Praying roadblock

The Palestinian village of Silwan in East Jerusalem is located next to the archeological site of the City of David; this location has pretty much sealed its fate and some 90 houses in Silwan's neighborhood of Al-Bustan are marqued for demolition by the Municipality of Jerusalem. This is a very intricate and ideologically charged situation.

Silwan was annexed by Israel in 1967, like many other parts of greater East Jerusalem. What is happening to this village, however, is particular. The settlers’ organization, ELAD, runs the archeological site of the City of David. Initially discovered in 1867, the City of David has now become an ever-expanding archeological park. The official website explains its principles: “Following the Six Day War Jerusalem was united and the boundary erased. However, a Jewish presence was missing from the City of David. Towards the end of the seventies, archaeological excavations in the City of David began, and continued for several seasons, under the directorship of Professor Yigal Shiloh discoveries and greatly expanded our current understanding of the City of David. Throughout the years, additional excavations have taken place which enriched our knowledge about the City of David. In 1991 the first Jewish residents began to return to live in the City of David and today the area is a thriving Jewish community. The purpose of the ‘City of David Visitors Center’ is to bring as many people as possible to visit the area and to experience the place… where it all began” (http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/).

Despite the fact that these excavations threaten the streets of Silwan as well as the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority has authorized ELAD to run the site and pursue its goals. As such this archaeological project is part of a broader ideology that promotes the Judaization of Jerusalem through various means, such as settlements, house demolitions, unfair budgetary distributions, and the construction of the Barrier. Silwan is caught in the eye of the storm.

Several groups are trying to draw attention to this situation. One of them is Emek Shaveh, a non-profit association of archaeologists who offer alternative tours to the City of David in order to interrogate ideological uses of archaeological findings (http://www.alt-arch.org/). And of course, the people of Silwan themselves are getting organized and every Friday gather in the street in sign of protest. However, there is no shouting, no violence; they have chosen to protest by praying in the middle of the road. Such a gesture is highly symbolic in a country where the army installs roadblocks made of giant concrete blocks to prevent Palestinians from getting around in their daily life. These men pray and force people to stop and look at them.