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In Pictures

Gallery|Education

An oasis of peace for Palestinian children in Hebron

Amid a heavy Israeli military presence, al-Ibrahimiya kindergarten offers children a safe space ‘just to be kids’.

ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
According to Zleikha Muhtaseb, her kindergarten opened at the request of local families, after Israeli road closures made it unsafe for their children to attend another one in the neighbourhood. 'Being Palestinian is a big crime here,' she said. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
By Claire Thomas
Published On 25 Mar 201625 Mar 2016
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In the heart of the old city of Hebron – amid checkpoints, razor-wire fences, military watchtowers and Israeli soldiers – al-Ibrahimiya kindergarten, run by 53-year-old Zleikha Muhtaseb, provides a safe haven for Palestinian children.

“I decided to create this space for them just to be kids, because outside the kindergarten, they are not treated very well,” Muhtaseb, who grew up in Hebron, told Al Jazeera.

Hebron is the largest city in the occupied West Bank and is divided into two sectors, H1 and H2, controlled respectively by the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli military. The kindergarten is located in H2, an area with a heavy military presence. The private kindergarten, created and maintained by Muhtaseb in a building adjoining her home, is supervised by local education officials, and Muhtaseb ultimately hopes to expand it to serve more Palestinian children.

“When they see the soldiers patrolling the streets, this affects them … When they see the checkpoints, the fence, everything, of course this makes them think that we are surrounded from everywhere,” Muhtaseb said, noting the kindergarten offers the children a safe space to talk about their frustrations and their experiences with soldiers. She says her goal is to encourage children to resist the occupation in a peaceful way. 

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“My main goal is to use education to change the society,” she said. “I always believe that education is the main tool to secure lasting change. If you educate the children and educate the mothers, then you educate the whole society.”


READ MORE: In Hebron ‘even the kids have numbers’

ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
The kindergarten opened in 2002 with only two children, and numbers have risen to nearly three dozen. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
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ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
'The kids are so sweet,' Muhtaseb says. 'They are really wonderful, full of life, full of energy. They want to learn, they want to have a better future, they want to be themselves, and I'm trying to give them this opportunity.' [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
Muhtaseb organises regular activities aimed at non-violent resistance. This month, she arranged for the children to use the separation wall as a canvas for painting. 'I'm organising many things now,' she adds. 'I started with the kids from the neighbourhood, cleaning up the street ... I'm so happy to see the children like this, willing to work and insisting on changing the environment.' [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
The children were given brushes to paint on the separation wall. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
The separation wall outside the kindergarten is near Shuhada Street, a landmark location in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which cannot be accessed from this area of Hebron. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
'It wasn't my plan to have a kindergarten, because it's a big responsibility and you need to focus more on the very little ones ... But I thought I could accept the challenge,' Muhtaseb says. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
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ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
Painting on the separation wall was 'a message for the whole world that even though we can't go to [Shuhada Street], we can send our dreams to the street, and we can send messages to the Israelis that we are here,' Muhtaseb says. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
Some of the children wrote Arabic messages on the walls and on balloons, stating: 'Here we will stay.' Muhtaseb says this was their own initiative. 'I did not tell them to do it. All I've done was give them the brushes and the colours and that's it.' [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
One of the balloons bore the name of Hadil Hashlamoun, a 19-year-old Palestinian woman who was shot dead by Israeli soldiers last September after she reportedly tried to stab a soldier at a checkpoint in Hebron. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
This boy, who had been watching the kindergarten class paint, joined in after Muhtaseb offered him a paintbrush. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
The kindergarten gives the children the opportunity to express themselves and have fun, while using positive action to resist the occupation, Muhtaseb says. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
The occupation is an ever-present reality for these children, Muhtaseb says. 'What they hear in the news about the killings of the people, this made them a little bit scared. Sometimes the soldiers threaten them because, here, we are in H2 and the soldiers all the time break into the houses, and this scares the kids so much... I try to calm them down first and get them to feel secure.' [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
Muhtaseb says she hopes to start a football team. 'They have a lot of energy; I want to direct this energy in a good way.' [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
Children surround Muhtaseb, asking for more balloons. 'We are friends,' she says. 'I sit in the class with the kids on their chairs ... I tell them, "I'm your classmate, we are the same."' [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
Girls pose for a photo after making handprints on the separation wall. Muhtaseb says that sometimes, such activities in the streets are interrupted when settlers throw stones. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
Earlier this month, Muhtaseb organised a day trip for the children to a nearby amusement park. It was a reward for cleaning the street, she said, noting the children enjoyed playing at the park - especially in the bumper cars. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
ZLEIKHA’S KINDERGARTEN/Please Do Not Use
'I want to change the reality; I want to change the situation,' Muhtaseb says. 'I am the mother, I am the big child, I am the caretaker and I'm the protector. They know that when they have a problem, I'm there. When they're happy, I'm there. When they're sad, I'm there. When they need to learn something, I'm there.' [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]


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