Baqa – Palestinian Refugee Camp
Baqa Camp kids
The Peace Boat docked in Aqaba, Jordan in the early hours of Oct 19th. We cruised up the Red Sea past the dunes of Saudi Arabia, the jagged mountains of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and the bright lights of Eliat, Israel. 2 years ago I spent about 8 days exploring marvels such as Petra, Wadi Rum and Jerash. But on this occasion I was a tanto (leader) for a very different GET challenge to the Baqa Palestinian refugee camp near the capital Amman. Passengers had raised about US$7000 the night before for the camp by auctioning off their talents to each other. A four hour bus drive took us to the camp where we met our home stay family. This was of course a very rare opportunity to meet people in Baqa camp, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in the world, and to learn about their lives, experiences, sufferings, hopes and their dreams. When most people think of a refugee camp they think of rows of tents. But Baqa camp was first established after the 1948 war and had major intakes of refugees after the the 1967 Six Day War with Israel and again after the first Gulf War. Because of this length of time, dwellings have become more permanent and conditions in the camp have improved… at least in comparison to other Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, Lebanon and other friendly Arab states. They are still unhappy, some are desperate. They are still refugees.
Jameel and I
We walked out down the camp’s dusty lanes and kids ran out to see us. Older faces watched us from doorways probably wondering what we were doing in their camp. We greeted them ‘Salaam Aliekum’. Jameel was down one of those streets. His son, Shahameel, invited us into a room with low green sofas ringing the room. Portraits of the father hung on the wall. They didn’t speak more than a few words of English so our communication was largely in gestures. We were warmly welcomed with rounds of Arabic coffee and teas. We were also over-fed on fantastic dishes of chicken, rice and breads even though we’d just eaten lunch.
kids and origami
In the evening we met back up with the tour group for a cultural exchange of dance and Japanese taiko drumming. After this we returned back to the house. We never saw the women of the house, but we played with the kids and showed them how to make origami cranes. About 10 more men gathered in the house. They clearly had some very important things they wanted to share with Phil, Sam and myself. A few spoke pretty good English and translated. The atmosphere became charged with talk of their many stories:
Jameel was one of the original refugees displaced after the 1948 war and is now a community leader in the camp. Jordan recognised the refugees desperate situation and accepted them. (there are now about 2,000,000 Palestinians living in Jordan). The UN gave them a card for food and a tent and so they moved from one place to the next. They had no means for education or farming. 20 years later Jameel married in 1968 and had 5 boys and 7 girls who lived together in a 4×4 metre room. Around this time the Jordanian government gave them permission to have 9×6 metres and so they expanded the house with some savings. The concrete house though was still very cold in winter and he told how the girls had to sleep close together to stay warm.
Meal at Jameel’s house
‘I would need 3 days to tell my story’, he said matter of factly. 10 million Palestinians live around the world today, outside of Palestine. The older generation dream of returning to their land, whilst many of the younger generation seem to just want a better life anywhere. Anywhere, because there is no life in Baqa camp. At Baqa camp the second generation of refugees are fortunate to hold Jordanian passports, whereas in other neighbouring countries they may not. Of course the surname on the passport and place of birth gives away the fact that the holder is Palestinian. Some families save to put one or two sons through university so they can go abroad and send money back to their families in the camp. Before 1988 there was no university in Jordan. However Palestinian refugees were actually given educational support by the Iraqi Government which allowed them to study there, take out student loans and move freely. Jameel made the point that the Jordanian Government actually likes the refugees to stay because the EU provides some monetary aid for this cause.
2 issues began to emerge: 1) The Israel / Palestinian conflict, confiscation of land and oppression 2) Their condition as refugees living in Jordan compared to the ordinary lives of Jordanians. The discussion became more polemical. Another tea was poured…
-’Why is it that people in Europe look after their pets better than the Palestinian people? Are we lower than dogs?’
-’Imagine a far more powerful force comes into your land and tells you to move. What are you going to do? My family were born there!’
-When one son visited Australia he said many there thought of Palestinians as terrorists. ‘But tell me who are the terrorists? Israel is given advanced weapons and we have rocks.’
-’Why does no one tell Israel to stop the killings? Everyday the Israeli forces kill 5,6,7,8 in Palestine.’
-’Why are there suicide bombers in Palestine? Palestinian land is just ‘talk’ for other countries for 60 years. If something is taken and it can’t be taken back a man must do something for himself’. He talked about ‘means’, and disproportion of force.
-They rejected that bombings are for international attention. Its not about religion either: ‘Hitler was a Christian, the IRA, Bush and Blair, they all kill indiscriminately.’
-’We love all the people of the world except those who attack us.’ Israel continues to push Palestinians out of their land, building The Wall in Palestinian land and continuing to build settlements in occupied land. Palestinian land set aside for their own state continues to be eaten away by the occupiers.
-What would the conditions have to be like for refugees to be able to return to Palestine? ‘We can live with them but we’d prefer to have our land back and to stop killing each other. We want respect, dignity and equality in our own land.’
TELL THEM he said, you have your passports and freedom.
***
Wajeeh and his wife
We had been talking for several hours when a car arrived outside. The Director General from the Department of Palestinian Affairs had sent for us. Wajheeh Azeh was a Mizuan (special guest) on the Peace Boat between Kochi and Aqaba and had given a number of lectures on the situation in Palestinian and the refugee camps. We’d got to know him on first name basis from giving him extra English lessons on the boat. Now we were given an offer we couldn’t turn down. We carefully excused ourselves from our host family in the camp to visit Wajeeh and his family in Amman. Visiting him in his beautiful residence befitting his status was a world away from the conditions of the refugee camp. As we headed into Amman city and Wajeed pointed out the hospital he had recently overseen been built for the refugees. In a glitzy part of downtown Amman we sat in an open air cafe smoking algira (shisha), drinking Arabic coffee and enjoying engaging conversation with him and his wife.
Next morning we woke in the refugee camp to a breakfast of dhal, hummus and breads. In the local hall community leaders held a lecture on the issue of Palestine and Palestinian refugees. An old Palestinian women came up to me and began desperately to try to tell me her story in Arabic, tears rolling down her cheeks. So much of our daily news diet is sourced from pro-Israel, Jewish owned and American media. The experience of being together with our home stay families was an amazing opportunity to share a day in their lives. It was a chance to hear first hand of their oppression, and a chance for them to have their voice heard.
***
Reading in the Dead Sea
On our way back from Aqaba we stopped at the Dead Sea, 412 metres below sea level and the lowest place on earth. We pulled into a resort which put on a great buffet lunch and then got into the water. Maybe I should say we got onto the water (the salinity is 30% making us unsinkable). We bobbed like corks until the sliminess and saltiness became too much. Unfortunately at this spot the resort had removed the mud that usually lies on the sea bottom and packaged it for sale instead. Last time I was there it felt great smeared all over your body. We got back into Aqaba with just enough time to buy a box of dates and Jordanian sweet cakes. Jordanian food is the best so far.
photos in photolog>peace boat>jordan
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