The Resistance of Aida
Aida in Arabic means "back home". Founded in 1950 by refugees from the areas of Jerusalem and Hebron, Aida is one of the few camps that lives close to the wall that separates Israel from Palestine. Born as a temporary tent camp, like all refugee camps, as the years passed Aida has become a complex of buildings more or less dilapidated that have taken the place of the tents. Just a few kilometers from Bethlehem, the camp covers an area of approximately 0.7 square kilometers and has a population of about 5,000 refugees, 40% of whom are boys between the 0 and 14 years. The West Bank Barrier, built in 2004 has sealed the area off from nearby Jerusalem preventing to many camp residents the access to the Israeli labor market. This has worsened the living conditions of the camp, exacerbating the economic and social situation of the families. Unlike other camps, Aida practice a non-violent opposition to the Israeli occupation, despite almost all the families have had a relative arrested during the night military incursions. Unfortunately these raids, often degenerated into riots, have also caused victims among the refugees. The silent and obstinate presence of graffiti and pictures of the victims on many walls of homes, who remember them as martyrs, are the symbols of the peaceful resistance of the people of Aida who never stopped believing in the hope of a return to their lands of origin.
