Tour of Silwan - 96 Homes Scheduled for Demolition

Media Advisory 1 June, 2005

Tour of Silwan - 96 Homes Scheduled for Demolition

Who: Journalists and diplomats

When: Thursday, 2 June, 2005, 17:00 (5:00 pm)

Where: Meet in the Givaati Parking lot next to the Eir David Settlement

Contact: Dr. Meir Margalit 054 4345 503 or, Angela at 054 7366 393

Journalists and diplomats are invited to join the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) for a tour to witness the destruction of Palestinian homes in Silwan, East Jerusalem.

Background

On Tuesday May 31st at 5:00PM, 300 villagers of Silwan raised a tent in protest against the Israeli Municipality's decision to demolish ninety-six homes in their village. Speakers at the demonstration included residents of the neighborhood slated for demolition, the leader of Silwan's Land Defense Committee, leaders of the Palestinian National Authority, the Fatah party, Muslim and Christian religious organizations in Jerusalem, and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

The protest tent was erected on the site where ongoing educational activities will be held, including screenings of documentary films about Palestine and the Apartheid Wall. The tent will also host cultural events, and provide information to international delegations.

Israel's decision to demolish the neighborhood is based on "law 212" enacted in 1965 (before the l967 war). It authorizes Israel to demolish any structure in the vicinity of an archaeological site, and was used in 1968 when the Mugraby neighborhood in the Old City of Jerusalem was leveled to make way for a landing in front of the Wailing Wall/ Al Barak mosque site. In both cases, Israeli authorities have used "law 212" in defiance of the Geneva Convention and International Codes of Conduct covering an occupied people.

The Israeli authorities plan to build a park on the land, after they destroy the homes of over one thousand Palestinians in this village in the heart of Occupied East Jerusalem.

To read more see: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml? sw==silwan&itemNo=X2340

ENDS

© Scoop Media