Check Points and Refugee Camps

After spending the first 2 days of our delegation in Jerusalem, we headed to Bethlehem. Bethlehem should be a 20-minute taxi ride from Jerusalem, however, it takes much longer because you have to enter the West Bank (Bethlehem is in the West Bank) through a checkpoint. 

Our van driver dropped us off at the checkpoint and we waited in the long line to have our passports checked. Palestinians who wish to enter/exit the West Bank must have a permit to do so. Even with a permit, it can take a LONG time to pass through security. Just to give you an idea, we met a Palestinian friend of CPT in Jerusalem who lives near Bethlehem and it took him an hour and 45 minutes to make the journey. 

Here we are at the checkpoint:

It wasn't difficult for us to get through the checkpoint because we are Americans. Once we got through, we took a taxi to Bethlehem. 

One of the most meaningful experiences, for me, was going to Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. About 4,500 Palestinian refugees live in Aida and more than half of the people living in the camp are children. Their families have been living in the camp since they were pushed out of their villages when the state of Israel was created in 1948. Although many of their villages were located just a few miles away from the camp, the refugees are not allowed to return to their land. 

The key is a significant symbol for the refugees because it symbolizes their hope that they will someday return to their land. Because many Palestinians fled quickly and were not sure how long they would be gone, many families took only their keys when they left in 1948. Most likely, their homes have been destroyed or were occupied by Jews, however, they still hold onto the key. 

In 2004, Israel began building a 3-story concrete wall just a few meters from the houses of the camp. This wall is part of a system of walls and fences being built by Israel throughout the West Bank. Many Palestinians who live next to the wall call it a separation wall because it separates them from their farmland, their neighbors, and open land. 

We met a man named Rich who works at the Lajee Center in Aida Refugee Camp. "Lajee" means refugee in Arabic and the Lajee Center serves as a youth center for children and teens who live in the refugee camp. According to their website, their mission is to develop social awareness in refugee youth. 

"Activities are organised with the goal of fostering in the participants a wider understanding of the world in which they live, focusing on issues relating specifically to their own society, culture and history, as well as the global context. Our hope is to develop the social awareness of the children, deepen their education and provide them with the critical skills necessary for them to take on an active role in their society."

Rich told us the story of Miras, a young boy who was playing on his balcony and was shot in the stomach by an Israeli soldier who was shooting from a watchtower. He was hospitalized for 6 days. He also told us about Mahmud, a 13-year-old boy who was feeding his dog and was arrested by Israeli soldiers. He was blindfolded, handcuffed, beaten, and put in prison where he was not fed. Because he was in "administrative detention," he had no access to a lawyer and was being held without being charged of anything. He was released, eventually, and Rich told us that arresting children is a tactic used by Israeli police because they believe they can get more information out of children. The "information" the police gather doesn't have to be true, but they are able to coerce children into signing statements that incriminate various persons in the community and then Israel can make an arrest. 

The thing I love about Rich's work with the youth is that he uses his expertise as a photographer and videographer to help the youth tell their stories. By teaching them filmmaking and photography, the youth are given a chance to document their anxieties, fears, hopes, and experiences. The photographs and videos are then shared with the community outside of Aida as a way of educating people about life in the refugee camp. (In the picture below, Rich is pointing to photographs that have all been taken by children and youth.)