Demolition order to the new information center in Silwan

On Sunday, July 19th, local Palestinian residents of the Wadi Hilwah area in Silwan opened an informal information center. The center consists of a 35-square meter wooden deck, and has no roof or windows. The structure is built entirely on privately-owned Palestinian property, with the consent of the property owner. The objective of the center is to supply visitors to Silwan with information regarding archeology in the area, the history of Jerusalem, and the story of the Israeli settlement in the village since the early 1990s information which visitors and tourists are not exposed to by the primary purveyors of information about the area, the City of David Visitors' Center" and the tour guides of the site.
On the morning of July 21st, after the center had been open for less than 48 hours, Israel police and border patrol personnel entered the center, accompanied by a construction inspector from the Jerusalem Municipality. The Palestinians at the site were immediately presented with a demolition alert, based on the argument that the structure is illegal.
Approximately 50 meters away from the new information center is located the City of David Visitors Center. This site was established by the Elad settler organization, apparently without any legal permit, and includes mobile and non-mobile structures (including a shop, a cashiers office, general office space, bathrooms and more). An application for a permit for these structures were submitted by Elad in November 2007, but was rejected by the Municipality.
The hasty response of Israeli authorities to the opening of the makeshift Palestinian information center clearly points not only at the discriminatory use of law enforcement against Palestinians in East Jerusalem but also at an effort to silence the voices of the local residents.
This part of Silwan is believed to be the site of the ancient city of Jerusalem. Today, an Israeli national park area known as the City of David is operating in the heart of this neighborhood. The park, which is formally under the authority of the Israeli National Parks Authority, is in fact run by the Elad settler organization. Elad is the same body responsible for establishing and expanding the Israeli settlement in Silwan since the early 1990s.
For more information: www.silwanic.net

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Silwan
• City of David
• Wadi Hilwah
• Ancient Jerusalem
• East Jerusalem
• Palestinian
• Israeli
• Police

[kefer123622]

this stupid bickering...