Stop the Demolition of Homes for the King’s Garden Park in East Jerusalem

Al-Bustan is a neighborhood within Silwan in East Jerusalem. Its name means "The Orchard" in Arabic (bustan is also the word for orchard in Hebrew). This name hearkens back to a time when the valley was filled with fruit trees, which were nurtured by ancient springs. Today, the Al-Bustan neighborhood holds geopolitical importance because of its close proximity to the City of David archaeological site and Jerusalem’s Old City.

The Jerusalem municipality and mayor call the Al-Bustan neighborhood the “King’s Garden” and promote the hypothesis that the royal garden mentioned several times in the Tanakh once stood here. Within the Al-Bustan neighborhood, these government officials want to create a biblically themed park, inspired by scriptural references. Carrying out this plan would entail demolishing approximately 22 to 56 Palestinian houses and displacing dozens of people.

Additional Background

Take Action: Stop the Demolition of Homes for the King’s Garden Park

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Subject:

Your Letter:

I am writing to urge you to stop the Jerusalem Municipality’s plans to demolish Palestinians houses within the Al-Bustan section of Silwan in order to construct the proposed King’s Garden Park inspired by scriptural references.
  
The plan to demolish these homes runs counter to Jewish values, which prioritize the dignity and safety of every human being. And there is no definitive evidence that the gardens of King David and King Solomon stood on the site; Israeli archaeologists actively debate its location.

King David, himself, once learned a valuable lesson about taking advantage of those with less power. After David had Bathsheba’s husband killed in order to marry her, the Prophet Nathan appeared with a parable. In this parable, a rich man with a large flock steals the only ewe of a poor man, who has loved and nurtured this animal. David becomes enraged. Nathan responds, “You are that man.”

The restoration of a biblical landscape within a densely populated area does not serve a greater good when it comes at the expense of your most vulnerable citizens.

You have justified demolishing homes in Al-Bustan because the buildings were constructed without permits. But unauthorized construction in Al-Bustan is a direct result of the Israeli government’s failure to provide a timely and just zoning and building plan for all of East Jerusalem. Silwan’s local leaders, like most East Jerusalemites want to find legal solutions for their housing needs, but currently have virtually no way to acquire legal permits to build.

I urge you and the Jerusalem Municipality not to slate homes in Al-Bustan for demolition. Instead, please find a solution in consultation with the residents that allows them to remain in their homes and permits them to imagine a better future for their children. The community of Silwan is in dire need of adequate planning that takes the population's needs into consideration and provides the residents with proper public services, schools, and playgrounds. Let that take precedent over displacing people for a tourist attraction in the neighborhood.

Sincerely,

Michael Oren

Ambassador of Israel

Washington, DC
US

Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister of Israel

Jerusalem,
IL

Nir Barkat

Mayor of Jerusalem

Jerusalem,
IL

Additional Background

In Al-Bustan over the last half century, many local Palestinian residents constructed homes without building permits. The issue of illegal construction is not unique to the Al-Bustan neighborhood. In fact, the majority of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem are constructed without permits because of is the difficulty for Palestinians in obtaining building permits.

The Jerusalem municipality initially presented a plan to create a biblically themed park inspired by scriptural references in the Al-Bustan neighborhood back in 2005. This plan entailed the demolition of up to 88 Palestinian houses in the area in order to make room for the park.

The families, under threat of losing homes to the government’s proposal, came up with their own neighborhood plan that provided a resolution to the threats to their property and presented plans for public and commercial functions. The District Planning Committee rejected the community’s plan in February 2009 arguing:

Al-Bustan area was part of the continuum of open spaces that must be preserved due to landscape sensitivity, and the great importance of their locations. Approval of the plan would also violate the principle of preserving a green belt separating the Old City and its surroundings.

Following continued immense international pressure, the government’s plans for the Al-Bustan neighborhood were reworked and scaled back to affect 22 houses in 2010. As a concession, the Jerusalem government has offered to allow these families to resettle in new, legally constructed residences (to be built on top of other existing homes) on the eastern slope of the park and said the remaining 66 buildings would be retroactively granted permits. None of the households affected want to be forcibly relocated due to many inherent obstacles that render it unfeasible.

The most recent information available indicates that as many as 56 building, not 22, will be affected. In May 2012, the lawyer representing the residents of Al-Bustan received an official document informing him that there will be no postponement of some of these demolition orders after September 2012; at that point, the authorities will have the power to begin demolishing homes at any time.

Take Action: Stop the Demolition of Homes for the King’s Garden Park