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 001438 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG IS GAZA DISENGAGEMENT ISRAELI SOCIETY
SUBJECT: BASSEY DISCUSSES THE PROBLEMS OF GAZA EVACUEES AND 
A POSSIBLE WEST BANK DISENGAGEMENT 
 
REF: JERUSALEM 01463 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  Yonatan Bassey, director of the 
Disengagement Authority (SELA), told EconCouns on April 4 
that Gaza disengagement was a success because the level of 
violence was lower than he had predicted a year ago.  He 
commented, however, that the evacuees have had a very 
difficult time adjusting to their new lives.  He explained 
that most still do not have jobs, and many are seeing staff 
psychologists to deal with the trauma of disengagement.  He 
said settlers had to live in hotels after disengagement 
because they did not approach SELA in time to have 
appropriate housing ready for when they moved out of the 
settlements in Gaza.  Bassey predicted that a disengagement 
from the West Bank would be extremely difficult compared to 
the evacuations from the Gaza Strip because "evacuating 
70,000 is not the same as 7,000, and it will not be done in 
one step."  He added that much of the problem with a future 
disengagement lies in the ideology of the settler youth, who 
have been taught by their rabbis and teachers to be 
"fanatics."  End summary. 
 
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Gaza Disengagement a Success 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) Yonatan Bassey, director of the Disengagement 
Authority (SELA), told EconCouns on April 4 that Gaza 
disengagement, from his point of view, was a success.  He 
reminded EconCouns that a year ago he had predicted severe 
violence, but said he was glad to see that it was "nothing at 
all."  He explained that from the GOI's perspective, 
disengagement was beneficial because former Prime Minister 
Ariel Sharon had been able to prove that evacuating 
settlements could be done if the government was serious about 
it.  He claimed that Ilan Cohen, director general of Sharon's 
office, has received bouquets of flowers from parents who are 
happy that their children no longer have to do reserve duty 
in Rafah.  Bassey noted, "In the last seven or eight months, 
not one Israeli has been wounded in Gaza."  He commented that 
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is as "brave" as Sharon, but does 
not quite have the same mandate, so there may be problems in 
the future  when trying to move ahead with another possible 
disengagement. 
 
---------------------------- 
Evacuees Still Have Problems 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) Bassey continued that while the GOI is pleased with 
the outcome, there are still many problems in the evacuee 
community because half do not have jobs, and cannot move on 
with their lives (reftel).  He noted that the Ministry of 
Industry, Trade, and Labor (MOITL) has been involved in 
helping the settlers find employment, but noted that the 
settlers have to come to the GOI first with a desire to work. 
 He cited as an example the new Intel plant in Kiryat Gat, 
and said that the managers of Intel spoke to the MOITL 
because they were interested in hiring and training 50 
settlers from Nitzanit to work in the plant.  He said that 
only two settlers showed in interest in the offer.  Bassey 
added that it has taken others half a year to rebuild 60-70 
greenhouses to start farming again, but he conceded that at 
least "now they're moving on." 
 
¶4.  (C) Bassey pointed out that the GOI still has 
psychologists on staff to help because the evacuees have 
experienced significant emotional trauma (reftel).  He 
mentioned that kids have had difficulties fitting into their 
schools and concentrating to study because of the stress of 
moving and the divorces that have taken place 
post-disengagement.  He said, however, that "little by little 
it gets better," and that SELA officials talk to settlers and 
their leaders every day.  He noted that the GOI has invested 
a lot of money to care for the evacuees because after the 
evacuations of Yamit in 1982, the government learned of the 
need to be close to the settlers for 2-3 years, not just a 
month or two. 
 
¶5.  (C) On housing, Bassey said that many evacuees are not in 
new homes yet because "we can't move him to a new house 
against his will."  He explained that since many settlers did 
not want to coordinate with SELA before disengagement 
started, it was impossible for the government to prepare all 
the necessary housing for them to move into in a short amount 
of time.  He reported that the GOI had rented 800 apartments 
for evacuees to move into before their houses would be ready, 
but said that only 100 families took advantage of this.  The 
rest stayed in hotels until their caravans were ready, and 
even now 50 families remain in hotels, although they should 
move out by the time Passover ends.  Bassey assessed that 
large groups of settlers had not moved to settlements in the 
West Bank because they do not want to be moved again, fearing 
another possible disengagement in the future.  He said that 
there are approximately 10-15 families who will be moving to 
Ariel next month, but added that overall, settlers have 
stayed in Green Line Israel. 
 
------------------------- 
West Bank Withdrawal Will 
Be Nothing Like Gaza 
------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) In discussing another possible disengagement, Bassey 
said that Gaza disengagement was "easy" in comparison to his 
expectations of what the West Bank will be like, especially 
taking into consideration settlements like Itamar and Eli 
where the more ideological settlers live.  "Evacuating 70,000 
is not the same as 7,000, and it will not be done in one 
step."  He explained that he was proud of having taken part 
in the most strategic step Israel has undertaken in 30 years, 
but added that he would end his tenure in 2-3 months because 
he does "not want to be in the next one."  He said he did not 
know when or how the next disengagement would be done, and 
noted that it would be difficult regardless of the timing. 
He said there is currently a debate within the GOI on what 
type of compensation to provide, and added that the amount of 
pressure from the USG could also make a difference. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Settler Movement Educating "Fanatics" 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Bassey explained that the weakness of the YESHA 
Council is now being emphasized every day because its "orange 
ribbon campaign didn't work."  As a result, Bassey predicted, 
all the settlers will gather at Itamar settlement to resist 
if there is another disengagement.  In response to EconCouns' 
question on a possible split in the settler movement, Bassey 
responded that the problem is deeper than what happened at 
the demolitions in Amona outpost on February 1.  He 
speculated that it is a question of educating the new 
generation of settlers in the West Bank, and asked 
rhetorically, "Will they continue to be fanatics, or will 
they understand to not use words like 'catastrophe,' 
'messiah,' or 'end of days'?"  He explained that he has 
spoken to settler youth in their late teens, and seen their 
eyes full of anger.  He wondered aloud who has taught them, 
and said that although he comes from the religious population 
in Israel, he knows that rabbis and teachers have to learn to 
harness the "evil" they themselves released from Pandora's 
Box by teaching young settlers to behave this way.  Bassey 
commented that it would take ten years for the youth to see 
that "we don't live alone," that they have to understand that 
there are Palestinians in the picture, and that they should 
not think that they can wait for God and everything will work 
out. 
 
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