Ein el-Helweh is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. It is notorious as a violent and lawless place where there is daily conflict between Fatah and militant Islamic groups linked to Al-Qaeda. With unparalleled access, this film shows the daily life of the people who live there - their jobs, their pastimes, their children's education, the radicalisation of some of the number, the frustrations of ghetto life and their dream of one day returning to their homeland.
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“The issue of the Palestinian refugees lies at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict."
The declaration in 1948 of the state of Israeli and the war that followed resulted in a large number of Palestinian refugees fleeing their homes. The refugee camps in which they found shelter are still their homes half a century later. Ein el-Helweh alone has a population of some 70,000.
This even-handed film provides a slice of everyday life of the people who live in the camp, as well as explaining the political background to the situation in which they find themselves. It includes:
· The hopes and dreams of the man-in-the-street, that mainly revolve around an end to the violence and a return to what they still see as their homeland
· The daily, deadly conflict between the different political factions in the camp - Fatah and a number of militant Islamic groups linked to Al-Qaeda. There is unprecedented access to hardliner Colonel Mounir Maqdah
· The difficulties of finding employment within the camp when the residents are banned from performing more than 70 jobs by their Lebanese hosts
· The political background to their situation and to the Arab-Israeli conflict in general, including their land claims in what is now Israel
· Education of children in the camp, including blind children
· The residents' pastimes, including traditional dance and keeping in touch with relatives over the Internet
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| DVD | Fighting in the shadow DVD | £29.00 |  |
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