Nobel Women's Initiative

During a visit to the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusualem, Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire called for Arab women to stand in solidarity with each other, and resist the demolition of their homes.  She also called on the international community to cease their support of Israel’s policy of discrimination and ‘harassment’ of Arabs living in Jerusalem.

“Last year I visited a Muslim cemetery that was being dug out of the ground to make way for a National Museum of Tolerance,” said Maguire.  “What a disgrace.”

Maguire met with several families living in Silwan—one of whom already had their home demolished.  According to local human rights activists and the lawyer representing families whose homes are allegedly on the list, the municipal government plans to demolish 88 houses.

“Women should demand the upholding of international law,” says Maguire.  “The UN, the US should all play fair—the Palestinian people deserve justice, and human security.  They need to be able to feed their families.”

Activists at the press conference, including an Eastern Orthodox priest and a Jewish rabbi, noted that the house demolitions are part of a larger strategy to reduce the number of Arabs living in Jerusalem.