Wadi Hilweh Committee: Heading to court to request stopping excavations underneath the neighborhood
Lawyer Sami Arsheed said he is about to head to court to request issuing an order to stop excavation works carried out by the Israeli authorities underneath the house of Wadi Hilweh in Silwan. He will also request all Israeli parties to take necessary measurements for the safety of the residents and their property.
The lawyer who was appointed by Wadi Hilweh Committee explained that the Israeli Antiquities department and other authorities are emptying the soil underneath the houses making life very dangerous to locals of the area. The houses of Aweidah family were badly affected by the excavations as landslides and large cracks appeared in the walls and foundations of the houses.
The occupation municipality issued an order to evacuate and close three apartments owned by Aweidah family in Wadi Hilweh due to the remarkable increase in cracks and landslides in the foundations of the house caused by excavation works underneath. The houses are owned by Hamed Aweidah, Abed Aweidah and Suleiman Aweidah; 16 individuals including 10 children live in the three apartments. ‘
The committee explained they hired lawyer Arsheed in order to obtain an order from Israeli courts to stop excavations underneath their neighborhood. They said heavy machines can be clearly heard every day to empty soil making the houses very dangerous and at risk of collapsing one after the other.
The committee also said they have followed up with the houses of Wadi Hilweh and found more than 50 houses affected by the excavations. Cracks in the walls, collapses in the ceilings and landslides were clear not to mention the damaged caused to the foundations of the houses. These houses have suffered from the excavations for the last 4 years where cracks appeared every now and then, but remarkably increased in the last few months.
Wadi Hilweh Committee denounced the approach of the Israeli governmental and official organizations headed by the Jerusalem municipality that turn the houses of Jerusalemites to “dangerous and unsafe places” and then request to evacuate and close them, and still not take any necessary procedures against the parties responsible for the excavations.
The committee warned about the settlement organizations taking advantage of evacuating the houses due to cracks in an attempt to tempt the owners to sell their property, and therefore prove the settlers’ aims to evacuate Palestinians using all methods.
Wadi Hilweh committee, explained that the occupation authorities began the excavation works underneath the neighborhood in 2007 and the residents were able to obtain an order from the Israeli courts to stop the excavations underneath their houses for 14 months and then they were able to obtain an order from the judge which allows the Israeli authorities to do their work if they don’t pose any threat to the lives of the residents, but what is happening in the neighborhood is a continuous digging operation without bothering to the local’s lives and safety. The Israeli authorities (Nature and Parks authority, Elad settlement organization and Gihon Water Company) try to avoid any responsibility when it comes to any drilling occurring underneath the neighborhood.
The committee appealed for all local, legal and international organization to take responsibility to protect Palestinian residents and put pressure on the occupation authorities to stop these excavations. They also invited them to visit the neighborhood and take a closer look on the affected houses and the suffering of residents.
Wadi Hilweh Committee with the help of specialists was able to obtain the blueprints of the tunnels underneath their houses. Blueprints showed the occupation authorities’ aim to build commercial facilities, an information center, large halls and exhibitions underneath the neighborhood of Wadi Hilweh.
