• it VO
  • fr Français
  • en English
  • ar العربية
About us
  • In-depth
    • All
    • Features
    • Files
    • World
    Greece and the problems of altruistic surrogacy 2/3

    Surrogacy in Spain: A shady business favored by administrative permissiveness 3/3

    Greece and the problems of altruistic surrogacy 2/3

    Greece and the problems of altruistic surrogacy 2/3

    The transnational network of the surrogacy industry 1/3

    The transnational network of the surrogacy industry 1/3

    Arts: The women who are shifting the lines

    Arts: The women who are shifting the lines

    The jewelry of Palestinian artist Inas Dajani: When female genitalia inspire art

    The jewelry of Palestinian artist Inas Dajani: When female genitalia inspire art

    Trending Tags

    • Women artists
    • Ecofeminism
    • Women living from and on the streets
    • Women and bodies
    • Women and sports
    • Women and cinema
    • Ramadan series
    • Women and war
    • Women Living at the Margins
    • Press Freedom from the Perspective of Women Journalists
    • Period poverty
    • Gynecological violence
    • Women and prison
    • Safe spaces
    • Abortion and SRHR
    • Transgenderism
    • Women in rural areas
  • On the move
    Unequal belonging: Migration, identity, and the politics of citizenship in Italy

    Unequal belonging: Migration, identity, and the politics of citizenship in Italy

    Sexist discourse in the Greek public sphere: The targeting of leading women investigating a political tragedy

    Sexist discourse in the Greek public sphere: The targeting of leading women investigating a political tragedy

    A history of ecofeminism: At the origin were the witches

    A history of ecofeminism: At the origin were the witches

    Ecofeminism, an alternative to reenchant the world?

    Ecofeminism, an alternative to reenchant the world?

  • Portraits
    Kurdish journalist killed in Turkish drone strike in northeastern Syria

    Kurdish journalist killed in Turkish drone strike in northeastern Syria

    A Filmmaker’s Journey: Inside the Creative World of Margarita Bareikyte

    A Filmmaker’s Journey: Inside the Creative World of Margarita Bareikyte

    An interview with Tesh Sidi: Migrants in Parliament and inclusion by identity

    An interview with Tesh Sidi: Migrants in Parliament and inclusion by identity

    Interview with queer activist Marianne Chbat: “Our presence in academic settings is a militant act”

  • Creations
    • All
    • Reviews
    • Visual Arts
    Atlantics, a film by Mati Diop: Filming the embodied resistance of spirits

    Atlantics, a film by Mati Diop: Filming the embodied resistance of spirits

    All We Imagine as Light : three intertwined female stories

    All We Imagine as Light : three intertwined female stories

    Three Feminist Podcasts from the Southern Mediterranean

    Three Feminist Podcasts from the Southern Mediterranean

    Fotonica’s stereotype-free images

    Fotonica’s stereotype-free images

  • Opinion
    Messages from life under bombardment—Can a mother cope with losing her six children at once? (10)

    Messages from life under bombardment—Can a mother cope with losing her six children at once? (10)

    Messages from life under bombardment—No cake for my children on their birthdays (9)

    Messages from life under bombardment—No cake for my children on their birthdays (9)

    Messages from life under bombardment – No food or water in Gaza (8)

    Messages from life under bombardment – No food or water in Gaza (8)

    Goodbye Fatima, reporter of the ongoing Genocide in Gaza

    Goodbye Fatima, reporter of the ongoing Genocide in Gaza

  • Multimedia
    "I hope it doesn’t go viral: Journalism and sexist attacks in digital age". A video investigation by Çiçek Tahaoğlu

    "I hope it doesn’t go viral: Journalism and sexist attacks in digital age". A video investigation by Çiçek Tahaoğlu

    Period poverty in Montenegro

    Period poverty in Montenegro

    Period poverty in France (1)

    Period poverty in France (1)

    Period Poverty in Italy

    Period Poverty in Italy

  • Country context
No Result
View All Result
BLOGS
Medfeminiswiya
  • In-depth
    • All
    • Features
    • Files
    • World
    Greece and the problems of altruistic surrogacy 2/3

    Surrogacy in Spain: A shady business favored by administrative permissiveness 3/3

    Greece and the problems of altruistic surrogacy 2/3

    Greece and the problems of altruistic surrogacy 2/3

    The transnational network of the surrogacy industry 1/3

    The transnational network of the surrogacy industry 1/3

    Arts: The women who are shifting the lines

    Arts: The women who are shifting the lines

    The jewelry of Palestinian artist Inas Dajani: When female genitalia inspire art

    The jewelry of Palestinian artist Inas Dajani: When female genitalia inspire art

    Trending Tags

    • Women artists
    • Ecofeminism
    • Women living from and on the streets
    • Women and bodies
    • Women and sports
    • Women and cinema
    • Ramadan series
    • Women and war
    • Women Living at the Margins
    • Press Freedom from the Perspective of Women Journalists
    • Period poverty
    • Gynecological violence
    • Women and prison
    • Safe spaces
    • Abortion and SRHR
    • Transgenderism
    • Women in rural areas
  • On the move
    Unequal belonging: Migration, identity, and the politics of citizenship in Italy

    Unequal belonging: Migration, identity, and the politics of citizenship in Italy

    Sexist discourse in the Greek public sphere: The targeting of leading women investigating a political tragedy

    Sexist discourse in the Greek public sphere: The targeting of leading women investigating a political tragedy

    A history of ecofeminism: At the origin were the witches

    A history of ecofeminism: At the origin were the witches

    Ecofeminism, an alternative to reenchant the world?

    Ecofeminism, an alternative to reenchant the world?

  • Portraits
    Kurdish journalist killed in Turkish drone strike in northeastern Syria

    Kurdish journalist killed in Turkish drone strike in northeastern Syria

    A Filmmaker’s Journey: Inside the Creative World of Margarita Bareikyte

    A Filmmaker’s Journey: Inside the Creative World of Margarita Bareikyte

    An interview with Tesh Sidi: Migrants in Parliament and inclusion by identity

    An interview with Tesh Sidi: Migrants in Parliament and inclusion by identity

    Interview with queer activist Marianne Chbat: “Our presence in academic settings is a militant act”

  • Creations
    • All
    • Reviews
    • Visual Arts
    Atlantics, a film by Mati Diop: Filming the embodied resistance of spirits

    Atlantics, a film by Mati Diop: Filming the embodied resistance of spirits

    All We Imagine as Light : three intertwined female stories

    All We Imagine as Light : three intertwined female stories

    Three Feminist Podcasts from the Southern Mediterranean

    Three Feminist Podcasts from the Southern Mediterranean

    Fotonica’s stereotype-free images

    Fotonica’s stereotype-free images

  • Opinion
    Messages from life under bombardment—Can a mother cope with losing her six children at once? (10)

    Messages from life under bombardment—Can a mother cope with losing her six children at once? (10)

    Messages from life under bombardment—No cake for my children on their birthdays (9)

    Messages from life under bombardment—No cake for my children on their birthdays (9)

    Messages from life under bombardment – No food or water in Gaza (8)

    Messages from life under bombardment – No food or water in Gaza (8)

    Goodbye Fatima, reporter of the ongoing Genocide in Gaza

    Goodbye Fatima, reporter of the ongoing Genocide in Gaza

  • Multimedia
    "I hope it doesn’t go viral: Journalism and sexist attacks in digital age". A video investigation by Çiçek Tahaoğlu

    "I hope it doesn’t go viral: Journalism and sexist attacks in digital age". A video investigation by Çiçek Tahaoğlu

    Period poverty in Montenegro

    Period poverty in Montenegro

    Period poverty in France (1)

    Period poverty in France (1)

    Period Poverty in Italy

    Period Poverty in Italy

  • Country context
About us
Medfeminiswiya
About us

A personal testimony by Shireen Abu Aqleh

“To me, Jenin is not a one ephemeral story in my career or even in my personal life. It is the city that can raise my morale and help me fly. It embodies the Palestinian spirit that sometimes trembles and falls but, beyond all expectations, rises to pursue its flights and dreams.”

Contributor with Medfeminiswiya by Contributor with Medfeminiswiya
16 May 2022
in On the move, Portraits
15 2
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

This post is also available in: Français (French) العربية (Arabic)

Written by Shireen Abu Aqleh for “This Week in Palestine” in October 2021.

It was probably a coincidence that brought me back twenty years. When I arrived in Jenin in September, I did not expect to relive this overwhelming feeling. Jenin is still the same inextinguishable flame that is home to fearless young men who are not intimidated by any potential Israeli invasion.

The success of the escape from Jalbou’ Prison was the reason I spent a number of days and nights in the city. It was like going back to 2002 when Jenin lived something unique, unlike any other city in the West Bank. Towards the end of Al-Aqsa Intifada, armed citizens spread out all over the city and publicly dared the occupation forces to raid the camp.

In 2002, Jenin became a legend in the minds of many. The battle in the camp against the occupation forces that April is still powerfully present in the minds of its inhabitants, even those who were not yet born when it happened.

Returning to Jenin now, 20 years later, I encountered many familiar faces. In a restaurant, I met Mahmoud who greeted me with the question, “Do you remember me?” “Yes,” I replied, “I remember you.” It is difficult to forget that face and those eyes. He continued, “I was released from jail a few months ago.” Mahmoud was wanted by the Israelis when I met him during the years of the Intifada.

I relived those feelings of anxiety and horror that we experienced every time we met an armed person in the camp. Mahmoud is one of the lucky ones; he was imprisoned and released, but the faces of many others have been turned into symbols or mere memories for the inhabitants of Jenin and for Palestinians in general.

During this visit, we did not face any difficulties in finding a place to stay, unlike ten years ago when we had to stay in the homes of people we did not know. At that time, people opened their homes to us since there were no hotels.

At first sight, life in Jenin may appear normal, with restaurants, hotels, and shops that open their doors every morning. But in Jenin we have the feeling that we are in a small village that monitors every stranger that comes in. On every street, people ask the crew, “Are you from the Israeli press?” “No, we are from Al-Jazeera.” The yellow Israeli vehicle plates raise suspicion and fear. The car was photographed and the photograph was circulated several times before our movement in the city became familiar to inhabitants.

In Jenin, we met people who have never given up hope; they have not allowed fear to infiltrate their hearts and have not been broken by the Israeli occupation forces. It is probably not a coincidence that the six prisoners who managed to escape are all from the vicinity of Jenin and the camp.

To me, Jenin is not a one ephemeral story in my career or even in my personal life. It is the city that can raise my morale and help me fly. It embodies the Palestinian spirit that sometimes trembles and falls but, beyond all expectations, rises to pursue its flights and dreams.

And this has been my experience as a journalist; the moment I’m physically exhausted and mentally drained, I’m faced with a new, surprising legend. It might emerge from a small opening, or from a tunnel dug underground.

Shireen Abu Aqleh’s bio, in her words:

“For 24 years I have been covering the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for Al Jazeera. In addition to the political issue, my concern has been and will always be the human story and the daily suffering of my people under occupation. Before joining my current channel, I was a co-founder of Sawt Falasteen Radio. Throughout my career, I have covered four wars against the Gaza Strip and the Israeli war on Lebanon in 2006, in addition to the incursions into the West Bank. Furthermore, I have covered events in the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Egypt.”

Contributor with Medfeminiswiya

Contributor with Medfeminiswiya

Share your content with us- Partagez vos contenus avec nous- ِشاركونا المواد الخاصة بكم/ن. راسلونا: info@medfeminiswiya.net

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

J'accepte les termes et conditions et la Politique de confidentialité .

Medfeminiswiya

Medfeminiswiya is a feminist network that brings together women journalists working in the fields of media and content production in the Mediterranean region.

Newsletter


    Follow us

    Browse topics


    • In-depth
    • Files
    • Features
    • On the move
    • Portraits
    • Opinion

    • Creations
    • Visual Arts
    • Reviews
    • Multimedia
    • Country Context
    • Blogs
    • About us
    • Our community
    • Our partners
    • Become a member
    • Editorial charter
    • Disclaimer

    © 2023 Medfeminiswiya - Mediterranean Network for Feminist Information

    • it VO
    • fr Français
    • en English
    • ar العربية
    • In-depth
    • On the move
    • Portraits
    • Creations
    • Opinion
    • Multimedia
    • Country context
    • Blogs
    No Result
    View All Result

    © 2023 Medfeminiswiya - Mediterranean Network for Feminist Information

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In

    Add New Playlist

    Ce site n'utilise pas de cookies. This website does not use cookies. هذا الموقع لا يستخدم ملفات تعريف الارتباط.