Evening

The union made a collective fast in Ramadan for his members as an appreciation for whom the are working in days and nights for raising the union's flag. 

Students’ Conference under the patronage of the Japanese Embassy.

          From 7-9 October, Nablus Youth Federation – in cooperation with Al-Salam school (Wahat Al-Salam) – organized a conference for the university students who participated in three separate meeting.  Every meeting included a number of participants.

          The fourth meeting was a conference for the ones who participated in the three workshops and it included two workshops in addition to a lecture about the Palestinian – Israeli conflict and the development of the Palestinian issue.  This lecture was presented by the head of Nablus Youth Federation Mr. Majed Tbeileh  .  Also the professor Bershon Basker presented another lecture about the present situation.  The participants played the game of exchanging roles, the Palestinians agreed on this game to express their sufferings caused by the Israeli army.   The Palestinians played the role of occupying forces including causing suffering and attacking houses.  This game affected the Israelis.  The Palestinians were divided into two groups, they entered the rooms with the Israelis, they emptied the room, let all people go out, they started to check people, they tied their hands, put covers on their eyes, they separated men from women so the Israelis got scared.  One of the playing persons acted as a journalist, but he was insulted by the occupying forces.  One of the young men ran away so the soldiers killed him.

When the ambulance arrived to move him, the soldiers started to check it and delay it.  One of the young men wanted to go to the toilet, but the officer refused.

When the Israeli side felt of the suffering of the Palestinians caused by the Israeli army, they  had an open discussion about this play and the officer was asked some questions.

 Why did you do that and why did you enter our houses?

The officer said :  We were checking the area, when we saw lights inside the house, we had doubts and suspicions.  We entered the house we let all people out of the house and we checked the house.  And to guarantee our safety,  we attached the next house so as to make sure that no one had escaped to the neighboring house.

Nablus Youth Federation participated in the URI conference for the Middle East and North Africa, the conference was happened in Qurtuba Hotel in Amman - Jordan, seven groups from several countries discussed cooperation between religions to make peace in the world

29-8-2004: By the beginning of the new year, Nablus Youth Federation distributed 500 boots for a group of the school students in Nablus especially the ones of the old town who suffer from difficult economic situation because of the intensive frequent Israeli attacks there. That was one activity of the federation to support students with a available possibilities granted by the federation.

A religious meeting at Wahat Al-Salam: Nablus Youth Federation in cooperation with Interfaith Encounter Association participated in a religious meeting at Wahat Al-Salam from August 26 till August 28, 2004 with finance from the European Union. The federation's delegation consisted of 17 participants, also 20 Israelis and 10 persons of the Palestinians of 1948 participated in this meeting.
During this meeting, the participants discussed the topic of praying in the three heavenly religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism). Work papers about praying in these religions were presented and discussed. The participants answered some questions and issues and they also prayed to show the way of their prayers to other participants.
At the end of the meeting which lasted for 3 days, Dr. Yehuda Stolove expressed his thanks and happiness that people of three religions gathered together and they all believe in one God. The head of the administrative board of Nablus Youth Federation expressed his thanks to all participants and to interfaith Encounter Association with its staff for participating in organizing the meetings that contribute in establishing the concepts of co-existence and interfaith encounter instead of cultures' conflict.

A Political Meeting in Germany: 2-16.8.2004 Nablus Youth Federation participated in a political meeting that was held in Wellbergberg in Germany and that was entitled (Vacations from War). Nablus Youth Federation was represented by 34 young men and women of the school and university students. Also ten of the Palestinians of 1948, twenty Israeli participants and seven members of Wahat Al-Salam staff participated in this meeting.
The delegation of Nablus Youth Federation left Palestine to Jordan on Saturday July 31. The members of this delegation faced a lot of difficulties during their trip because of the obstacles and barriers imposed by the Israeli occupation army in addition to the siege imposed on the Palestinian cities.
On the first day of the meeting in Germany, the program coordinator Helga Dieter welcomed the participants of all delegations. After that, the participants were divided into groups so there was a group of university students and another one of school students.
Member of the two groups had many long dialogues and discussions. The members of the Palestinian delegation explained their suffering because of the inhumane practices of the Israeli army against them. It was noticed that the members of the Palestinian delegation who come from Nablus suffer more than the Palestinian members of other Palestinian cities because of the concentration of Israeli army actions against the people of Nablus since the Israelis consider that Nablus is a center for Palestinian organizations.
Many sessions about the Palestinian-Israeli dialogue were held and they were also about the methods of achieving peace in the area. There were many points of disagreement concerning some issues of the two sides. Also a Palestinian- Palestinian meeting was held. It included the delegation of Nablus Youth Federation which represents the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (1967) and the delegation of the Palestinians of the Green Line (1948). The members of the two delegations talked about their customs and life which differ because of the lack of communications caused by the Israeli occupation.
At the end of the meetings, the participants held a press conference where they summarized the most important points of agreement and disagreement, they expressed their persuasion concerning the negotiations and that they are the best ways for solving disputes and settling the just and comprehensive peace in the area. This peace is the peace that the Israelis and the Palestinians long for.
During the meetings, many aiming and recreation activities were held such as a trip for the university students to the Netherlands, a trip for the school students to Fantazia Land and a common trip for the two groups to the cities of Bon and Colon.
The members of Nablus Youth Federation returned home holding the message of peace in which they believe despite facing difficulties imposed by the Israeli occupation army which rejects peace. For example, the members of the delegation of the federation were reserved and kept at Howwarah Barrier to the eastern entrance of Nablus from 4 in the afternoon till 9:30 at night after living some days when they moved freely from one city to another in Germany and traveled for hundreds of kilometers without barriers, but in their homeland the occupation army imposes many provoking barriers every kilometer of land.

Nablus Youth Federation Ends the Second Summer Club for Children: Nablus Youth Federation ended on Tuesday 27.7.2004 the second club for children (Happiness and Smiles) which lasted for 10 days and 320 children aged 6-14 participated in this club. The final celebration of the club was held on the playground of Ibn-Al-Haytham Basic School in Nablus and a lot of people attended it. Before the beginning of the celebration, an exhibition of artistic works made by the club's children was initiated for people who expressed happiness by this activity.
In his speech, the head of the administrative board of Nablus Youth Federation Mr. Majed Tbeileh assured on the strong will of the federation to hold activities for children and he thanked the international establishment of Arigatou Foundation with its administration in Japan and Switzerland for caring about the club (Happiness and Smiles); in addition to this he thanked everyone participated in the club as individuals, establishments and especially supervisors who volunteered to serve children and to take care of them in order to let the club be successful. He also assured on the importance of the role Arigatou Foundation in Palestine in general and in Nablus particularly and he said, "I can see in your eyes a lot of thanks for Arigatou Foundation and your request to it to continue dealing with us".
The head of children's programs at Nablus Youth Federation Mr. Qays Aways said that the process of evaluating the club will have great effect on improving its level every year as a result of making use of the previous experiments and he said that the club's place at Families' Park in the city was well-studied and it gained the requested success since it was meant to be far from the atmosphere of schools and closed places in addition to putting children in an open natural atmosphere which helps to outlet children's energy and develop their talents.
A sent speech by Mrs. Agneta Uko the Director of Arigatou Foundation in Geneva was delivered in which she expressed happiness for the club's success and she hoped that the Palestinian children will live in peace as children of the rest of the world. Mrs. Uko assured on the commitment of Arigatou Foundation on working for the sake of childhood.
The speech of the supervisors of the club was delivered by Majd Al-Alul who assured on her great happiness to hold this club which had the atmosphere of one family whose members were the club's administration, the supervisors and the participating children. Al-Alul, in her speech, asked to hold various activities for children in Nablus to reduce the difficult situations they suffer from.
One of the participating children delivered a speech in which he assured on the Palestinian children's right to play, to have fun to be happy and to smile and they can't have these things because of the actions of the Israeli occupation soldiers.
The head of the administrative board at Nablus Youth Federation and the head of the children's programs at the Federation delivered certificates for the club's supervisors and volunteers.
During the celebration, the club's children presented artistic actions and a play. Then the participating children were given presents.

Saturday 17.07.2004, Nablus Youth Federation initiated the annual summer club for children (Happiness and smiles) the second one at Families' Park (Montazah Al-Aelat) in Nablus. The club joins 320 children aged 8-14 and the club lasts for ten days.
The club includes studied cultural, artistic and physical activities that aim at developing the personalities of the participating children from one side and the club is considered a psychological outlet because of the difficult conditions the people of Nablus particularly face from the other side.
The club of Happiness and Smile is organized under the supervision of Arigatou Foundation which has presented the largest support for the club this year.
When the club was initiated, the head of the administrative board of Nablus Youth Federation Mr. Majed Tbeileh thanked the Arigatou Foundation for their support; he thanked the local foundations for their contributions and then he thanked the supervisors of the club who volunteered to achieve the goals of the club (Happiness and smile) the second one and to serve the children of Nablus.
The head of the Club Mr. Qays Awayes supervised over dividing the participants and the supervisors into groups and telling them about the activities. Since the first day, the participants has started to practise their activities at the club in an atmosphere of happiness and everyone was smiling.
 

10-14/7/2004qNablus Youth Federation initiated two courses that are the fifth and the sixth courses of youth leadership. These courses were held intensively for 40 volunteers of young men and women of the supervisors at the summer club for children (Happiness and Smiles - the second one 2004) which will be initiated on Saturday 17 July at the Families' (Montazah Al-A'elat) in Nablus. Nearly 320 children will participate under the patronage of Arigatou Foundation and many other institutions. The first day of the course includes giving information for the participants about Nablus Youth Federation in addition to its programs and activities. They were also given information about the summer club, its goals and activities through a detailed explanation presented by the head of the administrative board Mr. Majed Tbeileh.
The activities of the courses program included lectures and practical training about leadership and administrative talents which were presented by the lecturer Shadi Maqboul in addition to a lecture about the methods of dealing with children and the way of getting the summer club to be successful which was presented by the head of the club Qais Aways. At the end of the course, the certificates were given to participants.

The third meeting of the University students financed by the Japanese representative at the Palestinian National Authority:
3.7.2004 : Nearly 30 young men and women of Nablus Youth Federation participated in the Palestinian-Israeli meeting for the university students which was financed by the Japanese Representative at the Palestinian National Authority and held at Al-Salam School at Wahat Al-Salam (Peace Oasis).
1-.7.2004 : The meeting was initiated on Thursday 1.7.2004 by a speech of Mr. Majed Tbeileh - the Head of Nablus Youth Federation and a speech of the Head of Wahat Al-Salam. The two parties assured on the importance of dialogue and building bridges of peace in spite of the difficulty of the situations in reality. After the initiation and getting to know each others, the participants divided into small groups and started to get to know about each others' styles of life and the basic ideas they believe in. After having dinner, the participants watched a documentary film prepared by the media department of Nablus Youth Federation about the cruel violence and practices by the Israeli occupation army against the city of Nablus.
2.7.2004 : On Friday 2.7.2004 there were hot discussions among participants especially when discussing the possibilities and bases of the final solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
3.7.2004 : On Saturday 3.7.2004 there was a summary of the sessions and a show of the results the participants of the two sides reached.

The 9th Conference For Dialogue Between Religions:
Nablus Youth Federation in cooperation with Interfaith Encounter Association participated from 27.5.2004 till 29.5.2004 in the 9th conference for dialogue between religions which was about the heavenly religions' general view of the two prophets Mohammad and Mousa peace be upon them.
Sixteen young men and women of the federation, twelve participants of the Palestinians of 48 and eighteen Israeli participants participated in this conference which was financed by the European Union.
The participants discussed the general view of Islam, Christianity and Judaism to Allah's prophets in general and particularly the two prophets Mohammad and Mousa - Peace be upon them. The participants were divided into four groups. Through these groups, the participants discussed the topics of the conference.
The participants, of the different religions, assured the necessity of the continuation of dialogue between religions and the rein for cement of human relationships.

The Second meeting of the University students financed by the Japanese representative at the Palestinian National Authority:
The meeting of the university students from 13/5/2004 till 15/5/2004. Nablus Youth Federation participated in a meeting for the Israeli and Palestinian university students at Wahat Al-Salam (The Peace Oasis). Fourteen participants of the Federation in addition to twelve Israeli participants participated in this meeting.
On the first day, members started to know each others and they performed activities that aimed at breaking the hardness of the participants of the two sides. Through the meeting, the participants talked about the difficult situations in reality. Also the delegate of the Federation explained the difficulties they faced on their way from Nablus to Al-Waha especially at the occupational barriers of Howwarah and Qalandia.
On the second day, the participants went through the experiment of dual negotiations. The participants were divided into three negotiations committees. The first committee discussed the country's style and its borders. The second committee discussed the topic of the refugees. The third committee discussed the topics of the captives, assassinations and the exiled. At the end of the negotiations experiment, the points of agreement and disagreement were summarized through a suppository press conference.
On the last and third day of the meeting, the participants talked about their general evaluation and experiences they got through participating in this meeting. The supervisors presented their evaluation about the process of the discussion sessions and the most important points that were raised through these sessions.

The Meeting of the University students from 22/04/2004 till 24/4/2004 at Wahat Al-Salam:
Fifteen Palestinians from Nablus Youth Federation and eighteen Israeli participated in a meeting of university students of both sides at Al-Salam school. This meeting is a part of series of meetings held between the two sides and financed by the office of the Japanese government representation at the Palestinian National Authority.
The meeting started with speeches by the head of the school - Nava, the head of the administrative staff of Nablus Youth Federation - Majed Tbeileh and the Japanese representative. They all assured that it is necessary to hold such meetings to build bridges of trust for the Palestinians and the Israelis to know one another. Also the participants were encouraged to participate actively in these meetings.
During this meeting, many issues of the Israeli - Palestinian conflict as the issue of the refugees, Jerusalem and the prisoners were discussed. The Palestinian participants explained the suffering they face because of the Israeli occupation army's actions in Nablus and the barriers which caused Nablus Youth Federation delegation to spend eight hours to reach the place of the meeting at Wahat Al-Salam in Jerusalem.
The discussions has become more serious many times especially because it was held during a period when they Israeli government intensified the policy of assassination against Palestinian leaders as the martyr Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Rantisi and this affect negatively on the meeting.
At the end of the meeting, the participants summarized what they learnt from this experiment and they and they expressed their wished to have peace for the Palestinians and the Israelis and to solve the Palestinian case fairly.
In this period, The Guides' Course which started on 04.02.2004 at Wahat Al-Salam school was ended, and the participants took their certifications in a special celebration.

Meeting of the University students "Future" in Antalia - Turkey:
Nablus Youth Federation participated in the project of "Meeting-Future" which is a series of meetings held from 9/4/2004 till 15/4/2004 at Dedeman Hotel in Antalia in Turkey. This project was financed by Mrs. Jaclin Ancele from France. Six Palestinians from Nablus Youth Federation and six Israelis from Al-Salam school at Wahat Al-Salam in addition to four Palestinians of 1948 participated in these meetings. The delegation of Nablus Youth Federation started their journey on 6/4/2004 from Huwwarah occupational barrier where the delegation spent three hours while trying to go out of Nablus city, then the delegation spent twelve hours to reach Jordan because they were stopped by eight barriers of the Israeli occupation so the delegation went to Al-Karamah passage (Allenby Bridge) to Jordan, then from Jordan to Istanbul and Antalia by plane. So the journey of Nablus Youth Federation delegation from Nablus to Antalia lasted for 48 hours while the Israeli delegation and the Palestinians of 1948 needed only two hours to travel directly by plane from Israel to Antalia. The first session of the meeting was about getting to know one another.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict was noticed from the beginning, for example the delegation of 1948 Palestinians introduced themselves as Palestinians not Israelis. Also Nablus Youth Federation delegation explained their sufferings by moving through barriers to reach Antalia in addition to the daily sufferings they face because of the Israeli occupation army's actions against the Palestinians. The members of the Israeli delegation were astonished when they heard how the Palestinians live and their sufferings since the Israeli mass media hide these facts and ignore them.
The next day of the meetings, a series of dialogue sessions were held which included open and hot discussions that talked about the conflict, Intifada, and actions of martyrs. The third day was about the experiment of the dual negotiations and three committees were formed. The first committee discussed the issue of the state and its form. Also the choice of the country of dual nationalism or the two countries was discussed. The committee started to discuss the choice of the country of dual nationalism and delegations agreed on many points. There's something that exploded this choice and that is the Israeli delegation's determination that Jews of the world have the right to return to Israel in return for the Palestinians refugee's right to return. The Palestinian delegation refused that saying that Judaism is a religion and not nationalism, Israeli is the nationalism. Also the Israeli delegation refused a Palestinian suggestion to overcome this conflict. The Palestinian suggestion says that only a limited number of Jews have the right to return to this country to keep the demographic balance of the inhabitants of the suggested country of dual nationalism. The second choice of the country's form that is two countries for two nations was not discussed because of the end of time without finishing the discussion of the first choice. The second committee talked about the issue of refugees. The Palestinian delegation assured that the Palestinians who were obliged to leave their lands in 1948 have the right to return and they must be compensated for their material and non-material losses during the years of being refugees. The Israeli delegation refused this saying that such a thing will end the Jewish style of Israel. The third committee discussed the issue of the captives and prisoners. The Palestinian delegation assured that all the Palestinian prisoners who were imprisoned for their struggle to get freedom must be released immediately while the Israeli insisted to discriminate between the normal prisoners and the ones who committed killing and the political leaders.
The day about negotiations had an atmosphere of tension and psychic pressure, but the participants had a picture about the difficulties the negotiators of both sides face. After this long day of discussions, each participant talked about what s/he has learnt from this experiment.
On Tuesday 13/4/2004 the participants went on a journey to reduce the tension created by the discussions and the experiment of negotiations. The participants went in jeep cars to the mountains and waterfalls of Antalia to have a look at the magnificent nature and landscapes.
The next day the participants expressed their opinions concerning their experiment through this project in addition to their future expectations about the addition to their future expectations about the relationships of the two nations.
In the last day, the participants summarized in general the most important points and results of the project.
After that, the participants said farewell to each other. The Israel delegation and the Palestinians of 1948 left Antalia in the afternoon and reached their homes quickly. The delegation of Nablus Youth Federation left Antalia to Istanbul to Jordan, then to Nablus and they reached their homes on Friday 16/04/2004 after a long journey of suffering through barriers. So they have returned to their daily life that is full of suffering and now they have learnt something from this experiment. The Meeting of the University students from 22/04/2004 till 24/4/2004 at Wahat Al-Salam Fifteen Palestinians from Nablus Youth Federation and eighteen Israeli participated in a meeting of university students of both sides at Al-Salam school. This meeting is a part of series of meetings held between the two sides and financed by the office of the Japanese government representation at the Palestinian National Authority. The meeting started with speeches by the head of the school - Nava, the head of the administrative staff of Nablus Youth Federation - Majed Tbeileh and the Japanese representative. They all assured that it is necessary to hold such meetings to build bridges of trust for the Palestinians and the Israelis to know one another. Also the participants were encouraged to participate actively in these meetings. During this meeting, many issues of the Israeli - Palestinian conflict as the issue of the refugees, Jerusalem and the prisoners were discussed. The Palestinian participants explained the suffering they face because of the Israeli occupation army's actions in Nablus and the barriers which caused Nablus Youth Federation delegation to spend eight hours to reach the place of the meeting at Wahat Al-Salam in Jerusalem. The discussions has become more serious many times especially because it was held during a period when they Israeli government intensified the policy of assassination against Palestinian leaders as the martyr Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Rantisi and this affect negatively on the meeting. At the end of the meeting, the participants summarized what they learnt from this experiment and they and they expressed their wished to have peace for the Palestinians and the Israelis and to solve the Palestinian case fairly.

The Eighth Conference About dialogue between religions:
Nablus Youth Federation in cooperation with Interfaith Encounter Association arranged the eighth conference about dialogue between religions in Jerusalem from 19 till 21.03.2004 by finance from the European Union, 25 Palestinian and 35 Israelis of the three heavenly religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) participated in this conference. The conference was mainly about monotheism in the three heavenly books (Koran, Gospel, and Torah). This subject was dealt with in three meetings, each one was of four hours. During these hours, lectures about monotheism in the three heavenly books were given , then there was an open discussion. After that the participants were divided into four working groups and they discussed their intellectual beliefs. The atmosphere was positive and successful in all aspects.

The Guides' Course:
The Guides' Course started on 04.02.2004 at Wahat Al-Salam school in Jerusalem. Eight male and female guides of the Palestinian group in addition to eight male and female guides of the Israeli group participated occurred in cooperation with Wahat Al- Salam School and Nablus Youth Federation and Swiss embassy. The period of course is three days for four weeks that is 12 days with an average of 160 hours.
Course Coals:
1- Forming an image of the Palestinian-Israeli meeting.
2-Training the Palestinian participants at the work pattern of the federation.
3-Establishing the concept of guidance (philosophy and methodology) of Wahat Al-Salam School and Nablus youth Federation.
4-Preparing and qualifying the Palestinian guide concerning guidance and concentration at work in the federation and international work.
5-Because of the federation's satisfaction and in cooperation with Wahat Al-salam School, the importance of qualifying guides at the federation has appeared in order to work in the future as guides of groups at the Palestinian-Israeli meetings.
For the importance of these meetings, Nablus Youth Federation has to prepare for a guides' course because of the importance of the guides' role since they remove the difficulties of the meeting which work on revealing facts, having a clear image providing the participants with opportunity to express themselves.
The expected aims of the course:
a- The importance of the guide's effective role at the meeting to help the participants to express himself/herself, to talk about his/her suffering and to confront others with the reality.
b- Assuring self-respect since the participant understands through the meetings the equality in choosing the subjects to be discussed and the dialogue of the conflict during the work as guidesat Wahat Al-Salam School and Nablus Youth Federation to apply experience in order to make use of the guides' course and being provided with the necessary skills and methods.
c- Establishing the concept of guidance (philosophy and methodology) of Wahat Al-Salam School and Nablus youth Federation.
d- Preparing the first group guidance and vocational team for Nablus Youth Federation.
e- Providing the participants with the theories and scientific basis of guidance.
f- Creating qualified leaders (in academy and reality) which are able to guide Palestinian groups and meeting.

The Second Woman Meeting On 22.01.2004 to 24.01.2004:
It has been decided to continue the woman meeting at Wahat Al-Salam School to include eight women of the participants in the first meeting in Turkey. In spite of the difficulty of the situations that day since the city was invaded, a house for the family of Acoubeh that consisted of three stories was destroyed, the neighboring buildings were damaged, the situation on the barriers was difficult and the citizens were forbidden from getting in and out of the city, all these situations were challenged and with great fear, the participants has moved from one wehicle to another till they reached Wahat Al-Salam School.
There they met the Israeli group according to the suggested program. The sufferings of the Palestinians and citizens have been explained un addition to talking about the methods used to force the Palestinian citizen and the pressures which affect the social and economic life especially woman despite all difficulties and variation of the social environment of the two cultures. Also the views were exchanged and the role of the Palestinian woman in all areas has been explained.
In addition to that lectures have been presented by an Israeli and Arab lecturers. The two lectures have referred to the role of the woman, the historical development and the women role in the Israeli and Palestinian societies in all area.
During meeting, there were discussions, dialogue and mono-nationalism meetings so that was a real practical experience where views were exchanged and the other cultures of the Israeli society were examined clearly so there was realization and understanding of the relationship of force at national background in addition to having lovely humane relationships for the two groups.

Jan.1-3, 2004: Nablus Youth Federation had taken part in a dialogue about religions in cooperation with the society of inter-meeting among religions. The meeting was held in Jerusalem. 18 Palestinians participated, meanwhile there were 35 Israelis. Despite the imposed curfew on Nablus and the risks, the Palestinian participants reached Jerusalem, they sustained these dificulties due to their belief in the importance these encounters. The Palestinian delegation representing Nablus Youth Federation was forced to depart on saturday 3rd Jan., 2004 due to the dangerous and risky situation in Nablus and the death of four youngesters by the Israeli occupational forces. The returning participants endured seven long hours to reach Nablus and to cross 100Km from Jerusalem to Nablus becuase of the Israely forces laid checkpoints.