Many months of preparations have come to fruition as this year’s Freedom Ride makes its way across the occupied West Bank. All 48 participants of the 5th annual Freedom Ride have arrived safely and after spending two days getting to know each other, Jenin and its cultural life, moved on to the Jordan Valley. Follow the Ride on the blog.
“People who live here originally came from Haifa, Akka, Yaffa and the villages. In 1948, they were forced out of their own homes and the land by the Israelis.
When people first came to this area, UNRWA gave them tents to live in, assuming their expulsion from the land would be temporary—maybe one or two months before they could return to their homes.
But things took a long time. So people put brick over brick, stone over stone, something to avoid the rain and the sun. It’s been sixty-eight years since then.” – Jenin refugee camp resident