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 JERUSALEM 00000736 002 OF 002 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