Please indulge me. But I love these faces. They are “just” children, Silwan’s children, Palestine’s children, our (global) children, our future. First picture:
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) — The Madaa Creative Center “Summer Games” program was launched yesterday in Wadi Hilweh district of Silwan. The Games features a wide range of activities for children during one week of the summer holiday period, including games, educational activities and entertainment. The week will be concluded with a colorful street rally in Wadi Hilweh, a tradition since 2008 when the first rally was staged as a community gathering and protest against settlement policy in Silwan.
2011 marks the fifth consecutive Summer Games event, under the “I Love You Silwan” banner. The Games seek to inspire pride amongst Silwan’s young residents in their community. Silwan is inhabited by 55,000 Palestinians and 300 Israeli settlers. Over 70% of Palestinian residents live below the poverty line, and all must pay taxes to the Israeli state, which does not provide municipal services in return.
I discovered Wadi Hilweh Information Center-Silwan when I started following @sarahonline @ Twitter.
It’s not all fun and camp in Silwan. Second picture. From a month back, Dark days for Silwan’s youth.
Looks awfully young, don’t you think?
7 children numbered amongst 8 arrested by Israeli forces in Silwan today. One child arrested, Yahya al-Rishaq, is not even 6 years of age. Despite al-Rishaq’s attempts to persuade soldiers not to take his young son, Israeli forces insisted on his arrest.
