FAST, the Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory, condemns the destruction of Tawil abu Jarwal, a Bedouin village in the Negev. FAST research shows that the destruction of the village is part of a larger land grab plan. Since 1948, the state of Israel developed policies to occupy the Negev. In the recent years, the Israeli government approved many plans and masterplans to build on top of these villages. The destruction of Tawil abu Jarwal is another step in the execution of these plans, and yet proves another series of basic human rights violation of the Bedouin population in the Negev. Read more about On-going Destruction in the Negev
We have started filming the stories of Atir and Um Al-Hiran’s villagers. “As if living beside desert highways in makeshift homes with no facilities was not enough, Palestinian Bedouin villagers in Um al-Hiran and Atir now face their second, unwanted, exodus in 50 years. Drive along the desert highways around Beer el-Sabe (Beer Sheva) in the south of Israel, and it does not take long to notice clusters of makeshift houses set in from the side of the road. These Bedouin villages are ‘unrecognised’ by the state of Israel, and consequently have no official status. Read more about Archive of displacement
Preservation projects can be as emblematic as the destruction that induces them. Construction can be used both to reinforce a violent separation of the built environment and destroy the fabric of a former life. The FAST conference on May 14 in Amsterdam will form an inquiry into the ways preservation projects are being appropriated by official institutions in order to promote ideological and political agendas. Some torn threads of antiquity include the destruction of Muslim history, religious monuments and buildings in Bosnia; the destruction of black history and heritage in South Africa under the apartheid regime; and the destruction and distortion of Palestinian past after the creation of the State of Israel. A poignant example of this eradication of local memory is the village of Lifta. Read more about FAST Conference: Reconstruction of Memory
Last week, a group of sixty prominent British architects and planners has threatened to boycott the Israeli construction industry over the erection of the security fence and practices in the occupied territories. Following a meeting hosted at the offices of Lord Rogers, the architect behind the Millenium Dome and the Pompidou Centre in Paris, Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine announced its plan to take action against Israel. The Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory (F.A.S.T.) welcomes this call and sees it as a personal and professional responsibility to fully support this call and welcomes the discussion on the role of Israeli architects and planners in sustaining the Israeli colonization of Palestinian land. Read more about British architects and planners boycott Israeli construction companies
The village of Lifta, which lies just outside Jerusalem, has been abandoned since the Israeli army drove out the last of its Palestinian inhabitants in 1948. Now, however, a renovation project aims to turn Lifta into an expensive and exclusive Jewish residential area - reinventing its history in the process. In the following months, the Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory (F.A.S.T.) will, with your help, reconstruct the map of Lifta. F.A.S.T. invites you to help it describe the town by sending your details, narratives, drawings and photographs of Lifta. F.A.S.T. will compile the material that is send to them (by email or fax) and fill the map. Read more about Urgent Appeal: Help F.A.S.T. Reconstruct Lifta's Map
On Friday, June 17, 2005 the National ‘Back to Israel’ Day will take place in Israel. The National ‘Back to Israel’ day: Saving Israel’s Democracy by Fighting the Occupation will create a central stage for all of Israel’s civic organizations delivering the key message to the broad public: Israel’s democracy is at risk due to the occupation. The coalition of pro-peace and human rights organizations in Israel got together to celebrate the value of democracy and its contribution to the Israeli public at-large. F.A.S.T. (the Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory) has decided to help the coalition of -peace and human rights organizations in Israel and to promote the T-shirt contest of the National ‘Back to Israel’ Day. Read more about FAST T-shirt contest deadline on June 10th
On 6th February, 2005, One Land Two Systems is presenting the results of its international architecture competition for an alternative to the Israeli government masterplan devised for the ‘unrecognised’ Palestinian village of Ein Hud in Israel. The story of Ein Hud, south of Haifa, is a typical example of the complex reality of ideological planning in Israel – and how such planning contributes to the Israeli-Palestinian tragedy. The competititon has been a huge success, with over 100 entries arriving from more then 30 countries, each one outlining a sustainable and liveable alternative for the Palestininan village, in contrast to the Israeli government’s unworkable plan. Read more about One land two systems announces winners architecture competition
