VZCZCXRO4533
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1569 2081554
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 271554Z JUL 07
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8516
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001569 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KWBG IS PBTS
SUBJECT: IDF BLOCKS HOMESH ENTRANCES, BUT ALLOWS SETTLERS 
TO CONTINUE GATHERING AT FORMER SETTLEMENT 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Israeli settlers continue to gather at the site of 
the former Northern West Bank settlement of Homesh, 
dismantled as part of the Disengagement plan in August 2005. 
Several thousand settlers have visited the site or stayed 
overnight since the July 24-25 Tisha B'Av holiday, 
commemorating destruction of the First and Second Temples. 
Despite standing military orders that forbid Israelis from 
visiting the former settlement, the IDF is allowing settlers 
to remain in the area if they are not creating a disturbance. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) PolOffs visited the site, northwest of Nablus, on 
July 27, encountering two settler families picnicking on the 
ruins and a large IDF presence.  The IDF patrol prevented 
ConGen vehicles from fully exploring the area, saying it is a 
closed military zone.  There are no evident caravan trailers 
or construction materials at the site.  The only remaining 
structure is the settlement's water tower, which settlers 
have painted bright orange. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) PolOffs also visited former Sa Nur settlement, also 
dismantled in August 2005.  Sa Nur is abandoned, with all 
structures except the central "artists' colony" courtyard 
demolished.  The central courtyard has been stripped of all 
fixtures and is uninhabited.  There are no reports of current 
settler activity at Sa Nur or Kadim and Ganim, the other West 
Bank settlements removed as part of the 2005 Disengagement. 
WALLES