Little Town Near Bethlehem: Adam Manasra's Report from Palestine

As part of his US tour, guest speaker Adam Manasra, a twenty-five year old resident of Palestine, will give a presentation on the environmental impacts of the Israeli occupation on his village. Manasra has lived his entire life under Israel military occupation in Wadi Foquin, a Palestinian village located in the Bethlehem District of the West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territories. The village and its population of 1,200 live under Israeli military control. The village and villagers have been victims of human rights violations which impact daily life, and jeopardize their future survival. Manasra will provide a firsthand account of the issues affecting his village, including land confiscation and displacement, a damaged water supply, food supply and farm production, and transportation inequality and freedom of movement.

Adam serves as the liaison to the U.S.-based group Friends of Wadi Foquin, organizes a youth leadership team in his village, and is the new coordinator of the Narjis Community Development project, of which he will also speak. Friends of Wadi Foquin provides support for community development projects in the village, hosts annual trips to the region, and organizes advocacy on behalf of the village. The Palestine Task Force seeks to educate churches of the CalNevada Conference about the Palestinian struggle, encouragingengagement with the people of Palestine and advocacy efforts toward justice and human rights for all people in the Holy Land.