Every time I sit in front of my computer and think about my experiences thus far in Jerusalem, I am repeatedly humbled and grateful of the opportunities that I have had to listen to the narratives of locals, politicians, research organizations, peers, and anyone who has generously taken the time to pass their knowledge onto me. In the past few days, their narratives, ideas, and perspectives regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict rekindled my passion to improve the quality and efficiency of education systems in the Middle for women and children. We had the opportunity to enter Palestine and speak with the director of Alrowwad Cultural and Theatre Society (ACTS) located in the Aida refugee camp, Ambassador Amal Jadou (Assistant Minister on European Affairs and Head of the European Department), Husain Al-Foqahaa (General Secretary of Public Services Union), and administrators and students from the Al-Quds University. Although every narrative was different, I noticed that every speaker had one fundamental idea in common – the necessity of quality education for women and children.
The first stop in Palestine was the Aida refugee camp. This refugee camp was a very different place than what I had envisioned. There were neither tents nor UN security forces. Instead, I saw houses made of limestone, children walking to school, people driving their cars, and winding roads that disappeared between dusty buildings. In 1950, the UN rented this land and established Aida as a refugee camp and registered internally displaced people as refugees. This refugee camp became permanent during 1956 when the UN determined that the Palestinian/Israeli conflict would continue into the future. Therefore, these permanent buildings were built along with community centers, schools, mosques, etc. The main objective of the Alrowwad Cultural and Theatre Society is to strive to empower children and women by targeting behavior, knowledge, concepts and practices through non-violent means. Because 66 percent of the population in Aida is under the age of 18, Alrowwad provides courses to women and children such as photo training, video training, game laboratories, theatre training, music training, animation, and vocational, health, and social training for women. Astonishingly, in 2012, Alrowwad put on 430 activities and had three international tours. Furthermore, the main source of funding stems the participation of Norwegian youth of the ages of 15-18. It moved me to see that youth from across the world collaborating together to help create opportunities for each other to live better lives.
Meeting Ambassador Amal Jadou was a refreshing and inspirational experience. As a woman who began her life journey from the Aida refugee camp, the Ambassador personally knew the adverse and detrimental effects of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Unlike the men who had presented to us, she provided clear-cut answers from a politician’s perspective on the conflict and concentrated on empowering women to push for change, which definitely made me feel like I was back at Smith. Her opinion regarding the conflict essentially called for a two state resolution and necessity to end the occupation to create any positive changes in Palestine.
On the other hand, the meeting with Husain Al-Foqahaa unveiled the present day economic and social struggles of Palestinians. There were many important points made in regards to horrible working conditions, extreme poverty, gender inequality, and very low wages, but I was most affected by the description of the treatment of Palestinians when crossing the “fence” to work in Israel. He compared to the treatment of people to that of cattle. The workers, predominantly men, would line up in the narrow space between the apartheid wall and a fence starting from 3 AM. Cameras would constantly patrol every movement of the workers while speakers would blare instructions in Arabic – no human interaction between Israelis and Palestinians. Depending on the day, groups of people or individuals would be questioned for hours before being allowed to enter into the checkpoint.
However, I found hope in the women from Al-Quds University. As a branch of the main university, this women’s institution concentrated on providing quality education and opportunities for women. It was a humbling experience to meet women, who had children, faced cultural adversities as well as financial responsibilities, pursuing not only a degree, but also independence and personal empowerment. By having this opportunity to share our stories, I was once again reminded of the power of communication. Because I did not speak Arabic, the women of Al-Quds University spoke in English; however, if we did not share the same language, I would neither have gained the most integral and eye-opening perspective nor narrative throughout this seminar.