Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TELAVIV701
2008-03-26 06:09:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:
MARCH SETTLEMENT ACTIVITIES
how-toVZCZCXRO4643 OO RUEHROV DE RUEHTV #0701/01 0860609 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 260609Z MAR 08 ZDK FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6007 INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 000701
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR
GOLDBERGER/SHAMPAINE/ROSENSTOCK/PECCIA; NSC FOR
ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL IS KPAL KWBG
SUBJECT: MARCH SETTLEMENT ACTIVITIES
REF: TEL AVIV 00538
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b),(d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 000701
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR
GOLDBERGER/SHAMPAINE/ROSENSTOCK/PECCIA; NSC FOR
ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL IS KPAL KWBG
SUBJECT: MARCH SETTLEMENT ACTIVITIES
REF: TEL AVIV 00538
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b),(d)
1. (C) The following paragraphs seek to capture Israeli
settlement activity in March, and where possible, provide GOI
clarification or confirmation to reports of approved or
planned GOI settlement construction.
--------------
MOD Moves Against Outposts
--------------
2. (C) On March 19, Oded Herman, Senior Advisor to MOD
Pol-Mil Advisor Amos Gilad, told EconCouns and econoff that
four families and two of four caravans from the Yattir South
outpost were evacuated on approximately March 13. One empty
caravan was destroyed, one empty caravan was moved to the
Yattir settlement, and two caravans remain at the site.
According to Herman, legal issues prevented the MOD from
removing the two remaining caravans from the site. Settlers
from the Yattir South outpost are claiming that the Civil
Administration had previously given them permits for the
remaining caravans. Herman assured emboffs that legal issues
regarding these caravans are being dealt with and that the
caravans will be removed once these issues have been
addressed. Two livestock buildings housing chickens and one
container used as an office will remain at the site after the
two caravans are evacuated. Per reftel, the MOD also
dismantled the uninhabited outpost of Ofra South East and
removed one structure from the Esh Kodesh outpost in early
March.
--------------
Illegal Construction at Derech Ha'avot
--------------
3. (C) Peace Now's Hagit Ofran told econoff on March 19
that ongoing illegal construction is occurring at the Derech
Ha'avot outpost. According to Ofran, former MK Yigal Bibi is
building a house at the site, which is reportedly on
Palestinian-owned land. Although the Civil Administration
has issued an order to stop the construction, work is still
proceeding in the afternoons and at night to quickly complete
the structure. The Palestinian land owner has previously
filed three complaints against this construction, two with
the police and one with the Civil Administration. On March
20, Econoff faxed to the MOD pictures of the construction and
the March 16 police complaint filed by the land's owner.
--------------
Givat Ze'ev: Approved
--------------
4. (U) On March 10, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported
that Prime Minister Olmert had approved (on March 9) the
construction of 750 new housing units in the Agan Ayelot
neighborhood of the Givat Ze'ev settlement, located north of
Jerusalem in the West Bank. According to the article,
Olmert's approval renewed the construction of a project that
the GOI started in 1999, but was halted due to intifada
violence. Mark Regev, the Prime Minister's spokesman, said
that the project is consistent with the state's current
policy on construction in existing settlements. He said that
construction of the project is consistent with the GOI's
long-standing position that building within the large
settlement blocs, which the GOI insists will remain a part of
Israel in any final status agreement, will continue.
5. (C) On March 10, Ministry of Housing and Construction
(MOCH) Director General Chaim Fialkoff confirmed to econoff
that Olmert had approved the construction, but clarified that
Olmert's approval will only allow 330 housing units to be
built. Currently, according to Fialkoff, approximately 260 of
these housing units are already in various stages of
construction.
6. (C) Fialkoff provided the following background: In
1999, 10 companies were issued tenders to build a total of
546 housing units in Givat Ze'ev's Agan Ayelot neighborhood.
As the eruption of intifada violence affected the marketing
of the housing units, some of the 10 companies sued the GOI,
seeking to either be released from their contracts or obtain
government compensation for expended funds. Other companies,
conversely, did not sue and continued to build and market the
project's housing units. This issue has not been fully
resolved as the MOCH is currently appealing a previous
District Court decision to release some of the companies from
TEL AVIV 00000701 002 OF 003
their contracts.
7. (C) Within the last 18 months, however, market
conditions improved and seven of the 10 companies involved
are either currently building or expressed the desire to
build these units. If these seven companies fulfill their
tenders, a total of 330 housing units (of the 546 units
approved for the project) will be built in the Agan Ayelot
neighborhood of Givat Ze'ev. The three remaining companies
are seeking to be released from their contractual agreements.
8. (C) Once a housing tender is issued to a construction
company, the company signs one contract to build the housing
units with the MOCH and another contract to build on the land
designated for the project with the ILA (Israel Land
Administration). In this case, said Fialkoff, while the
companies' contracts with the MOCH are still valid, the
contracts with the ILA have expired. Due to the sensitivity
of building in settlements, the MOCH consulted with Prime
Minister Olmert on whether the ILA contract could be extended
since the MOCH contract never expired. Olmert's approval
extended the ILA contract, thereby reapproving the
construction of 330 housing units.
--------------
Betar Illit and Ariel: Approved
--------------
9. (C) On March 10, Channel 2 News reported that the
Ministry of Defense (MOD) had approved expansion plans for
settlements in the West Bank under pressure from the Shas
party. The report noted that construction was approved in
the Betar Illit, Ariel, Efrata, and Sha'are Tikva
settlements. Construction in the Ovnat, Talmon, Negohot,
Elqana, and Ma'ale Adumim settlements was reported to be
planned for a later stage.
10. (C) On March 19, Herman confirmed to EconCouns and
econoff that the MOD had approved the construction of 32
housing units in Betar and 48 housing units in Ariel. He
noted that these housing units are all inside populated
sections within the settlement's built-up area. He also said
that plans to build 620 new housing units in Ma'ale Adumim
were not approved, but did not rule out the possibility that
they may be approved in the future.
--------------
Reportedly Approved, but Not Yet Verified
--------------
11. (C) Herman is verifying whether approval was granted in
the remaining six settlements mentioned in the Channel 2 news
report. Herman is also checking on the Hatzofe newspaper's
March 21 report saying that Defense Minister Barak approved
the addition of five trailers for the Tene Omarim settlement
and approved the construction of 54 housing units for a new
neighborhood in the Efrata settlement.
--------------
Neve Ya'acov: In the Approval Process
--------------
12. (C) On March 10, Army Radio reported that the Jerusalem
municipality is promoting a plan to build 400 new homes in
the Neve Ya'acov settlement, located in East Jerusalem.
Fialkoff confirmed to econoff on March 14 that the MOCH had
submitted this plan to the Jerusalem municipality for
approval. If the municipality approves the plan, it must
then be approved by the regional planning council. Fialkoff
estimated that obtaining full approval through these two
bodies could take a year or longer. These 400 housing units
are slated to be built outside the Jerusalem municipal
boundaries, but inside the route of the barrier.
13. (C) Comment: This neighborhood is slated to be built
on a north-eastern hillside outside of Neve Ya'acov's current
built-up area. Although Neve Ya'acov is located in East
Jerusalem, this adjacent hill is located in the West Bank
(between Jerusalem's municipal boundaries and the security
barrier). Construction of this neighborhood would ostensibly
create a link between an East Jerusalem settlement (Neve
Ya'acov) and a West Bank settlement (Adam). Our NGO contacts
assess that as a result of the construction of this
neighborhood, the GOI will likely either create an opening in
the barrier or build an overpass/underpass to link Adam to
the East Jerusalem neighborhoods that Israel hopes to retain
in a final status agreement. The MOD is currently looking at
TEL AVIV 00000701 003 OF 003
relocating settlers from the Migron outpost to Adam. End
comment.
--------------
Givat Hamatos: In the Approval Process
--------------
14. (C) According to Ha'aretz, in early March, the
Jerusalem municipality approved a plan for the construction
of some 2,200 housing units at the Givat HaMatos settlement,
located in East Jerusalem. The master plan of Givat HaMatos
entails the construction of a hotel and a commercial and
residential complex consisting of some 4,000 units.
15. (C) Comment: Although it is unclear where these 2,200
units in Givat HaMatos will be built, westward expansion of
this settlement will effectively create an East Jerusalem
Palestinian enclave consisting of the Beit Safafa and
Sharafat villages and eliminate the sole remaining option to
keep the Palestinian residents of Beit Safafa and Sharafat
connected to East Jerusalem. Beit Safafa and Sharafat are
currently flanked by the Green Line to the north, the Gilo
settlement to the south and west, and Givat Hamatos to the
east. End comment.
********************************************* ********************
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
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR
GOLDBERGER/SHAMPAINE/ROSENSTOCK/PECCIA; NSC FOR
ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL IS KPAL KWBG
SUBJECT: MARCH SETTLEMENT ACTIVITIES
REF: TEL AVIV 00538
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b),(d)
1. (C) The following paragraphs seek to capture Israeli
settlement activity in March, and where possible, provide GOI
clarification or confirmation to reports of approved or
planned GOI settlement construction.
--------------
MOD Moves Against Outposts
--------------
2. (C) On March 19, Oded Herman, Senior Advisor to MOD
Pol-Mil Advisor Amos Gilad, told EconCouns and econoff that
four families and two of four caravans from the Yattir South
outpost were evacuated on approximately March 13. One empty
caravan was destroyed, one empty caravan was moved to the
Yattir settlement, and two caravans remain at the site.
According to Herman, legal issues prevented the MOD from
removing the two remaining caravans from the site. Settlers
from the Yattir South outpost are claiming that the Civil
Administration had previously given them permits for the
remaining caravans. Herman assured emboffs that legal issues
regarding these caravans are being dealt with and that the
caravans will be removed once these issues have been
addressed. Two livestock buildings housing chickens and one
container used as an office will remain at the site after the
two caravans are evacuated. Per reftel, the MOD also
dismantled the uninhabited outpost of Ofra South East and
removed one structure from the Esh Kodesh outpost in early
March.
--------------
Illegal Construction at Derech Ha'avot
--------------
3. (C) Peace Now's Hagit Ofran told econoff on March 19
that ongoing illegal construction is occurring at the Derech
Ha'avot outpost. According to Ofran, former MK Yigal Bibi is
building a house at the site, which is reportedly on
Palestinian-owned land. Although the Civil Administration
has issued an order to stop the construction, work is still
proceeding in the afternoons and at night to quickly complete
the structure. The Palestinian land owner has previously
filed three complaints against this construction, two with
the police and one with the Civil Administration. On March
20, Econoff faxed to the MOD pictures of the construction and
the March 16 police complaint filed by the land's owner.
--------------
Givat Ze'ev: Approved
--------------
4. (U) On March 10, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported
that Prime Minister Olmert had approved (on March 9) the
construction of 750 new housing units in the Agan Ayelot
neighborhood of the Givat Ze'ev settlement, located north of
Jerusalem in the West Bank. According to the article,
Olmert's approval renewed the construction of a project that
the GOI started in 1999, but was halted due to intifada
violence. Mark Regev, the Prime Minister's spokesman, said
that the project is consistent with the state's current
policy on construction in existing settlements. He said that
construction of the project is consistent with the GOI's
long-standing position that building within the large
settlement blocs, which the GOI insists will remain a part of
Israel in any final status agreement, will continue.
5. (C) On March 10, Ministry of Housing and Construction
(MOCH) Director General Chaim Fialkoff confirmed to econoff
that Olmert had approved the construction, but clarified that
Olmert's approval will only allow 330 housing units to be
built. Currently, according to Fialkoff, approximately 260 of
these housing units are already in various stages of
construction.
6. (C) Fialkoff provided the following background: In
1999, 10 companies were issued tenders to build a total of
546 housing units in Givat Ze'ev's Agan Ayelot neighborhood.
As the eruption of intifada violence affected the marketing
of the housing units, some of the 10 companies sued the GOI,
seeking to either be released from their contracts or obtain
government compensation for expended funds. Other companies,
conversely, did not sue and continued to build and market the
project's housing units. This issue has not been fully
resolved as the MOCH is currently appealing a previous
District Court decision to release some of the companies from
TEL AVIV 00000701 002 OF 003
their contracts.
7. (C) Within the last 18 months, however, market
conditions improved and seven of the 10 companies involved
are either currently building or expressed the desire to
build these units. If these seven companies fulfill their
tenders, a total of 330 housing units (of the 546 units
approved for the project) will be built in the Agan Ayelot
neighborhood of Givat Ze'ev. The three remaining companies
are seeking to be released from their contractual agreements.
8. (C) Once a housing tender is issued to a construction
company, the company signs one contract to build the housing
units with the MOCH and another contract to build on the land
designated for the project with the ILA (Israel Land
Administration). In this case, said Fialkoff, while the
companies' contracts with the MOCH are still valid, the
contracts with the ILA have expired. Due to the sensitivity
of building in settlements, the MOCH consulted with Prime
Minister Olmert on whether the ILA contract could be extended
since the MOCH contract never expired. Olmert's approval
extended the ILA contract, thereby reapproving the
construction of 330 housing units.
--------------
Betar Illit and Ariel: Approved
--------------
9. (C) On March 10, Channel 2 News reported that the
Ministry of Defense (MOD) had approved expansion plans for
settlements in the West Bank under pressure from the Shas
party. The report noted that construction was approved in
the Betar Illit, Ariel, Efrata, and Sha'are Tikva
settlements. Construction in the Ovnat, Talmon, Negohot,
Elqana, and Ma'ale Adumim settlements was reported to be
planned for a later stage.
10. (C) On March 19, Herman confirmed to EconCouns and
econoff that the MOD had approved the construction of 32
housing units in Betar and 48 housing units in Ariel. He
noted that these housing units are all inside populated
sections within the settlement's built-up area. He also said
that plans to build 620 new housing units in Ma'ale Adumim
were not approved, but did not rule out the possibility that
they may be approved in the future.
--------------
Reportedly Approved, but Not Yet Verified
--------------
11. (C) Herman is verifying whether approval was granted in
the remaining six settlements mentioned in the Channel 2 news
report. Herman is also checking on the Hatzofe newspaper's
March 21 report saying that Defense Minister Barak approved
the addition of five trailers for the Tene Omarim settlement
and approved the construction of 54 housing units for a new
neighborhood in the Efrata settlement.
--------------
Neve Ya'acov: In the Approval Process
--------------
12. (C) On March 10, Army Radio reported that the Jerusalem
municipality is promoting a plan to build 400 new homes in
the Neve Ya'acov settlement, located in East Jerusalem.
Fialkoff confirmed to econoff on March 14 that the MOCH had
submitted this plan to the Jerusalem municipality for
approval. If the municipality approves the plan, it must
then be approved by the regional planning council. Fialkoff
estimated that obtaining full approval through these two
bodies could take a year or longer. These 400 housing units
are slated to be built outside the Jerusalem municipal
boundaries, but inside the route of the barrier.
13. (C) Comment: This neighborhood is slated to be built
on a north-eastern hillside outside of Neve Ya'acov's current
built-up area. Although Neve Ya'acov is located in East
Jerusalem, this adjacent hill is located in the West Bank
(between Jerusalem's municipal boundaries and the security
barrier). Construction of this neighborhood would ostensibly
create a link between an East Jerusalem settlement (Neve
Ya'acov) and a West Bank settlement (Adam). Our NGO contacts
assess that as a result of the construction of this
neighborhood, the GOI will likely either create an opening in
the barrier or build an overpass/underpass to link Adam to
the East Jerusalem neighborhoods that Israel hopes to retain
in a final status agreement. The MOD is currently looking at
TEL AVIV 00000701 003 OF 003
relocating settlers from the Migron outpost to Adam. End
comment.
--------------
Givat Hamatos: In the Approval Process
--------------
14. (C) According to Ha'aretz, in early March, the
Jerusalem municipality approved a plan for the construction
of some 2,200 housing units at the Givat HaMatos settlement,
located in East Jerusalem. The master plan of Givat HaMatos
entails the construction of a hotel and a commercial and
residential complex consisting of some 4,000 units.
15. (C) Comment: Although it is unclear where these 2,200
units in Givat HaMatos will be built, westward expansion of
this settlement will effectively create an East Jerusalem
Palestinian enclave consisting of the Beit Safafa and
Sharafat villages and eliminate the sole remaining option to
keep the Palestinian residents of Beit Safafa and Sharafat
connected to East Jerusalem. Beit Safafa and Sharafat are
currently flanked by the Green Line to the north, the Gilo
settlement to the south and west, and Givat Hamatos to the
east. End comment.
********************************************* ********************
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