Dheisheh
Dheisheh Camp | ||
---|---|---|
Governorate Bethlehem | | |
Government | ||
• Type | Refugee Camp (from 1949) | |
Area (approximate) | ||
• Total | 1,000 dunams (1 km2 or 0.4 sq mi) | |
Population (2017)[1] | ||
• Total | 8,805 | |
• Density | 8,800/km2 (23,000/sq mi) |
Dheisheh (
Six decades of natural population growth have expanded the camp's dimensions into an area between 1 and 1.5 square kilometers. The exact dimensions are subject to periodic debate between residents,
Although initially living in tents, the residents have since constructed homes. Many streets are now paved, while still remaining very narrow. According to UNRWA, the entire camp is connected to the municipal water and electric systems of Bethlehem, yet 15% of the camp remains unconnected to the local public sewage system. These homes make use of communal percolation pits.[2]
Name
There are several alternative spellings of Dheisheh, making use of the Latin alphabet. An incomplete list of possible spellings includes "Deheishe", "Deheisheh", "Duheisha", "Dheisha", and "Dhaisha".
While "Dheisheh" is the spelling UNRWA uses,[3] the Palestinian Authority uses "ad Duheisha" in its documentation.[4][5]
There is little consensus among news agencies as to the proper spelling. While Al Jazeera English makes use of the "Dheisheh" spelling, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an has used the alternative spelling "Duheisha.".[6][7]
History
The camp was built on land that had been owned by a subsidiary of the Jewish National Fund.[8] The people who gathered in Dheisheh originated from more than 45 villages west of Jerusalem and Hebron. Dheisheh is one of the refugee camps that was created as a temporary humanitarian solution to the problem of accommodating those expelled Palestinians. Towards the end of the 1950s the UNRWA started to build very simple living units: A single room of 10 square metres, 10 cm thick and 2.45 m high walls, a steel roof and a floor made of rough concrete. Refugees began to build their own houses so as not to live in the UNRWA's shacks any longer.
Since the
During the early months of First Intifada, 15 April 1989, Imad Karaka was shot dead by
On 23 February 2015, during an operation to arrest a resident of the camp, Israeli soldiers shot dead a 19-year-old man.[12]
Majid Faraj, the
Population
The population in the 1967 census conducted by the Israeli authorities was 4,149.[14]
Current population figures for Dheisheh are subject to disagreement between the respective census studies of the Palestinian National Authority and UNRWA. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the camp was estimated to have population of 9,399 in mid-year 2006, following natural population growths from 8,829 persons in 2004 and 9,114 persons in 2005.[15] In January 2009, the Population, Housing, and Establishment Census 2007, undertaken by the same Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, on behalf of the Palestinian National Authority, reported the following statistics for the year 2007:[4]
Demographic type | Total |
---|---|
No. of total persons | 8,736 |
No. of females | 4,310 |
No. of males | 4,426 |
No. of housing units | 1,905 |
No. of buildings | 1,170 |
No. of households | 1,698 |
Average size of household: | 5.1 |
Of note is the absence of approximately 700 persons from the estimated 2006 figure compared to the 2007 reported figure. Also, the 2007 reported figure is less than the initial figured reported by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for 2004.
UNRWA reported the following statistical figures for Dheisheh, as of 30 June 2008:[16]
Demographic type | Total |
---|---|
No. of total persons | 13,017 |
No. of families | 2,838 |
No. of infants | 129 |
The discrepancy regarding the camp's population is influenced by several issues, most significant of which are the disagreements over the accepted dimensions of the camp and the status of unregistered residents. Residents of the camp are not taxed on their properties within the camp, and this results in disagreements as the camp community's population and geographical size continue to grow. The tax policy regarding the camp has resulted in the immigration of Palestinians who are not registered refugees with UNRWA. Accurate figures for these immigrants is non available.
Additionally, registration with UNRWA is voluntary and thus can not be expected to account for all eligible refugees living within the camp.
Based on the UNRWA statistics, Dheisheh is the fourth largest refugee camp in the West Bank, behind
By comparison, Dheisheh camp would be the sixth largest after Balata, Askar, Tulkarm,
Local organizations
A number of local as well as international organizations offer humanitarian services within Dheisheh camp. Many of these organizations have a particular focus. A few of them are listed above.
The Karama Organization is a local organization aiming at providing leisure activities for children living in the camp.[17]
The Ibdaa Cultural Center has the aim of creating a positive atmosphere for children in the camp.
The Future Vision Society for the Development of the Abilities (AREEN) is another organization located in Dheishe camp. This non-profit organization seeks to provide a better future for the children and youth in the camp, especially for girls.[18]
References
- ^ a b Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
- ^ a b Dheisheh refugee camp profile UNRWA
- ^ Dheisheh Camp Profile UNRWA
- ^ a b Population, Housing, and Establishment Census 2007 Census Final Results in the West Bank - Summary Archived December 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
- ^ Projected Mid-Year Population for Bethlehem Governorate by Locality 2004- 2006 Archived 2008-06-16 at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
- ^ The perspective from the street Al Jazeera
- ^ Witness: Israeli Forces Invade Bethlehem Archived 2014-05-25 at the Wayback Machine Ma'an News Agency
- ^ Michael Fischbach (2008). Jewish Property Claims Against Arab Countries. Columbia University Press. p. 86.
- ISBN 978-9950-319-01-1.
- ^ B'Tselem May 1989 - 1st Information Sheet. link to pdf. p.6
- Yair Tsaban to defence ministers Yitzhak Rabin & Yitzhak Shamir, 84 medical report
- ^ [1] Ha'aretz 24/2/2015
- ^ [2] Ha'aretz
- ^ Perlmann, Joel (November 2011 – February 2012). "The 1967 Census of the West Bank and Gaza Strip: A Digitized Version" (PDF). Levy Economics Institute. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ Projected Mid -Year Population for Bethlehem Governorate by Locality 2004- 2006 Archived 2008-06-16 at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
- ^ Total Registered Camp Population - Summary Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
- ^ "Karama Goals". Archived from the original on 2017-03-12. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ "スロージューサー(低速ジューサー) 愛用者が語る、おすすめはコレ!". Archived from the original on 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
Further reading
- Grossman, D. 1988. ‘A man is like a stalk of wheat’ in The Yellow Wind, Pan Books Limited: Farrar Straus and Giroux
External links
- Karama Organization
- Ad Duheisha Camp (Fact Sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem, ARIJ
- Ad Duheisha Camp Profile, ARIJ
- Ad Daheisha Camp aerial photo, ARIJ
- The priorities and needs for development in Ad Duheisha camp based on the community and local authorities’ assessment, ARIJ
- Dheisheh, articles from UNWRA