SETTLERS VOLUNTARILY EVACUATE MEVO HORON

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 000871 SIPDIS 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: SETTLERS VOLUNTARILY EVACUATE MEVO HORON AGRICULTURAL FARM OUTPOST Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Luis G. Moreno for reasons 1.4 ( b),(d) ¶1. (C) On April 14, Oded Herman, Advisor to MOD Pol-Mil Director Amos Gilad, confirmed to EconCouns that settlers had voluntarily evacuated the Mevo Horon Agricultural Farm outpost, located near No Man's Land in the West Bank. According to Herman, the six families had relocated from the outpost approximately one week ago and returned to the nearby Mevo Horon settlement. The six caravans located at the outpost were removed yesterday and early this morning, Herman confirmed. ¶2. (C) In exchange for the voluntary evacuation of the outpost, the MOD gave the settlement permission to build new housing for the relocated families within its boundaries, and also promised to retroactively legalize a number of buildings that were built without a permit inside Mevo Horon. Among the buildings which will be approved are small industrial warehouses, a yeshiva, and several two-family homes (Note: Herman likely meant duplexes or a similar type of building where two families share the same physical structure. He did not know the number of buildings to be retroactively approved. End note). ********************************************* ******************** 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