Skip to main content

Locals Protest Israeli Road Dividing East Jerusalem Village

Residents of the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Safafa are protesting Israeli plans to build a highway through the heart of their village, Jillian Kestler-D'Amours reports.
A plainclothes Israeli policeman (L) detains a Palestinian protester during a demonstration against Israel's construction of a road in the Arab neighbourhood of Beit Safafa in Jerusalem February 10, 2013. Some 50 Palestinians protested against the construction of the road, which they claim is an expropriation of their land. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION) - RTR3DL5P

BEIT SAFAFA, EAST JERUSALEM — Shouting “No, no, no to Road 4” and walking hand in hand, hundreds of Palestinian children, men and women poured into a fenced-in Israeli construction site in Beit Safafa Sunday, Feb. 10 in protest of an Israeli roadway residents say will destroy their village.

“Everything is going to be changed. It’s not going to be the same Beit Safafa I know, so of course I’m going to be against it because it’s not logical,” said 25-year-old resident and protest organizer Duaa Subhi. “It will be like the separation wall in the West Bank, but inside the village.”

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.