US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV5014

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 005014 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ECON, KWBG, IS, GAZA DISENGAGEMENT, SETTLEMENTS 
SUBJECT: YONATAN BASSEY:  "WE'VE SEEN A REGRESSION IN 
SETTLERS' VIEW OF DISENGAGEMENT" 
 
REF: TEL AVIV 2207 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Gene A. Cretz for reasons 1.4 (b 
) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  Yonatan Bassey, Director of the 
Disengagement Authority (SELA), told Economic Counselor on 
August 9 that approximately 700 settler families are 
unprepared for the evacuations slated to begin early next 
week.  He blamed the settlers' rabbis and community leaders 
for misleading the settlers.  He cited Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu 
for convincing the settlers that "nothing will happen," and 
complained that community leaders have not given the settlers 
the appropriate guidance to negotiate with SELA and apply for 
compensation.  Bassey commented, however, that the GOI knows 
exactly what will happen to the approximate 1,000 families 
who have applied for compensation, and estimated that an 
average family of five will receive over $300,000 in 
compensation, depending on the size of its home and the ages 
of its members.  End summary. 
 
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Settler Attitudes Regressing; Faulting 
Rabbis, Settler Leaders 
-------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) Yonatan Bassey, Director of the Disengagement 
Authority (SELA), told Economic Counselor on August 9 that 
over the past days he has learned how rabbis can persuade "a 
group of innocent, rational workers" that disengagement will 
not take place.  Bassey explained that Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu 
told settlers that disengagement would not occur and to stop 
making preparations to move.  According to Bassey, Eliyahu 
told the settlers that if they were unsure whether he is 
right, they could pack their bags, but emphasized that he is 
"sure nothing will happen."  Bassey predicted that this is 
going to be a problem for the settlers who are "sitting at 
home doing nothing." 
 
3.  (C) Bassey admitted that he has seen a regression in the 
settlers' view of disengagement in the last month.  He said, 
"They don't understand what is the reality, they don't see 
it, it's psychotic,"  Bassey characterized the Gush Katif 
settlers as the most problematic, and noted that they are 
under a lot of pressure from their community leaders and 
rabbis not to talk to SELA or to make any preparations. 
 
4.  (C) Bassey continued that SELA's undercover psychologists 
are working day and night because many settlers are "close to 
suicide."  He stated that there have been five heart attacks 
in Gush Katif over the last week from the stress the settlers 
are feeling, and noted that they are worried about finding 
jobs and not having enough money.  Bassey blamed the 
community leaders for this because when the settlers were 
looking for guidance, "their leaders didn't tell them to 
prepare." 
 
5.  (C) Bassey also commented that he is afraid of the 2,000 
"infiltrators" who have moved into the Gaza Strip (GS) or the 
Sa Nur settlement in the West Bank, but noted that he does 
not deal with the security aspects of disengagement.  He 
predicted that the people who remain after the voluntary 
phase of the evacuation would be the ones who have arrived in 
the past two months.  Bassey stressed that his concern is 
only for the residents, and remarked that SELA has hotel 
rooms ready for 2,000 settlers.  He acknowledged that he had 
thought 30-40 percent of all settlers would have left before 
evacuation day, but admitted that only 50-100 families have 
vacated their houses so far and the GOI may not have enough 
hotel rooms available to house the evacuees. 
 
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Compensation Details 
-------------------- 
 
6.  (C) Bassey added that regardless of whether some settlers 
have not prepared for the evacuation, the GOI has plans to 
care for the 1,000 families who have applied for compensation 
on the day, month, and year after disengagement.  He 
estimated that 100 percent of the West Bank families, 70 
percent from the northern GS, and about 40 percent from the 
southern GS have applied for compensation.  (Note:  If 
Bassey's estimates are correct, then 990 of 1,415 residents 
from the northern GS, and 2,257 of 5,944 residents from the 
southern GS have applied, based on reftel GOI population 
figures.  We count Netzarim as being in the southern GS.  End 
note.)  He calculated the compensation package for a family 
of five living in a 150-square meter house as: 
 
-- $1,000/square meter = $150,000 
-- Land = $50,000 
-- $1,000/family member for each year member lived in Gaza 
   Father, 40 years old, assuming he was raised in Gaza = 
$40,000 
   Mother, 40 years old, assuming she was raised in Gaza = 
$40,000 
   Child, 15 years old, assuming s/he was raised in Gaza = 
$15,000 
   Child, 10 years old, assuming s/he was raised in Gaza = 
$10,000 
   Child, 5 years old, assuming s/he was raised in Gaza = 
$5,000 
 
-- Total compensation:  $310,000 
 
7.  (C) Bassey explained that settlers will pay $50,000 for 
half a dunam of land in Nitzanim if that is where they are 
moving.  He said that some settlers have still not decided if 
they want to build their houses individually, or if they want 
to collectively hire a construction company to build them 
all.  Bassey speculated he will be working on this issue over 
the next six months. 
 
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