US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV5581

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 005581 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KWBG, IS, GAZA DISENGAGEMENT 
SUBJECT: PEACE NOW ANALYZES THE DISENGAGEMENT PROCESS 
 
REF: TEL AVIV 4471 
 
Classified By: Economic Counselor William Weinstein for reasons 1.4 (b) 
 and (d) 
 
This cable has been cleared by Consulate General Jerusalem 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  Yariv Oppenheimer, Secretary General of 
Peace Now, said that the disengagement from the Gaza Strip 
had gone very well, and in particular praised the IDF 
soldiers and the police for the way in which they negotiated 
with settlers throughout the evacuations.  He said that he 
had faith that if the IDF were given an order to dismantle an 
outpost in the future, the soldiers would be capable of 
carrying out the order.  He was disappointed, however, that 
the media focused so much on disengagement opponents, without 
reporting on those who left peacefully, and blamed the level 
of violence on West Bank youth who "had nothing better to 
do."  Oppenheimer also said the Disengagement Authority 
should not have publicized the negotiations it held with 
settlers prior to the evacuations.  Oppenheimer reported that 
Peace Now won its petition in the High Court for the IDF to 
dismantle permanent construction in Amona outpost, but is 
seeking further clarification on the deadline for the 
dismantlement because the IDF has not taken any action to 
date.  End summary. 
 
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Media Coverage Unbalanced 
------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) Yariv Oppenheimer, Secretary General of Peace Now, 
told econoff on August 31 that disengagement had gone very 
well.  He said that he first feared that extensive press 
coverage of disengagement opponents would weaken public 
support for the evacuations.  He was disappointed that the 
press focused on the resistance and hardly reported on the 
settlers who evacuated peacefully, but was pleased that the 
public supported the operation until the end, noting that 
some polls even showed increases in support as the 
evacuations were carried out. 
 
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Praise for the Security Forces 
------------------------------ 
 
3.  (C) Oppenheimer praised the soldiers and police who 
carried out the evacuations.  He explained that they did well 
by first negotiating, and only later physically evacuating 
settlers.  He commented that he now trusted the Israeli 
security forces much more than before.  He said that he had 
faith that if the IDF were given an order to dismantle an 
outpost in the future, the soldiers would be capable of 
carrying out the order.  Oppenheimer stressed that he was 
happy to see that soldiers followed their orders, with few 
exceptions, regardless of their personal views on 
disengagement. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
West Bank Youth, Not Settlers, Caused Problems 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
4.  (C) Oppenheimer said that the Gaza settlers behaved 
reasonably well.  He noted that even if some had to be 
physically carried out by soldiers, they were not as violent 
as many had predicted.  He blamed most of the violence on the 
"hilltop youth" from the West Bank who threw paint thinner 
and eggs on soldiers, and barricaded themselves inside 
buildings.  He asserted that most were there because "they 
had nothing better to do," and claimed that they received 
financial support from the YESHA council to go to Gaza.  He 
said that the evacuations would have looked different had 
they taken place after the start of the school year. 
Oppenheimer also compared the protests to his experiences as 
an activist in the Labor Youth movement, and said that "they 
mostly just had fun" and that "it was a blast to stage 
protests and demonstrations." 
 
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SELA Needs a PR Lesson 
---------------------- 
 
5.  (C) Oppenheimer took issue with the fact that the 
Disengagement Authority (SELA) publicized the private 
negotiations it had with settlers who approached the GOI on 
compensation and relocation prior to the start of 
disengagement.  He explained that it is difficult to keep 
secrets in tight-knit settlement communities, and that the 
 
SIPDIS 
publicity may have discouraged others from coming forward to 
negotiate. 
 
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Amona Outpost 
------------- 
 
6.  (C) Oppenheimer reported that Peace Now in early August 
won its petition in the High Court against Amona outpost, 
east of Ofra settlement near Ramallah (reftel).  The High 
Court ordered the IDF to demolish the nine permanent 
structures in the outpost, according to Oppenheimer, but did 
not specify a deadline for the dismantlement.  Oppenheimer 
said he would seek further clarification from the Court 
because the IDF has not taken any action against Amona to 
date. 
 
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