VZCZCXRO0161
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHTV #2171/01 2680649
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 240649Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8537
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 002171 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL SCUL PGOV KWBG IS
SUBJECT: U.S. ARCHIVIST VIEWS ORIENT HOUSE DOCUMENTS 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On September 2, U.S. National Archivist Dr. Allen 
Weinstein and Director of the Electronic and Special Media Records 
Services Division of the National Archives and Records 
Administration, Michael Carlson, viewed documents seized by Israel 
from the Orient House in 2001.  The two were accompanied by Israeli 
National Archivist Dr. Yehoshua Freundlich.  Israel cites the 
sensitive nature of these documents, which are under the control of 
the Ministry of Internal Security (MIS), as the reason for generally 
denying access and not returning the documents to the PLO.  The 
visit of the U.S. Archivist is part of a joint U.S. - Canadian 
initiative to organize cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian 
archivists by providing combined training and digitization 
assistance to the two groups.  The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 
for the project, which covers records from both the Orient House and 
private collections, is expected to be signed by the end of the 
year.  END SUMMARY 
 
----------------------- 
Orient House Background 
----------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Before the Second Intifada, PLO officials used the Orient 
House to hold meetings with foreign diplomats and to conduct other 
PLO business.  Originally the Al Husseini house, the Orient House 
was established as a PLO office in 1983 under the name of the Arab 
Scientific Association.  The Orient House was closed during the 
First Intifada, but reopened in 1992, following the Madrid 
Conference.  The Oslo Accords also permitted operation of the Orient 
House, but specifically excluded Palestinian Authority (PA) 
activities there, or anywhere in Jerusalem. 
 
¶3.  (U) Israel closed the Orient House again in August 2001 at the 
height of the Second Intifada, claiming that it was being used by 
the PA in contradiction to previous agreements.  In April 2002, 
Israel released seized financial records to support a second claim 
that terrorist activities were being organized from Orient House. 
The PA has called for the reopening of the Orient House.  The GOI 
has renewed the closure of the Orient House, and seven other 
Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem, every six months since 
2001, most recently on August 6. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Little Care in Storage of Orient House Records 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶4. (SBU) On September 2, Israeli Archivist Yehoshua Freundlich 
brought Weinstein and Carlson to the compound where documents taken 
from the Orient House are stored (NOTE: EmbOffs were not invited. 
End note).  Freundlich had seen the documents for the first time the 
day before.  The team spent approximately 30 minutes at the site 
sifting through boxes of documents, which are stored in cargo 
containers at a police impound facility outside of Jerusalem. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Weinstein and Carlson were only permitted a general survey 
of the conditions of the documents, and were not able to look 
closely at the holdings.  Weinstein noted that the records, which 
seemed to include some land holding documents, were stored without 
concern for preservation or organization, and without any climate 
control mechanisms.  He also noted that a thick layer of dust 
covered everything and said he doubted anyone had inspected the 
documents in years. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Difficulties Expected in Orient House Archiving 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶6. (SBU) In a follow-up meeting with the Director of the Embassy's 
American Center in Jerusalem (D/ACJ), Freundlich said that he was 
unsurprised by the condition of the Orient House materials, and 
noted that the materials appeared to only date from around 2000 and 
do not constitute historical archives.  He said that he had only 
found "office materials and computers: some documents monitoring the 
Israeli press, documents related to Palestinian land claims and 
Israeli settlements, financial information, receipts and grants, and 
lots of office stationery." 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Freundlich also said the GOI would return the Orient House 
library books if the PLO showed proof of ownership, but the 
Palestinians are not interested and "don't want them."  NOTE: The 
Palestinian owners of the books have told U.S. officials that the 
GOI offered to return the books as long as they were removed from 
Jerusalem.  The Palestinians refused, saying that the library, which 
is not associated with the PA, is a Jerusalem institution and should 
stay in Jerusalem.  End Note. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Freundlich said he is willing to go through the Orient 
House documents, but he has had trouble securing permission from 
Ministry of Internal Security.  If he received permission, 
Freundlich thought it would be possible to include international 
archivists in the process, as proposed by the MOU, but not 
Palestinians.  Freundlich told D/ACJ that only international 
pressure would get Minister of Internal Security Dichter to 
 
TEL AVIV 00002171  002 OF 002 
 
 
authorize this project. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
MOU Almost Ready; Goes Beyond Orient House 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (U) Despite the issues with the Orient House records, Freundlich 
said that he anticipates that Israel and the Palestinians will sign 
the archiving MOU with the USG and Canada in late October or early 
November.  The MOU also covers possible digitization of privately 
held records, and Weinstein viewed some of these holdings during his 
trip.  This included a pre-1948 photography collection at the Um El 
Fahm art gallery in Haifa and a newspaper archive held by the Givat 
Haviva Education Foundation. 
 
¶10.  (U) U.S. National Archivist Dr. Allen Weinstein did not have 
the opportunity to clear on this cable.