Balata Camp | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | مخيم بلاطة |
 Balata as seen fromMount Gerizim | |
  Balata Camp Location of Balata Camp withinPalestine | |
| Coordinates:32°12′23.06″N35°17′11.70″E / 32.2064056°N 35.2865833°E /32.2064056; 35.2865833 | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Nablus |
| Founded | 1950; 76 years ago (1950) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Refugee Camp (from 1950) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
• Total | 14,635 |
Balata Camp (Arabic:مخيم بلاطة) is aPalestinian refugee camp established in the northernWest Bank in 1950, adjacent toBalata village on the outskirts of the city ofNablus. Balata Camp had a population of 14,635 in 2017.[1]
In 1950, theUnited Nations (UN) gave refugees from theJaffa area temporary housing. These people initially refused the UN's offers, stating their eagerness to return to their homes. After two years, they accepted the offer and settled at Balata.[2] In 1956, the Jaffa refugees desired more permanent housing. After the border withIsrael was sealed, the refugees moved into concrete housing that replaced the original tents.[2]
TheUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) funds a school in the Balata camp, with approximately 5,000 pupils.[2] The Yaffa Cultural Center in Balata operates a guesthouse, children's theater and cinema, children's library and media center.[3] The AmericanNGO,Tomorrow's Youth Organization, also operates classes for children from Balata.[4]
In the 1980s and 1990s, Balata residents played a leading role in the uprising known as theFirst Intifada. In November 2007,Palestinian National Authority police officers climbed rooftops in Balata and engaged in gun battles with militants of theAl-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades who had turned the camp into a military stronghold. Five residents and a policeman were wounded in the shooting.[5]
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References
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