DEMOLITIONS IN EAST JERUSALEM AND THE WEST BANK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000249 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, IPA, AND LTG SELVA. NSC FOR SHAPIRO/PASCUAL. E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2024 TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS SUBJECT: DEMOLITIONS IN EAST JERUSALEM AND THE WEST BANK INCREASE IN FEBRUARY REF: A. JERUSALEM 208 ¶B. 08 JERUSALEM 2265 ¶C. 08 JERUSALEM 2133 ¶D. 08 JERUSALEM 2036 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Israeli authorities conducted at least 20 demolitions of Palestinian property in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during February 1-4, the highest frequency of demolitions in the past thirteen months. Most of the demolitions were reportedly due to a lack of permits. A Jerusalem Municipality representative said that the new mayor is aggressively pursuing enforcement of building permit violations in Jerusalem in an attempt to clean the city up and prepare for new neighborhood plans. West Bank demolitions include Bedouin structures, retaining walls, and parking lots. End Summary. DEMOLITIONS IN EAST JERUSALEM -------------- ¶2. (C) According to UN OCHA, the Jerusalem Municipality demolished four inhabited homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya February 4, all for lack of building permits, displacing at least 27 Palestinians. One of the home owners told PolOff that he was working to legalize his home at the time of the demolition. ¶3. (C) The Jerusalem Municipality demolished one inhabited house and another under construction in East Jerusalem's Shuafat neighborhood February 2. The same day, it demolished a 180-meter-long fence in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood. ¶4. (C) On February 1, the Jerusalem Municipality began clearing privately owned land in the Wadi Hilwa area of Silwan in East Jerusalem to build a parking lot. The site manager told PolOff February 2 that the parking lot is intended for use by neighborhood residents. However, one of the land owners, Musa Abasi, told PolOff that the community does not need additional parking and that the lot is intended to serve patrons of the City of David archeological park. Abasi's lawyer, Sami Ersheid, told PolOff that the land was designated as a parking lot in 1984, but that the Abasi family did not begin fighting the project until work began in ¶2005. An Israeli court ruled in January 2009 that construction of the parking lot could proceed, and Ersheid said that he does not expect a higher court to overturn this decision. NEW JERUSALEM MAYOR ENFORCING STRICTER CONSTRUCTION COMPLIANCE -------------- ¶5. (C) Jerusalem Municipality representative Elad Halevy told PolOff February 4 that the new mayor, Nir Barkat, intends to enforce building regulations strictly throughout Jerusalem in an effort to bring existing structures in line with neighborhood plans that the Municipality is developing. Halevy said the Municipality has already conducted at least five demolitions of Israeli-owned properties in West Jerusalem in 2009, in addition to a total of eleven East Jerusalem demolitions. He said Barkat wants to prioritize demolitions of structures that are in contradiction to the "public good." DEMOLITIONS IN THE WEST BANK -------------- ¶6. (C) The West Bank Civil Administration demolished six Bedouin structures, four of them residences, near the entrance to E-1 on February 3. UN OCHA reported that the demolition displaced 23 people, including 16 children. Muhammad Khalil Abu Hadid, a senior member of the Jahalin Bedouin tribe, told PolOff that 80 IDF soldiers provided security for the demolition. The Civil Administration also demolished two retaining walls in the Si'ir village, north of Hebron, February 3. ¶7. (C) The Civil Administration demolished two parking lots that belonged to Near Eastern Tourism (NET),a gas station, and a warehouse in al-Zayyim, near East Jerusalem on February ¶3. NET owner Sami Abu Dayyah (also the owner of the Ambassador Hotel) told PolOff February 4 that the parking lots were used for NET tour buses. He said that neither had enclosed or permanent structures, but each had a one-meter-high wall surrounding it. He said he was not aware that he needed a permit to lay asphalt on his property, but JERUSALEM 00000249 002 OF 002 intends to obtain permits to repave the area. Abu Dayya added that the GoI guidance on building requirements is unclear, and Palestinian land owners may violate building regulations unwittingly. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) Consistent with reporting in ref D, these West Bank demolitions represent a continuation of GoI demolition activity in the West Bank, despite a GoI commitment to former Secretary Rice in March 2008 not to execute demolitions in area C. Ending demolitions of Palestinian homes and property is also inlcluded in the GoI Roadmap obligations. WALLES