Youth Groups of ActionAid Palestine to Organize a Solidarity Visit to Palestinian Jordan Valleys
Jordan Valleys-West Bank -Through its programmer of “Civil and Democratic participation of Palestinian Youth”, youth groups of ActionAid Palestine (AAP) in partnership with Alternative Information Center (AIC) organized a solidarity visit to Jordan Valleys (JV). More than 70 young people gathered to start their solidarity trip that included visiting the villages of Al-Zbiedat, Ein-Al-Sakout and Bardaleh. Youth met with their youth pioneers and the representatives of those villages to strengthen communication and solidarity with the residents of JV and introduce youth to the importance of this area and issues of annexation and displacement plans that is exposed to.
(photo of youth groups of ActionAid Palestine while they were walking in the village of Ein-Al-Sakout during their solidarity visit to Jordan Valleys-West Bank- Copy rights for ActionAid Palestine 2020)
During this visit, youth were engaged in discussing means of supporting residents and their resilience. Youth were briefed about factors and obstacles of resilience and survival as frequent solidarity and school visits, and role of government and local community in responding to necessary requirements strengthening resilience of its residents.
(photo of youth groups in Al-Zebidat village during their solidarity visit to JV-West Bank -Copy rights for ActionAid Palestine 2020)
Youth started their trip by visiting village of Al-Zebidat where youth met with representative of this village, Mahmoud Al-Germi who welcomed them and expressed his appreciation to this visit stressing: “ this kind of solidarity visits strengthen the resilience of the residents of the JV in facing plans of settlements and annexation”. He briefed youth about the suffering and the needs of the residents of this area that should be fulfilled to promote their existence pointing to the fact that there is a need to a governmental plan for strengthening community resilience and existence in facing the challenges.
(Photo of the representative of the village of Zebidat while he was briefing youth about JV during their solidarity visit to this area -JV-West Bank-Copy rights for ActionAid Palestine 2020)
The second stop was in the village of Ein al -Sakout which contains many natural water springs and pools. Youth met with a legal youth activist, Aref Daraghmeh who briefed them about the main violations that Israeli occupation committed against JV. He highlighted this kind of visits saying: “solidarity visit is a reality that can face settlement and occupation. We are pleased to see those visits and solidarity with the Palestinian land and people in JV and express our respect to everyone who visit our area”.
(photo of youth groups during their visit to village of Ein Al-Sakout during their solidarity visit to JV -West Bank-Copy rights for ActionAid Palestine 2020)
The youth were accompanied by a youth community activist, Ayman Ghareeb who briefed them about the reality of JV and importance of the field visits to the targeted and marginalized areas. He also talked about the suffering of the Palestinian youth in JV who suffer from marginalization and occupation saying; “ If annexation is implemented, it will impede access to cultural and educational facilities and will prevent children from reaching their schools. Annexation will cause more pain, oppression and damage”.
(photo of community youth activist Ayman Gharib who accompanied youth groups in their solidarity visit to JV-Ein-Al-Sakout-JV-West Bank-Copy Rights for ActionAid Palestine 2020)
A youth activist living in Jordan Valleys, Rasheed Sawaftah highlighted difficulties children face under COVID-19 crisis in education and remote education due to lack of internet and electricity networks in JV.
(photo for the youth activist in JV, Raheed Sawaftah who accompanied youth groups during their solidarity visit to JV -Bardaleh village-West Bank -Copy Rights for ActionAid Palestine 2020
Ala’a Al-Sheikh Ali from Tulkarem who participated in this visit: “It is very important since we heard important information about JV and our role is to support its residents and convey their suffering”.
Mohammad Ghannam is a Palestinian youth participated in this trip saying: “thanks to AAP for this informative and solidarity walk that introduced youth about the importance of JV and suffering of its residents”.
Shatha Arafat is a young woman who participated in this trip: “ Thanks for AAP for offering me this useful experience through which we were introduced to the area of the JV which is an integral part of the Palestinian community” .
JV is a fertile land and food basket of the state of Palestine running along the Jordan border that makes up a quarter of the West Bank’s overall area. It is one of the main areas that the Israeli government aimed at annexing shortly after the 1967 occupation of Palestine. There are 27 Palestinian residential and other Bedouin communities live in this area. JV hosts 65,000 Palestinians. There are 37 illegal Israeli settlements with a total settler population of around 10,000.
(photo for Palestinian farms in Bardaleh village in JV -Copy rights for ActionAid Palestine 2020)
Palestinians are not allowed to use most of JV lands which has led to a remarkable decrease in the indigenous Palestinian population.
JV makes up 50% of the total agricultural areas in the West Bank and 60% of the total vegetable output and it is a major source of livestock and dairy wealth to most Palestinian families in this area.
If Israel implements its unilateral annexation plan against large swathes of Jordan Valleys, such an illegal act will severely impact the lives of people who will increasingly be exposed to the danger of the forced displacement intensifying human suffering. It will also undermine basic human rights as right to movement and access of Palestinian to their lands and future of Palestinian people. Annexing lands by force will cause wars, loss of livelihoods and political instability and kill the two states solution.
Background Information
ActionAid
ActionAid is a global federation working for social justice and gender equality and eradicate poverty. ActionAid works worldwide to empower people living in poverty and exclusion with focus on women’s rights .ActionAid works directly and closely with communities, civil society organizations, women movements and social groups and movements and other allies to tackle root causes of poverty and oppression. ActionAid deliver grassroots programmes to utilize efforts of global struggle movements working for a just, fair and sustainable world. Based on human rights-based approach and women rights’ principles, ActionAid seeks to fairly re-distribute powers through solidarity, empowerment, awareness campaigns and creating alternatives to ensure that everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity, and freedom from oppression.
ActionAid in Palestine (AAP) is a part of that federation which started its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian People as ActionAid believes that they should enjoy their rights to freedom, justice and self-determination. AAP implements a number of programs through its engagement with communities and women and youth groups seeking to empower them and enhance their influential civil and political participation to understand their rights and undertake collective activism to address the protracted rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation of Palestine. AAP works simultaneously to enhance their leadership capacity and knowledge to practice their citizenship in holding authorities and other duty bearers to account.
For more information, please contact
Riham Jafari
Coordinator of Advocacy and Communication in Gaza Strip and West Bank
Mobile:
+972 (0) 595242890
Office:
+972 (0) (2) 22 13 137
Email: