Opposing the architects of the occupation

About
200 British and Israeli architects and academics, including people of
international renown, have signed a manifesto initiated by the British
organization Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine, which
calls on Israeli architects and planners to put an end to being
"partners in social, political and economic oppression" in the occupied
territories, "which violates the professional ethics acceptable to
all."

The manifesto points to three representative projects
currently promoted by the planning authorities: the master plan for the
E1 region between the settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem, which
will prevent Palestinian territorial contiguity; construction in Silwan
in East Jerusalem, which involves the demolition of dozens of homes;
and a plan to build a luxury neighborhood on the remains of the former
Palestinian village of Lifta.

The organization considers
participation in these projects, construction in the occupied
territories and any planning in Israel that involves discrimination and
repression, to be a blatant violation of international conventions,
which require professional and ethical responsibility for the social
and environmental consequences of planning and construction work. The
organization has sent letters on the subject to the International
Architects Association and to the Israel Association of United
Architects. It has also turned to Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski and
to Minister of Construction and Housing Meir Sheetrit on the matter.