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 001336 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG IS ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS SETTLEMENTS
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON CASES INVOLVING SEPARATION BARRIER IN 
MA'ALE ADUMIM AND A-RAM 
 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Gene A. Cretz for reasons 1.4 (b 
) and (d) 
 
This cable has been cleared by Consulate General Jerusalem. 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  Col. (res.) Shaul Arieli, consultant for 
the Economic Cooperation Foundation (ECF), member of the 
Council for Peace and Security, and consultant to the High 
Court on the separation barrier, told econoff on March 29 
that he is proposing changes to the route of the barrier that 
could reduce the size of the Ma'ale Adumim bloc by 58 
percent.  His suggestions leave out the new and old Qedar 
settlements in the southern section of the bloc, and Allon, 
Almon, Kfar Adumim, and Nofei Prat settlements in the 
northern section of the bloc.  He has also presented changes 
to the High Court to cut off the "finger" of A-Ram.  This 
would open up the A-Ram and Bir Nabala enclaves, and leave 
the Atarot Industrial Area and the Jerusalem airport on the 
Palestinian side of the barrier.  Arieli is helping the 
Association for Civil Rights in Israel prepare an opinion 
against the secondary barrier planned for Rt. 317 in the 
south Hebron hills.  End summary. 
 
------------------ 
Ma'ale Adumim Bloc 
------------------ 
 
¶2.  (C) Col. (res.) Shaul Arieli, consultant for the Economic 
Cooperation Foundation (ECF) and member of the Council for 
Peace and Security, told econoff on March 29 that he 
presented his proposal to amend the separation barrier around 
Ma'ale Adumim to the High Court on Monday, March 27.  (Note: 
Arieli is a consultant to the High Court on the route of the 
separation barrier, and the Court has taken his advice in the 
past, most notably in the Bayt Surik case where the barrier 
was torn down and rerouted after hearing his proposals.  End 
note.)  The hearing focused exclusively on the southern 
portion of the barrier around Ma'ale Adumim, and Arieli said 
that he believes that the High Court can accept his 
recommendations.  His proposal shortens the barrier from 11 
kilometers to 6.5 kilometers, and leaves out almost 9 square 
kilometers of land from the southern section of the Ma'ale 
Adumim bloc.  His recommended route excludes 128 families 
from the Jahhalin Bedouin tribe, as well as the "new" and 
"old" Qedar settlements.  (Note:  The "new" Qedar settlement 
is the largest, and closest to the bloc.  End note.) 
 
¶3.  (C) Arieli commented that Col. Danny Tirza, the barrier's 
architect, defended the current route of the barrier in this 
section in court by saying that the GOI wants to take in the 
Qedar settlements.  Arieli said that he argued that new Qedar 
is currently connected to Ma'ale Adumim by a settler-only 
road, so he suggested that this road be protected with 
fencing for settlers from new Qedar to enter the bloc if need 
be.  He resisted including Qedar in the bloc, however, 
because the settlement actually belongs to the Gush Etzion 
municipality, not the Ma'ale Adumim municipality.  He 
mentioned to econoff during the meeting that he knows that 
the GOI is trying to change the municipal status of Qedar to 
try to annex the land. 
 
¶4.  (C) Arieli did not go into detail on his proposal for the 
northern section of the Ma'ale Adumim bloc, but said that he 
would be discussing it in court soon.  He showed econoff maps 
of this proposal, and noted that he is leaving the 
settlements of Allon, Almon, Kfar Adumim, and Nofei Prat out 
of the Ma'ale Adumim bloc.  He explained that if the High 
Court accepts his suggestions for the northern and southern 
sections of the route of the barrier, the entire Ma'ale 
Adumim bloc will be 58 percent smaller than that proposed by 
the Ministry of Defense.  (Note:  Econoff obtained copies of 
the maps and will electronically forward them to NEA/IPA and 
INR.  End note.) 
 
----- 
A-Ram 
----- 
 
¶5.  (C) In discussing the route of the barrier around a-Ram, 
north of Jerusalem, Arieli said that Chief Justice Aharon 
Barak in early March asked him and Tirza if it would be 
possible to cut off the "finger" that surrounds the Atarot 
Industrial Area and the airport, and separates A-Ram and Bir 
Nabala.  Tirza reportedly rejected this idea because the GOI 
wants to keep the airport and the industrial zone, but Barak 
asked them to study the possibility anyway.  Arieli 
acknowledged that it would be difficult to cut off the finger 
because it is in the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, and 
therefore "in Israel," but he presented his proposal to the 
High Court late last month regardless, and showed econoff a 
map with his suggestions.  (Note:  Econoff will 
electronically forward this map as well.  End note.)  Arieli 
also provided a written translation of his explanation to the 
court in which he makes the following points: 
 
-- a "road defense" segment would need to be added between 
the Atarot roadblock and the Qalandiya crossing, most if 
which already exists; 
-- a checkpoint would need to be added between Beit Hanina 
and A-Ram for school children, teachers, service providers, 
and others who are residents of the Beit Hanina and Shuafat 
neighborhoods located within the Jerusalem boundary; 
 
-- a change in the route of the barrier would facilitate the 
removal of the wall between the Qalandiya crossing and Beit 
Hanina; 
 
-- the Bir Nabala enclave would be open to the north and the 
east; 
 
-- A-Ram would be connected to its environs, and no longer be 
in an enclave; 
 
-- the Atarot roadblock could be removed because access would 
be controlled through the Qalandiya and Beit Horon crossings 
in the east and west, respectively; and 
 
-- the wall around the airport could be removed, restoring 
links between Palestinian villages in the area. 
 
---------------------------- 
Secondary Barrier on Rt. 317 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Arieli informed econoff that he would be attending a 
hearing on Monday, April 3, to discuss the secondary barrier 
being built along Rt. 317 from Shima to Karmel settlements in 
the Hebron hills.  He explained that the GOI is arguing that 
this barrier serves a security purpose by preventing 
potential terrorists from infiltrating Green Line Israel to 
commit terror attacks, and then escaping into Yattah village, 
south of Hebron.  Arieli argued that the security argument is 
invalid in this area because the land is too hilly and no one 
can easily escape, and jersey barriers could prevent cars 
from using roads while still allowing pedestrian traffic and 
sheep herders to get through.  Moreover, he said that 70 
percent of the security problems in this part of the West 
Bank relate to settler attacks on Palestinians, not 
Palestinian attacks on settlers.  (Comment:  Embassy cannot 
vouch for the figure of 70 percent, but Consulate reporting 
over the past years has amply shown that in Hebron, settlers 
are the perpetrators of most violent incidents.  End 
comment.)  Arieli reported that he is helping the Association 
for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) prepare an opinion on the 
barrier, and they will try to show that the GOI is trying to 
cut the livelihood of Palestinians who live south of Rt. 317. 
 He explained that this barrier would prevent sheep herders 
who live in the Palestinian villages of al-Tuwani and Khirbat 
al-Tuwamin from grazing near Yattah, so they will eventually 
abandon their lands and the State can take over them. 
 
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