Almost everyone plays soccer in Wadi Fukin, and the entire town closely follows European soccer leagues. Most root for either Real Madrid or FC Barcelona.
Wadi Fukin has a small medical clinic, but residents still travel to Bethlehem for most of their major health-care needs. Many fear that during an emergency, Israel’s security barrier will keep them from getting to medical care in time. Here Shafeqa Bader al-Manasra, 46, gets root canal work done in a Bethlehem dentist’s office.
Ibrahim Manasra, 60, takes a break after plowing his fields in Wadi Fukin. Ibrahim works his land on the weekends, but earns his living by driving a dump truck in the Betar Illit settlement. Most residents in Wadi Fukin have been unable to earn a living as farmers since the late 1970s.
Yousef Manasra was 30 when the Israeli army destroyed his village. He lived in a refugee camp for 19 years before the town was rebuilt. Today Yousef, 82, is fearful that the Israeli separation barrier, which is about to arrive in Wadi Fukin, might destroy his town for the second time.
An identification card was one of the only things Yousef Manasra was able to recover after his house was destroyed in 1953. The picture on the I.D. was taken in 1939, the same year he was married. He was 16 at the time.
Wael Manasra, 34, kisses the foot of his 1-year-old son, Adel, after returning from his fields to harvest almonds.
Kids use one of Wadi Fukin’s old houses as a vantage point to check out two Israeli army jeeps that had set up a temporary checkpoint on the town’s main road.
The Israeli settlement of Betar Illit sits just to the southeast of Wadi Fukin. It is currently expanding and is scheduled to house around 60,000 people.
The school in Wadi Fukin serves grades K-12. After graduating high school, students whose families can afford it usually attend college in Bethlehem.
Palestine’s former leader Yasser Arafat is still quite popular in Wadi Fukin. His pictures and posters adorn much of the town.
Almost everyone plays soccer in Wadi Fukin, and the entire town closely follows European soccer leagues. Most root for either Real Madrid or FC Barcelona.
Wadi Fukin has a small medical clinic, but residents still travel to Bethlehem for most of their major health-care needs. Many fear that during an emergency, Israel’s security barrier will keep them from getting to medical care in time. Here Shafeqa Bader al-Manasra, 46, gets root canal work done in a Bethlehem dentist’s office.
Ibrahim Manasra, 60, takes a break after plowing his fields in Wadi Fukin. Ibrahim works his land on the weekends, but earns his living by driving a dump truck in the Betar Illit settlement. Most residents in Wadi Fukin have been unable to earn a living as farmers since the late 1970s.
Yousef Manasra was 30 when the Israeli army destroyed his village. He lived in a refugee camp for 19 years before the town was rebuilt. Today Yousef, 82, is fearful that the Israeli separation barrier, which is about to arrive in Wadi Fukin, might destroy his town for the second time.
An identification card was one of the only things Yousef Manasra was able to recover after his house was destroyed in 1953. The picture on the I.D. was taken in 1939, the same year he was married. He was 16 at the time.
Wael Manasra, 34, kisses the foot of his 1-year-old son, Adel, after returning from his fields to harvest almonds.
Kids use one of Wadi Fukin’s old houses as a vantage point to check out two Israeli army jeeps that had set up a temporary checkpoint on the town’s main road.
The Israeli settlement of Betar Illit sits just to the southeast of Wadi Fukin. It is currently expanding and is scheduled to house around 60,000 people.
The school in Wadi Fukin serves grades K-12. After graduating high school, students whose families can afford it usually attend college in Bethlehem.
Palestine’s former leader Yasser Arafat is still quite popular in Wadi Fukin. His pictures and posters adorn much of the town.