At the beginning of this century, the municipality of Groningen helped fund a youth center in the Palestinian city of Jabalya. The building has now been largely destroyed and the site is used by the Israeli army as a military base.
Groningen contributed approximately 90,000 euros to the construction of the youth center, which was completed in 2005. The other half came from a development aid fund from the Association of Dutch Municipalities. In recent years the building was used by the Nama’a College for Science and Technology but according to the former dean of that school, there is now little left of the building.
The youth center in Jabalya is designed by Henk Scholten of AAS architects from Groningen. Local construction companies built it. The function of the building quickly changed from a youth center with a library and sports facilities to a school, but the bond with Groningen remained. The Groningen – Jabalya Foundation was responsible for the friendship.
‘Totally destroyed’
Moueen Alborsh (48) worked as a dean at the school in Jabalya until 2019. He fled to the Netherlands with his daughter that year and now lives in Amsterdam, but still has regular contact with friends in Gaza. “Totally destroyed” , he describes the ‘Groningen’ building. Completely destroyed. “It’s a disaster,” he says. “The site is now used by Israel as a military base. Almost all the people have fled from North Gaza.”
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It hurts him. During his time as dean at Nama’a College, Alborsh worked with the municipality of Groningen, which made another 65,000 euros available for the school in 2012. Dozens of students were able to receive a study fund with Groningen money get their diploma and a lift has been paid for in the building. “This was a place where we could train so many students… And now there are Israeli soldiers and most people have fled. Terrible.”
The former dean’s story cannot be independently verified, because there are virtually no journalists in North Gaza anymore. Alborsh also does not have any photos of the current situation. “No one comes near the military base,” he explains.
‘Serious’ and ‘shocked daily’
City resident Bert Giskes takes the Palestinian at his word. Just like journalist Lejo Siepe and former correspondent Jan Keulen. They have known Alborsh for years. All three are involved in the Groningen – Jabalya Foundation and have been to the Palestinian city.
“We have no idea how many walls are still standing,” says Siepe. He last traveled to Jabalya together with Cologne in 2015 and wrote a report for this newspaper. “I have been in that building many times,” says Keulen. “I had been wondering for some time: what would the situation be like with that building? I understood that it was damaged, but this is serious. Many buildings have been razed to the ground.”
As chairman of the foundation, Giskes is shocked every day by the news and images from Gaza. He calls it sad that the Groningen school has been destroyed, but puts it in perspective. “It was built with Groningen money, but do I find that worse than a block of houses that was bombed in the refugee camp in Jabalya? What’s worse is that so many innocent people are affected and it continues no matter how closely we are involved in this building.”
‘If only it were just a building’
In 2001, architect Henk Scholten was responsible for the design of the building. He finds it extremely sad that the building has been destroyed. “It was a great assignment to work on,” he remembers. “But I can’t say I’m surprised it was destroyed.”
Scholten visited Jabalya three times during that period, but also saw four or five visits canceled due to safety concerns. “It’s not a place to be. Not even then.” Bottom line, he emphasizes, just like Giskes, that it is mainly a tragedy for all innocent Palestinians. “If only it was just a building that was destroyed.”
The municipality of Groningen says it does not know what the exact situation is in Jabalya at the moment. “But based on the images available from Gaza, it is quite possible that the building was hit by shelling,” says a spokesperson. “In general, the situation in Gaza is of course terrible, it does not depend on any specific building.”
‘Hamas made cooperation impossible’
Jacques Wallage (PvdA) was mayor of Groningen from 1998 to 2009. In that role, he went on a working visit to the West Bank and Gaza in the late 1990s. After his visit, he was critical of Israel’s policy towards the Palestinian territories. As mayor, Wallage became an important pawn in the collaboration between Groningen and Jabalya.
“The tragedy of Gaza is that Hamas gradually became the boss and a terrorist organization therefore started to call the shots,” he says. The Groningen building that Wallage worked on was completed in 2005. Hamas won the parliamentary elections a year later. Since 2015, Hamas has been considered a terrorist organization in the European Union.
“From Groningen’s perspective, I thought this made the collaboration very vulnerable,” Wallage remembers. “You tried to maintain something, but the person you had to make an agreement with was bent on the destruction of Israel. It also became increasingly difficult to obtain objective information.”
Wallage describes the current situation in Gaza as a catastrophe. “People who have nothing to do with Hamas pay an unimaginable price. You can only hope that it will end one day.” Does he see a future for Groningen aid to Jabalya? “I remain in favor of helping the people of Palestine, but that is difficult as long as Hamas is in charge.”