Ein Beit al-Ma'
Encyclopedia
'Ein Beit el Ma also known as Camp No. 1 , is a Palestinian refugee camp established in the northern West Bank
in 1950, adjacent to the city of Nablus
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
(PCBS), 'Ein Beit el Ma Camp had a population of approximately 5,036 inhabitants in mid-year 2006. It currently houses 6,683 registered Palestinian refugee
s.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA) supports two schools built with funds from the Saudi Arabia and Swedish Governments in 1997, close to the 'Ein Beit el Ma camp, on land donated by the Nablus municipality. The schools have approximately 1,268 pupils.
'Ein Beit el Ma, (No.1) Refugee Camp, west of Nablus city was established in 1950 on 45 dunums beside the main Nablus/Jenin road, and within the municipal boundaries of Nablus. Following the Israeli redeployment in 1995, the camp fell under Palestinian Authority control in "Area A". The camp is very cramped, there is serious overcrowding, and the narrow alleys are in desperate need of repair. During funerals, the deceased are usually passed through windows from one shelter to another in order to reach the camp's main street.
A serious outbreak of diarrhoea hospitalised several hundred camp residents in the summer of 1998. Contaminated municipal water supplies was the cause of the epidemic and UNRWA's health staff worked day and night to treat the sick and to take patients to clinics and hospitals in other parts of the West Bank.
18 September 2007, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Border Police entered 'Ein Beit el Ma Refugee Camp. The entire camp population of approximately 5,000 people was placed under complete curfew for three days. The IDF entered the camp with the stated aim of disarming militant cells in the camp. After initial clashes between IDF troops and Palestinian militants inside the camp, the IDF began house-to-house search and an arrest campaign.
Over the course of the three days there were two Palestinian fatalities and 25 injuries reported, including two children and one woman. In addition, one IDF soldier was killed and five were injured including 4 soldiers who were injured when a tear gas canister exploded prematurely inside their armoured vehicle. A direct result of this operation was the prevention of a suicide bombing planned at the end of the Jewish Yom Kippur.
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
in 1950, adjacent to the city of Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is the statistical organization under the umbrella of the Palestinian Cabinet of the Palestinian National Authority....
(PCBS), 'Ein Beit el Ma Camp had a population of approximately 5,036 inhabitants in mid-year 2006. It currently houses 6,683 registered Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to 5 million Palestine refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza...
(UNRWA) supports two schools built with funds from the Saudi Arabia and Swedish Governments in 1997, close to the 'Ein Beit el Ma camp, on land donated by the Nablus municipality. The schools have approximately 1,268 pupils.
'Ein Beit el Ma, (No.1) Refugee Camp, west of Nablus city was established in 1950 on 45 dunums beside the main Nablus/Jenin road, and within the municipal boundaries of Nablus. Following the Israeli redeployment in 1995, the camp fell under Palestinian Authority control in "Area A". The camp is very cramped, there is serious overcrowding, and the narrow alleys are in desperate need of repair. During funerals, the deceased are usually passed through windows from one shelter to another in order to reach the camp's main street.
A serious outbreak of diarrhoea hospitalised several hundred camp residents in the summer of 1998. Contaminated municipal water supplies was the cause of the epidemic and UNRWA's health staff worked day and night to treat the sick and to take patients to clinics and hospitals in other parts of the West Bank.
18 September 2007, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Border Police entered 'Ein Beit el Ma Refugee Camp. The entire camp population of approximately 5,000 people was placed under complete curfew for three days. The IDF entered the camp with the stated aim of disarming militant cells in the camp. After initial clashes between IDF troops and Palestinian militants inside the camp, the IDF began house-to-house search and an arrest campaign.
Over the course of the three days there were two Palestinian fatalities and 25 injuries reported, including two children and one woman. In addition, one IDF soldier was killed and five were injured including 4 soldiers who were injured when a tear gas canister exploded prematurely inside their armoured vehicle. A direct result of this operation was the prevention of a suicide bombing planned at the end of the Jewish Yom Kippur.