"OUTPOST" MAOZ ESTHER DISMANTLED, TEN "DELIMITING"

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000857

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PHUM ASEC IS KWBG KPAL
SUBJECT: "OUTPOST" MAOZ ESTHER DISMANTLED, TEN "DELIMITING"
ORDERS ISSUED

Classified By: Acting Principal Officer Greg Marchese, per reasons 1.4
(b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. On May 21, Israeli border police
dismantled, for the third time, six caravans at a site north
of Ramallah called Maoz Esther by settlers. Settlers
immediately began rebuilding the caravans. Settler
leadership claimed to be unconcerned by the GOI's decision to
dismantle Maoz Esther, but expressed concern about possible
upcoming evacuations of West Bank outposts. The Israeli
Civil Administration reportedly issued "delimiting" orders
against ten outposts on May 25, requiring settlers to leave
them voluntarily within seven days. Six of the ten outposts
appear on the USG's list of post-March 2001 outposts. End
summary.

Outpost Dismantled, Rebuilding Immediately Started
-------------- --------------


2. (C) Binyamin Regional Council Chairman Avi Roeh told
Poloff that, on May 21, Israeli border police dismantled, for
the third time, six caravans housing eight families and a
synagogue at the Maoz Esther "outpost," adjacent to the
Kochav HaShachar settlement, north of Ramallah. (Note:
Representatives of Israeli NGO Peace Now told Poloff that the
families did not primarily reside in the six caravans, which
were roughly constructed on site. End note.) Roeh said the
settlers began rebuilding the caravans immediately following
the evacuation. He had asked the Israeli Ministry of Defense
(MOD) to provide him advance notice before dismantling any
outposts in his region, and protested the lack of notice on
Maoz Esther. He said Ramallah area settlers are "getting
nervous" that Defense Minister Barak will dismantle
additional settlements in coming weeks, and commented, "this
is very bad for me politically."

New "Delimiting" Orders Against Ten Outposts
--------------


3. (C) Head of Peace Now's Settlement Watch Hagit Ofran
told Poloff on May 27 that the repeated dismantlement and
rebuilding of Maoz Esther is "insignificant" and "a game that
the settlers and the Civil Administration play." Ofran said
that, on May 25, the Civil Administration issued "delimiting"
orders against ten outposts: Givat Hadegel/Ramat Gilad,
Havat Maon, Givat Haroeh, Mitzpe Lachish, Havat Shaked,
Yitzhar South, Mitzpe Yitzhar, and Hazon David, Mitzpe Assaf,
and Maale Rehavim. According to Ofran, "delimiting" orders
prohibit entrance into an area after a seven-day grace
period, and are the first step towards evacuation of an
outpost. Ofran said six of the ten outposts were issued
"delimiting" orders in 2006, and Peace Now unsuccessfully
petitioned the Israeli High Court of Justice to require
implementation of the orders. Ofran said she is hopeful that
USG pressure on the GOI will result in implementation of
these new orders. She expressed certainty that the settlers
would not voluntarily leave these outposts within seven days.


4. (C) Note: The USG list of post-March 2001 outposts
counts Havat Shaked and Yitzhar South as the same outpost.
The Civil Administration's orders include six outposts on the
USG list: Givat Hadegel/Ramat Gilad, Havat Shaked/Yitzhar
South, Mitzpe Yitzhar, Mitzpe/Givat Assaf, Maale Rehavim, and
Mitzpe Lachish. End note.

Yesha Council Chairman: "We're Really Not Concerned - Yet"
-------------- --------------


5. (C) Yesha Council Chairman Dani Dayan told Poloff on May
27 that, "as long as the MOD only dismantles outposts like
Maoz Esther, we're really not concerned - yet." Dayan called
it "inconceivable" that the MOD would fail to notify the
settler council prior to taking action, and expressed concern
about the ten "delimiting" orders, which could indicate more
significant outpost evacuations in the coming weeks. Dayan
said he and other settler leaders met with Barak on May 20
"to convince him to ease the construction freeze" on West
Bank settlements, but Barak did not at that time identify
outposts scheduled for evacuation. Dayan expressed surprise
that the GOI is "using inflammatory rhetoric, which will
prevent a negotiated solution" between the GOI and settler
leadership.

MARCHESE