NEW EAST JERUSALEM DEMOLITIONS NOVEMBER 17-18

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002077 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/18/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KPAL KWBG IS SUBJECT: NEW EAST JERUSALEM DEMOLITIONS NOVEMBER 17-18 REF: A. JERUSALEM 1956 ¶B. JERUSALEM 2020 ¶C. JERUSALEM 859 ¶D. JERUSALEM 1766 Classified By: Consul General Daniel Rubinstein, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. The Jerusalem Municipality executed demolition orders at five sites in East Jerusalem over the course of November 17 and 18, according to municipal, NGO, and local press sources. The demolitions are the most significant in scope since the demolition of nine housing units on October 27 (Ref A). Separately, on November 18, members of the Knesset and residents of the Nof Zion apartment complex in the East Jerusalem conducted a ceremony to lay the cornerstone of the complex,s second stage, a move described by Peace Now protesters as a "provocation." End Summary. HOME DEMOLITIONS AT FIVE SITES IN EAST JERUSALEM -------------- --- ¶2. (C) On November 17 and 18, the Jerusalem Municipality demolished structures at five separate East Jerusalem sites, in the largest-scale demolition operation since October 27: -- On November 17, according to UN OCHA and local press, a four-story building containing four housing units was demolished in Wadi Qaddoum, south of the Old City, displacing 20-30 people (reports vary); -- On November 17, according to the Municipality, UN OCHA and local press, a home demolition in Beit Hanina displaced two Palestinian refugee families, totaling 11 people; -- On November 18, according to the Municipality, UN OCHA, and Rabbis for Human Rights, an Issawiya residence constructed in 2006 and left uninhabited was demolished; -- On November 18, according to the Municipality, UN OCHA, and Rabbis for Human Rights, a cluster of three structures (two concrete buildings and a stable) were demolished in Silwan; and -- On November 18, according to the Municipality, UN OCHA, and local press, a building housing the Women's Society NGO office in Silwan was demolished. ¶3. (C) Rabbi Arik Ascherman, of the Israeli NGO Rabbis for Human Rights, suggested that the demolitions were part of "an organized push-back" against the U.S. Government. He noted that the Municipality may also be trying to expend its budget allocation for property demolitions before the end of 2009. Note: The annual municipal budget for demolitions averages about 1 million USD, allowing for 80-120 demolitions each year. End Note. ¶4. (C) Stephan Miller, Legal Advisor to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, minimized the importance of the move, stating that the Municipality only undertakes the demolitions after appropriate legal steps have been taken, and authorization obtained. He argued that the Municipality was the victim of media exaggeration, saying that several demolitions on November 17-18 were referred to in local press as "home demolitions," but in fact concerned storage units or animal pens. ¶5. (C) Post has confirmed that at least two of the five sites at which demolition orders were executed on November 17 and 18 were listed in an internal Jerusalem Municipality planning document passed to Post by municipal and NGO contacts the week of November 2. The document lists 41 structures in East Jerusalem scheduled for demolition before the end of 2009. NOF ZION CORNERSTONE LAYING A "PROVOCATION" -------------- ¶6. (C) According to NGO Peace Now and local press, 100 residents of the partially-constructed Nof Zion luxury apartment complex (Ref C),located in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber, gathered on November 18 to lay the cornerstone of the project's second phase, which will add 105 units to the approximately 90 finished apartments in the complex. Local press reported that Likud member of the Israeli Knesset Danny Danon and New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind attended the ceremony. ¶7. (C) Danon was quoted as saying, "I am relaying a message JERUSALEM 00002077 002 OF 002 to President Obama -- take your hands off Jerusalem. Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish people." Hikind told local press, "Obama does not understand we are dealing with a Jewish place. Many of his predecessors also wanted and advanced peace; he is the only one stopping it." Approximately 25 members of the Israeli NGO Peace Now staged a demonstration at the ceremony. Peace Now's Hagit Ofran told PolOff that the ceremony was organized "mostly as a provocation," and that no new construction has begun at the site. ¶8. (C) The Nof Zion ceremony was the second of its kind in recent weeks. The previous event, held on October 7 at a time of high tensions in Jerusalem, was also attended by GOI legislators. National Union MK Michael Ben-Ari told local press covering the event on October 7 that the celebration was "a victorious message to Raed Salah and his gang," referring to Palestinian protesters who had clashed with Israeli police three days previously on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif (Ref D). RUBINSTEIN