© Hila Shiloni Phtographer
Opening lecture by Dr. Tawfiq Da'adli (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), visiting professor of Arab-Israeli Coexistence
This talk will tackle the urban changes that took place in central Palestine under three regimes, by pointing a spotlight on the cities of Ludd and Ramle (situated on the road between Tel-Aviv-Jaffa and Jerusalem). The talk will first describe how indigenous inhabitants built their cities from the ground. Afterwards, it will show how the central and detached British colonial power used planning "scissors" to make the city more suitable for external control. The last part of the talk will demonstrate how the Israeli regime remodeled the whole landscape in creating a sort of terra nullius - "free" of any obstacles from the past, in order to build a new future.