Digging In: Pernicious promenade (Ha'aretz)

"Twenty-two buildings of architectural and historical value will be demolished in the old town of Hebron "for military needs," under Decree Number 61/02/T to Expropriate Property issued by the Israel Defense Forces on November 29 of this year; this is claimed in a petition submitted to the High Court of Justice yesterday on behalf of the Hebron Municipality, the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC) and residents of Hebron.

"The decree applies to an area of 8.2 dunams, six to 12 meters wide and 730 meters long, about a quarter of which is in the old town.

"The expropriation of the land and the demolishing of the buildings were aimed, according to the attorney who filed the petition, Shlomo Lecker, for purposes of building a tourism promenade between the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba and the Tomb of the Patriarchs (the Ibrahim Mosque), on the worshipers' way.

"According to the American administration and Israeli sources close to the planning, the aim of the expropriation of the land and the building of the promenade is to create territorial contiguity between Kiryat Arba and Hebron. The plan for the promenade - intended for use by Jewish settlers only - was prepared for the Israel Government Tourism Corporation by architect Yigal Levy.

"Originally, the plan consisted of two parts: an open promenade in an area that was not built up and an "alley promenade," which was supposed to have traversed the southern edge of the old town, among the ancient buildings and within the historic fabric. The plan included a recommendation to preserve and rehabilitate the ancient buildings. According to Levy, at one stage he even cooperated with an Egyptian architect in planning the preservation and reconstruction work at the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

"After the fierce battle that took place there on November 15, between Israel Defense Forces soldiers and Palestinians (in which four soldiers, five Border Police, three Jewish settlers and the two terrorists were killed), dealing with the plan was transferred to the hands of the IDF.

"Tourism Minister Yitzhak Levy said this week on Army Radio that the army is dealing with the plan, not the Tourism Ministry.

"An opinion prepared by architect Shmuel Groag of Bimkom Planners for Planning Rights, a non-profit organization, for the petition to the High Court of Justice, states that the proposed route of the promenade "severely damages cultural, historical, archaeological and architectural values, together with severe damage to the quality of life of the residents of the Jabber neighborhood who live there and those who have been forced to leave."

"The old town of Hebron, as stated in the opinion, is a unique historical fabric that was created over hundreds of years, layer upon layer, where there are buildings from the Mameluke period, from the 15th century to the 19th century. The place is characterized by a tangle of alleys that have created a picturesque Casbah. There are covered passageways, internal courtyards, arches, stone walls and decorated apertures.

"In its structure, the old town of Hebron resembles old Acre, which was recently declared a World Heritage Site. This designation was made possible after Israel signed the World Heritage Convention and thus committed itself to world cultural assets located in its territory and in territories under its control, including Hebron.

"This weekend the members of the Israeli branch of Icomos, the UNESCO International Council on Monuments and Sites, will meet in Jerusalem. It is their intention to ask Culture Minister Limor Livnat, who was present at the ceremony, to declare Acre a World Heritage Site, to act to prevent the destruction of Hebron's cultural heritage."

    

Liking Ike: Honda Shows Off Upgraded Walking Robot (AP)

Honda Motor Co. (news - web sites) may have come up with the most attentive and perhaps honest car dealer ever in its child-size walking robot Asimo.

The four-foot-tall machine, shown to reporters Wednesday, already knew how to walk, climb stairs and recognize voices. An upgraded version now also understands human gestures and movement.