Dheisheh Refugees Camp

Dheisheh Camp
Dheisheh refugee camp, located near the city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, is one of the 59 Palestinian refugee camps established after the expulsion and flight of more than 750,000 Palestinians following the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Those that fled to Dheisheh originated from 45 villages west of Jerusalem and Hebron, the descendants of whom comprise the 11,000 inhabitants of the camp today, living on less than a half square kilometer of land.

Dheisheh Camp
A resilient and active community, Dheisheh has a long history of struggle. Until the Israeli army's withdrawal in 1995, the camp was surrounded with a high barbed-wire fence that sealed all but one of the camp’s 14 entrances. Soldiers and violent confrontations filled the alleys, killing tens of residents, while hundreds were injured, imprisoned and disabled for life. During the peace process years, the plight of refugees was largely ignored in the negotiation framework, bringing the sense of stagnation and desperation to the community.

Since the second Intifada began in September 2000, Dheisheh has come under intense Israeli military assaults, including numerous invasions by tanks and shelling by apache helicopters. Soldiers conduct raids in the dead of the night and have imprisoned tens of camp residents, including children. During the reoccupation of the West Bank in the spring of 2002, the Bethlehem area was been under constant curfew, seriously disrupting school curriculums.

As of August 2004, the camp has lost 56 of its residents, 15 of whom children under the age of 18, in Israeli attacks. In addition to the violence, overcrowding and poverty characterize life in Dheisheh. Although UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) is responsible for health, education and social welfare in the Palestinian camps, its decreased funding has been unable to sustain the services necessary for the wellbeing of the camp residents.

There is a constant water shortage in the summer and frequent electricity blackouts in the winter. Unemployment has skyrocketed to more than 56% since the beginning of Intifada, as the Israeli closures and curfews have nearly wiped out economic activities in the occupied territories.