SETTLEMENTS AND OUTPOSTS: SIX MONTHS INTO ANNAPOLIS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 001247 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR GOLDBERGER/SHAMPAINE/ROSENSTOCK/PECCIA; NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL; JCS FOR GENERAL FRASER E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL IS KPAL KWBG SUBJECT: SETTLEMENTS AND OUTPOSTS: SIX MONTHS INTO ANNAPOLIS Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Within the first six months of the Annapolis process, the GOI has published tenders for or approved 2,800 new housing units in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem -- marking the largest number of approvals within a six month period since 1999. Additionally, despite MOD discussions to coax settlers to voluntarily evacuate outposts established after March 2001, the MOD has only managed to successfully dismantle one small, uninhabited outpost. Within the coming months, we are likely to see the GOI grant more approvals for settlement construction, given the GOI's proclivity to grant concessions to settlers in exchange for voluntarily evacuating outposts and its unwillingness to stop settlement construction in areas it expects to retain in a final status agreement. End summary. -------------- Settlement Activity Since Annapolis -------------- ¶2. (C) The June 2, publication of tenders to build 884 units housing in the East Jerusalem settlements of Pisgat Ze'ev and Har Homa brings the total number of new units the GOI has published tenders for or approved to 2,800 -- marking the largest number of approvals within a six month period since 1999. Below are lists of settlement projects known to Embassy Tel Aviv that the GOI has either published tenders for or approved since the start of Annapolis: ¶3. (C) Tenders Published: -- Har Homa, 307 units. (December 2007) -- East Talpiyot, 440 units. (December 2007) -- Gilo, hotel with option to rezone as residential. (December 2007) -- Elqana, rezoning of land to change 52 caravans to single-family homes. (April 2008) -- Ariel, 48 units. (April 2008) -- Har Homa, 121 units. (June 2008) -- Pisgat Ze'ev, 763 units. (June 2008) (Note: A building plan that has entered the tendering phase has already been granted all of the approvals necessary for building. The GOI publishes a tender to invite companies to offer bids to build part or all of a given plan. Construction may commence once the GOI issues the tender to a company to build. End note.) ¶4. (C) The following is a list of settlement plans approved by Defense Minister Barak. This list was confirmed to EconCouns and econoff in late March by Oded Herman, Advisor to Pol-Mil Director Amos Gilad. -- Efrata, 40 units. -- Tene Omarim, 5 units. -- Beitar Illit, 32 units. -- Sha'arei Tikva, 32 units. -- Efrata, reservoir. -- Talmon, reservoir that will serve both Israeli and Palestinian populations. -- Negohot, caravan to be used as a synagogue. -- Ovnat, rezoning of land to change 15 caravans to mobile homes. ¶5. (C) The following were previously frozen projects that were recently re-approved by Prime Minister Olmert. These projects had previously obtained bureaucratic approvals to be built years ago. -- Givat Ze'ev, 330 units. (Note: Olmert's approval of this project was confirmed to econoff by Chaim Fialkoff, Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing (MOCH) in March. End note) -- Beitar Illit, 682 units. (Note: Prime Minister Olmert's office confirmed to the Ambassador that Olmert had approved this project in April. End note) ¶6. (C) Although some GOI officials have claimed that the actual number of units built on the ground since the start of Annapolis has not actually been extensive and do not damage the platform for negotiations, the stream of GOI approvals or tendering of unrealized settlement plans manifests Israel's intention to thicken settlements in critical areas --primarily East Jerusalem and West Bank settlement blocs -- that it expects to retain. TEL AVIV 00001247 002 OF 003 -------------- Outposts -------------- ¶7. (C) The MOD has made little progress on evacuating illegal outposts established after March 2001, despite continued discussions with settlers to voluntarily dismantle these sites. In the past six months since the Annapolis process began, the MOD has successfully managed to dismantle only one, small uninhabited outpost -- Ofra South. Eitan Broshi, Advisor to Defense Minister Barak on settlements, has publicly claimed that the MOD has evacuated four outposts. However, his statements reflect recent IDF attempts which have yielded one successful full evacuation (Ofra South),two MOD partial evacuations (Yattir South, Mevo Horon Agricultural Farm),and one outpost evacuation attempt (Hazon David). -- Both Yattir South and Mevo Horon Agricultural Farm have been partially dismantled, but some structures still remain at these sites. -- On May 3, the IDF dismantled the structure used as a synagogue at Hazon David. However, settlers reestablished their presence at the site shortly after the IDF left. Press reports in June say that Hazon David has been dismantled by the IDF 32 times over the last four years. Oded Herman, Senior Advisor to Pol-Mil Director Amos Gilad has told EconCouns and econoff that the MOD has provided and will continue to provide new and retroactive construction approvals to settlements in exchange for settler agreement to voluntarily evacuate outposts illegally established after March 2001. ¶8. (C) The IDF has generally blocked settler efforts to establish new West Bank outposts. However, in some instances, the IDF has permitted settlers to temporarily establish a presence at previously evacuated sites such as Sanur and Homesh. Emboff discussions with MOD officials indicate that IDF permission is often granted to settlers in order to avoid potential confrontations with these groups. Since Annapolis, settlers have been allowed to temporarily congregate at new sites where they sometimes decide to establish strongholds, including E1, Shvut Rachel, and Artas. Although the IDF does not permit settler groups to establish new outposts, these purportedly temporary arrangements are a setback to current MOD efforts to evacuate illegal outposts established after March 2001. -------------- Additional Approvals and Tenders Likely -------------- ¶9. (C) With Israel unwilling to freeze settlement construction particularly in East Jerusalem and the West Bank blocs, and the MOD's likely concessions to settlers in exchange for evacuating illegal outposts, we will likely continue to see GOI approvals or tenders for new housing units in settlements. We have also not yet seen tenders published for some of the plans which have recently been approved. Moreover, Israel has long maintained that construction in East Jerusalem as well as in settlement blocs it seeks to retain in a final-status solution is in keeping with international understandings. -------------- How Israel Views Settlements -------------- ¶10. (U) Although GOI settlement activities are viewed by most of the international community as being incompatible with the Annapolis process and international law, the GOI does not appear to agree with this assessment. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, "Israeli settlements in the West Bank are legal under international law and the agreements between Israel and the Palestinians." The site says that various agreements between Israel and the Palestinians since 1993 contain no prohibitions on the building or expansion of settlements. Additionally, the prohibition in the Israel-Palestinian Interim Agreement against taking unilateral steps that alter the status of the West Bank does not imply a ban on settlement activities, but was designed to ensure that neither side take steps that would change the territory's legal status (such as annexation, or unilateral declaration of statehood) pending permanent status talks. The site states, "The building of TEL AVIV 00001247 003 OF 003 homes has no effect on the final permanent status of the area as a whole. Were this prohibition applied to building, it would lead to the unreasonable interpretation that neither side is permitted to build houses to accommodate the needs of their respective communities." ¶12. (U) On the basis of international law, Israel views the West Bank not as "occupied territory," but as "disputed territory." Therefore, according to the website, Israel maintains that the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 -- which forbids a state from deporting or transferring "parts of its own civilian population to the territory occupied" -- does not apply to the West Bank. The GOI maintains that the Convention is also not applicable because Israel has neither forcibly transferred its citizens to the territory nor are settlements intended to displace Arab inhabitants. ********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** JONES