884 PLANNED HOUSING UNITS ANNOUNCED IN EAST

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000928 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE. NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2018 TAGS: KWBG PBTS PREL PHUM IS SUBJECT: 884 PLANNED HOUSING UNITS ANNOUNCED IN EAST JERUSALEM: ANGRY PALESTINIAN REACTION Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) In coordination with the Israeli holiday marking Jerusalem's reunification, Minister of Construction and Housing Zeev Boim announced tenders for 884 units in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Pisgat Zeev (763 units) and Har Homa/Jebel Abu Ghneim (121 units) on June 1. Potential contractors will have several weeks to submit bids on the tenders, after which contracts will be signed and construction permits sought. Construction on the new tenders could begin in six to eight months. POLOFF visited Har Homa June 1 and saw numerous, unrelated construction projects already underway. ¶2. (C) The PA issued an official statement June 1 condemning the new tenders as "violating the Fourth Geneva Convention, UN resolutions, the Oslo Accord, the Annapolis conference, and Israel's commitment in the first article of the Roadmap." Saeb Erekat added "We strongly condemn this decision, which is a continuation of similar decisions to expand settlements that have never stopped", according to press reports. PM Salam Fayyad also told LTG Fraser in a June 1 meeting that "if the peace process is to have any meaning whatsoever, somebody's got to put their foot down to say no settlement activity, whatsoever." WALLES