Aida Refugee Camp Bethlehem
History
Aida Refugee Camp of Bethlehem was first established in 1950. The camp is in the northern part of the city on an area of 0.71 square kilometers. In the beginning the refugees lived in 94 green fabric tents but in 1956, UNRWA replaced these tents with cinder block housing units.
This camp hosts refugees from 17 demolished villages from the northwestern area of Jerusalem and south of Hebron. Poverty is rife in the camp, currently 39% of the residents in Aida camp are living in poverty on less than $2.00 a day. The Separation wall of Israel runs next to the camp and Israeli watchtower built beside the wall can be seen everywhere. Deserted streets are a common sight in Aida Camp of Bethlehem.
Pope Benedict XVI Visit
Aida camp is adjacent to Rachel’s Tomb, walled off from Jerusalem by the Israeli West Bank barrier and contiguous to the Israeli settlement of Gilo. The Aida Refugee camp is adjacent to a new 4-star hotel, the Intercontinental, on the Jerusalem-Hebron road.
Pope Benedict XVI visited Aida Camp in 2009. An open-air stadium directly in front of the Separation Wall in anticipation of the Pope’s visit. Israeli authorities were not happy with the location of the stadium so Pope’s visit was moved to the UN Boys’ school in the camp.
Human Rights Violations inside the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem
Israeli forces use tear gas in this camp from time to time. The Human Rights Centre of the University of California at Berkeley recently reported that Israel’s security forces have carried out a “widespread”, “frequent” and “indiscriminate” use of tear gas against Palestinian refugees in Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem. The report surveyed 236 residents of Aida, all of whom said they were exposed to tear gas in 2016. Of that, 84 percent of people said they were exposed while in their houses.
Poor and desperate residents of Aida Camp think that they had no choice but to resist the Israeli forces. Their hope for better future is only hanging by a thread because poverty and lack of development in the area has paralyzed the economic growth.
