Origin: Palestine | Documentary | Director: Muayad Alayan - Laila Higazi | 52 minutes

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Sacred stones

Muayad Alayan - Laila Higazi 2011 docu 52 min.

Sacred Stones is a documentary examining the environmental and health harm
caused by rapacious stone mining in the West Bank to serve the Israeli
construction market. Palestinian stone is today used in the construction of
iconic buildings in the far corners of the world. It is also used
extensively within Israel. As a result, in the Palestinian villages,
cities, and refugee camps of the West Bank, stone is being quarried at
unsustainable rates, causing a cascade of environmental, social, and health
problems for local populations. Complaints by Palestinians have largely
been ignored, not only by relevant international agencies but also by
Palestinian officials who seem unable to halt the course the industry has
taken. Sacred Stones draws on interviews with traders, labourers,
officials, scholars, and local community figures to lift the lid on this
vast and potentially ruinous industry.

Trailer: http://vimeo.com/40973133

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View trailer