West Bank’s 8-year-old girl: Youngest Citizen Journalist

Through a mobile phone, an eight-year-old Palestinian girl expresses opposition over Israeli’s occupation of the West Bank village.

Jana Tamimi, considered as the youngest activist, uploads news stories about the recurring conflicts with Israeli soldiers in Nabi Saleh.

She films video on a camera phone and post it online.

Tamimi films her news reports about her village when demonstrations against Israeli settlements are taking place on a weekly basis after Friday prayers.

She said she wants to deliver the voice of her people to the world so they can gain more international support.

“When we started to go out for marches there weren’t a lot of photographers with us so I had an idea to document and deliver our message. The message of all Palestinians and Palestinian children to the world so they come to support us and to free Palestine and live under freedom and get our rights,” she said.

Report said local Palestinians and international peace activists hold weekly rallies after Friday prayers to protest about land lost to Israeli settlements. Protests have been held for the past five years.

Residents of Nabi Saleh, which has a population of around 600, say 60 percent of the village’s territory has been seized by settlers.

This includes a local spring, which they demand access to.

“The occupation is depriving us even from the most important right, which is the right to live, the right of swimming in the sea. When we go to school we always get delayed at barriers, which make us late for lessons at school.” Tamimi added.

“We want to live in freedom so when we walk in the street no settler will run us over. We want to feel that our land is secure and that we can walk in the street or on the hills anywhere without having Zionists shooting us or settlers running us over,” Tamimi said.

Daughter’s activism

Nawal Tamimi, Jana’s mother, said her Jana’s activism is a result of growing up surrounded by conflict.

“The demonstrations started in Nabi Saleh when she was three years old. Because our home is at the entrance of the village we are in the center of the events where the clashes take place and where the firing of tear gas and other grenades take place,” She said.

About 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem among 2.4 million Palestinians.

The World Court has deemed it illegal the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, report said.

Source: GMA News Online

Image Credit: www.ibtimes.co.uk