Palestinian Refugee Project

  The Palestinian Musakhan is a popular Palestinian dish, as well as sometimes being considered the traditional dish and a symbol of the Palestinian heritage. It is often called the national dish of Palestine. Although today, it is often difficult for the Palestinians in the diaspora to prepare it, and perhaps for those in occupied Palestine too. This is due to the excessive cost of living for the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, a country that is going through financial hardship beyond imagination, and has a pathetic economy. Lebanon is a beautiful country that has a rich history of culture and urbanization, but it lacks any pity towards the Palestinian refugees who were hosted there after the Nakbah in 1948. Lebanon has stripped them of their civil, political, and economic rights. A significant percentage of Palestinians who live there, against their will, still live in camps surrounded by Lebanese army checkpoints, some of these camps are fenced with high walls, which magica...

Ms. Hayat Balha Abu Shmeis, met by chance with Haji Salim Muhammad Salim Abu Junaid, from the town of Al-Khayriyah, Jaffa, where he was born in 1936. During this meeting, this witness to the Palestinian Nakba spoke heartily about his memories in his village, and when he was displaced from it. He talks about the British army, before its withdrawal in 1948 and how they gave their weapons to the Jewish gangs such as the Haganana, the Irgun Stern, and trained them in 1947. Haj Salim described the street of Jamal Pasha as it was beautiful and one of the most beautiful streets in the Middle East at that time. It had Eucalyptus trees lining both sides of the street, and in the middle, there was an island of water.  He added that he was working for Yasser Arafat as a translator to explain to foreigners about the Palestinian Catastrophe /Nakba. Since the promise of the Balfour, who promised to the Jews that he would make a government for them in Palestine. He recounts in his spe...

A recipe for Qatayef from a Palestinian refugee from Lebanon.  This dessert is not only beautiful to look at it is also very tasty. It is called Qatayef, and it is one of the most important and most well famous Ramadan sweets you will find on the Palestinian table during the holly month. Qatayef The one thing I regret though is that a large percentage of the Palestinian camp residents will not be able to buy or make this sweet, and this is painful for me. Despite this heartache, I will share some of what I know about Qatayef with you and how I came to learn about it and even when I first tasted this beautiful dessert. (I have attached some photos of the Qatayef sweets that I have prepared at home for various occasions). I remember first seeing Qatayef after I moved with my family to the camp of Ein Al-Hilweh (Palestinian Refugee camp in southern of Lebanon) in November 1993, while it was my first month of the Holy Ramadan on the camp there. I was so excited to move ...