SILWAN RESIDENTS PROTEST ON-GOING TUNNEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000292

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2018
TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PHUM IS
SUBJECT: SILWAN RESIDENTS PROTEST ON-GOING TUNNEL
EXCAVATIONS UNDER THEIR HOMES

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


1. (C) Summary. Ongoing excavations of an ancient tunnel in
Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood have angered local residents,
who say the digging is damaging their homes and disrupting
their lives. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
(ICAHD) Coordinator Meir Margalit told PolOff the excavations
risk upsetting the tenuous stability of the neighborhood, and
said he believes the settler organization Elad is conducting
the excavation without required permits. Jerusalem lawyer
Sami Ershied said the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has
not been held accountable for the work in Silwan and that
local residents are suffering as a result. Jerusalem's Mufti
Muhammad Hussein told PolOff the digging could lead to
conflict. PolOff observed homes that have apparently been
damaged by the excavations. (A map and key of the Silwan
excavations with photos of the interior of the tunnel can be
found on the Consulate's classified website at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/jerusalem/ind ex.cfm under the
link to Political Reporting Attachments.) End Summary.

EXCAVATIONS IN SILWAN THREATEN THE PEACE
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2. (U) In a February 12 meeting in Jerusalem, ICAHD
Coordinator Meir Margalit told PolOff that ongoing tunnel
excavations in Silwan (immediately south of Jerusalem's Old
City) present four potential threats. First, the excavations
violate Israel's private property laws, which state that
landowners must approve digging under their property.
Second, the digging could undermine the structural integrity
of buildings above the excavations. Third, the dig could
strengthen settlers' presence in Silwan, raising tensions
with Palestinian residents. Fourth, rumors about the
excavations could spark violent demonstrations by
Palestinians, similar to 1996 riots when then-PM Netanyahu
ordered the Western Wall Tunnel opened onto the Via Dolorosa
in the Muslim Quarter.


3. (U) Margalit said ICAHD believes the settler organization
Elad is in control of the excavations and that work is being
done without required permits. He said he fears Elad will
try to connect this tunnel to the existing Western Wall
Tunnel complex or penetrate under the Haram al-Sharif/Temple
Mount. Margalit described the current excavation as a 300
meter tunnel running from under the Silwan mosque north and
uphill toward Dung Gate. He said the unexcavated tunnel
continues to the north but is currently blocked. He said his
contacts disagree on whether this is a Byzantine sewage
tunnel or a Herodian water tunnel.

LEGAL EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO MAKE IAA ACCOUNTABLE
-------------- -


4. (C) Jerusalem lawyer Sami Ershied told PolOff on February
12 that Palestinian residents of Silwan retained him after
learning in late January that archeological excavations were
taking place under their homes. Ershied told PolOff he wrote
to the IAA informing them that excavations require the
landowners' permission and requesting detailed information
about the dig. When the IAA failed to respond, he said, he
filed a request for an injunction on February 10 to stop work
at the site. The Supreme Court gave the IAA 14 days to
respond, he said. Ershied said he visited the tunnel and
showed PolOff photographs of the excavated portion and the
blockage covering the northern part of the tunnel.


5. (C) Ershied told PolOff that Israeli police arrested
seven Silwan residents and one Israeli activist on February
10 and 11 on charges of disrupting public order. He said the
eight individuals were accused of vandalizing equipment
belonging to Elad and attacking an Israeli, but he said the
claims were spurious. (Note: All eight individuals were
released by the evening of February 12, either on bail or
under curfew. End note.) Ershied said his clients are not
opposed to archeological exploration, but that the residents
of Silwan want to be informed of excavations and agree to
them before digging begins.

MUFTI OF JERUSALEM ATTENDS DEMONSTRATION
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6. (C) PolOff visited the Mufti of Jerusalem Muhammad
Hussein in Silwan on February 12, where the residents of
Silwan had erected a demonstration tent near the entrance to
the tunnel. The Mufti called the excavations a breach of
international law, citing the Fourth Geneva Convention, and
said such actions could lead to conflict between Palestinians
and Israelis. He called on the USG to intervene by requiring

JERUSALEM 00000292 002 OF 002


the GoI to fulfill its Roadmap commitments.

RESIDENTS SAY DIGGING DISRUPTS DAILY LIVING
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7. (C) PolOff accompanied member of the Silwan Committee for
the Defense of Land and Property Fakhri Abu Diab to two homes
that sustained damage during the excavations. PolOff
observed cracks in the walls and ceilings of the homes.
Members of the Karean and Siam families complained of
moisture leaking into their homes, as well as of excessive
noise and dust during the digging. PolOff also observed a
section of road near the tunnel that was recently repaired
after collapsing. Residents of the area commented to PolOff
that unrestricted digging disrupts their daily living.


WALLES