ROAD CONSTRUCTION AROUND NABLUS-AREA OUTPOST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000627

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR; JOINT
STAFF FOR LTG SELVA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PBTS PHUM KWBG KPAL IS
SUBJECT: ROAD CONSTRUCTION AROUND NABLUS-AREA OUTPOST

REF: GMP20090330738007


1. (SBU) Summary. Palestinians in the Nablus area have
raised concerns about construction activity on three roads in
the vicinity of Hayoval outpost, between the Palestinian
village of Qaryut and Eli settlement. The Israeli High Court
of Justice (HCJ) issued an injunction on April 5 against
further construction of one road connecting Hayoval outpost
to Eli settlement, but Israeli settlement-watchers doubt the
settlers will comply with the order. End summary.


2. (SBU) Palestinian leaders and villagers in the Nablus
area have raised concerns about recent road construction
activity in the vicinity of Hayoval outpost, between the
Palestinian village of Qaryut and Eli settlement. POLOFF met
with 'Abd al-Nasser Qaryuti, the mayor of Qaryut (pop.
2,600),south-east of Nablus, and residents, on April 6.
Qaryuti said three roads have been constructed in recent
months or are currently under construction, near Hayoval, an
outpost of Eli settlement. POLOFF was able to view and
photograph two of the three roads.


3. (SBU) One "road" is a single-lane dirt path up a steep
hillside that appears to connect Shilo settlement with
Hayoval, crossing "Wadi Ali" valley between Qaryut and route

60. The mayor said construction on this road began in
February and was completed on March 18. Settler contacts in
Shilo told POLOFF on April 3 that an "optical cable" has also
been laid to connect Shilo to Hayoval. (Note: The dirt path
appears suitable only for 4WD vehicles. No vehicles were
observed during a 15-minute visit to an area near the path.
End note.)


4. (SBU) A second, wider dirt road was observed connecting
Hayoval to Eli Cemetery and route 60. The mayor and local
residents of Qaryut noted that this road provides direct
access to the main north-south West Bank arterial, while
Palestinians are required to detour 22km around an earth
mound blocking vehicle access via Wadi Ali.


5. (SBU) POLOFF was unable to view a third project, which
will reportedly involve paving a dirt road connecting the
northern edge of Hayoval to Eli settlement, to the west.
Qaryuti said it is difficult for Palestinians and NGO workers
to monitor progress on the road, which runs along a ridgeline
west of the village. Qaryuti said he and the head of Yesh
Din, an Israeli NGO, were shot at by private settler security
guards on March 17 while attempting to gather information
about the progress of road paving. POLOFF was confronted in
the same area on April 6 by three armed civilian guards from
Hayoval while walking towards the road and away from the
outpost. Shouting in Arabic from approximately 100m away,
one of the security guards ordered POLOFF and a group of
Palestinian villagers to turn around and return to the
village.


6. (SBU) Dror Etkes, head of Yesh Din, separately confirmed
to POLOFF on April 6 that he had been fired upon during a
previous visit to Qaryut by settler guards while attempting
to view the road paving operations. He said the HCJ had
issued an interim injunction on April 5 against further
paving activity on the road between Hayoval and Eli, but
speculated the settlers are unlikely to comply with the
order. Attorney Michael Sfard told POLOFF on April 7 that
Israeli authorities agree with Yesh Din's claim that the road
between Hayoval and Eli is built on privately owned
Palestinian land, but have resisted efforts to require the
Civil Administration to enforce a stop work order.


7. (U) Press reports (reftel) quote area settler leadership
saying Hayoval is a "neighborhood" of Eli, not an outpost.
Peace Now's public database of outposts, as well as the GOI
"Sasson" report, list Hayoval as an outpost illegal under
Israeli law, situated 1.25 km east of Eli settlement, with
pending demolition orders for most structures. Peace Now
notes that the outpost, founded in 1998, previously received
250,000 NIS (60,400 USD) in funding from the Israeli Ministry
of Housing and Construction for unspecified infrastructure.

Comment
--------------


8. (SBU) The road construction underway at Hayoval is seen
as deeply provocative by local Palestinians who say it
further legitimizes and reinforces an outpost that all
parties (except the settlers) agree is illegal by any

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standard.

WALLES