مركز الشهيد صلاح خلف - الفارعة Salah Khalaf Center (اضافة نضال سوالمه)

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The AL Faraa Center is situated in the eastern area of the AL Faraa camp on the road between Nablus and Jenin and covers an area of about 3.000 m2. In the middle of a wide area, which is about 55.000 m2, the whole area is surrounded by a newly built wall. The center was established in 1942 when the British government was ruling here, and originally it was used as a police center
There are many centers in Palestine built with the same shape as this one (all of those centers were used for military uses). In 1948, the Iraqi army used it, and then the Jordanian army used it until the 4th of June 1967 as a military center for soldiers and jockeys.

At the end of the Six Days War, the center was occupied by the Israeli army and was used as a secondary border point until the beginning of the seventies. In 1982 Sharon became minister of defense and ordered to reuse this center as a political prison to arrest the Palestinian youth activists.

At the beginning of the first Intifada (1987) the Israelis used it as an investigation department, until the Oslo Agreements were settled with the Palestinian Authority. In 1995, the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the PNA repaired the center, so it could be used for sport activities for the youth. At this period it the name of one of the Palestinian revolution leaders, Salah Khalaf, was assigned to it. With aids from the Swedish and Spanish governments, the PNA transformed it into a general rehabilitation center with a coliseum
Purpose:

The center is a governmental establishment for sport activities, which are organized by the Ministry of Youth, supported by various NGO's, and also to organize conferences, summer and winter camps.


Components:

1. Administration department
2. Coliseum for various activities and competitions
3. Conferences hall
4. Rest rooms
5. Kitchen and dining room
6. Childrens department whith library, activities hall and outdoor play
Current projects:

1. Cultural center for the youth
2. Football pitch

Future vision:

There are many projects in the center waiting to be funded:
1. Permanent youth camp
2. Natatorium
3. Outdoor theater
4. Reaper the remain part of the center
5. Rehabilitation of the main gates and streets
6. Tennis and handball playground
7. Kindergarden and swimming pool


Closing remark:

Although this center was a black spot in our life because it was used to imprison and torture young Palestinian activists, the Palestinians succeeded to change transform this prison into a center to prepare the young leaders for the future.

Added by Nedal Sawalmeh