GAZA STRIP: ISRAELI SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY UNDER THE NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86T01017R000808310001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 10, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 2, 1987
• Content Type: MEMO

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I I / --
DATE 7
F%Cl-'
Central Intelligence Agency
0 2 JAN 1987
DOC NO C1 /f -
OIR 3
P $ PDT
DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE
MEMORANDUM FOR: See Attached Distribution
Chief, Geographic Issues Division
Office of Global Issues
SUBJECT: Gaza Strip: Israeli Settlement Activit under
the National Unity Government 25X1
1. The attached report reviews the pace at which
settlements are being built and populated in the Gaza Strip under
Israel's National Unity Government,.
2. This report was prepared bvl our Near
East-Africa Branch.
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP86T01017R000808310001-0 25X1
SUBJECT: Gaza Strip: Israeli Settlement Activity under
the National Unity Government
OGI/GD/NEA~ I(22Dec86)
Distribution:
Orginial - William A. Kirby, State
1 - April Glaspie, State
1 - David J. Dunford, State
1 - Philip C. Wilcox, State
1 - Charles Patterson, State
1 - George S. Harris, State
1 - Gary Dietrich, State
1 - George Demko, State
1 - Aaron Miller, State
1 - Alan Kreczko, State
1
-
Dennis Ross, NSC
1
-
SA/DDCI
1
-
Executive Director
1
-
DDI/PES
1
-
DDI
3
-
OGI/EXS/PG
5
-
IMC/CB
1
- D/OGI, DD/OGI
1
-
NIO/NESA
1
-
CPAS/ISS
1
-
Ch/NE/ISR
1
-
Ch/NE/PAL
1
-
D/NESA
1
-
Ch/NESA/AI
1
-
Ch/NESA/AI/I
1
- Ch/NESA/IA
1
- Ch/OGI/GD
3
- CH/OGI/GD/NEA
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Central Intelligence Agency
Gaza Strip: Israeli Settlement Activity
under the National Unity Government
Although in absolute terms Israel's settlement effort in the
Gaza Strip ranks below that in the Golan Heights and well below
that in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip was the only territory
where the pace of construction within settlements increased
during the first two years of the National Unity Government.
This increase consisted mainly of construction of one new
settlement, the completion of another, and the development of
extensive tourist facilities on the Mediterrane hore. 25x1
Israel began 25X1
construction on 224 new residential units in Gaza Strip
settlements since September 1984, compared to 178 during the last
two years of the pro-settlement Likud government. Despite this
new construction, settlement population increased by only about
250 compared to about 1,050 for the period between September 1982
and September 1984. Partly because of the large number of still
unoccupied housing units, we foresee no near term increase in the
pace of settlement construction following the switch of Israeli
Prime Ministers that occurred in mid October. Indeed,
construction may actually decline. F- I 25X1
This paper was prepared by the Geographic
Issues Division, Office of Global Issues. The information
contained herein is updated to 31 October 1986. Comments and
questions may be addressed to Chief, Near
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP86T01017R000808310001-0 25X1
Gaza Strip: Israeli Settlement Activity
under the National Unity Government
Background
Since June 1967, Israel has followed a policy of encouraging
permanent Jewish settlement in the occupied territories in order
to solidify its claim to and control over the land. Of the 17
Israeli settlements' now in the Gaza Strip, the Labor government
established four (all in the southern half of the territory)
between 1967 and 1977. Although these--like others in the Golan
Heights and Jordan Valley--were generally agricultural in nature,
their establishment helped meet the Labor Party's objective of
building settlements in areas considered to be strategic for the
defense of Israel, and therefore to be retained under any future
peace for territory compromise. (Only in March 1986, after
heated debate between hawks and doves, did the Labor Party
platform exclude the southern Gaza Strip from its list-of
security areas.) On coming to power in 1977 the Likud government
continued Labor's settlement policy in the Gaza Strip, but
tripled the effort in an attempt to make that territory virtually
indivisible from Israel. From 1977 to 1984, Israel under Likud
established 11 new settlements in the Gaza Strip.
As part of an overall political compromise worked out when
Labor and Likud formed the National Unity Government in September
1984, the two parties agreed to establish only six new
settlements within the coming year--all in the West Bank. The
coalition government also decided to defer establishment of other
settlements--some of which were planned for the Gaza Strip--that
had already been approved by previous governments. Finally, the
National Unity Government's basic policy guidelines ensured the
continued development of existing settlements. However, economic
constraints and Labor's reluctance to increase settlement in
areas that could be the subject of future peace negotiations
slowed the pace of construction in the West Bank and Golan
Heights during the past two years. In the Gaza Strip, on the
other hand, circumstances have been such that construction of new
housing units actually increased under the National Unity
Other sites of Israeli civilian land use that we list with the
settlements are the Erez Industrial Zone and the Israeli
Border/Customs station near Rafah.
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New Construction
since September 1984:
? 224 housing units were started, of which 196 were
completed. This compares with 178 units started between
September 1982 and September 1984, of which all were
completed during that period.
? Population capacity in the Gaza Strip settlements
increased by about 935 people to 3,455 as compared to an
increase of about 850 during the previous two-year
period.
? 144 additional, nonresidential, buildings were started,
of which 52 are greenhouses. This compares with 289
nonresidential buildings begun during the previous two
years, of which 187 are greenhouses.
All in all, since the United States peace initiative of September
1982 that proposed a freeze on Israeli settlement construction,
Israel has begun 402 new residential units in the Gaza Strip and
25X1
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increased population capacity there by 1925 people. 25X1
Most of the recent construction in the Gaza Strip is
concentrated in four settlements: Bene 'Azmon, Bedolah, Newe
Deqalim, and Gaza Beach. Bene 'Azmon--approved by the previous,
Likud, government--is the only Gaza Strip settlement constructed
entirely during the past two years and is one of only eight new
settlements estab fished in the territories under the National
Unity Government. Bedolah existed in Setember 1984 as graded
street patterns in the sand; since then Israel has built 25 25X1
houses and 46 greenhouses there. In terms of population, Newe
Deqalim is the largest settlement in the Gaza Strip; in the past
two years settlers have added 53 houses to the community.
But it is at Gaza Beach that settlers have constructed fully
one third of the Gaza Strip's new Israeli housing units. These
76 beach front apartments--not yet ready for occupancy--may not
be for permanent residents, however, and instead may serve as
quarters for temporary holiday guests. Gaza Strip settlers have
been developing the beach since 1980 in order to attract
vacationers and their money. In the past two years, 29 beach
2 In late 1985, settlers unilaterally established another new
settlement in the Gaza Strip--Kefar Yam. However, this small
coastal community does not represent new construction but rather
refurbishing of previously inhabited Arab houses. Of the
remaining six settlements, five are in the West Bank and one is
in the Golan Heights.
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shelters, two restaurants, two swimming pools (one Olympic size),
and several other structures have been built here, in addition to
the apartment complex.
Population
Today, we estimate that 1,940 Jewish settlers live in the
Gaza Strip settlements, an increase of about J50 since September
1984 and of about 1,300 since September 1982. In recent years
the number of new settlers has not kept pace with the number of
new housing units in the Gaza Strip; unoccupied housing could
absorb almost 1,500 more people than are presently living in the
settlements. Part of this gap between actual population and
population capacity reflects recently completed but as yet
uninhabited houses and apartments in Bene 'Azmon, Newe Degalim,
and Gaza Beach. However, many older, agricultural settlements
that have been experiencing economic problems during the past
several years also have much unoccupied housing. Five
agricultural settlements actually lost population during the past
two years; one, Morag; was completely abandoned.
Prospects
In our judgment, construction in Gaza Strip settlements will
continue under a Likud-headed National Unity Government, but
possibly at a slower pace than that witnessed in the past two
years. Because Likud sees the West Bank as having greater
economic, religious, and strategic significance to Israel, and
because of the West Bank's much larger settler population that
has influence with many Likud members, Likud probably will try to
direct most of the limited resources available for settlement
toward the West Bank instead of the Gaza Strip. In addition, we
foresee a possible slowdown in construction until the large
number of unoccupied housing units begin to fill. (Presently,
the ratio of unoccupied to occupied units in the Gaza Strip is
one and one half times greater than that in the West Bank.) ,)tixi
At least three new settlements are in the planning stages.
As yet, however, no preparatory groundwork has begun on any
additional Gaza Strip settlements. The National Unity Government
3 To estimate settler population,
supplemented by US Embassy Tel Aviv reports, Israeli press
reports to determine the number of each
settlement's occupied dwelling units. We then multiply each such
unit by the settlement's average family size: 4.2 for secular
settlements; 5.0 for religious settlements. We do not include
temporary residents in our population count, although dwellings
reserved for transients and holiday guests are included in our
population capacity figures.
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may consider establishment of these and other settlements, but
only on a very selective case by case basis and as part of a
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Appendix A: Settlement Highlights September 1984
to September 1986
? In October 1984, on a first ever visit to the Gaza Strip
by an Israeli President, Hayim Herzog dedicated the new
synagogue in Ganne Tal.
? In September 1985, Gaza Strip settlers established a
civil guard for their own protection. In addition, they
decided to move into the old Jewish quarter in the city
of Gaza. Such a move would certainly increase the
chances for violent confrontation, as witnessed in
Nablus and Hebron, but as yet no action has been taken
to realize this goal.
? In December 1985, about 10 people moved into five
unoccupied Arab houses on the beach west of Khan Yunis,
thereby establishing the settlement of Kefar Yam. This
is the first such incident of occupying existing Arab
housing in the Gaza Strip. The settlers intend to make
their homes into a fisherman's village.
? In April 1986, the Israel Defense Forces prevented
Rafiah Yam and other settlers from establishing an
unapproved wildcat settlement at Bi'r al-Sultan--the
site intended for resettlement of the Palestinian
refugees from Canada Camp. In talks with Egypt, Israel
had agreed to repatriate the approximately 5500 Canada
Camp refugees cut off from their friends and family when
Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt in 1982. Israeli
settlers in the Gaza Strip have consistently, although.
futilely, opposed this action.
? In May 1986, Jewish Agency Settlement Director Nissim
Zvili suggested that Nezarim was badly sited, too small
to be viable and should be turned over to the Canada
Camp refugees. After much protest by Jewish 'settlers,
the issue was dropped.
0 Around July 1986, a new settlement nucleus took over the
ailing agricultural moshav Qatif.
i11 L1LL L)UCL L7ov, uCPuLy rriine r-inlscer uavia Levy
dedicated the settlements of Bedolah and Bene 'Azmon.
6 25X1
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Appendix B: Israeli Settlements in the Gaza Strip, August 1986.
Settlements and other
New Units since Sept. 1984
Civilian Land Use
(lam a )
Population
Ca
Still Under
pes
Canpleted
Con
t
s
r uct ion
1,940
3,455
196
1.
Bedolah (M)
'
110
125
25
2.
Bene
Azmon (MS)
0
0
195
39
3
3.
4
Ele Sinai (C)
E
50
65
3
14
.
rez Industrial Zone (I)
0
0
0
5.
Gadid (M)
160
180
0
0
0
6.
Ganne Tal (M)
250
300
0
7.
Gan Or (M)
125
200
0
8.
Gaza Beach (RS)
0
320
0
0
9.
Israeli Border Checkpoint
(G)
0
0
76
0
0
10.
Kefar Darcm (E)
20
55
0
0
11.
Kefar Yam
'
10
20
0
0
12.
Mizpe
Azmona (M)
80
155
0
0
13.
Morag (M)
0
185
0
0
0
14.
15
Newe Dagalim (RC/Y)
N
i
685
895
42
11
.
ezar
m (K)
25
50
0
0
16.
Nezer Hazani (M)
250
350
0
17.
Nisanit (C)
30
40
0
0
18.
Qatif (M)
75
190
0
0
19.
Rafiah Yam (C)
70
110
11
0
0
a C-Canrru nity settlement, E-Educational Facility, G-Government facility,
I-Industrial site, K-Kibbutz, M-Moshav, MS-Moshav shitufi, N-Nahal settlement,
RC-Regional Center, RS-Recreational site, Y-Yeshiva.
7 25X1
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Gaza Strip, October 1986
(Israeli occupied - status to be determined)
International boundary
Dual lane highway
Two or more lanes, hard-surfaced road
One lane, hard surfaced road
Two lane, loose-surfaced road
One lane, loose surfaced road or vehicle track
Railroad
Sadot
_ _ I
Avshalom '-I
Center
Netiv
Ha'Asara
1 I
Rafaf)
(Canada)
EGYPT,
I I
,
P_riel
I
Talme
Yosef
Kilometers
3
Statue Miles
3
Sea
Ga3a
Beach
Mediterranean
Built-up area
Israeli-developed area (civilian)
beyond the 1950 Armistice Line
Israeli-developed area (military)
beyond the 1950 Armistice Line
Refugee camp (mukhayyam)
Razed settlement
3.1 101 ""'?"" Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 CIA-RDP86T01017R000808310001-0
POL
storage
area
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Sa'ad
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