VZCZCXRO1048
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #2275/01 3541630
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 191630Z DEC 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3561
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 4435
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002275 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND NEA/IPA; NSC FOR PASCUAL; TREASURY 
FOR AHERN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PREL PGOV KWBG ETRD IS
SUBJECT: SOME POSITIVE CHANGES TO NABLUS ACCESS AND 
MOVEMENT REMAIN FOLLOWING EID AL-ADHA 
 
REF: TEL AVIV 2744 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Since the GOI's announcement of eased 
access and movement restrictions for the Eid al-Adha holiday 
(reftel), Nablus businessmen say the most important change 
has been that permits are no longer required for private 
vehicles and pedestrians to enter Nablus via Beit Iba and 
Huwarra checkpoints.  In addition, businessmen are pleased 
that commercial vehicles exiting Nablus to the south, through 
Awarta, need no longer transfer cargoes back-to-back or have 
permits to cross the checkpoint.  Business contacts claim 
that the hours at a number of checkpoints have been extended. 
 Nablus Chamber of Commerce members credit the checkpoint 
upgrades to U.S. and international pressure on the GOI, but 
say the changes are only "minor improvements" to what they 
still call the "siege" of the city.  End Summary. 
 
Some Easing of Restrictions Still in Effect 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On December 18, EconOff visited Nablus area 
checkpoints and met with USAID contractors and local 
businessmen to verify changes in access and movement 
restrictions in and around Nablus following the Eid al-Adha 
holiday in the second week of December.  Some of the changes 
announced for Eid (including access to Nablus for Arab 
Israelis, and permission for males 50 and older to exit 
without a permit) are no longer in effect.  However, some 
procedural changes remain in place. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Nablus businessmen told EconOff that the most 
important change is that permits for personal vehicles and 
pedestrians are no longer required when entering Nablus 
through Huwarra and Beit Iba checkpoints.  However, vehicles 
that enter without a permit must take a longer way out of the 
city, through Asira as-Shamalia to the north.  They also 
noted that commercial vehicles passing through Nablus' 
southern commercial checkpoint (Awarta) are no longer 
required to perform back-to-back transfers and do not need 
permits.  EconOff and USAID contractors visited all three 
checkpoints and verified these changes on December 18. 
 
Other Checkpoint Changes 
------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (SBU) EconOff and USAID contractors also verified the 
following changes at Nablus area checkpoints: 
 
-- Huwarra (main checkpoint south of Nablus for POVs and 
pedestrians):  There is an expanded pedestrian area, a second 
pedestrian checkpoint lane, and an expanded parking space for 
taxis. 
 
-- Awarta (checkpoint south of Nablus for commercial/VIP 
vehicles):  VIPs can exit if they are using their own vehicle 
and possess the necessary permit.  On December 18, EconOff 
monitored VIPs passing through Awarta with an average wait 
time of a minute each. 
 
-- Beit Furik (checkpoint east of Nablus that connects the 
city to local villages):  Pedestrian traffic has been halted, 
but vehicle traffic moves freely in both directions between 
Nablus and the neighboring villages of Beit Furik and Beit 
Dajan.  Given the changes, there are no longer taxis parked 
on either side of the checkpoint waiting for passengers. 
Palestinian-registered vehicles, however, remain prohibited 
from traveling south toward Ramallah. 
 
-- Beit Iba (main checkpoint for commercial and private 
vehicles, and pedestrian traffic to the west of Nablus and 
the main commercial route toward Israel):  No change other 
than the fact that permits are no longer required to enter 
Nablus. 
 
An "Improvement, Not a Solution" 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Despite the recent changes, Nablus businessmen 
report the checkpoint regime around the city remains an acute 
source of contention.  One rhetorically asked how he could 
celebrate the upgrades at Huwarra when such "improvements" 
suggest GOI intentions to maintain the checkpoint 
indefinitely.  Other businessmen expressed confusion at some 
of the new changes, questioning why the GOI no longer 
requires permits for commercial vehicles at Awarta but 
 
JERUSALEM 00002275  002 OF 002 
 
 
continues to do so at Beit Iba, and why Arab Israelis were 
only allowed into Nablus during the Eid.  Our contacts 
consistently claim that the city's population and economy are 
shrinking as people and businesses move to surrounding areas 
that enjoy better access to the rest of the West Bank. 
MARCHESE