Thursday, May 7, 2009

Back to the Future? Palestinians Rebuild With Mud


By Eva Bartlett

"RAFAH, May 7 (IPS) - Jihad el-Shaar is pleased with his mud-brick house in the Moraj district of Gaza. The 80-square metre home is a basic one-storey, two-bedroom design, with a small kitchen, bathroom and sitting room, made mostly with mud and straw.

"My wife and our four daughters and I were living with family, but it was overcrowded, impossible. We knew we had to build a home of our own," Shaar said. "We waited over two years for cement but because of the siege there is none available. What could we do, wait forever?"

So he decided to do it with mud.....

During its three-week assault Israel destroyed some 5,000 homes and 20,000 buildings.

"Since I've made my house, I've got many calls from people, especially in Rafah, who want to rebuild their houses using this technique," says Shaar. "There are entire families living in tents. Why not build a home like this? Because of the siege, we've found other ways of living." "

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