A Psalm of Protest in Silwan

By Jeremy Siegman

A few weeks ago, as the rain poured down on Jerusalem, a small group of Israelis and Palestinians gathered in a fluorescent-lit basement in Silwan, East Jerusalem. They were participating in the newest dialogue initiative of  Combatants for Peace: working non-violently to counter Israel’s settlement policy in Silwan. On this cold evening, the Arab community leaders voiced their desperation: mayor Nir Barakat plans to demolish some 100 homes in the al-Bustan area in order to build an archaeological theme park, “The King’s Garden.” At least 1,500 people will lose their homes.

The residents know what is at stake here. “Israel wants the majority in Jerusalem,” said one community leader in Arabic. “We are at a crossroads.” One of his colleagues translated.

Silwan is home to some 40,000 residents, nearly all Arabs, plus a handful of Jewish settlers. Ir Amim describes the neighborhood’s neglect by the Israeli authorities:

Many of Silwan’s roads are unpaved. The village lacks regular garbage collection. One high school serves 40,000 residents, and students are forced to travel to distant schools in the city. The neighborhood does not have a public youth center or community centers in general, nor does it have a single public park. Since 1967, fewer than 20 construction permits have been issued to Palestinians in the Wadi Hilweh area, and those too were mainly for minor additions to existing construction. As a result, the vast majority of buildings in Silwan in general and in al-Bustan in particular are built without permits.

“There was an empty hill that we used to play on, take our families there,” noted the community leader, gesturing towards the center of al-Bustan. “Then they came and said it belongs to Kakal [the Jewish National Fund] and Elad [the Israeli settler organization entrusted with the excavations in the area]. They built a fence around it,” he said.

Archaeologists agree that Hebrew rulers were based here during the Late Judean period. Now Elad, the settler association (the acronym translates as “To the City of David”) is digging for further proof. The Israel Antiquities Authority has voiced concerns about Elad’s digging methods, and with good reason: last month, a portion of Silwan’s main road collapsed above the digging, and an Israeli Egged bus fell several feet in. But the organization has been given free reign over the digging—which the Silwan residents hear in the night.

In the basement in al-Bustan, the Israelis from Combatants for Peace (CFP) were there not only to voice their support, but to cooperate in developing non-violent strategies in the neighborhood. CFP, originally formed of ex-Israeli combat soldiers and Palestinian militants who all renounced violence, has joint Israeli-Palestinian groups all over Israel and the Palestinian Territories: Tel Aviv-Nablus, Jerusalem-Ramallah, and others.

This newest initiative in Silwan is modeled on CFP’s revolutionary but simple strategy: talk to each other. The Israelis plan to organize trips for Israeli groups to come to al-Bustan and meet the residents in their homes. And broader media and advocacy efforts are also underway.

CFP’s efforts are part of a larger turn to Silwan by peace groups and the media (see the recent New York Times article) in recognition of the fact that Jerusalem may make or break an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. Judging from the length of the meeting—or perhaps it was the time taken for all the translations—that conviction is strong.

And for the local residents, they are simply fighting for their homes. Said one, “We want peace. But a peace that honors us.”

Related posts:

1. 5 things you may not know about Silwan
2. Nocturnal Terror in Silwan
3. Interview with Silwan solidarity activist Daniel Dukarevich