US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV4035

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 004035 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2015 
TAGS: PREL, ECON, EAGR, KWBG, IS, GAZA DISENGAGEMENT 
SUBJECT: BASSEY UPDATE ON DISENGAGEMENT PREPARATIONS 
 
REF: - 
 
Classified By: Economic Counselor William Weinstein for reasons 1.4 (b) 
 and (d) 
 
This cable was cleared by ConGen Jerusalem 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  Yonatan Bassey, Director of the 
Disengagement Authority (SELA), told Economic Counselor on 
June 14 that although only 300 families have applied for 
financial compensation, he expects a flood within the next 
two weeks.  He said that 450 mobile homes will be ready in 
Nitzanim two weeks before disengagement, and that permanent 
houses will be built in a year.  Bassey said that the issue 
of where to move the graves has not yet been resolved. He 
also said that SELA has already given 55 agricultural settler 
families alternate land near Ashkelon in compensation and 
that 70 SELA psychologists are working in the settlements to 
ease the transition.  Bassey cautioned that the settlers are 
prepared to take all of the greenhouses out of Gaza within 
the next few weeks. He acknowledged that Sa Nur will be the 
most problematic of the four West Bank settlements slated for 
evacuation because there have been "a lot of arrivals."  He 
maintains, however, that the IDF is well-prepared to carry 
out the evacuation.  End summary. 
 
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Agricultural Assets and Negotiations 
------------------------------------ 
 
2.  (C) Yonatan Bassey, Director of the Disengagement 
Authority (SELA), told Economic Counselor on June 14 that the 
settlers are prepared to take all of the greenhouses out of 
Gaza, and that it would be a pity because it would take the 
Palestinians a decade to rebuild and reinvest in the 
infrastructure there.  He said that for him it is easier to 
destroy the agricultural assets, but it would be better for 
the Palestinians if they bought them.  Bassey noted, however, 
that up until now he has not seen a "courageous Palestinian 
leader to say we,re here to take responsibility for 
everything." 
 
3.  (C) Bassey told EconCouns that he has given some settler 
farmers alternate land in Green Line Israel, about 40 dunams 
per family.  Some of the farmers may take their greenhouses 
and rebuild them on this land.  According to Bassey, however, 
even if these settlers do not stay in agriculture, they may 
choose to destroy their assets before evacuation day.  Bassey 
commented that the land is near Kibbutz Ziqim south of 
Ashkelon, and that 1,600 dunams that are going to 55 families 
are already being farmed.  The rest is not arable yet, but 
300 dunams are being prepared, he said.  Bassey noted that 
many settlers are hesitating to sign up for the land because 
they are over 50 years old and "too old to re-start in 
farming" but they have a week to decide.  He explained, 
however, that SELA would give them the land even after 
disengagement. 
 
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Compensation Applications 
------------------------- 
 
4.  (C) Bassey said that about 300 families have applied for 
compensation, and that he expects "a flood" within the next 
two weeks.  He reported that in the last two months, the 
settlers have understood that he is trying to help them so 
the settler leaders are not pulling compensation applications 
out of mailboxes as reported in recent press articles. 
 
5.  (C) Bassey could not say how many settlers he has 
negotiated with on behalf of the GOI because many settler 
leaders go to him alone and he does not always know how many 
people they represent.  He says sometimes settler leaders 
have gone to him on their own without the settlers knowing 
that their leaders are talking to SELA.  Bassey commented 
that many are still in denial, however, and are hoping that 
this will be like GOI statements of evacuating the 
settlements in the Golan Heights that never come true.  He 
concluded that the August 15 deadline will put a lot of 
pressure on the settlers to seek moving solutions. 
 
---------------------- 
Getting Nitzanim Ready 
---------------------- 
 
6.  (C) Bassey reported that the contract to buy the land in 
Nitzanim for the settlers, new homes was signed on June 9. 
He also said that the GOI is preparing the camp where 450 
mobile homes will be set up.  According to Bassey, developers 
are working very hard to clear the area and the mobile homes 
should be ready two weeks before evacuation day in August. 
(Note:  Econoff drove by on June 1 and several bulldozers 
were working as late as 9:00 P.M.  End note.)  He contended 
that the caravans are not "luxury caravans" as the press has 
reported.  He also said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Chief 
of Staff Ilan Cohen had no choice but to promise the caravans 
because the settlers are not "preparing themselves for the 
day after."  Bassey acknowledged that, although most settlers 
missed the deadline to sign up for a mobile home, SELA will 
give them a few more weeks. 
 
7.  (C) Bassey noted that the current plan is to build 450 
houses within a year, but the GOI can build as many as 700 
houses in the area depending on how many settlers sign up. 
He said the GOI would "build as many houses" as it needs to. 
 
8.  (C) Bassey noted that the GOI is not concerned about the 
court petition from the current residents of Nitzanim against 
expanding their community for the settlers.  He said 
Nitzanim,s residents have been there for nine or ten years, 
and that they go to the High Court "every year for 
something," but they "always get kicked out."  Bassey did not 
foresee that the petition would cause problems in the GOI,s 
relocation plan for the settlers. 
 
------------------------------ 
Negotiations on Graves Pending 
------------------------------ 
 
9.  (C) With respect to evacuating settler graves from Gaza, 
Bassey said that it will be a "big emotional trauma," and he 
currently has two psychologists secretly working with a 
settler rabbi on the issue.  He explained that many settlers 
want their loved ones, graves to be moved to the Holon 
Cemetery to be close to them, but according to Bassey, Holon 
is full, so negotiations continue.  Bassey noted that the IDF 
Chief Rabbi will perform the transfer ceremony, but suspected 
this may create a controversy because the Rabbi,s cousin 
belongs to one of the most difficult settler families in Gaza. 
 
------------------------- 
Under Cover Psychologists 
------------------------- 
 
10.  (C) Bassey also said that SELA has employed a staff of 
70 psychologists to help the settlers with other aspects of 
disengagement.  The psychologists are employed by the 
regional councils, but are secretly financed by SELA.  Many 
settlers go to the psychologists, Bassey said, who would not 
go if they knew they were being paid by SELA.  According to 
Bassey, they are in schools and working as family counselors. 
 He explained that Avner Shimoni, Regional Council Head of 
Neve Dekalim, is against disengagement, but he agrees with 
engaging the psychologists because he "does not want to 
destroy families." 
 
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SELA,s Budget 
------------- 
 
11.  (C) Bassey reported that SELA has only received NIS 50 
million with which to operate, and hire accountants and 
lawyers.  For anything else, such as buying the land at 
Nitzanim, he has to go to the Knesset.  All of the funds for 
compensation, renting apartments, or building new homes are 
appropriated by the Knesset from the budget, and come from 
"here and there" within the budget because there is no 
disengagement line item. 
 
------------------------------ 
Northern West Bank Settlements 
------------------------------ 
 
12.  (C) Bassey predicted that there will not be any problems 
with evacuating the settlers from Gannim and Qaddim.  They 
are planning to move to Afula, and the settlement will "be 
empty by mid-July."  According to Bassey, he is currently 
negotiating with Homesh,s settlers to move to a moshav.  He 
acknowledged that Sa Nur is the biggest problem because the 
IDF cannot close the settlement since it does not have a 
surrounding fence.  Bassey admitted that recently there have 
been "a lot of arrivals" to the settlement, but that it 
should not be difficult to evacuate any assets.  He said 
there are few public services, and no industry or agriculture 
because most of the settlers work in the north, near Afula, 
so there is not much to evacuate. 
 
---------------- 
The IDF is Ready 
---------------- 
 
13.  (C) Bassey continued that he meets with the IDF every 
week, and that he thinks the GOI is very well-prepared.  "We 
are doing a good job" regardless of what the papers say, 
according to Bassey, and SELA and the IDF coordinate 
everything together. 
 
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