The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to supervise construction of a five-story underground facility for an Israel Defense Forces complex, oddly named “Site 911,” at an Israeli Air Force base near Tel Aviv.
Expected to take more than two years to build, at a cost of up to $100 million, the facility is to have classrooms on Level 1, an auditorium on Level 3, a laboratory, shock-resistant doors, protection from non-ionizing radiation and very tight security. Clearances will be required for all construction workers, guards will be at the fence and barriers will separate it from the rest of the base. Only U.S. construction firms are being allowed to bid on the contract and proposals are due Dec. 3, according to the latest Corps of Engineers notice. Site 911 is the latest in a long history of military construction projects the United States has undertaken for the IDF under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program.
The 1998 Wye River Memorandum between Israel and the Palestinian Authority has led to about $500 million in U.S. construction of military facilities for the Israelis, most of them initially in an undeveloped part of the Negev Desert. It was done to ensure there were bases to which IDF forces stationed in the West Bank could be redeployed. As recorded in the Corps’ European District magazine, called Engineering in Europe, three bases were built to support 20,000 troops, and eventually the Israeli air force moved into the same area, creating Nevatim air base. A new runway, 2.5 miles long, was built there by the Corps along with about 100 new buildings and 10 miles of roads.
Over the years, the Corps has built underground hangers for Israeli fighter-bombers, facilities for handling nuclear weapons (though Israel does not admit having such weapons), command centers, training bases, intelligence facilities and simulators, according to Corps publications.Within the past two years the Corps, which has three offices in Israel, completed a $30 million set of hangars at Nevatim, which the magazine describes as a “former small desert outpost that has grown to be one of the largest and most modern air bases in the country.” It has also supervised a $20 million project to build maintenance shops, hangars and headquarters to support Israel’s large Eitan unmanned aerial vehicle. Site 911, which will be built at another base, appears to be one of the largest projects. Each of the first three underground floors is to be roughly 41,000 square feet, according to the Corps notice. The lower two floors are much smaller and hold equipment. Security concerns are so great that non-Israeli employees hired by the builder can come only from “the U.S., Canada, Western Europe countries, Poland, Moldavia, Thailand, Philippines, Venezuela, Romania and China,” according to the Corps notice.
“The employment of Palestinians is also forbidden,” it says. Among other security rules: The site “shall have one gate only for both entering and exiting the site” and “no exit or entrance to the site shall be allowed during work hours except for supply trucks.” Guards will be Israeli citizens with experience in the Israeli air force. Also, “the collection of information of any type whatsoever related to base activities is prohibited.” The well-known Israeli architectural firm listed on the plans, Ada Karmi-Melamede Architects, has paid attention to the aesthetics of the site design as well as the sensibilities of future employees. The site, for example, will be decorated with rocks chosen by the architect but purchased by the contractor. Three picnic tables are planned, according to the solicitation.
The Corps offered a lengthy description of the mezuzas the contractor is to provide “for each door or opening exclusive of toilets or shower rooms” in the Site 911 building. A mezuza (also spelled mezuzah) is a parchment which has been inscribed with Hebrew verses from the Torah, placed in a case and attached to a door frame of a Jewish family’s house as a sign of faith. Some interpret Jewish law as requiring — as in this case — that a mezuza be attached to every door in a house.
These mezuzas, notes the Corps, “shall be written in inerasable ink, on . . . uncoated leather parchment” and be handwritten by a scribe “holding a written authorization according to Jewish law.” The writing may be “Ashkenazik or Sepharadik” but “not a mixture” and “must be uniform.” Also, “The Mezuzahs shall be proof-read by a computer at an authorized institution for Mezuzah inspection, as well as manually proof-read for the form of the letters by a proof-reader authorized by the Chief Rabbinate.” The mezuza shall be supplied with an aluminum housing with holes so it can be connected to the door frame or opening. Finally, “All Mezuzahs for the facility shall be affixed by the Base’s Rabbi or his appointed representative and not by the contractor staff.”
What’s the purpose of Site 911?
I asked the Pentagon on Tuesday, and the Corps on Wednesday said that only an Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman could provide an answer.
This may be a trend-starter. The Corps is also seeking a contractor for another secret construction project in Israel in the $100 million range to awarded next summer. This one will involve “a complex facility with site development challenges” requiring services that include “electrical, communication, mechanical/ HVAC [heating, ventilation, air conditioning] and plumbing.” The U.S. contractor must have a U.S. secret or equivalent Israeli security clearance for the project, which is expected to take almost 21 / 2 years to complete. That sounds like a secure command center.
The purpose of ‘Site 911′ is far less clear.
Source: Washington Post
So far, 26 courses and workshops have been run in Tripoli, Benghazi, Al Beida, Derna and Misrata by UK-based charity Common Purpose. Project Manager, Australian-born Nacho Galvez, told Libya Herald that the European Union (EU) founded the project “to respond to early Libyan requests for support with training on leadership and managerial skills.”
The objective of Common Purpose in Libya said Galvez: “Is to build up the management and leadership capacities of leaders and managers within the emerging interim institutions and civil society in Libya, so that they are able to meet the challenges of a society in transition”.
Some workshops were specifically designed for young people between the ages of 20 and 35 who wanted to become effective leaders in their communities. In the run-up to the elections, courses for ‘Young Leaders’ focussed on raising younger people’s awareness of the electoral process. Galvez said participants, worked on campaigns to ensure that Libya’s younger generation were well-informed and engaged with the elections.
“They produced ideas and action plans to ensure maximum participation. As a result of the course, many participants have been developing projects to help their communities,” Galvez said. He added: “Some participants set up ‘Bokra,’ a youth engagement charity, while others organised a radio campaign to encourage people to vote.”
Other training programmes have been aimed at women, such as a ‘Women Leaders’ course in Misrata in June this year, which attracted 27 attendees. Galvez said that the course explored ways women could be effective leaders, as well as offering an opportunity for confidence-building and peer-networking.
“Participants came with ideas and projects and the course gave them the opportunity to explore and identify ways in which to move these forward,” he added. Examples included developing plans to create a women’s club, an entrepreneurial hub, as well as looking at the regeneration of MIsrata. Galvez explained: “Through this course, the participants developed a peer support group and felt better-equipped to contribute positively to Misrata’s future.”
Since Common Purpose in Libya was established, it has worked with people from numerous organisations, including the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, AGOCO, the Libyan Red Crescent and the Voice of Libyan Women. Galvaz added that Common Purpose is also working closely with key actors in the emerging civil society and public service in Libya.
Since the start of the project in July 2011, 968 Libyans have attended courses and workshops and Galvez said that participants all agreed that the course or workshop they had attended was “good value for their time.”
Common Purpose is a UK-based Charity, established in 1989, which runs leadership development programmes. It delivers its leadership programmes in 46 cities across 18 countries.
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