Awdah, Al- (Arabic, "Return")
AWDAH, AL- (Arabic, "return")
A term often used by Palestinians as a sign of defiance and hope. There is an al-Awdah mosque in the refugee camp at Rafah, and an al-Awdah hospital in the refugee camp at Jabaliya, both in the Gaza Strip. In January 1992, during the first Intifada, more than 400 alleged sympathizers of HAMAS were expelled by Israel from the occupied territories to the no-man's land beyond the Lebanese border. The Israelis assumed they would proceed into Lebanon and exile, but instead they set up a camp in full view of the world's media and stayed there for months. They named their camp "al-Awdah." A U.S.-based activist group that advocates for Palestinian rights is called Al-Awda: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition.
SEE ALSO HAMAS;Intifada (1987–1993).