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Toronto Globe and Mail | Tuesday, December 31, 2002
Letters to the Editor
Forwarded to the National Journal by a readerBulldozing history
HOWARD V. WALKER
Barrie, Ont. -- Early this month, the Israeli army ordered property seizures and house demolitions in Hebron. I hope that Canadian architects, and everyone who values the global architectural heritage, will join Palestinian and Israeli architects who have come together in protest against this planned destruction of historic buildings in the West Bank city.
These buildings, in the Jaber neighbourhood, date from the Mamluk to the Ottoman period (15th to 19th centuries). They form an integral part of the fabric of the old town.
Incredibly, this destruction is being proposed despite an uncompleted rehabilitation project for historic Hebron receiving an Aga Khan award for architecture in 1998.
The clearance is intended to link two Jewish settlements. As many as 103 buildings (Palestinian homes) will be affected. Apart from the human misery being created, it represents a cavalier disregard for global heritage and warrants condemnation by the world community.
HOWARD V. WALKER, past president, Architectural Conservancy of Ontario
