Balata Camp ( ar, مخيم بلاطة) is a

Palestinian refugee camp Camps are set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to accommodate Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA, who fled or were expelled during the 1948 Palestinian ...

established in the northern

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

in 1950, adjacent to

Balata village Balata village ( ar, بلاطة البلد, lit= Balata al-Balad) is a 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 Jordan ...

on the outskirts of the city of

Nablus Nablus ( ; ar, نابلس, Nābulus ; he, שכם, Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: ; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: ; el, Νεάπολις, Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a populati ...

. It is the largest refugee camp in the West Bank. Balata Camp is densely populated with 30,000 residents in an area of 0.25 square kilometers.

History

In 1950, the UN gave the refugees from the

Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...

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 The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians displaced by the 1948 P ...

(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 A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

, Tomorrow's Youth Organization, also operates classes for children from Balata.

Political violence

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

First Intifada The First Intifada, or First Palestinian Intifada (also known simply as the intifada or intifadah),The word ''intifada'' () is an Arabic word meaning "uprising". Its strict Arabic transliteration is '. was a sustained series of Palestinian ...

and the

Second Intifada The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel. ...

. In November 2007,

Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,

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

Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades () is a coalition of Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank. The organization has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the European Union, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States. L ...

who had turned the camp into a military stronghold. Five residents and a policeman were wounded in the shooting.PA police seal Balata camp, trade fire with militants
/ref>

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 ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel. ...

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) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians displaced by the 1948 P ...

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