Four members of the LYRN and CSAF participated in the 10th youth summer camp in Beirut, Lebanon, between 30 August and5 September. The event, organized by Aidoun in Syria/Lebanon and the People’s Aid Society for Relief and Development in Lebanon, was attended by 65 Palestinian refugee youth from Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. The summer camp aimed at enabling youth to exchange experiences about their work in the field of relief and advocacy among Palestinian refugees and communities in the host countries. Also, it gave them an opportunity to work on strategies that aim to strengthen the relationships between youth in the different refugee camps in the Diaspora and Palestine.

Many issues about the plight of Palestinian refugees were discussed and debated throughout the days of the summer camp: the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on the Palestinian refugees in Syria and how international relief agencies are dealing with this issue; the position of the Lebanese government regarding the Palestinians who fled from Syria to Lebanon; and the socio-economic situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon today. The discussions among the participants also concentrated on the role of Palestinian youth in raising the awareness about Palestinian refugees, and how to enable youth to work in the field of humanitarian relief in the future.

Furthermore, the participants had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the Palestinian political parties in Lebanon. With them they discussed possible ways to implement the right of return and the future of the Palestinian National Movement in light of the current developments in the Middle East.

At the end of the summer camp, the participating youth had the opportunity to visit and meet Palestinian refugees who fled from Syria to Lebanon, and were able to visit some of the Palestinian refugee camps in southern Lebanon.

BADIL was able to expand its Resource Library with over 50 new titles on international law, human rights, the Palestinian refugees and many other related topics. This was made possible due to the generosity of BADIL’s international partners and friends. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all of you who purchased books and other resources from BADIL’s Wish List for our library. This is a vital resource for our researchers as well as Palestinian and international visitors of our library.

This was the 7th year of BADIL’s Annual Al Awda Award. BADIL launched the 2013 Award on 28 January 2013 under the slogan “Generation by generation, we will continue to protect our fig and olive trees.” The first phase of the award was completed in April and included the category of Best Nakba Poster (see press release in Arabic). The second phase of the Award was completed in July, and the winners of the Best Photograph and Best Story for Children were announced during the commemoration event of the World Refugee Day. The second phase also included Best Caricature category. However, no awards were given for this category as the independent jury felt that this year’s submissions lacked the same level of quality and originality of previous years. For details on the categories and winners, (see the press release in Arabic).

Joint Lecture and Tour on Forced Population Transfer in cooperation with Adalah

BADIL and Adalah: the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, implemented a joint keynote lecture and tour in early August. The joint initiative was the first of its kind for both organizations, although the two NGOs have collaborated in the past on joint statements and exchange of resources and experiences.

The keynote speaker was Professor Ilan Pappé, social activist and historian from the University of Exeter. His lecture was titled, “Displacing Palestine: Israel's onslaught against the people and their land”. The lecture was attended by over 100 international and Palestinian guests. To complement the lecture, three field tours were implemented in East Jerusalem, Area C’ in Bethlehem and the Naqab Desert, highlighting the policies and practices of the Israeli regime aiming to forcibly transfer the Palestinians from their homeland.

Commemoration of the Sabra and Shatila Massacres

BADIL and the Alternative Information Center in Beit Sahour jointly coordinated an event in commemoration of the Sabra and Shatila massacres of 1982. This first-time commemoration presented the details of the massacres and the context in which they were committed. The presentation included screening the testimonies of two survivors. 35 Palestinians and internationals attended the event, which took place on 17 September. A discussion on the implications, consequences and responsibilities of the massacre followed. See >>

Speaking Tour in the UK

For the first time, BADIL implemented a 16-stop speaking tour in the UK during the summer months of June, July and August. The speaking tour focused on the ONEC, and featured some of its films: first person testimonies documenting violations committed against the Palestinian people by the state of Israel to forcibly displace them. The tour was well received and was promoted by a number of local media outlets, including interviews and coverage of the various events.

BADIL-DCI Joint Action

For the first time, BADIL and Defense for Children International-Palestine jointly implemented an initiative to raise awareness and train a group of Palestinian children on international law, human and child rights and media-based forms of expression. The initiative aimed to encourage the children to engage in their communities, and to empower them to raise their voices against violations of their rights. This year-long initiative concluded in a cartoon film-screening, photographic and art exhibition made of the works of the children (held at the Palestinian Child Arts Center in Hebron on 13 September). Finally, the children viewed two films about child rights, were awarded certificates of participation, and were taken on a tour in Hebron. See press release on this in Arabic >>

Tour and Discussion with Palestinian Women of Jerusalem

For the first time, in cooperation with the Palestine Women’s Committee Union (PWCU) and the UNDP, BADIL participated in the Young Women of Jerusalem (“Al Fattah Al Makdaseyah”) Summer Camp. BADIL gave a lecture on the situation of Palestinian refugees, the case study of Jerusalem 20 years after Oslo, the occupation and the rights of Palestinian women. BADIL also facilitated a tour to villages in Area C ofthe Bethlehem District, highlighting realities of forced population transfer in those areas. The two day event (16-17 August) was well received by the participants, and they expressed an interest in BADIL’s work as a human rights organization. They also talked about the possibilities for future collaborations and inclusion in BADIL’s activities.

Participation in the international conference “From Truth to Redress"

BADIL Resource Center participated in the Zochrot conference in Tel Aviv from 29-30 September entitled “From Truth to Redress According to Zochrot, “The objective of this conference is not to argue whether the Palestinian refugees have a right to return, but to see how this right can be realized.”[1] BADIL’s intervention was three-fold: a presentation on "Strategies and Recommendations for Israeli NGOs on Realizing Return and Promoting Justice" (day 1); a presentation on “Establishing the Right of Return as the Common Principle for Struggle” (day 2); as a participant in the concluding round table “Speakers do not Cut Corners” (day 2).In addition, BADIL distributed its most recent publications. The conference was conducted simultaneously in three languages and included eight panels with more than 30 speakers. It was attended by more than 350 men and women, and over 500 people from around the world watched it via live streaming

Hosting International Delegations

BADIL hosted 20 international delegationstotaling346 persons who visited the ONEC physical space in the third quarter of 2013.The topics of the interactive lectures included international law, human rights, the rights of return and self-determination, the practicalities of return and the ONEC website as an advocacy tool.