Youth Village ... A Model of Development Challenges Under Occupation

I had the opportunity to witness the development of Youth Village, an inspiring model for sustainable development in Palestine. This village, established by the Sharek Youth Forum years ago, is a culmination of efforts by thousands of Palestinian youth through the revival of volunteer work, and through hundreds of practical volunteer days. Youth Village is the only open village for youth in Palestine, in terms of space and environmental area, serving as a breathing space for various youth groups. Annually, it hosts a variety of activities for thousands of Palestinian youth across the geographical map of historical Palestine, from Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip to the West Bank and the Palestinian youth from within the Green Line. Youth Village represents a model of positive interaction with the Palestinian nature and serves as a national icon for sustainable development in its various dimensions (economic, social, and environmental). Additionally, it is a safe space to enhance Palestinian youth's interaction with their cultural, social, and environmental spaces, building their varied capacities to enhance their positive role in society and empower them economically, socially, knowledgeably, skillfully, and psychologically, preparing them to assume leadership roles in Palestinian society. Practically, the village has graduated thousands of youth after offering them a unique experience in various activities, providing an opportunity for cognitive and skill development, capacity building, and critical thinking, especially considering the suffering of Palestinian youth from the lack of designated places for them and the weakness of government budgets allocated for youth in Palestine.

Youth Village is located in the Kafr Ni'ma Valley area, 13 km northwest of Ramallah, covering an area of 32 dunams, with 65.6% classified as area (B) and 34.5% classified as area (C) according to the classifications of the Oslo Accords, meaning that the majority of the village lands are under Palestinian administration. The village was built by young volunteers using natural materials from the valley, with support from friendly institutions and the Palestinian community. It exemplifies a sustainable lifestyle, featuring a community center, an educational garden, health facilities, a camping and accommodation area, and open spaces amidst Palestinian nature for conferences, lectures, and seminars, along with a large array of sports areas and various facilities.

Despite most of the village lands being within the area under Palestinian civil control, it is subjected to organized attacks from settlers from nearby 'illegal' settlements, under the protection of the Israeli army. These attacks included theft of the village's contents and facilities, destruction of property, and arresting youth participating in civil activities, leading to the prohibition of activities within the village, violating international humanitarian law, notably the Fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits the occupying power from affecting or targeting civilian property. It also violates the agreements signed between the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Israel under international sponsorship.

In practice, Youth Village has formed a successful model of sustainable development in Palestine through grassroots efforts by youth, away from bombastic slogans and elaborately designed workshops. However, the occupation's procedures and its settlers are undermining this pioneering experience, demonstrating the challenges to sustainable development under occupation.

The assaults by settlers have escalated to the extent of placing a locked iron gate on the road leading to the village, which was later removed through a campaign led by the Sharek Youth Forum in collaboration with relevant parties. However, this is insufficient to protect the village from the harassment of settlers and to restore its function as a youth space and a Palestinian civil area, necessitating a campaign on multiple levels to protect Youth Village, stop the organized attacks by settlers, and secure protection for civilians and educational and youth facilities in the village through possible legal means, as well as advocacy and pressure through international institutions, Palestinian official entities, and civil society organizations, alongside the broader Palestinian community. Youth Village represents a model for an estimated 80% of the total area of the West Bank classified (B + C), which warns of a potential repeat of the experience of uprooting Palestinian citizens from their homes, villages, and pastoral communities, agricultural lands, and commercial interests.

Therefore, there must be collective action and cooperative efforts from all components of Palestinian society to craft a strategy for protecting Palestinian villages and towns, as well as pastoral and rural communities. Waiting equates to more displacement, further settler control over land, greater economic and social strangulation of the Palestinian people, destruction of infrastructure, undermining sustainable development, and waiting for "Godot" is a losing bet.