At the solidarity tent, local residents are active in trying to get international visitors and media organisations to come and hear their case.
At the solidarity tent, local residents are active in trying to get international visitors and media organisations to come and hear their case.

Demolition plans rattle Arabs in Jerusalem



JERUSALEM // It was a bitterly cold and wet morning to spend outdoors. But for those who gathered at a makeshift tent in the Bustan neighbourhood of Silwan, East Jerusalem, on Sunday morning, it is a situation they fear they may have to get used to.

"I hope it won't get to that," said Saleh Shweiki, 56, an herbologist and local resident whose house is threatened with demolition by Jerusalem's municipal authorities. "I have 13 children and with their children we are 35 people in my house." Mr Shweiki and 87 families have lived under the threat of demolition for nearly four years now. The demolition orders were handed down because, according to the municipality, the houses were built without licences in what is designated as a national park area.

Residents, human rights groups and lawyers are crying foul, however. They say the demolition orders are part of a larger Israeli scheme to make life untenable for Jerusalem's Palestinian inhabitants. In general, activists say, it is very difficult for Palestinians in Jerusalem to obtain building permits and that in many cases in Bustan, houses were built before the Israeli occupation in 1967 and hence it was not possible to obtain such licences.

"It is possible in principle for residents to get licences now," said Ziad Kawar, the lawyer who represents the 88 families. "The people are willing to get the licences and pay the fees, but the municipality wants to create a national park and does not want to give them licences." Furthermore, the City of David archaeological park that the area is meant for is funded by a controversial Israeli organisation, El Ad, which is active in promoting building in areas of occupied East Jerusalem exclusively for Jewish housing and in transgression of international law.

The archaeological park in Silwan is claimed as the site of the first settlement of the biblical King David, but the dig there, financed by El Ad, has been characterised as "bad science" by other archaeologists. Activists say there is a clear political agenda. "Silwan is an area of archaeological importance, but it is also an area where people live," said Sarit Michaeli of B'tselem, an Israeli human rights group. "What is happening now is done in order to slowly but surely prevent the local population from existing there."

The demolition orders were first handed down in 2005, but an international outcry prevented demolitions from being carried out then. A compromise was reached whereby the residents would, at their own expense, put forward a plan for the development of the area. On Feb 17, however, the municipality rejected that plan. The new mayor in Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, promised more Jewish settlement in the occupied eastern part of the city during his campaign for office. Moreover, he left Ehud Olmert's Kadima Party because he was adamantly opposed to any future division of the city.

There is also a transition at the highest level, where Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing Likud party, is in the process of forming a new government that, whatever its ramifications for the peace process in general, will certainly be bad news for Jerusalem's Palestinians. "There are several recent [political] developments that have brought the demolitions up again," Mr Kawar said, but "ultimately it's about racism. The municipality wants the land without the people".

A municipal spokesman rejected any accusation that the municipality was doing anything but carrying out the law. "Illegal construction is illegal construction wherever it is. There happens to be a lot concentrated in this area," said Steven Miller, a spokesman for Mr Barkat. But Ms Michaeli rejected the argument. "On the face of it, this may seem like a legal issue," she said. "But it is clear that the large-scale problem of illegal building in East Jerusalem is not because East Jerusalemites are intent on breaking the law but because Israel has created this situation in the first place."

Mr Miller conceded that the issue was politically sensitive. "It's a very sensitive issue, but the mayor moves forward with what is best for all the residents of Jerusalem." Such even-handedness is certainly not evident to Silwan natives. "This is a battle for Jerusalem, make no mistake about it," said Abed Shalode of the Popular Committee for the Defence of Silwan, a local grassroots organisation that is fighting the demolition orders.

"They [Israelis] may put different reasons for why they want these houses down to why they built Maaleh Admumim [the largest settlement in the occupied West Bank], but the aim is the same. They want Palestinians out." Mr Shalode and Mr Shweiki were busy putting up maps of the threatened homes in the solidarity tent in Bustan, rain or no rain. Local residents have been active in trying to get international visitors and media organisations to come and hear their case. They remain hopeful that, as happened before, international pressure will come to bear on Israel to desist.

This may seem less likely in the event of a far-right Israeli government coalition, but Mr Shalode remained hopeful. "There is no difference between a white dog and a black dog. They are still both dogs. Whatever the new government, we will have to fight the same battle. And I think the whole neighbourhood will fight to resist this. What choice do we have?" okarmi@thenational.ae

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff

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Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

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Biography

Her family: She has four sons, aged 29, 27, 25 and 24 and is a grandmother-of-nine

Favourite book: Flashes of Thought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid

Favourite drink: Water

Her hobbies: Reading and volunteer work

Favourite music: Classical music

Her motto: I don't wait, I initiate

 

 

 

 

 

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
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Price: From Dh139,000
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

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4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

First-round leaderbaord

-5 C Conners (Can)

-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);

-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)

Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)

Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng) 

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ARGENTINA SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

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THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali

Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”

Favourite TV programme: the news

Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”

Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad

 

THE BIO

Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking

The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte

Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000

Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

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Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Rashid & Rajab

Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib

Stars: Shadi Alfons,  Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab 

Two stars out of five