Escaping refugee camps: Dreaming of Palestine
6 Min Read
Get to know Palestine in the eyes of those who have never seen it.
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Escaping refugee camps: Dreaming of Palestine
Imagine that you don't know your own country. Imagine you are not capable of visualizing your homeland, not being able to draw a single picture out of something you have never seen.
Imagine not knowing what your house would look like, your bedroom, kitchen, or the color of the couch in your living room.
Imagine not knowing the road to your home or which route or turn leads to your school or workplace because you've never actually got to live in your hometown.
Welcome to the daily life of a Palestinian refugee.
Palestinian refugees, from all around the world, don't know what their own country looks like. They have to imagine what it feels like to wake up in the morning, on their bed, in their house, and most importantly, in their homeland.
The alleys and pathways
Through the alleys and corners of the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, lay many unseen and untouched dreams. Having a decent home to live in, electricity, having a job, or studying abroad, their dreams differ as their ages do.
But one dream seems to be standing still in the minds of Palestinian refugees: Returning to Palestine.
Al Mayadeen English visited Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, the crisis-stricken country, which is suffering from various political and economic crises after its national currency has lost more than 90% of its value.
Al Mayadeen English roamed the streets of three different Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut; Shatila, Mar Elias, and Burj el Barajneh while asking Palestinians what's the first thing they would do when they return to Palestine.
The simple question of "what do you want to do first thing when you return to Palestine?" was enough to make every Palestinian refugee's face light up and smile.
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Escaping refugee camps: Dreaming of Palestine
"Let's go, me and you, now"
In one of the tiny corners of the Mar Elias refugee camp, an old woman was sitting while preparing the 'Molokhia' leaves (known in English as denje'c'jute, nalta jute, or tossa jute), a famous dish in the Arab world, especially in Egypt, Palestine, and Lebanon.
"Yes, I am Mariam." She said proudly, while still very distracted by the leaves.
When she heard the question, the joy took over her face, forgot about the leaves, and started to sing in Arabic about returning to Palestine.
When she finished her song, she said that there is nothing that she would not do in Palestine.
"We are promised, the promise is from God, we will return [to Palestine.]"
"I would set everything here on fire and go barefoot," another Palestinian said when she heard the question. Describing her hometown, Akka, she said that the sea surrounds the city and most of its residents are fishermen.
Imagining Palestine while not knowing Palestine
"I know nothing about my homeland."
This is what most Palestinians answered when they were asked about what they know about their village or city in Palestine.
"We only know the stuff our parents told us," one Palestinian from Safed said. Her mom, who was born and raised in Palestine, always told her stories about her life back in the country.
Every Palestinian envisioned his/her own village or city as the most beautiful place on earth. Even though Palestinians never saw their land, they can still make a picture out of the things they see online and out of what they've heard from their relatives.
"It's breathtaking, this is why Israel stole it," one Palestinian said.
A 12-year-old Palestinian, named Amal, said that she imagines the homes in Palestine as huge and distanced from each other.
Amal was referring to the contradiction between the houses in the camp, Burj el Barajneh, which are piled up next to one another.
While walking in any refugee camp, the streets are overcrowded, some alleys are too narrow to even contain two people walking side-by-side simultaneously.
Why are Palestinians living in refugee camps?
During the Nakba (catastrophe) in 1948, Zionist groups committed massacres in Palestinian villages and cities to expel Palestinians from their homeland. Palestinians had no other choice but to flee their own homes and go to nearby countries, such as Lebanon.
According to UNRWA, there are about 12 refugee camps in Lebanon that are holding about 45% of the refugees. Since 1948, about 450,000 Palestinian refugees have registered in Lebanon.
The residents of these refugee camps often refer to themselves as “forgotten people” and feel a sense of isolation and neglect.
Comfort and privacy are considered by most of the residents as luxuries.
Check this: Palestine.. 74 years after the Nakba
A report by the UNRWA estimates that 73% of the Palestinian population live below the poverty line in 2022 in Lebanon. More than 200,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are considered among the most vulnerable people.
Most of the Palestinians that we talked to were so eager to return to Palestine because of the worsening situation that struck Lebanon.
The rising inflation, in addition to fuel and electricity shortages, has made Palestinian refugees stranded in Lebanon, not knowing what it feels like to be at home, safe.
Taking things back home
"Nothing, I would take nothing," one Palestinian, smiling, told Al Mayadeen English, as if she was imagining the day she would return.
"I would take my best friend only," the 12-year-old Palestinian said while adding that she would go and spend her days playing in the streets of Palestine.
Perhaps, when the day comes to return to Palestine, Palestinians would leave everything behind, to forget what they have gone through from pain, neglect, and suffering.
Palestinians want to return to their country to make new memories, happy and joyful memories.
The dream of returning to Palestine has been lingering in the tiny alleys of the refugee camps; it moves from one Palestinian to another, to assure them that it exists, it's real, and that it will never fade away no matter what.
See more: “Israeli Independence Day” is the Nakba for Palestinians
