Aida Camp

Here are some pictures from Aida camp, another Bethlehem refugee camp. Apparently, Pope Benedict XVIXXVI (I'm not good with Roman Numerals, or Catholic facts for that matter) visited Aida camp and received a very warm welcome. The graffiti in the camp is as unique as anywhere on the Bethlehem wall. The Key above the gate leading to Aida has a "not for sale" sign on it, and stands as a promise that the Palestinians will return to their homes. The "Right of Return" is a very powerful sentiment among the Palestinian refugees, and most of the families still have the keys to their former property that they lost in '48, '67 and beyond. The key above Aida symbolizes these keys and the "Right to Return" is not for sale, nor to be bargained away in a peace process. Obviously, this is a very contentious issue, and a problematic one since the homes and properties of the refugees are being used by Israelis, who are equally adamant about their ownership rights. Apolitically, the key is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the biggest in the world.