IMEU Institute for Middle East Understanding
Thirty years ago during a snowstorm in the village of Al Walajeh, 70-year-old Abu Nidal found a broken pine tree and nursed it back to life. In 30 years, the tree grew several meters high making it a landmark in his village and a source of pride for Abu Nidal whose life’s work has been dedicated to tending the land. Today, Abu Nidal’s tree lays at the edge of one of the last remaining stone terraces on his land, which has been confiscated for the building of the Israeli Segregation Wall.
on July 22, 2014
At age 18, Sabine Hazboun was the youngest member of the delegation from Palestine. She began swimming at the age of nine and at the 2012 Olympic Games she competed in the 50m Freestyle on August 3. While beating her personal best by one second, she finished fifth in her heat and failed to advance.
on April 30, 2014
“Because of all the death and destruction I’ve seen through my camera, I have a burning desire every minute to deliver a message to the world: that we are alive and living with nothing,” says 24-year-old photojournalist and filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly.
on April 29, 2014
"We don't want to create another nonprofit when there are already so many incredible ones around the world that dedicate their work to Palestinians. Instead we want to provide nonprofits already serving Palestinians with additional support," explains Rasha Kashkoush, cofounder of Bilbaal, an online platform launching later this year that will make it easy for people to find Palestine-focused initiatives and organizations.
on March 30, 2014
Actor, theatre director, and playwright Sami Metwasi is the star of Muayad Alayan’s latest film, “Love, Theft, and Other Entanglements,” which is set for release in 2015. It has been officially selected by one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, the Berlin International Film Festival.
on February 21, 2014
Architect and civil engineer, Hassan Muamer, is one of Palestine's leading environmental advocates. Born in 1985 in the village of Battir, Hassan believes that "personal attitude is the key to success." With perseverance and optimism, he has dedicated the last few years to the fight to save his village from the Israeli separation wall that is set to cut right through Battir's ancient terraces ending a centuries-old agricultural tradition.
on February 1, 2013
Director of the grassroots organization the Palestinian Youth Action Center (Laylac), mentor and community leader Naji Odeh works with young people in West Bank refugee camps to foster the spirit of volunteerism. “If we lose our spirit for giving, we lose our culture,” he says.
on January 15, 2013
Building the separation wall in the Cremisan valley will deprive people from Beit Jala from their right to practice their religious, agricultural, and cultural traditions by severing them from the lands that have been in their families for generations. Father Ibrahim Shomali is the Catholic parish priest who has been leading an open-air mass in the valley in hopes to save the valley.
on January 1, 2013