On Sunday, 30/8/2009, hundreds of residents of Kfar Shalem gathered at the center of the neighborhood to hold a stormy protest rally against the continuing attempt to evict them from their homes and property while, at the same time, public officials blatantly renounce all responsibility. The residents staged a protest march and briefly blocked the main intersection between Haganah and Moshe Dayan Streets.
In the spirit of solidarity with their struggle, dozens of activists from various movements for social change attended the rally, including a delegation from the Jaffa Popular Committee against House Demolitions and Dispossession of Arab Residents. During the rally, residents of Kfar Shalem set up a plaque in the central square of the neighborhood, in memory of Shimon Yehoshua who was killed in December 1982 while attempting to defend his home against a large force of police who came here to secure a demolition team sent to tear down the house.
Shimon Yehoshua a few minutes after he was killed on the roof of his home, Kfar Shalem, 23 December 1982.
Aharon Maduel, a member of Tel-Aviv City Council and Secretary of the Kfar Shalem Committed: “Today, the residents of Kfar Shalem have sent a clear message to the agents of dispossession led by the Tel-Aviv Municipality and the Halamish Housing Company. ‘No more!’ This protest rally is the starting signal for an uncompromising public struggle by the residents of the neighborhood. If someone dares to sell the land here behind the backs of the residents — the ground will burn under his feet.”
Read more on the background of the struggle:
Kfar Shalem: The Struggle Resumes (August 2009)
Kfar Shalem — The “Mahal/Moshe Dayan” Residential Compound: Interim Summary of the Struggle (January 2008)
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[First published 31.8.2009]