Is this the face of a city within a city? Shuafat refugee camp, often called a place apart, sits right here within Jerusalem’s borders. Yet, it exists in a liminal space, both geographically and politically. This camp, established in 1965, wasn’t always meant to be here. It was built for Palestinian refugees who were living in Jerusalem’s Old City after the 1948 war. They had already been displaced once, losing their homes in cities like Ramle, Lydda, and Jaffa. Imagine being uprooted, relocated once, and then told you had to move again. Many of the refugees resisted the move to Shuafat. They didn’t want to lose their livelihoods, their connections to the market, the tourists, the holy sites. But ultimately, many were forced to relocate here. Today, the camp houses a staggering 100,000 Palestinians. Here’s where it gets even more complex. Shuafat, though technically under Israeli jurisdiction, is largely neglected by the municipality. The camp is serviced by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Even residents who hold Israeli IDs find themselves in a bureaucratic no man’s land. Israel’s separation wall further isolates Shuafat, cutting it off from the rest of Jerusalem. It acts as a stark visual reminder of the camp’s precarious existence. Shuafat stands as a powerful symbol of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a place where displacement, resilience, and uncertainty collide.
African Savannah
Is it possible to imagine the heart of Africa beating in Jerusalem? Right here at the African Savannah in the