- 26 dec 2011
70,000 Palestinian Jerusalemites to be re-classified as West Bank citizens
Jerusalem mayor Nir Barakat has announced that the city Municipality will now classify 70,000 citizens of Jerusalem as non-residents, furthering the right wing Israeli campaign to achieve a Jewish majority in East Jerusalem.
Seventy thousand Palestinian residents already cut off from the rest of Jerusalem by Israel’s Apartheid Wall will now be cast out on paper as well, with their affairs turned over from the Municipality to the Israeli military’s West Bank civil administration.
Palestinian Jerusalemites vehemently reject the segregation of their city, criticizing the “false justification of security that Israeli authorities peddle in order to take over our lands and separate us from our families – amidst a disgraceful silence from the international community.”
http://silwanic.net/?p=23183 16 jan 2012, 00:52 , Respect -
Maria 27 dec 2011
Dangerous Collapse at the City of David
(2:44) Collapse in the City of David at the Archaeological Tunnel, 26/12/11
The Jerusalem Municipality closed the Mosque in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan today. No, it is not because of political reasons; it is because of a serious concerned to the public’s safety.
There was a dangerous collapse at an archeological site underneath the building, and the Municipality wanted to make sure that nobody would get hurt. The works surrounding the collapse might take a few days before the mosque and the kindergarten (in it) will be reopened.
The Israeli Antiquities Authority has been conducting large scale excavations in Silwan, and has opened tunnels underneath the houses and the roads of Silwan. Hundreds of visitors walk through those tunnels every day to see the archeological site of the City of David, while above their heads thousands of Palestinians live their day to day lives.
It is not the first time that there has been a collapse in Silwan, at the Antiquities Authority’s excavations.
On March 2010, at the same tunnel, another collapse occurred and the “Dangerous Buildings Department” of the Jerusalem Municipality opened an investigation. Around May 2009 there was also a collapse at a plaza near a school in Silwan under which there was an intensive excavation.
The Municipality, again, opened an investigation. Also earlier in 2009 the stairs leading up the hill in Silwan collapsed, after a new excavation started under it.
The Jerusalem Municipality always acts after a collapse occurs. When we inquired whether the excavations had a construction permit, the Municipality explained that archeological excavations does not require any such permit.
The meaning is that there is no inspection by the Municipality over the works that are done underneath the homes of hundreds of residents in Silwan.
The Antiquities Authority, together with Elad Association (which is funding and initiating most of the excavations in Silwan) and the National Parks Authority are the ones in charge of the diggings.
Luckily today nobody was harmed at the City of David site. When I arrived, I saw a group of children and adults at the entrance to the compound. Usually, the route of their tour would go through the tunnel. Had they passed there few minutes before, at the moment of the collapse – there might have been a disaster.
Had the collapse led to the collapse of the kindergarten in the Mosque on top of the tunnel, there might also have been a tragedy. In this, perhaps there is equality.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23261 16 jan 2012, 01:14 , Respect -
Maria 28 dec 2011
New demolition orders issued
Jersualem Municipality officers, accompanied by Israeli military forces, issued 15 eviction orders to Silwan families on Wednesday, 28 December. Orders were issued to property owners in Ein al-Louseh and al-Sala’hs neighborhoods of Silwan, signalling the eviction of family homes, commercial properties and car garages.
This new wave of eviction orders coincides with an increase in permission granted to commence construction for several new Israeli settlement projects in East Jerusalem.
Jerusalem mayor Nir Barakat has amplified his public support for the settler agenda in the hopes of securing the right-wing vote for the upcoming city elections.
Local and international monitors warn that violent clashes will grip Silwan again if the authorities proceed with construction plans for new settlements, and demolish more Palestinian homes.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23484
Planning and Construction Committee approves construction of 130 units in Gilo
The Planning and Construction Committee of the Jerusalem Municipality approved the construction of 130 new units in the Israeli settlement of Gilo on 28 December.
Plan 13290 authorizes settlers to build the units on 6 dunums of land that were confiscated from the Palestinian village of Sharafat, south of Jerusalem. The 6 dunums in question are currently owned by the Israeli Lands Fund.
An Israeli investor group known as the Israeli Brotherhood had a request submitted to the Jerusalem Municipality approved, changing original plans to build a hotel on the confiscated land. Four 12-story buildings will now be built on the land extending towards what is left of Sharafat
http://silwanic.net/?p=23486 16 jan 2012, 01:21 , Respect -
Maria 29 dec 2011
Faris al-Zeer declared innocent after 7 months in prison
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court cleared Silwan resident Faris al-Zeer of all charges on 29 December after being held in Israeli prison for 7 months.
Faris, 22, was arrested with his brother, Nassem, 21, on 29 May 2011, when their home was stormed by Israeli forces. The two brothers were interrogated and assaulted by Israeli officers.
Naseem was released and Faris was held, accused of participation in clashes with Israeli forces, despite surveillance camera footage and the testimony of Faris’ employer evidencing his absence from the confrontations. Police, however, insisted on his conviction, and he was detained for 7 months whilst awaiting trial.
The persecution of Faris al-Zeer illustrates the agenda of Israeli authorities in targeting specific individuals on the pretext of clashes with the police, regardless of their involvement
http://silwanic.net/?p=23470
Residents’ caution slows settler takeover
Twenty years ago, Israeli settlers in Silwan had their sights set on the takeover of 40 houses in the district. Given their success, with the aid of property brokers, rumors were rife that settlers had managed to take possession of over 100 Palestinian houses.
Many residents of Silwan were able to see through this loose talk however, and indeed it had the opposite effect of what settlers hoped: residents became far more cautious in selling their properties and did more research about the buyers. In many cases they simply withheld from selling.
Today, settlers have succeeded in taking over only 19 houses in Silwan, all of them through forged documentation and invocation of the Absentee Property Law.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23490
Silwan youth released at last after 7 months without trial
Silwan resident Faris al-Zeer was cleared of all charges by the Jerusalem Magistrates Court on 3 January, after 7 months in detention. Al-Zeer, 22, was wrongfully accused of throwing stones at Israeli forces, despite clear contradictions in soldiers’ testimonies and evidence against him.
Al-Zeer’s lawyer Rami Uthman intends to launch a case for compensation client against the Israeli state for his client’s suffering behind bars. Al-Zeer, who is delighted to be released at last, was held for 7 months after his arrest in May 2011 in the Russian Compound in Jerusalem and Givon Prison in Ramle.
Al-Zeer suffered from a stomach condition prior to and during his detention, but his requests for medication were denied by prison guards, leading to a worsening of his condition and his transferral to hospital.
Al-Zeer is but one example of the waves of youth arrests carried out in Silwan by Israeli forces. Dozens of Silwan’s young continue to languish behind bars of Israeli prisons, without evidence or conviction.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23632
Israeli forces storm Assawiya
Israeli forces raided Assawiya district of north Jerusalem on 29 December. Large numbers of Israeli troops stormed the neighborhood, brandishing weapons at residents, in what was widely seen as at attempt to provoke confrontations with resident youth. Troops fired many rounds of tear gas, causing multiple cases of choking and difficult breathing.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23465
Stop the JNF Campaign delegation visits Silwan
An anti-Jewish National Fund delegation of European and American visitors toured Silwan on 29 December visiting local residents threatened with eviction by the Jerusalem Municipality. The delegation represented the Stop the JNF Campaign, which opposed the JNF’s central role in the reacquisition of Palestinian property to Israeli settler groups in Silwan.
The delegation visited the Sumrain family of Wadi Hilweh, who were recently issued an eviction order. They then visited one of the threatened Palestinian lands, which settler groups seek to convert into a carpark, and participated in a clean-up project on the land. The delegation expressed their support for the people of Silwan and their readiness to advocate for them in their home countries in North America and Europe.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23481 16 jan 2012, 01:23 , Respect -
Maria 30 dec 2011
New Elad construction plans approved at top speed
New construction plans submitted by settler group Elad to the Jerusalem Municipality’s Planning and Construction Committee were approved in a markedly short space of time. The plan, which outline the construction of several huge new buildings, propose drastic changes to the entire layout of upper Silwan according to the Committee description. News of the approval came as no surprise to Palestinian residents of Silwan, as 15 new eviction orders were issued to families by the Municipality.
The first Elad plan proposes the construction of a 9,000 square metre building in what is currently Wadi Hilweh Park. The building, which will be partially below ground, will include subterranean passages comprising part of the tourist route through the fabled City of David. Elad, in coordination with the Municipality, have strenuously promoted Silwan as the site of King David’s biblical palace, despite having produced no archaeological evidence to support this claim, and indeed having revealed many relics of Islamic architecture in its extensive digging.
The plan also includes souvenir shops, Elad offices, and car park facilities to 250 vehicles, exclusively servicing City of David and Wailing Wall visitors. A bridge running from the Old City’s Dung Gate will connect to tThe top of the building.
Elad’s second plan submitted to the Committee is for a construction named Beit Hamayan, encompassing a Jewish cultural museum and an adjoining path enabling “better access” for tourists visiting the City of David.
The proposed plans will serve the interests of the 320 Israeli settlers living in Silwan, while ignoring the needs of its 55,000 Palestinian residents.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23488 16 jan 2012, 01:30 , Respect -
Maria 31 dec 2011
Israeli settlers fill in house with concrete in Wadi Hilweh
Israeli settlers have begun work on an annexed Palestinian property in Wadi Hilweh, filling the bases of the house with concrete.
Silwanic has learnt that the settlers intend to extend the house to cover 120 square meters, and have received permission from the Jerusalem Municipality to replace the fiber boards of the ceiling with wood.
Witnesses reported the new construction on the afternoon of 30 December, when the home’s wooden ceiling was in fact replaced with a newer, larger, concrete one.
The expansion stands in stark contrast to the problems faced by Palestinians of Silwan, who face severe reprisals from the Municipality when any attempt to extend or repair their homes is made.
The Municipality upholds this ban on the grounds that much of the area lies within a “green zone” – a zone constructed by the Parks Authority that works in tandem with the settler takeover of the district.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23478
Heavy troop numbers amass in Silwan
Israeli forces have begun amassing in heavy numbers throughout Silwan in recent days, particularly on the periphery of Al-Bustan and Wadi Hilweh neighborhoods, and inside settlement blocs.
Residents fear a new campaign of arrests and provocation in their region.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23463 16 jan 2012, 01:36 , Respect -
Maria 31 dec 2011
Popular Committees protest plan for settler restaurant in Silwan
(click on photo to enlarge)
The Popular Committees of Silwan submitted an objection to the Jerusalem Municipality regarding a proposed plan for the establishment of an Israeli settler restaurant in Wadi Rababa district in the heart of Silwan.
A spokesman for the Popular Committees stated “this proposed plan serves only the interests of the Israeli settlers and their tourist trade here in Silwan.
It excludes Silwan’s residents, and will indeed prove itself a major provocation amongst them. The plan illustrates the Municipality’s discrimination against us, and their willingness to deprive Silwan’s residents of their daily income. We are forbidden permission to open new stores or anything to generate income – indeed many business are threatened with demolition!
Silwan’s residents wish only to live in peace and quiet.”
http://silwanic.net/?p=23473
- 12 dec 2011
Israeli forces abduct child from Al-Bustan
A 12-year old child was abducted by Israeli forces from Al-Bustan district of Silwan on Friday afternoon, 9 December. Shalodee Ham was taken by troops whilst on his way back from visiting a Silwan community center. The abduction is the recent in an escalating number of arrests by Israeli forces throughout Silwan in recent days. Residents fear that the wave of arrests are pre-emptive of a more serious crackdown.> progress in Silwan.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22672 15 jan 2012, 22:21 , Respect -
Maria 14 dec 2011
Israeli forces storm homes in Shuafat and Old City
Israeli forces stormed two Palestinian families’ homes in East Jerusalem on Saturday night, 10 December. The Khayat family home in the Old City was raided and the Abed home in Shuafat camp, with one arrested and one summoned for investigation.
The Old City home of Kamal al-Khayat and his family was raided earlier in the evening and searched extensively by armed forces. Photos and other belongings of their 22-year old son, Ibrahim, were confiscated.
Israeli forces used sniffer dogs and turned off the building’s power supply during the raid. No search warrant was shown to the family. Ibrahim Khayat was then arrested and taken to the Russian compound. He was released some hours later and is expected to be summoned for further investigation.
The house of Ahmad Hasan Abed’s family was then stormed in Shuafat. Sniffer dogs were also let loose in the house. Abed’s 25-year old son Ghasan was summoned to attend investigation on 11 December in Nabi Yaob police station.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22807
Activists shut down normalization conference in Jerusalem
Jerusalem activists successfully had the Ambassador Hotel cancel their hosting of events in the planned Israeli Palestinian Confederation Conference on Tuesday, 13 December.
The conference, organized by Jerusalem University director Dr. Sari Nsaibeh and former Israeli foreign affairs minister Shlomo Bena’mi, was to see the election for the parliament and a chairman for the so-called Israeli- Palestinian Confederation.
Protesters gathered outside the hotel to condemn the process of normalization of the occupation promoted by the conference, amidst the collapse of the peace process, continuing settlement construction and the confiscation of Palestinian land.
Conference events taking place in Beit Jalah and Haifa over the next few days have promoted a false illusion of Palestine already being liberated and contributed to the normalization of the Israeli occupation. One demonstrator commented that “how would such a confederation even be possible under the occupation?”
The management of the Ambassador Hotel announced their decision to cancel the conference events in a printed statement posted at the hotel’s entrance. A hotel manager stated that “we have been manipulated by the conference organizers, who did not reveal to us its real purposes. We refuse to take part in their attempts to veil the reality of Palestinian suffering.”
http://silwanic.net/?p=22837 15 jan 2012, 23:54 , Respect -
Maria 14 dec 2011
Run for Silwan marathon highlights checkpoint system from Bethlehem to Wadi Hilweh
The Run for Silwan marathon was held on Monday, 19 September, and saw participants follow a route starting from the
Israeli military checkpoint at the entrance to Bethlehem, past the Old City and ending in Wadi Hilweh district of Silwan.
The marathon drew local and international media attention in its highlighting of the Israeli militarization of Palestinian land and its impact on local children. The marathon’s conclusion in Silwan highlighted the hardships suffered by Silwan’s children, under the Israeli militarization of their neighborhoods and theft of their traditional lands by Israeli settler groups and local government.
Hundreds of children living in Silwan have been arrested and/or assaulted by Israeli forces; so too have many been sentenced to time behind prison bars or to house arrest. Run for Silwan was thus both an event of celebration and resistance, in calling attention to the injustices visited upon the Palestinian youth of East Jerusalem, and the encouragement of sport, self-confidence and camaraderie amongst them.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22811
15 jan 2012, 23:54 , Respect -
Maria 15 dec 2011
The collective punishment of Silwan
The people of Silwan deal with the collective punishment of living under Israeli occupation on a daily basis, possibly the most common example being the issue of traffic in the village.
While Israeli settlers and their private guards drive with impunity and break traffic regulations without recourse, a suffocating system of police-manned flying checkpoints monitor and restrict the movement of Palestinian drivers.
Checkpoints are used as a means of issuing tickets for alleged traffic violations to Palestinian drivers, as well as a site of constant harassment and provocation. This week a local youth reported being told by a police officer at a traffic checkpoint to “go to Gaza if you don’t like it here.”
Despite a large body of documentation and testimonies from Palestinian citizens of Silwan attesting to the misdeeds of the Israeli forces, settlers and their guard squads, Palestinian complaints to Israeli authorities and regulation bodies are dismissed as a rule.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22842
Youth arrested in dawn raid
Israeli forces arrested Mahmoud al-Ragabi, 21, from Baten al-Hawa neighborhood in Silwan in the early hours of Thursday, 15 December.
The arrest is the latest in a Silwan-wide campaign of youth arrests and fearmongering. An Israeli military jeep was also seen terrorizing young children in Bir Ayyub district of Silwan as they played football at a playground.
A Molotov cocktail was then thrown at Beit Yonatan settlement later that night.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22956 15 jan 2012, 23:54 , Respect -
Maria 15 dec 2011
Right wing extremists to enter Al-Aqsa to claim Jewish sovereignty
Two members of Kennest (Israeli Parliment) announced their intention to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday, 15 December at 8am. Ore Ariel and Aryeh Aldad of the Israeli extreme nationalist party stated that they intended to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, as an assertion of Jewish sovereignty.
Ariel and Aldad intended to enter Al-Aqsa complex through Dung Gate or another entrance, should the bridge through Dung Gate already be closed by officials. Their declaration drew support from the extreme right in Israel. Kina Set, which has deemed its members “trustees of the Temple”, has openly called for the expulsion of all Palestinians from what it calls “Greater Israel”.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22943 15 jan 2012, 23:54 , Respect -
Maria 16 dec 2011
Two youth arrested in Wadi Hilweh after settlers swim in Silwan spring
Zaid Ayoub Fetiha, 15
Israeli forces arrested two Palestinian children on Friday afternoon, 16 December, from Wadi Hilweh district of Silwan. Muhammad Adan al-Karaki, 18, and Zaid Ayoub Fetiha, 15 , were arrested at 3pm on charges of stone-throwing.
Muhammad Adan al-Karaki, 18
Eyewitnesses report that the arrests seem to have been triggered not due to alleged stone-throwing, but by a quarrel between Palestinian residents and Israeli settlers at Silwan’s spring next to the Wadi Hilweh mosque, where settlers had gone bathing. Police responded to a phone call from one of the settlers present, and arrested the two youth on arrival. Police assaulted several people when residents attempted to block the arrests.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22981 16 jan 2012, 00:08 , Respect -
Maria 18 dec 2011
Court rules in favour of Wadi Hilweh families
a house in Silwan was taken by settlers
The Magistrates Court in Jerusalem has ruled in favour of two Palestinian families in Wadi Hilweh in their battle to keep their homes. The Qaraeen and Farag families almost lost their properties as a result of underhanded attempts by Elad settlement group to take possession of the homes in question.
The Qaraeen family of Wadi Hilweh came close to being evicted by the Jerusalem Municipality several years ago when Elad settlers took the family to court, claiming that they were the true owners of the property. The family’s lawyer, Muhammad Daleh, successfully obtained a court order to stop the eviction, and proved that the settlers had fabricated documents in collaboration with a Palestinian property broker on Elad’s payroll.
The Farag family, who live close to Al-Aqsa Mosque, also represented by Dahleh, succeeded in retaining possession of their home.
Complete coverage of the two cases is forthcoming.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22950 16 jan 2012, 00:13 , Respect -
Maria 18 dec 2011
Court cases in Silwan
Wednesday 14 December was an eventful day in the Jerusalem courts for citizens of Silwan. A summary of the notable cases follow:
The trial of Faris al-Ragabi, 22, was postponed a further two weeks by the courts. Ragabi has been held for three months after he was arrested when returning home from work and charged with taking part in confrontations with Israeli forces.
The hearings of Mousa Oudeh, 55, Ibrahim Sabu Abu Thyab, 26, Zyad Zedani, 58, and Mahmoud al-Razem, 19, were postponed until 3 January 2012.
The detention of Islam Oudeh, 19, and Ahmad al-Ghoul, 22, was extended until the court’s verdict is issued on 17 January 2012.
Ahmad al-Salaimeh, Nitham Abu Ramooze, Adil al-Silwani and Wael al-Ragabi had their sentenced reduced from 58 months in prison to 22 months after a successful appeal at the Central Court.
Wednesday 14 December was an eventful day in the Jerusalem courts for citizens of Silwan.
A summary of the notable cases follow:
The trial of Faris al-Ragabi, 22, was postponed a further two weeks by the courts. Ragabi has been held for three months after he was arrested when returning home from work and charged with taking part in confrontations with Israeli forces.
The hearings of Mousa Oudeh, 55, Ibrahim Sabu Abu Thyab, 26, Zyad Zedani, 58, and Mahmoud al-Razem, 19, were postponed until 3 January 2012.
The detention of Islam Oudeh, 19, and Ahmad al-Ghoul, 22, was extended until the court’s verdict is issued on 17 January 2012.
Ahmad al-Salaimeh, Nitham Abu Ramooze, Adil al-Silwani and Wael al-Ragabi had their sentenced reduced from 58 months in prison to 22 months after a successful appeal at the Central Court.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22954 16 jan 2012, 00:16 , Respect -
Maria 18 dec 2011
Silwan residents fear crackdown over Christmas
Residents of Silwan have spoken out against what they call “conspiracies” against the village in the lead up to the Christian holiday of Christmas and New Year celebrations. Many fear that the religious holiday will provide another pretext for Israeli authorities to implement measures limiting the freedom of movement of Silwan’s Palestinians.
A charged atmosphere has pervaded the area, with Israeli police and military enforcing a draconian network of checkpoints, allowing them to monitor residents’ movements and issue vast numbers of traffic fines.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22931
Jewish National Fund committee member resigns in protest to Silwan evictions
A member of the Jewish National Fund committee resigned his post from the Washington offices on Tuesday, 13 December, in protest to the campaign of evictions of Palestinian families in Silwan. The official denounced the evictions as inhumane.
The recent eviction of the Sumrain family from their home in Wadi Hilweh district of Silwan has drawn strong outcry from the international community, given its highlighting of the Jewish National Fund’s role in Palestinian land theft through the racist Absentee Property Law. The law, introduced in 1950, allows the Israeli state to take possession of Palestinian land “abandoned” (often as a result of the Nakba in 1948). The land is then often passed on to bodies such as the Jewish National Fund, who allocate the land for settlement projects.
http://silwanic.net/?p=22922 16 jan 2012, 00:24 , Respect -
Maria 21 dec 2011
Settlers disrupt Palestinian wedding, five injured and four arrested
Israeli forces assaulted a group of Palestinian youth in Al-Wad district of Jerusalem’s Old City during a wedding procession on 21 December, injuring 5 and arresting 4.
Jerusalem prisoner support association chairman Naser Qaus stated that a group of Israeli settlers caused a disturbance at the marriage celebrations of local bridegroom Mu’ath al-A’jlooni. Israeli soldiers and police intervened when clashes between the two flared, physically assaulting many young Palestinians, including al-A’jlooni.
Five youth were injured by Israeli forces, including bridegroom Mu’ath al-A’jlooni and Tahseen Tarhooni sustained bruising, and Ala Bader Aghayer (16) whose nose broken. Four others were arrested, including the injured Ala’ Zghayer, and 15-year old Wisam Jawahan.
Qaus added that police shot live ammunition when on-lookers attempted to prevent Israeli forces from arrested the bleeding Ala’ Zghayer. Zghayer was later taken to Ein Karim Hospital for medical treatment. Israeli forces maintained a heavy presence on the streets in Al-Wad district of the Old City throughout the night.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23118 16 jan 2012, 00:28 , Respect -
Maria 22 dec 2011
Israeli forces confiscate ID cards of four Silwan residents
Muhammad Mahmoud al-Abbasi (17)
Israeli troops swarmed Al-Abbaseyah neighborhood of Silwan on 22 December, confiscating the identity cards of four young residents.
1- Rajaee Ahmad al-Abbasi (24),
2- Muhammad Hasan al-Abbasi (19),
3- Muhammad Mahmoud al-Abbasi (17)
4- and another unidentified boy
were accosted by uniformed and plainclothes officers that afternoon, who took their ID cards and instructed them to come to Ras al-Amoud cemetery.
Muhammad Hasan al-Abbasi (19)
When the boys decided to go to Salah al-Din Street police station instead to try to recover their ID cards, they were instructed to come back the next day.
When one of the boys’ fathers returned the following day, he was told that an elite intelligence unit had taken possession of the ID cards and that he would do better to go to the Interior Ministry to get new ID cards.
Rajaee Ahmad al-Abbasi (24),
Confiscation of Palestinians’ ID cards by Israeli forces is a common and deliberate misdeed. Many whose cards have been taken never get them back, and are forced to undergo the long and complicated bureaucratic procedures to obtain new ones.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23187 16 jan 2012, 00:35 , Respect -
Maria 23 dec 2011
Brutal assault on 16 year old boy
Dawood Yousef Sharaf, 16, was brutally beaten by Israeli soldiers on two separate occasions in the past week in Silwan. Here he recounts the dramatic story to Silwanic.
On Thursday, 15 December Dawood was on his way home from school in East Jerusalem. As he passed by the Mercy Cemetary near the Lion Gate of the Old City the police station outside Silwan, Israeli troops began to harass him.
Three troops called Dawood over and asked for his ID and if he’d ever been arrested. He was then told to come into the police station, remove his clothes and get ready to be searched.
“I stood against the wall and raised my hands. One soldier forced me to put my legs apart, then started to beat them. The soldier demanded to know why I had spoken in a high voice when being questioned outside, and I told him that I was in a hurry. They then left me wait over 30 minutes before allowing me to leave. As I was about to exit the building, several officers drew their weapons and forced me back in for another inspection. Finally I was able to leave.”
Two days later as Dawood was on his way home from school, an Israeli soldier stopped him in the street and said “you’re the one they took in and humiliated on Thursday.” He pointed to a group of soldiers standing nearby, and said “those are the ones over there who did it. Why don’t you go and ask them why they did it?”
“I thought that confronting them might stop them from harassing me in the future,” said Dawood. “So I went over to the three soldiers who had assaulted me. As I approached them, they knocked me to the ground immediately. They handcuffed me and dragged me back into the police station, where I was beaten for over 40 minutes. I was beaten brutally, all over my body, until I passed out. I didn’t believe I would get out alive.”
Dawood comments that he is only the most recent in an ever-increasing line of brutalities inflicted on the children of Silwan. “Soldiers are constantly harassing children from Silwan.” He also added that soldiers told him that despite his clean record, Dawood would now have a criminal record after the attack.
The Children Protection Committee at the Wadi Hilweh Information Center states that “physical assault of children from Silwan by Israeli forces are taking place both in and outside of the Silwan area at an unprecedented level. Israeli soldiers, settlers and settler guards often target Silwan children when they are outside the neighborhood on their way to or from school.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23088
JNF requests Sumrain family eviction delay
The Jewish National Fund (JNF) , represented by its subsidiary the Hamnuta association has requested that the eviction of the Sumrain family in Wadi Hilweh be delayed. The association has submitted this request despite its attempt to evict the family on the strength of the Absentee Property Law.
The request to delay the eviction until 8 January 2012 may be explained by the intense pressure the International Jewish Fund is facing from civil rights organizations. It may also be a ploy to diminish media attention, so that the eviction can be implemented at a later date with less media coverage.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23084 16 jan 2012, 00:36 , Respect -
Maria 24 dec 2011
Arabic place names erased in Municipality’s campaign to Hebrew-ize Jerusalem
The Jerusalem Municipality has ramped up its on-going campaign to alter the identity of Jerusalem and its place names, changing many Arabic street names in East Jerusalem to Hebrew ones.
-- Wadi Hilweh district of Silwan has been officially named “the City of David” by the Municipality,
-- while Al-Bustan has become “the Park of the King”;
-- Wadi Rababa “the Valley of Ben Hinoum”;
-- and Al-Thouri “Giva’t Hannanyah”.
-- Wadi Hilweh main street has been renamed “Ma’lout Ir David”;
-- Cemetary Street “Ofel”; Al-Mister Street “Malki Tsadik;
-- Dung Gate Hill “Malout Hashaloum”;
-- and Wadi Hilweh Park “Givate Park”,
in reference to the Givate unit of the Israeli Military Forces.
The name changes are decided upon by a committee of settlers in conjunction with the Municipality. The indigenous Palestinian residents of these areas have been completely denied any involvement in these changes, which form part of a clear agenda to erase the Palestinian history and identity of the region. East Jerusalem, however, remains underdeveloped and unserviced for its Palestinian inhabitants, who receive little to no support from the Municipality.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23120
Twenty years of annexation and resistance
Twenty years ago, in 1991, the issues facing Silwan looked little different from today. At the time, hundreds of Palestinians belonging to left-wing movements organized a large demonstration against Israeli settlements in Silwan in response to the extreme right wing campaign to take over their neighborhoods.
The demonstration was attended by many Palestinian parliament members and left-wing activists, who denounced the expansion of settlement blocs in Silwan and the danger they posed to the American-sponsored peace process – the same process that allegedly continues to this day, but has still failed to produce an independent Palestinian state.
Today, settlement policies in East Jerusalem are still a major obstruction to the peace process. Settlement association Elad spearheads the settlement movement in Silwan, and is behind projects such as the archaeological “City of David” settlement project and other tourist attractions focused exclusively on Jewish history and culture in Jerusalem.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23185 16 jan 2012, 00:43 , Respect -
Maria 24 dec 2011
Merry Christmas
http://silwanic.net/?p=23139
Youth arrested in al-Ein Street
Israeli forces arrested a local youth from Al-Ein Street in Silwan at 1am, 24 December. Muhammad al-Taweel was taken by Israeli forces as he stood beside his family’s car, say eyewitnesses.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23181 16 jan 2012, 00:45 , Respect -
Maria 26 dec 2011
Municipality releases plans for 8,000 new settlement units in East Jerusalem
The Jerusalem Municipality released plans for 8,000 new settlement units in East Jerusalem on 24 December. An official advertising campaign is already underway to promote the new units.
A section of the new units have been designated to house Israeli Jews fulfilling their reserve duties in the Israeli military.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23179