VZCZCXRO7726
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #0576 0871314
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 281314Z MAR 07
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7082
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000576 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR 
WILLIAMS/SHAMPAINE/BELGRADE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2017 
TAGS: PREL KWBG PBTS KHUM KPAL IS
SUBJECT: SETTLERS SEEK TO RETURN TO HOMESH 
 
Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) According to local press, all of the roughly 300 
settler activists who remained at the former settlement of 
Homesh following a March 26 march to the site had been 
evacuated by the IDF by mid-morning March 28. Dozens of 
settler activists burned tires and damaged IDF vehicles March 
27 in an effort to resist evacuation from Homesh, which was 
evacuated during the August 2005 disengagement from Gaza and 
parts of the northern West Bank. Thousands of settlers 
supporting its re-establishment marched to Homesh March 26, 
and some 250-300 remained for two nights. Yisrael Medad, a 
resident of the settlement in Shilo, told poloff March 28 
that efforts to continue occupying the site are continuing, 
with renewed calls for activists to continue coming to 
Homesh. Dror Etkes, settlement watch officer for the Israeli 
NGO Peace Now, told poloff March 27 that he doubts the 
settlers will be allowed to remain at Homesh, but that they 
succeeded in demonstrating "the unbelievable weakness of the 
Israeli government when it comes to settlements." 
 
¶2. (C) Etkes opined that the primary purpose of the march was 
not to re-occupy the settlement, but rather to gain control 
of the debate on settlements.  He said there is a 
generational rift between the older settlers who control the 
Yesha Council and the younger activists who grew up in 
settlement communities. He commented that the students 
occupying Homesh represent the next generation of settlement 
activists, who want to "kidnap headlines" and change the 
discussion from further disengagement to future settlement 
activity. 
 
WALLES