Israel architect Moshe Safdie responds to Sri Lankan Journalists for Global Justice

Thursday, 23 February 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

I am writing in response to your reporting on ‘Sri Lankan Journalists for Global Justice write to SL Institute of Architects on famed Israeli architect,’ dated 16 February.

While in Sri Lanka, I did in fact speak to the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, where in my speech I unequivocally denied these allegation which first appeared in a commentary in the Sunday Times on 14 February.

The authors quote a source commentary article from The Guardian in the UK from 2010, which also erroneously mischaracterised my involvement with settlement buildings in the West Bank. With any fact checking, these statements would be shown to be without any foundation. In fact, editors from The Guardian issued a statement that corrected the erroneous claims that were the basis of the commentary and clarified my strong position about the settlements and my previous planning work.

Let me unequivocally state my position once again:

1. I am a strong believer in a two-state solution. I have personally drafted a proposal for a two-state solution with a joint federal structure.

2. I have, for decades, proposed policies for the coexistence and cohabitation of the land by both the Palestinian and the Israeli people.

3. I have refused, consistently since 1967, to design settlements in any of the occupied territory. I have designed projects within the Jerusalem city limits, where I have helped restore the ancient Jewish Quarter and the rebuilding of the Mamilla District. I have therefore, in no way, contributed to the design of building of settlements. Moreover, I am an active member in Tikkun, an organization that supports Palestinian villages in fighting the separation wall as it cuts through their lands and territories by supporting their efforts through the judiciary system.

I request that you immediately publish an appropriately prominent response and correction of this false and misleading characterisation of my involvement with planning and settlements in the West Bank. I have also requested that the Sunday Times correct their false reporting of the 12 February commentary item, which similarly quoted the erroneous Guardian item from 2010. I also request that the story be removed from the newspaper’s online platforms.

Moshe Safdie