Dear Friend,
My name is Nour. My family is from the Palestinian village of Qaqun. In 1948, during the Nakba, Israeli forces attacked the village. Many were killed, and the survivors — including my parents — fled with nothing. They came to Tulkarem Refugee Camp, where the UN later built rows of small houses for families like mine.
I was born in that camp in 1968. I grew up in overcrowded rooms, surrounded by injustice. As a young man, I wanted to fight the occupation with weapons. I spent time in prison. But when I was released and Israeli forces killed my brother, I knew violence would only bring more violence. I chose another way: nonviolent resistance, and working with Combatants for Peace alongside Israelis who share this vision.
This summer, the army invaded Tulkarem refugee camp. They demolished my home, my brother’s home, and my nephew’s home: three houses from my family alone. Well over 10,000 people from the camp are now homeless. So many families were once again driven from their homes in fear, carrying nothing but the clothes on our backs. | 
