Land Research Center

Is it the tunnel that connects Al-Khawajat Market to Al-Qarmi neighborhood or the indifference of the Israeli Municipality that caused cracks of and even collapses to more than 20 houses?!!! 

On 10/09/2013, the lives of 120 people- women, children, and elderly- were threatened as their houses began cracking and collapsing.

The excavations carried out by fanatic colonists in the tunnels that go beneath Al-Khawajat Souq (Market) to link Al-Qarmi with Hawsh Al-Asmar to the north where 14 families live; 8 of them had to evict the area and to the south where there are 7 houses, a carpentry shop, and two houses that belong to Zallum family but were evicted and Zallum were replaced with two Jewish colonial families.

According to people of Al-Qarmi, they have been listening to the noise of digging machines for over six months.  Many cases of houses and structures cracking and collapsing due to the digging and ravaging taking place under these structures were recorded.

People of the neighborhood called for the Israeli Municipality at 6 in the morning for fear of their and children's lives. Officers of the Municipality and Archaeology Department came after two hours despite the seriousness of the situation. It is their responsibility to find a solution. The Israeli government in general is held responsible especially that its officers and soldiers are always present in the neighborhood to protect the colonists and watch Palestinians.

A group of people protesting in front of their houses told an LRC observer that, 

Officers of the Municipality and Archaeology department came two hours after being called upon only to say that they could not do anything and that our houses are in danger and we have to evict the area. It is our responsibility they said.

The response of the officers of the municipality after being asked by residents to renovate their houses:

 "There is no budget for restoration. Besides, it is your responsibility."

Scenes of the cracks inside houses and out

After two weeks of the incident, the Municipality put warning signs in front of the houses that read: "Caution! Danger Wall" instead of restoring or fixing the houses. 

Protesters of men and women expressed their dismay and disapproval of the Municipality's and Archaeology department's attitude and reply. Some commented:

 The municipality knows all our problems and suffering but turns a deaf ear. The excavations started in January, 2013 and began expanding day after day until it caused audible cracks and collapses. We saw stones and dust falling down – from walls as the case of Samir Al-Asmar's and Mohamad Al-Salayma's houses or from floors as the case of Mazen Al-Asmar's.

The family of Abdul-Rahman Al-Asmar told an LRC human rights observer that,

We finished renovating the house on Eid Al-fitr, that is one month ago. The restoration was on our expense. But now as you see, there are cracks in the living room, bathroom and entrance room. And one of the people pointed out to a crack in Al-Jabari's carpentry shop which was closed due to serious cracks.

People of Al-Qarmi neighborhood protesting against the excavations carried out by the Israeli Municipality under their houses

Land Research Centre- Arab Studies Society in Jerusalem affirms after conducting a field research; hearing from witnesses; doing firsthand observation; and connecting the incident with similar ones before like the collapse in Hawsh Al-Osila and along the western arcade of Al-Aqsa Mosque that the Israeli Municipality is indifferent to its responsibilities and is reckless to the consequences of its actions that caused the collapse and cracks to many houses; the houses of Al- Zaitawi and Marrar and Idkidek to mention a few.

Land Research Centre holds the Israeli Municipality responsible for the following:

• Responsible for all the moral and financial damages that inflicted on people and houses

• Responsible for renovating and restoring the houses so that they become safe and inhabitable

• Responsible for closing all the tunnels underground that cause damage to houses and historical places

• Responsible for securing the Palestinian right to proper residence under the occupation stated by the fourth Geneva convention