October 2009 Delegation to Tubas Region

After the West Bank was occupied by Israel in 1967 the process of colonisation began. Israel began systematically transferring its civilian population into occupied Palestine in the form of Jewish-only settlements that contradict Article 49 of the Geneva Conventions.

We entered Al Far'a refugee camp today to be greeted once again by numerous amounts of children mesmerized by our presence. Following Mohammed down the narrow alleyways and the crowded streets was once more a reminder of the conditions these people were forced to live in after seeking refuge in their own country. We were there to meet Sami who had served over five years in prison for being too active in his fight against the occupation. He had been arrested at 18 from the very house we were sat in as he now talked of his wife and new born child.

We went to meet the families of two of the sons of the head of the Zoba community, somewhat isolated from the rest of the community due to the rocky terrain, which can be difficult to walk through, let alone drive a vehicle around. On this particular day, as though just to demonstrate how harsh the conditions of the Jordan Valley can be, heavy rain started suddenly, meaning that we were soaked by the time we arrived. I remember that at around the same time last year, rains like these caused widespread devastation.

Along the recently laid road that links the Zoba community to the main road and a stone’s throw from Al-Hamra checkpoint are a few small tent-houses and one single building made from rocks and mud. Jordan Valley Solidarity is working to renovate two of the homes here in order to house some of the families that live in the scorching tents. We sat on the floor in the largest of the tent buildings with the matriarch of the community whilst the men drifted in and out, occasionally chipping in with some information but mainly focussing on the building work going on just outside.