IMMINENT PUBLICATION OF TENDERS FOR 692 NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002323 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KWBG KPAL IS SUBJECT: IMMINENT PUBLICATION OF TENDERS FOR 692 NEW ISRAELI HOUSING UNITS IN EAST JERUSALEM REF: A. JERUSALEM 2063 ¶B. JERUSALEM 2273 Classified By: Consul General Daniel Rubinstein for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary: On December 27, Israel press sources reported the impending publication of 692 construction tenders for new residential units in three Israeli neighborhoods of East Jerusalem: 377 units in Neve Yaakov, 198 in Pisgat Zeev, and 117 in Har Homa. While the details of the tenders are not yet publicly available, NGO contacts assessed that construction of the approved units would expand the current geographic footprint of Israeli neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. Palestinian officials criticized the GOI announcement, arguing that it represented an intensification of settlement construction, an Israeli violation of the terms of the Roadmap, and a setback to the resumption of negotiations. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On December 27, Israeli media announced the GOI's impending publication of 692 construction tenders for new residential units in three Israeli neighborhoods of East Jerusalem over the "Green Line:" 377 units in Neve Yaakov, 198 in Pisgat Zeev, and 117 in Har Homa. The tenders will be the first to be issued for East Jerusalem settlements since the Netanyahu government assumed power in March 2009. The announcement was widely criticized by Palestinian officials. Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat argued to the Consul General and to media that the GOI move indicated a intensification of settlement activity, and called on the USG to push Israel to re-commit to the terms of the Roadmap. Nabil Abu Rudenieh, spokesman for Palestinian Authority (PA) President Abu Mazen, termed the tenders "illegal" and "a test of the seriousness of the Israeli government." ¶3. (C) Background: This is the second prominent GOI announcement to take place in 2009 regarding East Jerusalem settlement expansion. In November 2009, the Jerusalem District Planning Board approved the construction of "Mordot Gilo," a complex of 844 new units to be built in an undeveloped forested site adjacent to the current East Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo (Ref A). The Mordot Gilo planning scheme is now in a public review phase, and must be re-assessed by planning officials before construction tenders are published. Publication of tenders is considered the penultimate step in the permitting process, followed by the assessment of contractor bids and the awarding of tenders to those contractors whose bids are successful. End Background. ¶4. (C) NGO contacts told Post it was impossible to assess just how much the construction of 692 new units would expand the existing geographic footprints of Neve Yaakov, Pisgat Zeev, and Har Homa, given that the Ministry of Construction and Housing has not yet made the details of the tenders public (the tenders are expected to be formally published and made available to the public in the next few days). Several NGO officials noted, however, that it would be unrealistic to expect that 692 units could be built in these areas without expanding their physical presence. Lawyer and activist Danny Seideman dismissed the notion that 117 new apartment units could be built in Har Homa without expanding the current settlement footprint, noting the present density of construction in the neighborhood. ¶5. (C) Elad Halevy, Deputy Political Advisor to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, told Post that the GOI-issued tenders for new housing units in East Jerusalem dovetailed with Barkat's strategic vision for the city, arguing, "this supports our aim to create affordable housing in Jerusalem." According to Halevy, private developers selected by the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing during the bidding process that follows publication of the tenders will need to submit detailed building plans to the Jerusalem Municipality for approval. He noted, however, that most such plans are approved, assuming they fall within the original parameters of the tender. Halevy estimated that following the GOI selection of successful bidders, the municipal approval process -- which precedes construction -- would take several months. ¶6. (C) Israeli media quoted Israeli Minister of Construction and Housing Ariel Atias as pointing to the recent "authorization" of 500 new housing units in the Arab East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan as evidence that the GOI employed an even-handed approach to East Jerusalem housing construction. NGO contacts assessed that Atias referred to Barkat's December 14 announcement that he JERUSALEM 00002323 002 OF 002 intended to pursue the re-zoning of Silwan in order to raise the height limit of Silwan buildings from two stories to four -- a plan that Barkat suggested in a press release would retroactively legalize up to 500 illegally-built Arab homes, and allow the construction of 500 more. Note: Barkat critics allege that the plan is in fact a political maneuver intended to prevent the court-ordered evacuation of the controversial Beit Yehonatan building in East Jerusalem, named in honor of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard. End Note. ¶7. (C) NGO contacts were dismissive of Barkat's initiative, which requires additional review at the district level. Ir Amim's Haim Erlich told Post, "the Mayor likes to make announcements, but in most cases there is no plan with a plan number, budget, and allocated land." Rami Nasrallah of the International Peace and Cooperation Center asked, "even if the municipality permitted the development of 500 new housing units in Silwan (a crowded, poor urban neighborhood of about 45,000),where would they go? There's no more room left in Silwan." RUBINSTEIN