Over the past two weeks, the Palestinian people have been experiencing unprecedented violence by Israeli occupation forces. In the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan’s Batn Al-Hawa and Al Bustan, families are facing the threat of displacement from their homes. After demonstrations erupted protesting this, not only were they brutally dispersed, but the holy Aqsa Mosque was stormed. Furthermore, Israeli airstrikes rained down on Gazan buildings, homes, and healthcare centers, demolishing them and causing the death of over 230 Palestinians.
Bearing witness to such tragedies can induce feelings of helplessness. However, as artist Haya Fanni put it, people have been resisting with what they have.
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Artists from all over the Arab world have picked up their pencils, Ipads, and brushes to speak up for Palestine. And, the unprecedented support for Palestine coming from the unlikeliest of people tells us that as powerless as we may feel, the little things we have the power to do can make change. So, on a hopeful note, here are some of the best ways artists shed light on what’s happening in Palestine.
1. Iconizing The Right Moments and People
We Won’t Leave
One of the most powerful forms of resistance is documenting the moments and the people that matter. A picture of a Palestinian resident in Sheikh Jarrah with a sign that read “We won’t leave” went viral at the very beginning and these artists ensured it will stay in the minds of people for years to come.
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Pet Fish
Another milestone of what’s happening in Palestine is the video of the two Palestinian children surrounded by rubble happy to have saved their pet fish. This was illustrated by artists Haya Fanni, Mariam El Reweny, and Zayna Abdal Hakim.
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The Kurd Siblings
The Kurd family is one of the families most disadvantaged by the threat of evictions in Sheikh Jarrah. Since 2009, the family has had to share their home with Israeli settlers and now, they’re threatened with displacement. Mohamed and Muna Al Kurd are the two siblings of the Kurd family. They were one of the first initiators of the current movement to save Sheikh Jarrah.
Farah Emara created an illustration showcasing the Kurd siblings documenting life with Israeli settlers, telling the family’s story in the caption.
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Haya Fanni also created artwork quoting Mona Al Kurd.
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Nouran Abed’s artwork also features a quote by Mohamed AlKurd responding to a news reporter who had asked if he supports Hamas’ rocket fire on Israel. Instead of responding to the reporter’s biased question, he said “ Do you support the violent dispossession of me and my family?”
Yaqoub
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A big catalyst for the current movement was the video that went viral of an Israeli settler stealing a Palestinian’s family’s home and saying “If I don’t steal it, someone else’s gonna steal it.” Haya Fanni’s artwork features the man called Yaqoub with a caption that reads “It’s time to end the Nakba.”
Jana Jihad
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Farah Emara also created an illustration featuring Jana Jihad, the 15-year-old Palestinian children’s rights activist.
2. Raising Watermelons
One of the greatest testaments to the strength of the Palestinian people is their ability to find means of resistance even in the bleakest and most difficult of times. After 1967, raising the Palestinian flag was criminalized in Israeli-controlled Palestinian territories. In response to this, Palestinians would walk with cut-up watermelons because they had the same colors as the Palestinian flag. Here are some of the best watermelons we’ve seen so far by Dina Zaitoun and Basmah Kishta.
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3. Fooling The Algorithm
There’s a lot of speculation that Facebook and Instagram are censoring Palestine-related content on purpose. To confuse the algorithm, people have been writing about Palestine in Arabic without using any dots. Here are some great illustrations of this by Dina Zaitoun, Ahmed Saad, and Abdullah Hadia.
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4. Sharing Important Information
When the Israeli airstrikes landed on Gaza and hundreds were injured, Palestine needed donations. Mona El Kateb shared links of where people can donate and offered a free commission to anyone who donates.
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Dina Zaitoun created an illustration that documents the number of Palestinians and Israelis who died or were injured since 2009, highlighting how the huge gap between the number of Palestinian and Israeli casualties is proof that it’s not really a complex conflict as some have called it, but one side systematically working to ethnically cleanse the other.
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5. Symbolism
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Artist Mohamed Badawy created this illustration depicting a group of Israeli settlers crowding a Palestinian woman in Sheikh Jarrah.
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Comic artist Menna Tantawi created this artwork showcasing how Israel feigns peacefulness in the media.
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Hadeel AlSafdy’s artwork symbolizes how resistance is bound to be more powerful than Israeli weapons. The text reads “Resistance is forever meaningful”.
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Hussain Al Baghli’s artwork features “Handala”; a symbol of Palestinian identity and defiance. Assassinated political cartoonist Naji Al-Ali created Handala in 1969. It’s remained representative of the Palestinian struggle ever since. The name Handala is derived from the name of a Palestinian plant that has deeply entrenched roots and grows back when cut. This is what Hassan Al-Balghi means with the phrase “Existence is resistance”.
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Mona El Kateb’s artwork that reads “The whole of Earth is a hotel and Jerusalem is my home” features Banksy graffiti on the Apartheid wall showcasing someone pulling it like a curtain to see the other side of the wall. Another artwork of hers showcases multiple arms in the colours of the Palestinian flag surrounding Jerusalem, protecting it.
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6. Imagining Different Scenarios
Haya Fanni’s artwork features the children’s book character The Little Prince in Gaza. In one artwork, she includes the famous quote “ You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose.”
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In another series of artworks, she imagines Alice in Sheikh Jarrah, trying to wake from the nightmare that an Israeli settler is stealing her home. Only in this case, it’s not a nightmare.
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Artists are not just capable of changing the world or sparking a movement, they also keep movements alive. The Palestinians have been resisting since even before 1948. As long as such art remains a tool of resistance, we have reason to be hopeful for a better future for Palestine.
For more art for Palestine visit Art Talks’ exhibition “Doko al-Jidran” featuring the works of 60 Egyptian artists who will be donating their work to Palestine. The exhibition will last from the 25th of May to the 25th of June. Click here to know more about it. Also, click here to stay updated on Artists’ posts under the hashtag #Art_For_Palestine.
