Wadi Hilweh Information Center
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center is a citizen journalist project founded to document the stories of residents of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. The center and its sister organization, Madaa Silwan Creative Center, are projects of resistance to ongoing settler activity in the neighborhood. In 1986, settlement organizations, in conjunction with Israeli authorities, began the City of David project, an archaeological dig which has damaged many Palestinian homes and infrastructure. The settlers have a large private security force that is frequently violent towards the Palestinian residents of the neighborhood, including children.
The information center says of itself, “We, the residents of Wadi Hilwah, did not delegate anyone to convey the information on our behalf, and we do not allow any person to obscure our deep rooted identity which lies in the houses, stones, trees, gardens, springs, and sky of our village … We will tell the story and history of our village to all people without reservation, hesitation, intolerance, or racism. We are proud of the full history of our village and proud of being the owners of this beautiful legacy.”
For more information, visit the center’s website.