Jenin, Palestine
Occupied West Bank
Jenin is Palestine's most northerly city. As it
lies on the main road between Jerusalem and Nazareth, it is widely
believed that Jesus would have passed here on His journeys between the
two. Today there is little reason to stop in Jenin. There is a tiny old
quarter, pretty but unremarkable, and a green-domed mosque of Mamluke
origin which provides a focal point to the town. The town's one
accomocation option, the Garden Hotel, is situated just west of the old
mosque, in the Al-Hasmeh fruit market.
The refugee camp at Jenin was founded in 1953 as a
makeshift tent city to temporarily house thousands of Palestinian
refugees. Over the intervening 50 years, permanent housing had been
built to accomodate those people who still waited patiently to have
their family homes restored to them, or to receive compensation for
their loss. UN Resolution 194 provided for the return of their homes.
Many of them still hope that the Israelis will eventually honor this
resolution.
After the Israeli destruction in April 2002, many
humanitarian organizations have sent relief convoys to the people of
Jenin and other damaged towns and refugee camps in the West Bank. We
have participated in some of this relief work.
Relief convoy to Jenin, 13 April
2002.
To view any photo at full
size, click on the photo with the right mouse button.
convoy heading out
at dawn
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destruction
amid wildflowers
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unloading
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unloading
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destruction
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harassment
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"Joint Emergency Relief of the Christian Organizations"
Convoy to Jenin, 25 April 2002.
waiting for stragglers
in the desert
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waiting at a
checkpoint
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waiting at an
Israeli checkpoint
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truck arriving
at drop-off point
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donor
organizations
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participant
organizations
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participant
organizations
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unloading
the trucks
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unloading
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An estimated $76,231,128 (US$) damage was done to
Jenin Refugee Camp and Jenin City.
According to Major David Holley, a British
military adviser to Amnesty International, the demolition of part of
the Jenin Refugee Camp was not militarily justified (Ha'aretz, English
edition, April 29, 2002, page 2). Evidence available to Holley
indicated that after the fighting was over, the IDF had bulldozed the
centre of the camp in revenge for the heavy casualties they had
suffered at the hands of the Palestinian fighters.
Jenin Refugee Camp, 25 April 2002.
Jenin Refugee Camp
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damaged home
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searching
the rubble
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woman
on the stairs
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family in
living room
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woman sitting
in front of her
damaged home
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mother and child
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fatigue and
hopelessness
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Defiance
Palestinian flag tent
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Click the links to see the other pages in the Palestine
section.
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This page was updated on 26 November 2007.
This site was edited using Nvu and Style Master.
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