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Purpose
The main activity of the camp is to rebuild the home of Walid Ahour which was demolished by the Israeli military in a Palestinian area; this is one of the most important issues facing Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. In addition the program is designed to educate participants about the conflict and introduce participants to Palestinian life under israeli occupation. It is our hope that you will return to your homes carrying the messages of peace, justice and hope.
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Program
During this experience, participants will learn more of the culture, food and lifestyle of those who live here as they will work hand in hand with the local community. At the end of the camp we will have a dedication ceremony which will include speeches, Palestinian folklore dance. This will be an opportunity to send our message of steadfastness, nonviolence, and solidarity to the world. In addition to working on rebuilding the house participants will also have the opportunity to:
- Provide nonviolence training courses for the participants.
- Political tours in Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Israel.
- Discussions and presentations by Israeli and Palestinians NGOs.
- Field trips to historical and religious sites.
- Weekend excursions and cultural evenings.
When
Date of the camp : 1st - 14th of August , when you buy your tickets plan to be here on the 31st of July .
Where
Participants will be staying at a local Palestinian guest house in Bethlehem. Unless they choose to participate in the Palestine Summer Encounter program (see below) in which case they will be staying with their Palestinian host families. The Ahour families home is in the southern part of the Bethlehem disctrict.
The Story
In the southern part of the Bethlehem distract, Walid Ahour was the owner of a brand new home, just built for his family. His home was built nine months prior, but on the 31st of March 2005, IDF bulldozers destroyed his home. Ironically, Walid, a Palestinian, lacked the proper IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) building permits to build on his land. Furthermore, because of Oslo Walid’s land is located in a district labeled “area C” and Walid must ask for the Israeli Government’s permission to build on his own land. Without their permission, the Israeli military used their authority to destroy Walid's home before the Israeli court could issue a ruling.
Before the destruction of his house, Walid received a demolition order from the IDF stating that the land his home was placed on was to be used for the construction of the Israeli security wall. To defend his property, Walid paid $500 for a lawyer and on March 24th, 2005, he was petitioning his case before an Israeli court. The case was to be resumed a week later on the 31st of March at nine o’ clock in the morning. Unfortunately, the Isralie military took matters into their own hands, the demolition started at eight o’ clock in the morning, just one hour before the second session was to begin.
The morning of the demolition, Walid’s wife, Abir, was home alone. She was in the 9th month of her pregnancy. The Israeli soldiers told her to move her furniture out of her home, or let it be destroyed with the rest of the house. Abir pleaded with the soldiers telling them, “I’m can’t carry anything, I am in my 9th month of pregnancy.”
Consequently, mostly likely because of the stress of the situation and the physical struggle Abir found herself in the baby died. While at the hospital, for what should be her last checkup, Abir found out that her baby had died, and she needed to have a surgery to remove the child.
Left with nothing but a pile of rubble, Walid and his family lived in a tent next to their demolished house for three months. The Red Cross donated the tent to the devastated family. Eventually, Walid and his family moved into his brother’s home, where they are living now. This single-family home (120m2), with one kitchen, one living room, one bathroom, and just two bedrooms, now hosts two medium size families.
The family feels that living in a small space is humiliating and demoralizing. In addition the family has the debts from the cost it took to build their now demolished home. The building cost $20,000 and took seven years to build. Also, to pay for the home, Walid and his family have sold most of their valuables, including Abir’s gold jewelry. In the most literal sense this family has nothing.
With renewed hope Walid and his family hope that the home that is built with your help will stand, and that he and his family can continue their lives. This devastating story does not have to be left in hopelessness. An amazing opportunity is occurring because of ICAHD and Holy Land Trust’s decision to help this family and rebuild their home.
Cost
To join this program you need to plan to raise 1200$ . Of this amount $500 will be used to buy building materials , and the rest will go towards other costs. Part of what we request, in addition to raising funds to cover your own travel and logistical expenses here is to also engage in fundraising to help cover the cost of rebuilding the house. If you can’t make it you can still be part of the project by:
• Providing scholarship assistance.
• Or donating money towards the rebuilding of the house.
• Pass the information to organizations and individuals that can help in the project.
Register/Payment/Donation
You can register for the Home Rebuilding online here: Link to online registration
You can donate or pay online here: www.middleeastfellowship.org/tnepmt
Contact
All inquiries regarding the camp please contact Holy Land Trust – Travel and Encounter Department encounter [at] holylandtrust [dot] org. Or you can contact Middle East Fellowship: travel [at] middleestfellowship [dot] org.
Palestine Summer Encounter Option
When you sign up for the Home Rebuilding Summer Camp you will have a chance to also join the 5th annual Palestine Summer Encounter (PSE) which is a one, two, or three month program based in Bethlehm . PSE is an experiential learning and cultural immersion program that includes, home-stays with Palestinian families, volunteer work, Arabic study, and opportunities to learn about the the land and its people. If you decide to join PSE the Home Rebuilding will take place during the 3rd session of PSE from July 17th to August 14th. In other words you have the option to either join us for two weeks in the regular Home Rebuilding Summer Camp described above or you can choose to join us for a month or more during PSE, to get a combination of both programs, the Home Rebuilding and the Palestine Summer Encounter. For more information about Palestine Summer Encounter please visit the website: www.palestinesummer.org
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