The Bethlehem district includes within its boundaries 3 major 3 refugee camps; Aida, Beit-Jebren and Daheisheh .These camps were established in 1948, after the expulsion and flight of more than 750,000 Palestinians following the creation of the state of Israel. Those that fled to Bethlehem area originated from 45 villages west of Jerusalem and Hebron, the descendants of whom comprise the 13,000 inhabitants of the camps today.
A resilient and active community, Dheisheh has a long history of repression and struggle. Even before the first Intifada, Israeli authorities erected a high barbed-wire fence around the camp sealing all but one of its 14 entrances. Soldiers and violent confrontations filled the alleys, killing tens of residents while hundreds were injured, imprisoned and disabled for life.
Today, 5 years after the Israeli withdrawal from the area, the camps have not seen a fruit of the peace process. There still remain perpetual destitution and a lack of just solution for the refugees.