JERUSALEM MAYOR DESCRIBES PLANS FOR SILWAN BUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000736

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA. NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2024
TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS
SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MAYOR DESCRIBES PLANS FOR SILWAN BUT
OFFERS FEW DETAILS

REF: A. JERUSALEM 697

B. JERUSALEM 565

C. JERUSALEM 501

D. JERUSALEM 464

E. JERUSALEM 444

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Jerusalem Mayor Barkat told the Consul
General May 1 that the Municipality is nearly ready to submit
a new Jerusalem master town plan to the District Committee
for approval. Barkat also said he is developing a
neighborhood plan for al-Bustan, which will require the
demolition of Palestinian homes but may allow some to remain.
He said he hopes to create an environment where Palestinian
residents can benefit from tourism development in al-Bustan,
but he admitted that he has not involved Palestinians in the
planning process. Referring to court-ordered evictions and
plans for Israeli construction in Shaykh Jarrah, Barkat said
that he is powerless to stop settler organizations that go
about their plans legally. The Consul General encouraged the
Mayor to involve Palestinians in the planning process. End
Summary.

NEW MACRO TOWN PLAN NEARING COMPLETION
--------------


2. (C) Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told Consul General Walles
in a meeting May 1 (at the Mayor's request) that the
Municipality is putting final touches on a new town plan that
covers the entire Municipality of Jerusalem and accommodates
expansion of the city through 2030. (Note: The Israeli
Government annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, a move that is not
recognized by the international community. End note.)
Barkat said he would present the new town plan to the
District Planning Committee for review probably in early June
as part of the approval process. He said the new town plan
is a "macro plan" and that the Municipality will need to
create specific "micro plans" for individual neighborhoods.
He said the new plan will require the demolition of many
structures to make room for green space and public buildings
in East Jerusalem.

FIRST MICRO PLAN FOR AL-BUSTAN
--------------


3. (C) Barkat said the Municipality is also working on the
first neighborhood plan for the Bustan area of Silwan, where
he noted that roughly 100 structures have been built without
permits. He said the Municipality is developing a plan that
balances the needs of the local residents against the need
for tourism development. He said the plan will include a few
multi-story apartment buildings to replace the many
single-story homes currently there, and that he hoped the
residents would open stores and restaurants to create an
enjoyable atmosphere for visitors.


4. (C) Barkat said he is seeking a "win-win" situation with
the buy-in of local residents, but he admitted that he has
not involved Palestinians in developing this plan. He said
the plan will be submitted for public review, and changes
could be made based on "logical" objections from locals
residents and community groups. Palestinians, he said, will
need to follow legal procedures to legalize unpermitted
homes, and many homes will be demolished. Pressed by the
Consul General, the Mayor was reluctant to say how many homes
would be demolished under this plan. He said he intends to
pursue implementation of the plan aggressively, with an eye
toward the long-term benefit of the Palestinian residents.
Barkat stated that 22 of the existing structures have been
deemed legal and will be incorporated into the new plan.


5. (C) Barkat said that the Municipality wants to create
incentives for Palestinians to accept the new Bustan plan or
to leave the area. He suggested that the international
community could raise funds to help relocate families and
rebuild the area. He said, "The international community
raised (money) after the war to rebuild Gaza. Let's raise
the money before another war breaks out in Silwan."

OTHER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ONGOING
--------------


6. (C) Barkat said that the recent spate of home demolition
orders in Jerusalem is the result of standard work by city
inspectors. Regarding two current East Jerusalem issues,
Barkat said that the groups Nakhalat Shimon (in Shaykh
Jarrah) and Ateret Cohanim (at the Shepherds Hotel) have
followed all the legal requirements, and the Municipality

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cannot interfere with their plans at this point.

CONSUL GENERAL ENCOURAGES OUTREACH TO
PALESTINIAN LEADERS, LOCAL RESIDENTS
--------------


7. (C) Consul General Walles pointed out that the local
residents will be more willing to accept -- and the
international community to support -- a plan that minimizes
the number of homes that must be demolished. He encouraged
Barkat to work with Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem as he
develops neighborhood plans so that Palestinian needs will be
considered and Palestinians will be more willing to accept
the results. Walles told Barkat that the USG reaction to the
plan will be largely based on local reactions.


8. (C) Walles told Barkat that the current tense atmosphere
in Jerusalem has the potential to lead to violence, and
violence will undermine the chance of reaching a negotiated
settlement between Israel and the Palestinians. He stressed
the importance of controlling planning and construction
processes so that Municipality plans do not steamroll forward
in spite of the political and social damage they do to
Palestinians and to the prospect for peace. In response to
Barkat's warnings about the rise of Hamas, Walles explained
that the USG actively supports Palestinian leaders such as
Abu Mazen and Salam Fayyad so that extremists do not gain
appeal, and he encouraged the Municipality to do the same.
He suggested the Mayor speak to respected Palestinian leaders
in Jerusalem such as Adnan Husseini and Hatem Abdul Qader to
gain support for his "win-win" approach.

COMMENT
--------------


9. (C) During this meeting, Mayor Barkat did not offer
enough information to adequately evaluate whether the new
town plan or the Bustan neighborhood plan will address
Palestinian needs or if it is likely to gain any support
among Palestinians. However, it is unlikely that the
Municipality has designed a plan that is acceptable to
Palestinians -- particularly in light of the Mayor's
admission that no Palestinians were involved in the planning.
ConGen's Palestinian and Israeli contacts have discussed the
much anticipated town plan with PolOffs, but few of them
expect the Municipality to address Palestinian needs
sufficiently, or to take Palestinian social and historical
sensitivities into account.

WALLES