This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001315 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG IS SETTLEMENTS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: GOI MAY PLAN TO RETROACTIVELY APPROVE SOME OUTPOSTS 
 
REF: A. TEL AVIV 1163 
     ¶B. TEL AVIV 1065 
     ¶C. TEL AVIV 0940 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (U) This message contains an action request.  See 
paragraph 7. 
 
¶2.  (C) Summary:  A March 21 article in the Jerusalem Post 
claimed that senior GOI officials are considering a proposal 
to retroactively authorize ten illegal West Bank outposts 
that would remain under Israeli control under a future 
unilateral disengagement plan.  The outpost authorizations 
are supposedly part of Kadima's plan for unilateral 
disengagement, announced by Avi Dichter weeks ago.  Despite 
denials from MOD officials, who characterized the piece as 
disinformation, Post believes that the article may be a trial 
balloon, which the U.S. should seek to deflate.  End summary. 
 
--------------------- 
Rumors of Retroactive 
Outpost Approvals 
--------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) The Jerusalem Post on March 21 reported that senior 
GOI officials are discussing a plan to retroactively 
authorize ten illegal outposts in the West Bank.  According 
to the article, the outposts must fall inside settlement 
blocs that Israel intends to "keep" if the GOI undertakes 
another unilateral disengagement in the near future.  The 
article names two outposts as Aloney Shilo and Nof Kana, near 
Qarney Shomrom settlement in the Ariel bloc, as well as 
unnamed outposts near Ofra and Bet El in the central West 
Bank.  (Note:  Aloney Shilo and Nof Kana are different names 
for a single outpost, not two separate outposts, according to 
both the USG and IDF.  This may be a misprint in the article. 
 End note.)  The article did not name any other outposts for 
consideration, so it is unclear whether the GOI would 
retroactively authorize pre- or post-March 2001 outposts. 
 
¶4.  (U) In exchange for approval of these outposts, Israel 
expects the settlers to voluntarily evacuate from other 
outposts throughout the West Bank, according to the article. 
GOI officials claim that negotiations on such a deal between 
the government and settler leaders are ongoing, but Emily 
Amrusi, spokeswoman for the YESHA Council, denied the 
allegations. 
 
------------------- 
GOI Denies the Plan 
------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Brigadier General (ret.) Baruch Spiegel, Ministry of 
Defense (MOD) advisor, told Economic Counselor on March 23 
that the information presented in the article was not true, 
and characterized it as "disinformation."  Lt. Col. Oded 
Herman, who works for Spiegel, said that the GOI recognizes 
that it has commitments to the USG to remove all 24 
post-March 2001 outposts, that his office has orders to plan 
for the removal of these outposts, and that the IDF will 
start to implement the plan after the elections.  (Note:  The 
USG counts 44 post-March 2001 outposts.  End note.) 
 
----------------- 
But If It's True? 
----------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Notwithstanding Spiegel's and Herman's denials of the 
report, Post believes that this announcement may be a trial 
balloon, which the USG should seek to deflate.  The outpost 
of Aloney Shilo/Nof Kana, near Qarney Shomrom settlement, is 
in the Ariel bloc, and on land Israel might well seek to 
retain in permanent status negotiations, but chances for its 
success in this regard are questionable.  The other outposts 
cited in the article as being near Ofra and Bet El 
settlements are even more problematic.  Ofra and Bet El are 
nowhere near the separation barrier; they are slightly 
northeast of Ramallah in the middle of the central West Bank. 
 The GOI is likely considering these outposts, despite their 
distance from the barrier, because they have been included in 
descriptions of Kadima's plans for a second unilateral 
disengagement as announced by former Shin Bet Director Avi 
Dichter several weeks ago.  Dichter, rumored as a possible 
defense minister in the new government, said that the GOI 
would keep Ma'ale Adumim, Ariel, Gush Etzion, Qedumim, 
Ofra-Bet El, and Hebron-Qiryat Arba. 
 
-------------------------- 
Comment and Action Request 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Ultimately this speaks to the greater issue of 
Kadima's plan for unilateral disengagement and declaration of 
the separation barrier as a final border.  The GOI has never 
negotiated the route of the separation barrier with the 
Palestinian Authority (PA) and, with Hamas now in charge of 
the PA, Kadima seriously doubts it will ever be able to. 
Hence, it hopes to gain international supporters, starting 
with the U.S., for a unilateral approach recognizing "facts 
on the ground."  Some in Kadima may see approving outposts 
retroactively in advance of a campaign for international 
support as a convenient way of quietly adding to such ground 
facts.  Laying down a marker now that the U.S. continues to 
expect Israel to abide fully by its commitments to us on 
outposts may be a way of dissuading them from embarking on a 
strategy which will only complicate matters for us now and 
make it harder for them to gain international support when 
the time comes.  We request approval to use the following 
talking points with appropriate GOI officials: 
 
-- We have noted a recent article in the Jerusalem Post 
alleging plans to retroactively authorize ten illegal West 
Bank outposts that the GOI would treat as part of Israel 
under a future unilateral disengagement plan. 
 
-- As you know, Israel and the United States have an 
understanding regarding outposts.  The U.S. continues to 
abide by this understanding and calls on Israel to do so as 
well. 
 
-- Efforts to change retroactively the status of outposts 
would complicate our mutual efforts to gain international 
support for isolating Hamas and should be avoided. 
 
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JONES