silwan - the story behind the tourist site

8/3/2019 Silwan - The Story Behind the Tourist Site

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Wadi Hilwah Inormation Center

The Story Behind

the Tourist Site


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in the heart o Wadi Hilwah neighborhood as ancient Jerusa-

lem, and called it City o David.

Ever since, many archaeologists o dierent nationalities have

conducted excavations in the area. The locals never initiated

the excavations, but they were always conducted with respect

or them, and the residents enjoyed the visits o tourists. In the

70s Israeli archaeologists began to excavate in Wadi Hilwah,

led by the renowned Pro. Yigal Shilo.

Wadi Hilwah 1967 - 1987

Soon ater the 1967 War, Israel ormally annexed East Jerusalem

into the municipal borders o Jerusalem. Silwan grew rapidly

and welcomed many Palestinian reugees rom the 48 and 67

wars. However, development in Palestinian neighborhoods in

East Jerusalem was little compared to in other parts o the city.

Wadi Hilwah in the 70s, looking from Shiloah/Silwan Pool

Once upon a time, where youre standing

right now, there was a small valley called

Wadi Hilwah, part o the large Silwan village.

Hilwah was the wie o the mukhtarSiyam.

She was killed during armed clashes in the

valley. Beore her death, the valley was

called Wadi Al-Nabah, Valley o Wails. They say that at nights

one could hear among the hedges o cactuses the wails o the

innocent girl who was viciously murdered by her brother.

The Muslim village o Silwan started to develop in the 16th

century. The village was amous or its quality agricultural pro-

duce, and served as a resting point on the way to the old city.

Today the village counts 55,000 people. 5,500 live in Wadi

Hilwah neighborhood, which lies on the Old Citys southern

slopes. Here, evidently, is where ancient Jerusalem was estab-

lished. The Gihon Spring (Ein Silwan) is the reason why peo-

ple settled on the spur more than 5000 years ago and built the

city which became holy to the three monotheistic religions.

Many cultures let their mark on the spurs slopes and valleys

that set the boundaries o Wadi Hilwah: the Canaanites, who

established the city and built the impressive underground wa-

ter system; the Judeans, who expanded the city; the Assyrians,

who besieged it; the Babylonians, who destroyed it and ban-

ished its people; the Persians; the Greeks, the heralds o Hel-

lenism; the Romans; the Byzantines; and nally the Muslims,

who ruled the city or 1300 years.

In the 20th century, the villagers lived under our dierent

rules: Ottoman, British, Jordanian, and, since 1967, Israeli, un-

der which the Palestinian residents have no citizenship a vul-

nerable and dangerous status.

Archaeology

Archaeological excavations in Wadi Hilwah

started during the late Ottoman rule. Charles

Warren discovered the underground water

system at the close o the 19th century (a site

known as Warrens Shat), identied the site

Silwan Village - Wadi Hilwah neighborhood is seen on the slopes of

the Old City


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In the 80s, the young residents rustration, ear and resentment

caused by the state o Israel translated into their participation in

the frst Intiada, in which Silwan became known or its strong

involvement. This marked the end o the age o innocence.

The Israeli Settlement in Silwan

In the beginning o the 90s, a private organization called Elad

(El Ir-David, To City o David) started to operate in the village.

In Elads mission statement it is written that its mission is to

strengthen the Jewish connection to Jerusalem, and this in the

means o tours, guidance, populating, and publishing mate-

rial. In practice, Elad everishly worked to gain ownership o

houses and lands in the village and particularly in Wadi Hilwah

neighborhood.

Guard booth above a settlement house, in the heart of Wadi Hilwah

neighborhood

Nevertheless, the 70s and the beginning o the 80s were also a

period o hope or the village, and especially or the residents o

Wadi Hilwah neighborhood, which was the closest to the old

city walls. The village was teeming with visitors. The archae-

ology attracted many tourists, who the residents welcomed

heartily: with them came somewhat nancial stability.

In Haj Musa Hamada Siyams Coeehouse (today, only the en-

trance sign is let...) one could oten nd local Palestinian resi-

dents, Israeli archaeologists and tourists sitting together. Also,

at that time several young Israelis lived in the village and had

good neighborly relationships with the Palestinians.

The entrance sign of Haj Musa Hamada Siyams coffeehouse

Building is Not Permitted!

During the 80s, the residents started to realize that their status

as non-citizens was problematic. The municipality did not in-

vest in the development o East Jerusalem, in the improvement

o the education system, or in the municipal planning o East

Jerusalem. Silwan was neglected. Most o the young residentshad to take low-paying jobs. The once pastoral village sunk

into poverty and neglect. Concerning construction, since 1967,

not a single building plan has been approved in Wadi Hilwah.

This means that the residents cannot build or expand their

homes. As amilies grew, the residents were compelled to build

without permits. Hundreds o amilies ound themselves in an

impossible situation. In addition to poverty, a decient edu-

cation system and poor physical inrastructure, the state also

turned the residents into criminals who had to pay hundreds

o thousands o Shekels in nes, and issued demolition orders

to many homes.

activestills.org

activestills.org

A recently demolished house in Silwan


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In the rst years, Elad gained control on several additional

properties in dierent means:

1. Properties were located by Elad and declared Absentee Prop-

erty according to adavits written by Elads people. Then

they were conscated and transerred to Elad without a tender

and in return or minimal ees. For instance, Abbasis house

was transerred this way. The court ruled that the house was

declared absentee property based on a perjured adavit.

2. Properties owned by the Jewish National Fund beore 1948

were transerred to Elad without a tender and in return or

minimal payment.

3. Purchasing o properties rom local residents using middle-

men. Residents who knew these men, say that they have used

dubious means and pressure in order to achieve the deal.

A special report (Klogman) rom 1992 that was commissioned

by the state to investigate the methods o property-transer

in East Jerusalem, showed that some o the means to transer

properties to the hands o settler organizations who operated

in East Jerusalem were ineligible.

By the mid-90s, Elad had managed to transer to its control

only several properties. The turning point was in 1997, and is

explained in the next section.

Ghozlans house - the Ghozlan family, who had rented the house for

decades, was removed as the JNF rented it to Elad instead

The Story of a House

One o the rst houses Elad entered was Musa Abbasis house.

The house lies next to the amous Warrens Shat. Elads

ounder, David Beeri, impersonated a tourist guide and gained

Abbasis trust by bringing groups o tourists to his house. Resi-

dents riends o Abbasi remember that Abbasi saw in David

Beeri, who brought tourists to purchase his lemons, a true

riend. Beeri collected inormation about the property in his

visits and used it in a legal procedure to declare most o Ab-

basis house Absentee Property. This means that the legal

owner lives in an enemy state and that, according to the Absen-

tee Property Law, the state o Israel can conscate the property

without compensation. It appears a contract was signed be-

tween the state and Elad without a tender and without Abbasis

knowledge, and so, in the dead o night in October 1991, Elads

people entered the house and removed Musa and his amily.

Elads people in Abbasis house after the takeover, October 1991


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Many o the excavations are done rapidly and in a manner that

archaeologists in Israel and abroad fnd unacceptable. In some

sites archaeological strata have been removed with no public

discussion: in Elad-sponsored excavations next to the old city

walls, skeletons were removed by the Antiquities Authority

rom tombs rom the Muslim period without the Ministry o

Religion being notifed, according to the Haaretz newspaper;

this is ag ainst the regulations o the Antiquities Authority itsel.

Archaeological excavations are also

planned and carried out beneath pri-

vate residences without the residents

being consulted. In the last couple o

years, parts o houses have collapsed,

land has subsided and roads have caved

in. In one case, the walls o a kindergar-

ten collapsed next to an excavation. As

a result the municipality closed-o two

rooms in the kindergarten but oered no alternative or the

children. More encouragingly, one o the lateral diggings was

temporarily stopped as a result o the residents petition to the

Israeli High Court.

In contrast to the excavations o the 70s, led by Pro. Shilo,

which were part o the village and to its benet, todays excava-

tions are done under a mantle o heavy security: armed guards,

24-7 surveillance cameras, ences and locks.

Dozens of security cameras are installed in the neighborhood - some

intrude on the residents privacy

Turning Point

In 1997, Elad received rom the Israeli Land Administration the

responsibility or the preservation and maintenance o City o

David national park, which lies in the heart o Wadi Hilwah

neighborhood, the internationally signicant site o ancient

Jerusalem. Perhaps that is why the Israeli Antiquities Author-

ity opposed handing responsibility to Elad, a private body with

a clear political agenda or the area. Following an appeal to the

Israeli High Court, the contract with Elad was annulled. How-

ever, the contract was reenacted in 2002 by the Israeli Parks and

Nature Authority. Surprisingly, the Antiquities Authority did

not oppose the move in its second round.

Archaeology in Elads Era

Since Elad received responsibility or the national parks man-

agement, the rate o archaeological excavations has doubled

and tripled. Mobilizing millions o dollars, Elad initiates many

controversial excavations that are carried out by the Antiquities

Authority. It is important to understand that almost all excava-

tions in Wadi Hilwah are dened as salvage excavations.

In contrast to excavations licensed and executed by academic

institutes, salvage excavations are authorized by an internal

process o the Antiquities Authority in order to rescue and doc-

ument ndings beore uture construction. In Wadi Hilwah,

however, building is completely prohibited, and thereore, it

is not clear under which provision and authority these salvage

excavations are carried out.

Excavations are conducted behind fences, security and curtains, which

stress the estrangement between the residents and the archaeology in

the village.

activestills.org


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Wadi Hilawhs streets are closed off during Jewish holidays

In contrast, settlers houses in Silwan are strongly connected

to the tourist site. Security arrangements are shared between

settlers and site, and tours sometimes include private settlers

compounds. However unintentionally, visitors to the City o

David have become an active part o the settlement o East Je-

rusalem in the eyes o the local residents.

Soldiers enter a settlers compound as par t of their tour in City of David

History as Told by Elad

The City o David is one o the most amous tourist sites in Is-

rael. More than 400,000 tourists visit the site annually, with

many Israeli students and thousands o IDF soldiers among

them. A percipient tourist will probably notice that the ocial

guides ocus almost exclusively on the King David and Jewish

periods. Poor signposting in the national park tells the Jewish

narrative o Jerusalem while neglecting the stories o many

other cultures whose part in the citys history is no less signi-

cant than the Jewish one.

It is worth examining the decision to design an important na-

tional park in the context o a Jewish heritage while ignoring

all other cultures. Ironically, ndings that prove unequivocally

the existence o King David and his city remain to be ound. A

balanced history would tell a story that relates to most o the

worlds population: Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Such a multi-cultural narrative o the chronicles o Jerusalem

might encourage tolerance and reconciliation in a split and con-

tested Jerusalem. Instead, today the site is used by Elad as an

educative tool to promote an agenda o exclusively Jewish set-

tlement.

A Visit to a National Park or a Settlement?

The common visitor to the City o David begins his tour on

cobbled foors in a closed compound guarded by armed person-

nel. The tour continues into a closed construction that in part

emulates a tunnel. In this ashion the tourist is denied contact

with Silwan, a lively Palestinian village with a pastoral past and

a troublesome present. Village lie - and the residents - are con-cealed rom the visitors as i they have no signicance. From

the site guide or the lm, the tourist learns that he is in the his-

torical City o David.

The parks design represents a choice to value the interests o

the past over those o the present inhabitants. The separation

between the residents and the tourists osters eelings o alien-

ation and bitterness in the locals. The residents have become

a disturbing element in the City o David oreigners in their

own village.

activestills.org


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Today the Jewish settlement in Silwan constitutes around 5%

o the population o Wadi Hilwah. However, the presence

o these 400 people is endangering the way o lie o Wadi

Hilwahs residents. While on the one hand many o their hous-

es are slated or demolition by the municipality, on the other

Elad initiates numerous projects that limit their living space to

urther its agenda o changing the demographic reality in Wadi

Hilwah. Residents eel unwanted and as i they are being sys-

tematically expelled rom their homes in the name o archaeol-

ogy, history and Elads crusade or Jewish settlement.

Behind the scenes o the tourist site live people. They should be

seen, heard and helped to oppose the injustices they ace.

The residents o Wadi Hilwah ask the people o Israel and the

world to support their struggle or the right to live in their vil-lage as part o a multi-cultural Jerusalem based on principles o

equality and peace.

National Park: Private Property!

Elads stewardship o the national park has heralded a new era

o change in the neighborhood. Ater decades o neglect, the

authorities have started a project o regeneration undertaken

without the consultation o local people. The work is carried

out at the expense o the locals quality o lie and living space.

Public and private spaces used by residents or hundreds o

years have been blocked o and incorporated into the national

park, and the municipality wishes to expropriate those remain-

ing or public needs. And what are the public needs according

to the Jerusalem municipality, in a neighborhood where there

are no playgrounds, no public gardens, no sport acilities, ew

classrooms and no clinics? Answer: parking lots or the sites

visitors.

The neighborhood streets have also been suddenly changing

their names: Wadi Hilwah street is now City o David As-

cent. Dozens o security cameras and armed guards have been

installed in the streets and alleys. Palestinian residents have no

protection rom the settlers activity in the neighborhood, and

episodes o increasing violence occur between residents and

guards who see themselves as law-enorcers.

An armed guard walks in Wadi Hilwah

activestills.org


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Wadi Hilwah Information Center - Silwan

www.silwanic.net

Additional InformationHuman Rights in East Jerusalem

www.acri.org.il/pdf/eastjer2009.pdf

Alternative Archaeological Tours in Silwan

www.alt-arch.org

Video Articles

ELAD co-funds municipal construction plans in East Jerusalem

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNS6k-TUWzc

Digging for Trouble - Israel/Palestine

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRNAJCHxa7w

Articles

Archaeology in Jerusalem 1967 - 2008

alt-arch.org/jerusalem.php

Parks Fortify Israels Claim to Jerusalem

www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/world/middleeast/10jerusalem.html?_r=2

Court orders state to explain construction in Jerusalems Holy Basin

www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1036990.html

Islamic-era skeletons disappeared from Elad-sponsored dig


Elad accused of withholding donor information

www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=926546City of David tunnel excavation proceeds without proper permit


Digging too deep?

www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1204214000979&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Land Lords (concerning the Absentee Property Act) news.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=530047

The very eye of the storm


New Tensions in Jerusalems Arab Neighborhoods

www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/world/middleeast/07jerusalem.html?_r=2&hp

What Lies Beneath

www.thenation.com/doc/20080818/hoffman

Archaeologists for Hire

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/may/01/archaeologistsforhire

A Separate Peace


silwan - the story behind the tourist site

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