BURIN, Palestinian Territories: As brightly colored kites climb above Burin, a Palestinian village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, children race across a sun-baked hillside, watching their creations soar into the sky.
Behind them, the red-roofed houses of Har Bracha, an Israeli settlement, overlook the village below. Established in 1983, the settlement, illegal under international law, is one of several that encircle Burin, a village of a few thousand people.
Every summer since 2009, residents have gathered on this hill for a kite festival on land they say has been partially lost after being confiscated by settlers.
Our children have the right to play and to have a real and good life.
Ghassan Najjar, Festival organizer
