IDF DEMOLISHES HOMES IN WEST BANK VILLAGE OUTSIDE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000060 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, SEMEP, AND NEA/IPA; PRM FOR FRONT OFFICE AND PRM/ANE; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR; JOINT CHIEFS FOR LTGEN SELVA E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2020 TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG IS SUBJECT: IDF DEMOLISHES HOMES IN WEST BANK VILLAGE OUTSIDE NABLUS Classified By: Consul General Daniel Rubinstein for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers entered the village of Khirbat Tana in the northern West Bank early on January 10 and demolished some of the residents' homes and animal shelters. Post contacts confirmed that 21 houses and 12 non-residential structures were demolished, displacing 101 people, including 34 children. The stated reason for the demolition was the village's designation as a military training zone in 2005, although the area was never used for military training, according to Post contacts. This is the first demolition of homes in Area C (that part of the West Bank where the Israeli government is responsible for both civil administration and security) since July 2009. Prime Minister Fayyad condemned the demolition on January 12, and said the Palestinian Authority (PA) would help the residents rebuild their homes. End Summary. Khirbat Tana Homes Demolished For Second Time in Five Years -------------- ¶2. (C) Atef Hanani, mayor of the town of Beit Furik in the northern West Bank, told PolOff that early in the morning on January 10, 25 IDF soldiers accompanied by four bulldozers arrived in Khirbat Tana and began to demolish homes and animal shelters belonging to 21 families. According to OCHA Displacement Officer Elin Asgeirsdottir, the demolition displaced 101 people, including 34 children, out of a total of 250 village residents. ICRC has provided the displaced with tents and emergency kits. Asgeirsdottir said that the Khirbat Tana residents intend to stay and rebuild, having no where else to go. Shlomy Zecharia, an attorney for Israeli NGOs Peace Now and Bimkom, told PolOff that IDF inspectors responsible for evacuating illegal outposts are also responsible for Area C demolitions, and that Israeli officials claim there are insufficient resources for the former. In a meeting with CODEL Hastings on January 12, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad criticized the demolition and said the PA would help the residents to rebuild their homes. ¶3. (SBU) Khirbat Tana village lies on 15,000 dunums (roughly 3,750 acres),is situated in a fertile valley with two water springs, and is part of the municipality of Beit Furik. Most of the municipality, including Khirbat Tana, was placed in Area C with the remainder lying in Area B, in which the PA is responsible for civil administration and the GOI for security. According to Hanani, the IDF declared Khirbat Tana village part of a military training zone in 2005. Hanani and OCHA contacts commented, however, that the area has never been used for military training. The IDF subsequently demolished the entire village in 2005, including its elementary school, sparing only the mosque. The residents, who are farmers and herders, rebuilt on the land, according to Hanani. ¶4. (SBU) With the help of Israeli human rights NGO Rabbis for Human Rights, Khirbat Tana appealed the 2005 military order. On January 26, 2009, the Israeli High Court ruled that the military order was appropriate and ordered the families to leave the area, but they remained. Since then, the IDF has issued demolition orders on 64 structures affecting all 250 residents at risk of displacement, according to OCHA. The mayor noted that in December 2009, the IDF also confiscated four tractors on the grounds that they were prohibited in a closed military zone. The residents were told to pay over NIS 3,000 (roughly $900) each to reclaim the tractors, he added. Proximity To Settlements -------------- ¶5. (C) OCHA's Asgeirsdottir told PolOff that recent Area C demolition orders have been geographically concentrated near Israeli settlements. All of the "communities of concern" that OCHA is monitoring are close to settlements, she said, such as Umm al Kher al Faqir (near Karmel settlement),the Jahalin community (around Maale Adumim settlement),and Fayysil village (near Tomer and Peza'el settlements in the Jordan Valley). Asgeirsdottir commented that between October and December of 2009, Fayysil village received 12 demolition orders. ¶6. (C) Asgeirsdottir noted that this demolition represents the first demolition of Palestinian homes in Area C since July 2009. According to OCHA data, in 2009 the IDF JERUSALEM 00000060 002 OF 002 demolished 189 Palestinian structures in Area C, including 56 residential structures, resulting in the displacement of 319 people. Over 80 percent of Area C demolitions in 2009 occurred in areas declared by the IDF as closed military training zones, which represent roughly 18 percent of the West Bank. Asgeirsdottir predicted that over the next few months, there may be an up-tick in Area C demolitions near settlements, as a means of appeasing settlers angry with the GOI moratorium on residential construction in West Bank settlements. ¶7. (C) Mayor Hanani opined that the stated reason for the demolition -- that the area is a closed military training zone -- is "unjust," because the area has not been used for military training and nearby settlements continue to expand. The Mayor said that the expansion of outposts from Itamar and Elon Moreh settlements have virtually surrounded the municipality to the south, west, and north. Some of the illegal outposts actually lie on private Palestinian land, he said. To the east is Mekhora, which is the nearest settlement to Khirbat Tana (two kilometers away),established in 1986. Both Mekhora and Elon Moreh were originally founded on military land that was turned over to settlers, Hanani added. According to the mayor, Khirbat Tana does not experience problems with the settlers, only harassment from the IDF. RUBINSTEIN