This beautiful picture of flowers in a garden in Jenin was sent to The Orkney News by Rosie Hopkins.

“We come from the land, give our love and labor to her, and she nurtures us in return. When we die, we return to the land. In a way, she owns us. Palestine owns us and we belong to her” – Mornings in Jenin by  Susan Abulhawa.

Today, Jenin, Palestine, is in the Israeli illegally occupied West Bank.

Jenin camp borders the Jenin municipality and is the northernmost camp in the West Bank. It has been the scene of significant suffering. Established in 1953 after the original camp in the area was destroyed in a snowstorm, Jenin camp was also severely affected by the second intifada. In 2002, the Israeli military occupied the camp after ten days of intensive fighting, destroying more than 400 houses, severely damaging hundreds more, and displacing more than a quarter of the camp’s population.

During 2023, Jenin camp witnessed unprecedented high numbers of armed incidents and confrontations as a result of ISF operations. A major ISF operation in July 2023 lasted over 48 hours, and resulted in 13 fatalities and more than 140 injuries. The UNRWA Health Center was substantially damaged, and four UNRWA schools incurred minor damage. Another major operation lasted for over 60 hours (12-14 December) and has been quoted as the largest yet ISF operation in the West Bank since the second intifada (2000-2005). – UNRWA.