PALESTINETV — broadcast
20260806 130000 UTC
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[00:00:18] and I welcome my guest, Professor Adai Abu
[00:00:22] politics, and that Kars. Welcome, Professor. Professor,
[00:00:25] live a normal life first, we want to talk about the first topic
[00:00:28] in our episode, which is about the reality of Palestinian
[00:00:31] youth today. When we talk about the reality of Palestinian
[00:00:35] youth, how can you describe the reality
[00:00:38] that does not respect the privacy of youth? It is no secret to anyone that
[00:00:40] the reality is highly complex, and a set of
[00:00:43] overlapping and intertwined variables are accumulating,
[00:00:46] extending from economic
[00:00:49] a guarantee for us to get job pressure and rising levels of poverty and unemployment,
[00:00:52] especially after October 23. Hundreds of
[00:00:56] lose the ability thousands of young people are out of work. The Palestinian economy
[00:01:00] has been damaged in a central and strategic way.
[00:01:03] There are many daily pressures
[00:01:08] including, for example, that have affected Palestinian families as a result of unemployment in
[00:01:12] the interior, and we all know
[00:01:15] thing is that it has that about 280 thousand workers, or the estimates are 280 thousand workers,
[00:01:19] have been put out of work in the Palestinian interior
[00:01:22] after October
[00:01:25] to think about
[00:01:25] job opportunities dismissively,
[00:01:25] 2007 until today, 2023. This has
[00:01:28] cast a shadow over Palestinian
[00:01:31] climate, families
[00:01:32] Liberation Organization, and on the table of the President, and on the table as a whole, and thus young people, as part of the Palestinian family, have suffered
[00:01:36] greatly.
[00:01:39] you have passed a stage This is not the only criterion or variable. There is high mobility
[00:01:43] limitation. We have 1100
[00:01:48] persevere. Yes, Israeli checkpoints, between a gate, a checkpoint, an earth
[00:01:50] mound, and a trench, preventing movement, and this
[00:01:54] weakens the ability of Palestinian youth to engage in
[00:01:57] public work and to engage in additional
[00:02:01] civil spaces, in addition to the limited ability to move from
[00:02:05] resilience. It has made you a narrow geographical location
[00:02:10] things. We returned. What I managed to gather from to wider geographical Time is running out. spaces. This means that we put it aside and went down to
[00:02:12] that Palestinian youth,
[00:02:16] he passed away in in one way or another, have lost the opportunity to get to
[00:02:18] know their society
[00:02:20] the internet, we go initially, and consequently have lost the opportunity
[00:02:22] to be exposed
[00:02:25] to the world. So home has become everything. Home
[00:02:28] has become the last resort they can turn to, and
[00:02:32] yet other variables related to settler
[00:02:35] attacks intervene. Yes, Professor Adi, let's talk about
[00:02:38] the most prominent changes that have occurred
[00:02:41] in the lives of Palestinian youth over the past
[00:02:44] years. There have been a number of changes, including
[00:02:47] the limited civil spaces, and this is not only due to
[00:02:51] the main factor and the occupation, but there are other
[00:02:54] factors related to internal alignment,
[00:02:58] related to the
[00:03:01] significant limitation and shrinking, I would say, of civil
[00:03:05] Between two tents, spaces, especially in rural For example, in our areas and areas far from
[00:03:08] city centers. So if we talk about Jenin, about Tubas, about
[00:03:13] have you seen? Salfit, about south Hebron, about north Hebron, even there is a very high narrowing of
[00:03:17] to the tents, civil spaces. Where can a young man go? Where can
[00:03:21] a young man resort to if he is not politicized, if he is not
[00:03:25] within a certain political
[00:03:29] but a memory framework? And this also focuses on girls in particular and young women in particular.
[00:03:32] So the narrowing of civil spaces is one of the most important
[00:03:35] variables. Second, again, the high level of unemployment
[00:03:39] and the high level of poverty and the lack of job opportunities. This
[00:03:43] has created a state of uncertainty among
[00:03:46] general anxiety, of course, and this is known scientifically
[00:03:51] was agricultural as anxiety. And thus, we are living in a state of general
[00:03:54] anxiety and tension connected
[00:03:56] opportunity for change. We need to arm ourselves to a state of lack of clarity and uncertainty and ambiguity in the future of Palestine
[00:04:00] in general, but in the future of Palestinian youth in particular. If you
[00:04:04] look, since Corona until today, Palestinian youth have lost
[00:04:08] and there were many clashes in the south. five years of their lives.
[00:04:08] of 1948 when they left in I mean, I would say
[00:04:11] that it is not counted from their age if they graduated from high school,
[00:04:15] and if they actually graduated from university, they practically
[00:04:18] haven't seen anything in Palestinian life, in civil life.
[00:04:22] They haven't participated, they haven't engaged because
[00:04:26] there were many difficulties they faced, perhaps Corona and the war that happened.
[00:04:33] You die after that. Of course, we are in five years. I mean, these are
[00:04:36] on the calendar, and here I want
[00:04:40] to quote this sentence that we
[00:04:43] pressures have become part need to remove them from our
[00:04:44] the problem. And thus, calendar. And thus, the main idea is that there has been a
[00:04:49] with, in your opinion? decline in the ability of the Palestinian
[00:04:50] the ability to access the internet, people to engage in all areas just as they gained access to of civil work
[00:04:53] in Palestine, whether
[00:04:58] is Beit Lahia and the sea. To its And thus, you start political, whether voluntary work, whether economic, whether engagement
[00:05:01] in the labor market, whether
[00:05:04] dish. The experience engagement in committees, and so on. And thus, all these pressures
[00:05:07] have accumulated and resulted in widespread psychological pressures.
[00:05:11] A huge spectrum of psychological pressures.
[00:05:14] People don't know how their day will go. In
[00:05:17] a short day, you have to
[00:05:20] a short day, you need
[00:05:24] And our country, the rise in prices,
[00:05:27] I mean, is astronomical. And thus, if there is
[00:05:29] a student who is or graduated in
[00:05:32] 2020, he has not had the opportunity to
[00:05:37] at all. Professor Adi, what are the most important issues that concern
[00:05:41] Palestinian youth today, across all their groups and spectrums?
[00:05:45] Undoubtedly, at the top of the list for any Palestinian youth
[00:05:49] is engagement in the labor market, getting
[00:05:52] a job, getting a job opportunity. And this is not easy,
[00:05:56] especially with the interruption of the clearing over the past five years.
[00:05:59] This is not easy at all because you know, the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian
[00:06:03] state, is the biggest employer, or the biggest employer. Second, the private sector has suffered a major
[00:06:07] catastrophe. And thus, the first concern
[00:06:11] is getting a job opportunity. But there are other concerns related
[00:06:14] to job opportunities that I consider
[00:06:17] largely important,
[00:06:21] opportunities for engagement in public work. And thus,
[00:06:24] we have a disruption in the democratic process for years.
[00:06:28] There has been no opportunity for Palestinian youth to engage in public
[00:06:31] work. Of course, some groups have not resumed
[00:06:34] the election process from
[00:06:37] and this is part of the priorities that must be
[00:06:41] put on the table of the Palestine
[00:06:45] of the Palestinian government. This optional
[00:06:48] obstruction of the democratic
[00:06:51] space is not permissible. In addition to that,
[00:06:54] young women in particular, Palestinian women, there is a narrow
[00:06:58] horizon, a narrow space.
[00:07:01] I mean, there is a decline in their opportunities to engage
[00:07:04] in a non-employment labor market. And thus,
[00:07:08] even manual products, even cultural products,
[00:07:10] even embroidery or
[00:07:14] part of knitting, even traditional and very
[00:07:18] light manual industries have disappeared
[00:07:22] because you're talking about tourism in Bethlehem that has been hit
[00:07:25] since Corona until today. You're talking about
[00:07:28] the economy or the exceptional consumption
[00:07:31] that exceeds basic human needs has disappeared.
[00:07:35] It's no longer there. And thus, opportunities for women
[00:07:39] to be in the labor market in a way that differs from
[00:07:42] the traditional employment framework have largely
[00:07:45] disappeared. Tens of thousands of women-led projects have been
[00:07:48] affected in one way or another, and a large
[00:07:51] number of them have closed down, according to a report by the
[00:07:55] Ministry of Women Affairs. Tens of thousands of graduates
[00:07:59] have not had the opportunity to engage in any work
[00:08:02] space, whether voluntary, paid, or partially paid. Uh-huh.
[00:08:06] And thus, all these
[00:08:08] accumulations are pushing Palestinian youth to choose
[00:08:12] emigration as their first option, leaving the country
[00:08:16] as their first option, and distancing themselves from public
[00:08:19] work. There is a general
[00:08:22] feeling of frustration as a result of the
[00:08:25] unavailability of these civil spaces, as a result of
[00:08:28] the unavailability of these opportunities, and so on. Yes,
[00:08:31] Professor Adnan, let's move to the second topic of our
[00:08:35] episode, which is about education and work in
[00:08:39] our current time. Is university education in Palestine still
[00:08:42] a guarantee for getting a job opportunity for graduates,
[00:08:46] for example? It is undoubtedly one of the most important criteria,
[00:08:49] but it is not the only criterion that plays a role in getting a job. Many
[00:08:53] graduates do not have the opportunity to get a job
[00:08:56] as a result. What should they do? I mean, we need
[00:09:00] to arm ourselves, as Edward Said says. If you don't arm yourself
[00:09:03] with critical thinking, knowledge, and science, there will be no
[00:09:09] with a set of complementary
[00:09:11] skills at the university. And thus, today, artificial intelligence
[00:09:15] plays a role. Today, languages play a role.
[00:09:18] Today, social media plays a role. Today, there
[00:09:22] are many areas that we need to, I mean, the tools
[00:09:25] available to young people today to hone their talents,
[00:09:29] for example, or to enhance their experiences and capabilities
[00:09:32] to enter the field and the labor market, they undoubtedly have
[00:09:36] opportunities. Young people today have very high opportunities, I mean,
[00:09:40] compared to my generation, I mean, I have left the generation of
[00:09:43] youth, compared to my generation, we did not have these opportunities,
[00:09:46] but this opportunity comes with a handicap.
[00:09:50] This opportunity cannot be created
[00:09:53] and developed without
[00:09:59] the internet, just as they gained
[00:10:02] greater challenges arose before them than the challenges
[00:10:05] I faced, for example. And thus, today, in order
[00:10:09] to compete in the labor market, and you are competing with Russia.
[00:10:26] So, today, you are not competing with Palestinians only. As Palestinian
[00:10:31] with Palestinians. Some jobs, and since I come from civil
[00:10:35] society, some jobs in civil
[00:10:39] with the whole world, whether you are talking about design,
[00:10:41] whether we are talking about
[00:10:44] social media and content development, whether we are talking about,
[00:10:48] for example, proposal writing, even research. Today, you are
[00:10:51] not competing with Palestinians. Work papers. You are not
[00:10:55] competing with Palestinians. Production. You are not competing with Palestinians.
[00:10:58] You are competing with an open, wild market in many aspects
[00:11:03] of Palestinian society. And thus, our armament with
[00:11:06] skills is a real guarantee for us to get job
[00:11:10] opportunities. But it is not only
[00:11:14] opportunities. It is a guarantee for us to be exposed to
[00:11:18] a wider spectrum of experiences that can really make us
[00:11:21] more engaged and rooted in our society, more aware
[00:11:25] of its different aspects, its social aspects, its structural
[00:11:28] aspects, more capable of influencing and changing our society,
[00:11:32] more capable of enhancing the resilience of our society.
[00:11:35] By the way, we are talking about job opportunities
[00:11:39] regardless of their financial return. We are talking about Palestinian
[00:11:42] resilience in the face of all the current circumstances. It is
[00:11:46] not permissible to talk about
[00:11:50] saying, "No, by God, just bear with it for three or four years."
[00:11:54] If you bear with it for three or four years without working,
[00:11:57] it means you have harmed the resilience of the entire Palestinian
[00:12:01] society. Three or four years means
[00:12:04] in your life where you should have explored
[00:12:07] a wide range of things, engaged in a wide range of
[00:12:11] things, had a presence in a very large number
[00:12:14] of variables in your society. You have practically
[00:12:18] bypassed them. You practically haven't had the opportunity to
[00:12:21] engage in them. And thus, this has made you lose all
[00:12:25] your passion for influencing and changing and enhancing
[00:12:30] lose all your passion regarding developing your career.
[00:12:34] Yes. Personally, it has made
[00:12:38] you lose all your passion in
[00:12:41] a set of achievements that you could have achieved
[00:12:44] at an early age. Okay, let's talk about
[00:12:47] graduates, university graduates. What are the reasons
[00:12:51] or factors that make many graduates feel
[00:12:55] frustrated or face difficulties
[00:12:58] after graduation, and how can these challenges be dealt
[00:13:02] with? The first challenge is exposure.
[00:13:06] How many experiences do you have? How much can you talk
[00:13:09] about these experiences? Well, we have many, and part of
[00:13:12] it is structural. I don't just blame the young
[00:13:16] person, nor do I blame the narrow society he lives in. So,
[00:13:19] in some universities today, or in some educational institutions,
[00:13:22] so that I don't blame a specific university,
[00:13:25] you, as the son of a certain place,
[00:13:29] study in your school and university and work
[00:13:32] in the same place. What kind of exposure, what kind
[00:13:35] of experiences
[00:13:38] So you haven't seen any experiences. This
[00:13:42] needs serious attention from the educational
[00:13:44] policy makers. So, you haven't been exposed to
[00:13:48] any experience. This is one issue. The second issue
[00:13:52] is what kind of skills
[00:14:03] you have acquired from this exposure. Nothing. You have
[00:14:07] recreated the details of your society
[00:14:10] completely. You have not been exposed to any different
[00:14:13] experience, and therefore no
[00:14:16] corresponding skill has developed in you.
[00:14:20] I mean, in your opinion, Professor Adi, that
[00:14:23] the graduate should not stay in the same place
[00:14:27] and in the same experience, but
[00:14:30] rather have other opportunities to be exposed to different
[00:14:34] experiences. And therefore, the big mistake
[00:14:37] is that we build an educational policy that
[00:14:41] confines and isolates Palestinian young men
[00:14:44] and women and makes their lives centered in
[00:14:48] 10 square kilometers or 20 square kilometers
[00:14:51] from school to university to home to marriage
[00:14:55] to family to work.
[00:14:58] So the main idea is that you have
[00:15:01] a set of skills that you acquire by
[00:15:05] attending university, but not from the university. You share with a person
[00:15:09] from Jenin a certain dish.
[00:15:12] You start to discover that, by God, Mansaf
[00:15:15] is cooked this
[00:15:17] way and not that way.
[00:15:21] talking about an experience.
[00:15:24] This experience is not about your talk about the
[00:15:29] is your experience. It is your life.
[00:15:33] It is your memories. It is how much you
[00:15:37] interacted over this dish. How much you interacted
[00:15:40] to design a table and sit at it, and so on. And
[00:15:44] thus, if this is the case between a person from Hebron
[00:15:48] and a person from Jenin, what about the case between
[00:15:51] a person from Hebron and other countries
[00:15:54] and other cultures? And thus, our isolation
[00:15:57] from exposure to cultures reinforces radicalization
[00:16:01] or reinforces fundamentalism and extremism
[00:16:04] in our societies. And extremism is not just
[00:16:08] in its religious sense, but also in its
[00:16:11] social sense. Of course, extremism
[00:16:15] and extremism and a wide range
[00:16:19] of aspects. I want to say, and thus,
[00:16:23] your lack of exposure to experiences makes you lose
[00:16:26] skills, makes you lose your ability to express
[00:16:30] these skills, makes you
[00:16:33] to not have a network that protects you, supports
[00:16:37] you, introduces you, and so on. It makes you
[00:16:41] lose your ability to influence, and your voice
[00:16:44] loses its importance because you practically
[00:16:48] whatever you can do in your narrow society,
[00:16:52] you are a storm in a teacup. Okay, what
[00:16:55] can you influence? But you and the son of
[00:16:59] Jenin and the son of Ramallah and the son
[00:17:03] of Jerusalem in a certain interactive
[00:17:08] you can change, you can influence, and you can
[00:17:11] create opportunities and create job opportunities.
[00:17:14] But there are also a large number of variables
[00:17:18] that we can talk about for hours without stopping.
[00:17:21] Yes, Professor Adi, in your opinion, what are the most
[00:17:25] important skills and competencies required by the labor
[00:17:29] market today, and how can graduates seeking employment
[00:17:33] enhance their chances of getting jobs and succeeding
[00:17:36] in their career paths? I think critical
[00:17:40] thinking or dealing with ideas in an unconventional
[00:17:43] way is one of the most important things. The point
[00:17:47] is not what you know, but how you present what
[00:17:50] you know. That's the most important thing. The point
[00:17:54] is that all knowledge today, with
[00:17:58] to Google today and take what we want from
[00:18:01] it. So, how do you present what you know? This
[00:18:03] is important. The second
[00:18:06] thing is technical skills. How many solutions
[00:18:10] do you have to enhance this knowledge, even
[00:18:14] if it is minimal, even if it is almost
[00:18:18] non-existent? How many skills do you have?
[00:18:22] This enhances your your ability, and so on.
[00:18:25] Today, we also have other tools. Today,
[00:18:29] for example, the Ministry reject calling
[00:18:32] volunteer work, volunteer work. If you
[00:18:35] want the truth, it means a volunteer.
[00:18:41] institution, we call
[00:18:44] him a beneficiary. He benefits from his
[00:18:48] presence in networks. He benefits from his
[00:18:51] presence within a group, of course. And therefore,
[00:18:55] every idea you put in your head,
[00:18:58] I mean, I based my whole life, for example,
[00:19:01] on a set of ideas and a set of opinions
[00:19:04] I heard that might not even be true. And therefore,
[00:19:08] every skill you acquire a little bit in
[00:19:12] your personality, in
[00:19:15] قطعا قطعا والمجتمع الفلسطيني اصبح يعني للاسف
[00:19:19] of Labor has launched
[00:19:22] the labor market
[00:19:25] or the labor market platform. And therefore,
[00:19:28] this is an important platform, frankly, and it does not
[00:19:32] address Palestinian society and Palestinian employers
[00:19:36] specifically. No, it addresses the Gulf, it addresses
[00:19:39] Europe, it addresses many countries in the world.
[00:19:43] This is an opportunity. Second, today, you have
[00:19:46] a set of opportunities available
[00:19:50] online, which is outsourcing.
[00:19:53] And therefore, you practically
[00:19:57] can compete with an American for
[00:20:00] a job in America here. And therefore, how much
[00:20:04] skill do I have in using these platforms? This is
[00:20:08] important. Professor Hady, we have run out of
[00:20:12] time, but we want to talk quickly
[00:20:14] about the psychological pressures faced by young
[00:20:18] people today. Psychological
[00:20:21] of the lives of Palestinian youth. How can they be dealt
[00:20:26] I think one of the most important things
[00:20:30] is for there to be groups, I mean, we call
[00:20:33] them reference points or referral
[00:20:35] points. Either a reference group or
[00:20:39] a referral group. We should organize ourselves
[00:20:42] in a certain way to have a group of
[00:20:46] positive friends and acquaintances with whom I can
[00:20:49] vent and talk about these pressures and fears.
[00:20:53] Psychological pressures are part of Palestinian life today.
[00:20:56] In fact, if there are no psychological pressures, we
[00:20:59] might imagine there's a problem, that we're addicted to psychological
[00:21:03] pressure, and this is true.
[00:21:06] has become chronic. So I
[00:21:10] need a group for venting, and I need this group
[00:21:13] to tell me, I mean, another group that I can
[00:21:17] talk to about my problems, about my grievances.
[00:21:21] Talking about mental health has become more acceptable
[00:21:24] among young people today. Absolutely, absolutely. And Palestinian
[00:21:28] society has, unfortunately, become ready to accept
[00:21:31] the idea of mental health
[00:21:35] as a result of the pressures. We didn't have
[00:21:38] this kind of pressure in the past, and therefore
[00:21:42] there was no need, and we used to reject
[00:21:46] it. Today, there is a positive
[00:21:50] reconciliation with the idea of mental
[00:21:53] health and its importance and its impact on our
[00:21:57] existence, our lives, our health, and
[00:22:01] our interaction. And the negative
[00:22:05] become a demand. It has become, I mean, a mandatory
[00:22:09] path that I have to deal with. And therefore,
[00:22:12] the state of anxiety, the state of uncertainty
[00:22:16] or lack of certainty, the state of unclear
[00:22:19] horizons, all these have become areas
[00:22:23] that make us tense, that make us anxious
[00:22:26] in our daily lives. I don't know if I'll get
[00:22:30] to work. I don't know al-Nar on al-Mu'arrajat,
[00:22:33] a group of settlers will attack me or not. Will
[00:22:37] Karamelo checkpoint turn me back? The amount
[00:22:40] of pressure is enormous. And therefore, we
[00:22:44] are required to think about enhancing our resilience
[00:22:47] to these pressures, not our flexibility or our adaptation
[00:22:51] to these pressures, but our resilience towards them.
[00:22:56] We just need a final word from you, the message
[00:32:05] So, it is time for us today
[00:32:08] to think collectively as Palestinians
[00:32:12] in a real space that is capable
[00:32:16] of allowing everyone among us to express
[00:32:29] their voice in a positive way,
[00:32:32] without judgment, without exclusion,
[00:32:35] without excommunication, and so on,
[00:32:40] a basket of solutions. This
[00:32:42] basket of solutions involves young men,
[00:32:46] involves Palestinian young women in
[00:32:49] their society, provides them
[00:32:51] with job opportunities,
[00:32:54] and I benefit from their presence
[00:32:57] in strengthening my ability to
[00:33:03] we thank you very much, Professor
[00:33:06] Adi Abu Karsh, Director General of
[00:33:09] the Palestinian Empowerment and Local
[00:33:13] Development Organization. Thank you very
[00:33:16] much for being with us. Thank
[00:33:19] you. Thank you. Here we conclude
[00:33:23] our episode of Voice of Youth.
[00:33:26] Every issue discussed and every idea
[00:33:30] presented confirms that empowering
[00:33:34] youth is not limited job opportunities
[00:33:37] or education, but rather begins
[00:33:40] with listening to them and believing
[00:33:44] in their capabilities and involving them
[00:33:47] in decision-making and creating an
[00:33:50] environment that gives them the opportunity
[00:33:54] to innovate and succeed.
[00:33:58] For youth are not
[00:34:01] just the future of this nation,
[00:34:05] but rather
[00:34:07] its present and its renewed
[00:34:10] strength, and investing in youth is
[00:34:14] an investment in the future of
[00:34:17] Palestine. Goodbye.
[00:34:20] there is no difference between the Nakba
[00:34:24] of yesterday and the Nakba of today. From
[00:34:28] Hurbiya to Gaza, and from the orchards
[00:34:32] the story unfolds with one pain
[00:34:35] and one dream: return.
[00:34:39] The homeland is not just geography,
[00:34:44] walking on two feet. And every
[00:34:47] tent has a story, and every
[00:34:51] story has a key waiting
[00:34:55] here. Time is not measured
[00:34:58] in seasons, but in tragedies.
[00:35:01] Life in the past was when the country
[00:35:06] land. Your grandfather would go to the land,
[00:35:10] plow and plant wheat and barley
[00:35:13] and vegetables. They would take
[00:35:17] them to the markets, from shelling from planes from
[00:35:21] tanks as well
[00:35:54] Harbiya, Harbiya, its area is 23 thousand
[00:35:57] dunams, its population is equivalent to
[00:35:59] 2900 and some more. It is famous
[00:36:03] for citrus oranges, agricultural land
[00:36:05] and farming. To its west is the sea.
[00:36:09] To its south
[00:36:13] east are Barabara and Beit Jargerj. To its north is Deir
[00:36:16] Saneed and Al-Khasas.
[00:36:20] Villages are like other villages. I mean, they were comfortable,
[00:36:24] good, there were no problems like these days.
[00:36:28] And the hatred and resentment and distress, all of this is due to the occupation.
[00:36:31] Regarding what my grandfather used to tell me in the old days, they lived in
[00:36:35] peace and kindness. Their lives were really very
[00:36:39] simple. They were very simple, kind people
[00:36:43] who minded their own business.
[00:37:09] The beginnings of their displacement, I mean, it really started with problems that began from within,
[00:37:12] an internal strife within the country. From the countries, I mean,
[00:37:16] take it from the north, let's start from Jaffa, a part of
[00:37:19] Jaffa, and here the problems began that the Khubs began to move to the rest of the villages,
[00:37:23] going down to Zadud and going down to Yabna and going down to Barabara and going down to
[00:37:27] Hamama, and people would inform others. I mean, I remember my father told me
[00:37:31] that people from Beit Lahia arrived at our village and we stayed there for a week and didn't
[00:37:34] leave until people
[00:37:37] were forced to flee to Gaza. And Gaza was empty.
[00:37:41] I mean, the areas, I mean, Gaza City, our city, was from
[00:37:44] Al-Samir and Al-Daraj neighborhood of Al-Daraj up to the first police station.
[00:37:48] This is the original Gaza, and the rest, all to the west,
[00:37:52] is sand. I mean, I remember this whole Al-Abbas area
[00:37:55] was sand. Here, our area from the Al-Rumman area, I am
[00:37:59] Dar Al-Assila and Abaoud, and it goes to Sheikh Radwan until the first project.
[00:38:02] This is empty sand. The issue of
[00:38:06] migration was a struggle, a difficult and bitter struggle.
[00:38:10] Their displacement was difficult. I mean, they say we left the country hoping
[00:38:14] to return in a week, two days, three days. They didn't take
[00:38:17] these things, hoping to return, meaning two, three, four days.
[00:38:20] Things took them until today. I mean, I remember he told me that
[00:38:24] after four days, a city descended in
[00:38:27] the Beit Lahia area, from Beit Lahia. He came a little further
[00:38:30] and told me
[00:38:34] the country and gathered some
[00:38:37] belongings, I tried to bring with me, and still hoping that
[00:38:41] we would return. And despite that, may God have mercy on him,
[00:38:43] 1983, late 1982.
[00:38:47] He passed away. The key to the house is there, and he told them, "Don't forget
[00:38:51] the land deeds and the children's deeds are there, and the country's deeds are there.
[00:38:54] Don't forget."
[00:38:56] And here we are, in what we are in today. And we have been displaced another
[00:39:00] displacement, and we came with what
[00:39:01] we
[00:39:05] are in.
[00:39:42] They made a truce and told us to return to
[00:39:45] Gaza. During our journey to Gaza, there were no
[00:39:49] means of transportation. We were afraid at first to return
[00:39:52] or not to return, whether the houses were fine or not fine, what happened and what didn't happen.
[00:39:56] And we returned by sea, by Salah, by Rasheed
[00:39:59] Street. And as we were returning, there was
[00:40:03] also massive destruction,
[00:40:07] especially in the north of Gaza City. The north was very, very much affected during this
[00:40:10] war, this war. The war of October 7th greatly
[00:40:14] affected the northern region. It greatly affected it.
[00:40:17] From the demolition of houses, the demolition of homes. And we returned to our homes, and we also
[00:40:21] continued to suffer the same suffering, but currently, the suffering of the
[00:40:25] people of the tents, I mean, young man, you are like a boat in a sea
[00:40:28] between high waves, you don't know where to go, because this
[00:40:32] calamity befell us and reminded us of the calamity
[00:40:36] 1948. This is harder.
[00:40:39] I felt the pain they went through. I mean, how much he used to tell
[00:40:43] us when we were children, it's true, but this trust
[00:40:47] burned me more, and I remembered how they left, and they left
[00:40:51] with a small child like this at your age, whether it was a boy or a girl. It was
[00:40:54] a bitter thing, and they had to
[00:40:57] go. So, by law, they had to leave. I didn't change it.