we are not numbers

emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights

Besan Aljadili

    Besan, 22, lives in Nuseirat Camp, studies English literature at the Islamic University of Gaza and teaches English at the American International CenterShe loves translation, especially of political texts, and reading stories and poetry that tell the Palestinian story, from war to survival. 

    "I love translation and I wish I could travel abroad to earn a master's degree in it. Although it seems a difficult aim to reach, I do beleive there is always a light at the end of a tunnel." What mostly preoccupies her mind is how she can achieve something for her country when the people are imprisoned due to the seige. "Seeds of hope are planted in my heart and they will flourish someday. I do believe that after pain, happiness is there. As long as my heart beats, I will never stop searching for anything that will serve my country and never stop asking for my rights as a human being."

    my work

    Come to Gaza, Mrs. Clinton. Spend as much time here as you have talking to the leaders of Israel.
    Anything, even death itself, is better than the torment of expecting death with every breath.
    I hope to be a great writer and, above all, to be a great human. I want to be the voice of every voiceless person.
    I never imagined finding a circus in Gaza. I only knew about circuses from the internet. But now there is one.