West Bank Youth to Visit Sheffield

by Julie Pearn, Sheffield Nablus Twinning Association

● Eight Palestinian Teenagers experience brief respite from terror of Israeli occupation and share their experiences in the North of England.
● Nablus citizens face choice between guarding their homes from settler attack or fleeing towards arrest and live fire by occupation soldiers

“The incursions have become part of our daily life… the streets are full of bullets, and hearts are full of fear.”

On Tuesday 25th November Sheffield will enjoy a rare opportunity to meet young Palestinians newly arrived from the West Bank. For the Palestinian teenagers this visit may also be their first chance to meet peers from Nablus, Ramallah or Hebron. It is an opportunity for them to breathe and move freely, unhindered by checkpoints and the iron gates which can cut off entrance and exit to their place of residence at the whim of the occupation forces

Spending time in Liverpool, Pendle, Bradford and Leeds before travelling to Sheffield, they will visit schools and youth clubs, sharing the normal interests and dreams of teenagers as well as their very abnormal experiences of violence and bereavement, confinement and stifled ambitions. In Sheffield the hosts will be young people themselves, who may have been shocked by the scenes of genocidal destruction and settler violence they have seen on their screens and eager to learn directly from Palestinians.

Sheffield Nablus Twinning Association is coordinating the Sheffield leg in collaboration with Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association, a registered charity which regularly organises such visits. Some of the young Palestinians are from New Askar Refugee Camp, Nablus and from nearby towns such as Beit Leed, all of which have experienced lethal attacks by illegal Jewish settlers. Sheffield signed a Declaration of Friendship with Nablus in October 2024.

The West Bank, which has been under illegal occupation since 1967, has been subject to creeping Israeli annexation, condemned ritually by the ‘international community’ but in effect carried out with impunity. The Israeli Knesset, or Parliament, recently passed a law to fully annex the West Bank; a war crime, as international law forbids annexation of land taken by military force. As with Gaza, the Israeli government controls everything and everyone going in or out, although Jewish settlers move freely and with Israeli military protection. In October settler attacks on Palestinian farmers, villages, infrastructure and even on cities like Nablus reached the highest levels since recording of incidents began in 2007.

Typical of the visiting youngsters, 14 year old Fanes Qneiri from New Askar camp, has direct experience of violent attack. He says: Askar Al-Jadid Camp… the place that was once our home and safety has now become filled with fear and terror. Every time I hear the soldiers or the sound of gunfire, my heart beats fast, my eyes fill with tears, and sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe. The streets no longer feel the same — houses are collapsing, people are screaming, children are hiding under tables and beds, and the adults are trying to protect us. Every moment we live in fear and confusion… as if the camp has turned into a battlefield.

One of Fares’ friends, Moataz, was gunned down by IDF soldiers in front of his eyes. He says: I couldn’t move…I felt so small and powerless in the face of all that pain … The incursions have become part of our daily life… the streets are full of bullets, and the hearts are full of fear. Yet despite it all, we cling to life and dream of a day when the camp will once again be a place of peace and safety.”

Since Moataz was killed in January this year, the situation has only got worse. Food infrastructure is now being destroyed, the olive harvest vital to the Palestinian economy has been severely disrupted, and homes are under direct attack. Settlers, emboldened by the lack of international response, are attacking the city of Nablus itself. On the day of writing, 20th November, the city has been subject to continuous violent assault by settlers and Israeli troops for twelve hours. A citizen described the situation: “residents do not know which way to go; avoid and be on guard from the Settlers who are attacking them in their homes and fields, or be faced and detained by the Occupation forces in the towns and camps.”

No teenager should have to grow up in such a situation. Our visitors who have briefly escaped their nightmare will receive a warm welcome in Sheffield on Tuesday from youngsters their own age. An opportunity to raise awareness that Palestinian suffering at the hands of Israelis is not confined to Gaza but is increasingly critical in the West Bank also.

For more information contact sheffieldnablus@gmail.com