusalem's classified website at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/jerusalem/ind ex.cfm under the
link to Political Reporting Attachments. End note.).
Bedouin residents, visibly upset, attempted to negotiate with
the IDF soldiers, to retain the four water tanks and two
tractors that, they said, the IDF was attempting to
confiscate. Asserting that the area is a closed military
zone, IDF soldiers prohibited Poloffs from approaching to
engage local residents. The IDF departed the site at 1155
local, having confiscated one tractor.


4. (SBU) Residents told Poloffs that a total of 20
structures had been under demolition order, but that the
remaining two had been granted a temporary reprieve until
November 2 because they were inhabited by a number of
orphans. OCHA contacts said it was unclear why the IDF acted
on October 30, given that a legal intervention filed in
recent days is still pending and that a stay of demolition is
valid through November 1. Residents did not have
documentation regarding their legal appeals and could not
demonstrate to the IDF soldiers that a stay of demolition was
in effect. Residents told OCHA that they had lived at the
site since 1985, when the IDF moved them from a nearby
location and built a one-room school for their use (which was
not among the demolished structures).

Comment
--------------


5. (C) These two demolitions, within 24 hours of each other,
represent the first demolitions of inhabited structures in
the West Bank since March 2008, notwithstanding GOI
commitments to the US not to carry out demolitions in area C.
USG intervention with the GOI may prevent the demolition of
the two remaining structures at Mughayir al-Dir, which
residents were told would happen on Sunday, November 2.
WALLES