Balata Camp () is a

Palestinian refugee camp Palestinian refugee camps were first established to accommodate Palestinians who were displaced by the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight during the 1948 Palestine war. Camps were established by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UN ...

established in the northern

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

in 1950, adjacent to

Balata village Balata village () is a Palestinian people, Palestinian suburb of Nablus, in the northern West Bank, located east of the city center. Formerly its own village, it was annexed to the municipality of Nablus during Jordanian rule (1948–1967).Abuji ...

on the outskirts of the city of

Nablus Nablus ( ; , ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 156,906. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a ...

. Balata Camp had a population of 14,635 in 2017.

History

In 1950, the UN gave the refugees from the

Jaffa Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...

area temporary housing. These people initially refused the UN's offers, stating their eagerness to return to their homes. They desired no sense of permanence. After two years, they accepted the offer and settled at Balata. In 1956, the Jaffa refugees desired more permanent housing. After the border with the State of Israel was sealed, the refugees moved into concrete housing that replaced the original tents.

Education and culture

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) funds a school in the Balata camp, with approximately 5,000 pupils.UNRWA page on the Balata camp
UNRWA

on January 21, 2010). The Yaffa Cultural Center in Balata operates a guesthouse, children's theater and cinema, children's library and media center. The American NGO, Tomorrow's Youth Organization, also operates classes for children from Balata. West Bank-70

Political violence

In the 1980s and 1990s, Balata residents played a leading role in the uprising known as the

First Intifada The First Intifada (), also known as the First Palestinian Intifada, was a sustained series of Nonviolent resistance, non-violent protests, acts of civil disobedience, Riot, riots, and Terrorism, terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians ...

. In November 2007,

Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a c ...

police officers climbed rooftops in Balata and engaged in gun battles with militants of the

Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades () are a Fatah-aligned coalition of Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Created in 2000 amidst the Second Intifada, the Brigades previously operated as the official armed wing of the F ...

who had turned the camp into a military stronghold. Five residents and a policeman were wounded in the shooting.

Notable people

* Sakher Habash

Gallery

File:Balata, 1950.png, Balata, 1950; the refugees were still living in tents Image:Balata Camp circa 1950.jpg, Balata Camp, early 1950s File:Sumayya and her cat in front of her demolished home 2002, 2nd Intifada.jpg, Demolished home in Balata, 2002, during the

Al-Aqsa Intifada The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and Israel proper, Israeli security responded wit ...

File:Balata Camp, Nablus, Palestine (8480618469).jpg, Balata Refugee Camp, 2011 File:Balata Refugee Camp 012.jpeg, Balata Refugee Camp, 2015

References

External links

Videos from Balata

Balata
articles from

UNWRA The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA, pronounced ) is a United Nations System, UN agency that supports the relief and Human development (economics), human development of Palestinian refugee ...

{{coord, 32, 12, N, 35, 17, E}; Populated places established in 1950 1950 establishments in the West Bank Governorate Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank Nablus Governorate Nablus in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict