While the economic situation in much of the West Bank has improved over the last couple years, this progress has largely missed many of the West Bank’s refugee camps.

Askar Refugee Camp was established in the Palestinian city of Nablus in 1950 by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). It was designed to house some of the 700,000+ people displaced or expelled during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The camp, however, was expanded by its residents in 1965 due to overcrowding. The expansion became known as New Askar Refugee Camp but was not officially recognized by UNRWA.

According to UNRWA, as of 2007, the poverty rate in Askar hovers between 40 and 50 percent while close to 30 percent experience “extreme” poverty.

The original residents of Askar Refugee Camp were expelled from areas such as Jaffa and Haifa in, what is now, Israel. Many camp residents still hold the keys and deeds to their pre-1948 homes hoping that they will be able to return one day.

New Askar Refugee Camp was an essential part of my introduction to Palestine back in 2005. I spent a little over two weeks volunteering and spending time with the kids of the camp. I returned to volunteer again in the summer of 2008. Now, five years since my first visit, I still recognize many of the children that have unknowingly played a significant role in my life, not as a photographer, but as a human being. And for that, I will be eternally grateful to them.

Being a freelance photographer gives me a degree of freedom that might not otherwise be possible. However, that also means that I am often forced to finance my own projects. If you enjoy my work, please consider making a donation.

I’m delighted to announce that, with the help of some friends, I am setting up a photowalk in Nablus, Palestine!

Date: Monday, February 1, 2010
Time: 10:00am
Location: Downtown Nablus, main circle, followed by a walk through the Old City to take photos!

If you’re in or around Nablus and you have a camera, you’re invited! No need to have a fancy, expensive camera! Even a point-and-shoot camera or cell phone camera will do just fine.

This will be a great opportunity to meet other photographers around you and take some interesting photos!

If you’re interested, RSVP on Facebook!

Hope to see you there!

I first came to the West Bank in August 2005 as part of an international voluntary work camp. For almost three weeks I, along with approximately 30 other people from around the world, spent time with the children from New Askar Refugee Camp. While we were there, we painted one of the walls of the camp’s social center. Every day, I took a panoramic photo of the wall in various stages of completion.

When I returned to the United States, I wanted to find some way to thank the people of the refugee camp for having us and for giving us an experience we would remember for the rest of our lives. So I decided to take the photos of the wall, make it into a poster and then sent it, country by country, around the world so that all of the international volunteers would have a chance to sign it. I don’t remember all of the countries it visited but I know it made a few stops in the United States, made its way through several European countries, and even traveled as far as South Korea. After many months (actually close to a year, I think) of coordinating shipments from person to person, it finally ended up back at New Askar Refugee Camp where it was framed and hung on the wall.

Now, almost 5 years later, I finally got a chance to see it the other day, hanging in the social center of New Askar Refugee Camp. I’ve included photos of the poster and the wall as it exists today…

Click on each image for a larger version…

Being a freelance photographer gives me a degree of freedom that might not otherwise be possible. However, that also means that I am often forced to finance my own projects. If you enjoy my work, please consider making a donation.

I made it to the West Bank on Friday afternoon without too much trouble. I’ve spent the last two days catching up with a bunch of friends in Nablus. Tomorrow, however, I’m heading to Hebron for a few days to work with a great NGO there. I’m really looking forward to it.

The Internet situation is definitely better but it is still very difficult for me to upload more than a few photos at a time. I’m not sure where I’m staying in Hebron yet so I have no idea how much I’ll be able to upload while I’m there or if I’ll be able to upload at all.

That’s it for now. Until next update…

I’ve just learned today that, for a chance to go to Gaza, I would have to re-apply to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry as an individual or as part of a very small group. Under current regulations, the Egyptian government has 20 days to respond to the request. Others that have gone through this process before tell me that the Foreign Ministry has never replied in less than 20 days. So even if I have my application turned in tomorrow, I won’t know until the end of the month if I’ll be able to go or not.

So, that’s it. Gaza is off. For me, anyway. Technically, I could wait it out and see what happens. But, I have a few solid projects already lined up in the West Bank and delaying that long could jeopardize them. On top of that, even if I waited three weeks and was given permission to enter, I wouldn’t have the time to do the projects I want to do. So that’s it. For now.

So, yes, it’s a huge disappointment. I’ve been looking forward to doing some work in the Gaza Strip for months, if not years. That being said, this is a minor roadblock. If I have to return to Cairo some day and re-apply by myself then that’s what I will do. During this process, I’ve made some contacts in Gaza with some wonderful organizations and with some fantastic people and I will return if, for no other reason than to get the chance to meet them and work with them in person.

On the bright side, this decision has actually lifted my spirits in some ways. For the last few days, I’ve been hanging out in Cairo waiting for something to happen. That’s not easy to do in a city where you don’t know anyone or anything and you don’t really know where you’ll be sleeping the next night. All that is past now and I’ve regained control of what I’ll be doing.

In the next few days, I’ll be working on heading to Amman, Jordan and then on to the West Bank. I have a large network of incredible friends there and I have at least four solid and exciting projects lined up with some great NGOs.

So that’s it. Disappointed but optimistic. Time to move on.

Photo above taken in June 2008 on New Askar Refugee Camp outside of Nablus in the West Bank.

Askar Refugee Camp is located on the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. The camp was established in 1950 by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The camp was created to house some of the 700,000 people displaced or expelled by the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The original residents of Askar camp included Arab families from what is now Jaffa and Haifa in modern-day Israel. In 1965, residents of the camp began expanding into the surrounding territory because of severe overcrowding within the original lot allocated to Askar camp. This new territory became known as “New Askar” but is not recognized by UNRWA.

According to UNRWA, the poverty rate in Askar camp hovers between 40 and 50 percent, with close to 30 percent of camp residents experiencing “extreme” poverty. [1].

On 15 June 2008, the children of New Askar Refugee Camp participated in a parade to honor child “martyrs”. This included any child resident of the camp who had died or had been killed within the last few years. This mostly celebratory march took a somber turn when it ended at the grave of Jamil Abdul-Kareem al-Jabaji. Jamil was killed by the Israeli army on 3 December 2006. When the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem reported that Jamil was a minor and a non-combatant, the Israeli army was quick to correct the report by adding that Jamil had been shot while he was throwing stones at an Israeli army vehicle as it patrolled the camp, making him a combatant. Jamil was 14.

Click on each photo for a larger version…

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