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The views presented in the articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.Maps herein have been prepared solely for the convenience of the reader; the designations and presentation of material do not imply any expression of opinion of This Week in Pale-stine, its publisher, editor, or its advisory board as to the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or the authorities thereof, or as to the delimitation of boundaries or national affiliation.

Cover design: Taisir Masrieh

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Publisher: Sani P. MeoArt Director: Taisir MasriehGraphic Designer: Tamer HasbunEditor: Tina Basem

Printed by: Studio Alpha,Al-Ram, Jerusalem.Maps: Courtesy of PalMap - GSE

Telefax: +970/2 2-295 1262info@turbo-design.comwww.thisweekinpalestine.comwww.facebook.com/ThisWeekInPalestine

January 2018Issue 237

Advisory Board

Forthcoming Issues

February 2018: Palestine’s Fresh Produce and Herbs

March 2018: Palestinian Women: The Ongoing Struggle

April 2018: Preservation versus Appropriation

Nur ArafehPhD Student at Oxford University

Majed BamyaDiplomat at the Mission of the State of Palestine to the UN

Majd BeltajiProgramme Specialist - Gender Equality, UNESCO

Issa KassissiehAmbassador to the Holy See

Najwa NajjarFilmmaker

The images you find in this issue are in stark contrast to those that currently fill the news. And indeed, many of the photographers included here have expressed their desire to display and document the side of Palestine that makes life bearable at times and enjoyable at others. Their

contributions showcase this beautiful little place on Earth that fascinates people around the world, and offer you a glimpse of the lives of its people. This issue presents only a fraction of the creative output of Palestinian photographers who include world-class artists, expert professionals, and highly accomplished amateurs. We wanted the images to speak, and have included merely short explanations and artists’ statements of inspiration or intent. The biographies are presented separately and have been radically shortened due to space limitations; but at least they offer some insight into the achievements of these photographers – the artistic ambassadors of Palestine – who contributed to this issue. Our sincere thanks go to those who enriched our issue with their contributions, and apologies go to the many others whom we were not able to reach.

Photography in Palestine has a rich history. Among the early pioneers were Esayee Garabedian, who introduced the technique in the 1860s in Jerusalem, Garabed Krikorian, who opened a photo workshop on Yaffa Road in the 1870s, and Khalil Raad, our Personality of the Month - to name just a few. Thanks go to Hanny Khoury for an article on Karimeh Abboud, the first woman photographer in Palestine. Mona Halaby gives a beautiful introduction to historical family photography in Jerusalem, much of it the work of amateurs. Our Book of the Month is titled Balcony Over Jerusalem: A Middle East Memoir; and our Exhibition of the Month presents works by Jack Persekian.

TWiP is proud to have entered its twentieth year of continuously fulfilling its self-imposed mission of presenting Palestine - bringing out the best of Palestine - and is grateful for all new and old subscribers who contribute to our sustainability. (If you are looking for a unique gift idea for a loved one, look no further!).

Orthodox and Armenian Christians in Palestine celebrate Christmas on January 7 and 18, respectively. On behalf of the entire team at TWiP, I wish a Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating and hope that all of you have entered the New Year with renewed energy, hope, and enthusiasm despite all the odds – or because of them!

Tina Basem

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Family Albums: Capturing Life in Jerusalem

Palestinian Youth: Carrying the Potential for Future Growth

Karimeh Abboud The First Woman Photographer in Palestine and the Middle East

The Photographers

The Gallery Rula Halawani, Maysa Alshaer, Ahed Izhiman, Ahmed Ghaith, Nayef Hammouri, Alaa Badarneh, Tamara Habash, Shareef Sarhan, Rasha Asfour, Elias Halabi, Mohamed Badarne, Motaz Alaaraj, Amani AlSharqawi, Nabil Darwish, Jack Rabah, Emile Ashrawi, Ashraf Dowani, Muayad Reehan, Steve Sabella, Raed Abughazaleh.

Exhibition of the Month One Hundred Years

Personality of the Month

Book of the Month

Where to Go

TWiP Kitchen

Events

Accommodation

Restaurants

Cultural Centers

Maps

The Last Word

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

very time I visit a Palestinian home, I ask, “Were you able to salvage your family photo albums in 1948?” People’s faces light up, and they quickly run to a drawer, or a closet, and fish out a leather-bound album, a shoebox, or an envelope containing tattered sepia photos of their lives in Palestine – photos of their wedding, their young children, their graduation, athletic events, and home. Some are studio portraits,

while others are photographs taken by members of the family – capturing spontaneous moments of their lives.

I am always a little nervous when I ask my next question. “May I scan them and share them online?” As a curator of an online photo archive, I want to share photos of Jerusalemites but don’t want to seem forward and come across as invading their privacy by sharing their private moments with strangers online. But my concern is quickly alleviated when their answer is always an unequivocal, “Yes!”

What makes Palestinians different from other people in the world is that they yearn for their stories to be told, because these stories are not often reflected in the news. And if they are in the news, they do not showcase their heritage or rich society.

Capturing Life in Jerusalem

Family Albums:

By Mona Hajjar Halaby

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Party to celebrate Abdullah Tamari’s wedding to Julia Burdqosh on Saba and Despina Abdo’s terrace, Rehavia, Jerusalem, c. 1922. The Tamari, Mushabek, Abdo, and Farraj families are present. Source: Nadia and Teddy Theodorie.

Wedding of Huda Mitri Farraj and George Boulos Said, Jerusalem, April 1947. L to R: Dorothy Said, Mary Hanania, bride and groom, Yusef Said, Laura Baramki, Eliana Khouri, in front flower girls – Jean and Joyce Said. Source: Mary Hanania Regier.

Picnic at Battir railway station with the Mushabek and Abdo families. Sari Sakakini is standing on the left, waving his cap, c. 1927. Source: Nadia and Teddy Theodorie.

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Because I focus on Jerusalem and its residents in my photo archive, it is important to reveal to the world that Palestinians lived, studied, worked, and married in their hometown, that they existed and had a strong presence in Jerusalem.

For most Palestinians who lost their homes in 1948, family photos are the only relics of the lives they led in Palestine, the only tangible proof that chronicles their stories and the way of life that shaped them before the Nakba.

What I most enjoy is sitting down with the owners of the albums and hearing them annotate the photos. This moment is first-person history, not the history you read in a textbook. History books will list the big events that have shaped the world, but

these photographs fill the spaces between them. They’re the untold stories that would have fallen between the cracks had it not been for the photographers who captured them and the memories of their owners.

When I begin to turn each page of a family album, history is revealed, not only through the story shared, but also through the camera lens. There is a vulnerability, a certain intimacy when I look through family photos. It is a form of unfiltered oral history, and all these first-person accounts are an integral part of understanding social history.

It is through this lens that we can witness and understand people’s lives. As the curator of this online archive of photos, one of my goals is to allow the stories of Palestinians to be told through old black and white photos, lest they be forgotten, and to preserve Palestinian history for generations to come.

The wedding of Suleiman Mohammad Taher Dajani, at the Dajani house in Upper Baqa’, Jerusalem, 1943.

Photo of Issa and Nazira Farradj’s children in an airplane cut-out in Jaffa. From L to R: Alfred, Linda, Fuad, and Suhiela, c. 1932. Source: Alfred Farradj.

The wedding of Odette Batato and Emile Safieh, at Terra Sancta, Jerusalem, April 17, 1939.Source: Diana Safieh.

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Mona Hajjar Halaby is a writer and educator. She is the creator of British Mandate Jerusalemites Photo Library, a Facebook community page that posts daily a photo of Jerusalem or Jerusalemites from the late Ottoman period to the end of the British Mandate. Mona is also one of the researchers who works on Jerusalem, We Are Here, an interactive documentary that takes viewers on tours of the streets of Katamon neighborhood and through the remapping of Jerusalem neighborhoods.

St. George’s School graduating class of 1938 with Headmaster Reverend J.P. Thornton-Dewsberry,Vice-Principal L.D. Cooke, and Bishop Graham Brown, Khalil Beidas, the language teacher, and some of the students, Costi Deidis, Alfred Farradj, Adon Kalbian, Lutfi Yusef, Elias Nassar, and Larson Milky.Source: Alfred Farradj.

The elegant daughters of Jamilleh Antoine Calis and Tewfic Issa Habesch: Laurice, Beatrice, Colette, and Celeste, Talbiyeh, Jerusalem, c. 1937. Source: Beatrice Habesch.

St. George’s School football team, 1921-1922, with Daoud Husseini in the center holding the ball, and George Mushabek on far right, standing. Source: Nadia and Teddy Theodorie.

Schmidt Girls College, April 1938, from top to bottom, L to R: Margo Baramki, Mary (unknown last name), Fatmeh Halaweh, Lamees Abu Sou’oud, sitting (first name unknown) Abou Sou’oud, Rikfa Kamal.Source: Mary Hanania Regier.

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PalestinianYouth:Carrying thePotential forFuture Growth

nder a protracted crisis, the Palestinian economy is constrained in much the same way as the Palestinian people. A quarter of Palestinians live in poverty, with that rising to almost 40 percent in Gaza. As of November 2017, approximately 23,500 people in Gaza still remain displaced from the 2014 hostilities. Around 1.65 million Palestinians are food insecure. Roughly a staggering 2.5 million people throughout the occupied Palestinian territory will need some form of humanitarian assistance in 2018.

The Palestinian economy is subject to repeated shocks and dependent on donor aid, and livelihood opportunities are worryingly limited. This has led to poor economic performance, limited potential for trade, lack of sectoral diversity, dwindling productive sectors, and an excess of graduates to be absorbed into the current labor force.

Participants at the launch of the first Palestinian community-based Youth Sports League in Jericho. The project is funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Al-Quds University, and the Palestinian Olympic Committee. © UNDP/PAPP - Nadine Abu Rmeileh

The latest labor force statistics demonstrate overall unemployment of 29 percent in the third quarter of 2017, reaching 46.6 percent in the Gaza Strip and 19 percent in the West Bank. Youth are the most adversely affected, with youth unemployment rates reaching as high as 46.9 percent among youth aged 20−24 years.

With a growing youth demographic − already one-third of the population − high unemployment and low labor participation, especially for women, young people can be seen as both a demographic threat and an opportunity. According to UNFPA’s Palestine 2030 study, the Palestinian population will increase by a million by 2030 and more than double by 2050. This is a daunting prospect since an increasing youth population could be seen as an additional stress on an already underdeveloped infrastructure and social services, or it could be seen as a real opportunity for socio-economic and political growth, through targeted and adequate investments in youth development and empowerment.

If measures are not taken to accommodate the new entrants to the labor force over the next 15 years, a socio-economically disastrous scenario could unfold. However, if investments in Palestinian youth are properly deployed, real and sustainable socio-economic development would be the result. Without the full participation of young women and men, the Palestinian state cannot reach its full economic potential.

The culture of dependence that has been fostered by a lack of economic self-sufficiency must be replaced by a “culture of enterprise and self-reliance.” Youth must be instilled with the skills and knowledge, but more importantly,

Courtesy of United Nations Development ProgrammeProgramme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (UNDP/PAPP)

Empowered lives.Resilient nations.

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the confidence and motivation to develop their own enterprises and craft their own future. This will alter social perspectives from seeing youth as a burden to be managed, to recognizing them as the real engine of socio-economic growth. This shift in perspective will also encourage more youth to enter non-traditional

industries and will help both young women and men establish enterprises or find jobs in areas that are otherwise considered inaccessible to them.

The Palestinian government, private and public institutions, should dismantle access barriers that limit youth employment and entrepreneurship. This includes

improving access to finance and support services that aid the establishment of a business or decide on a career path. Private and public economic investment must also be directed to the high-return and under-served sectors, which can help foster sustainable economic growth. This can include focus on the productive sectors, including agriculture and manufacturing, creating jobs that will benefit the growing youth population.

In tandem, the digital economy provides new frontiers for investment in areas that can create a critical mass of youth employment. Employers must be encouraged to take a gender- and youth-sensitive approach to hiring young people, and especially young women.

With the 2030 Agenda as a guiding thread, UNDP works with sister agencies and national and international development partners to

Young boy selling citrus fruits in Gaza. Thirty-eight percent of young people (15-29 years old) are enrolled in educational institutions. The total dropout rate (those who left school before completing their education) among youth from 15 to 29 years old was 34 percent (42 percent for males and 27 percent for females). PCBS, 12 August 2017. © UNDP/PAPP - Shareef Sarhan

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advance young people’s participation in civic and political life, their economic empowerment and their role as peace- and resilience-builders.

UNDP’s programming aimed at economically empowering young Palestinians is anchored on five key pillars to reduce barriers to employment and entrepreneurship. These include business development services, placement and employment, micro and group financing, education and skill development, and finally social services, such as scholarships for demand-driven education and training, affordable housing for low-income households, accessible healthcare, and cultural support. Through these five pillars of youth economic empowerment, UNDP helps young women and men to break down barriers to the labor market. Young people are skilled to fill the gaps in the labor market; connections are created between youth and the private sector; and a holistic approach ensures that the most vulnerable are targeted at all times.

Investment in youth’s employability and entrepreneurial innovation could be the genesis of effective, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth. By investing in this otherwise marginalized subset of the population, young people can be mobilized to activate an economically sustainable, democratic, socially active, and forward-thinking Palestinian society.

Maha from Gaza owns her own project, designing and marketing dresses for weddings and special occasions. She established her business through Maharat, an economic empowerment programme, funded by the Islamic Development Bank, which is based on building the capacities of youth in the areas of administration, finance, and project management and technical skills, and linking them with the industrial job market.© UNDP/PAPP - Shareef Sarhan

© UNDP/PAPP - Ahed Izhiman

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Before the British Mandate, passports of Palestinian women did not include personal identification photos. In order to confirm the identity of a woman

passport holder, officers used to simply call out the woman’s name and that of her husband, or of her father if she was single. After photography was discovered with the invention of the daguerreotype in 1839 and became an enormously significant manifestation of modernity, it spread across the Arab cities in the second half of the nineteenth century. In fact, at that time, the Middle East and Palestine were among the most photographed regions worldwide, as photographers from around the world came to visit and document this area that abounded with picturesque scenes, and Ottoman photographers delighted in taking photos of the sultan and his military officials.

The first school of photography in the Arab world was established in Jerusalem by Yessai Garabedian in the 1860s. In his position as bishop, known as Esayee of Talas, Garabedian could not engage in photography himself, but he could teach,

Karimeh Abboud The First Woman Photographer in Palestine and the Middle East

By Hanny Al-Khoury

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Karimeh Abboud. Photo courtesy of Darat Al Funun.

and his studio taught the most important photographers of Palestine at that time. Palestinian photography, however, was almost entirely monopolized by men until Karimeh Abboud broke the norm.

Karimeh was born in Bethlehem in 1893, to a family of Lebanese descent. She started to engage in photography in 1913, after her father had given her a camera

An Arab family on a picnic, a photographtaken by Karimeh Abboud in 1926.

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for her 17th birthday, and she began to take photos of natural scenery, cities, historical monuments, family members, and friends. She received instruction in the craft of photography from an Armenian photographer in Jerusalem. When Karimeh studied Arabic literature at the American University of Beirut, she took photos of archaeological sites and may have received instruction from local photographers, as Beirut was also an important center of photography. Back in Palestine, Karimeh opened her first studio as a professional photographer. Her photographs of women of Bethlehem encouraged conservative families to photograph their women without embarrassment, and she was soon able to open a photo coloring studio.

When the family moved to Nazareth, Karimeh opened a studio there. As the first woman photographer, her work was in high demand, and eventually, she was

able to establish four photography studios, located in Nazareth, Bethlehem, Haifa, and Jaffa. She drove her car from city to city, making her also one of the women pioneers in the Arab world to obtain a driver’s license. She travelled to Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan on working missions, mostly shooting personal portraits. However, her work also documented towns with their churches and mosques, archaeological sites, and landscapes.

An important personal trait of Karimeh was her interest in children and social occasions. She would leave her work in the studio to photograph children on the streets. She also took photos of social celebrations and events. Whereas most professional photographic work at the time was done in studios, carefully designed, and frequently with the intention to create an image that would leave the impression of an elevated reality and give the subject increased status, Karimeh would take her photos in people’s homes, setting up makeshift sceneries and backdrops. This also had an effect on the general mood of her subjects, as Karimeh’s portraits are frequently characterized by an element of spontaneity.

Studio portrait of a bride, 1930.

Enjoying the outdoors on a picnic, a photograph by Karimeh Abboud.

Seaport and Gulf of Haifa, 1929

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Karimeh passed away in 1940. There is no doubt that she is among the most important personalities to bring about change in the field of photography in Palestine. She focused on Palestinian and Arab women in her photography and helped to change perceptions by showing that Palestinians are not simply nomads living in tents. If one compares fashion and hairdos in Paris during her time, one will find photos of confident Palestinian women with similar styles in Palestine, proving that Palestine kept up with modernity. This historic documentation would not have been possible or available without the work of Karimeh. And it is important to consider Karimeh’s context: We are not talking about a photographer in London or New York; this is a Palestinian woman at the turn of the twentieth century who dared to break stereotypes in the Middle East.

Ten years of research and interviews conducted by Ahmad Mrowat concluded that more than 4,500 studio and outdoor photographs taken by Karimeh Abboud

are extant today. Three cameras were used during Karimeh’s career. About 3,500 of these photographs along with original cameras are in the possession of Ayman Metanis who currently resides in Canada. The location of the remaining photographs is still unknown.

Hanny Khoury is a non-traditional artist born in the Galilee village of Eilaboun, near Tiberias in 1990. One of Hanny’s famous artworks is the Arabic Mona Lisa who is seen wearing a traditional Palestinian scarf. Hanny did a painting using his blood in protest of abortion. He also painted for sixty seven consecutive hours in solidarity of women’s rights and got into the Guinness World Record for the “largest toast mosaic” that was made to protest the amount of waste food. Hanny also holds two world records from Assist World Records.

Nurses on training, Jerusalem, 1935.

The family of Karimeh Abboud on a religious holiday, Nazareth 1933.

A children studio portrait by Karimeh Abboud.

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Ahed IzhimanBorn in Jerusalem, Ahed Izhiman found early inspiration in the beautiful and historic walls of the ancient city. With a background in portrait and documentary photography, and employing innovative art techniques and painting skills - obtained from both local and international accredited art institutions - Ahed has served local and international community organizations, institutions, and theaters, contributing also as a lighting designer, art lecturer, and photography and fine art professional. A co-founder of ArtLab, Ahed’s work explores and mixes painting and photography in unique and innovative ways.

Ahmed GhaithAhmed Refaat Hassan Ghaith was born in 1991 in Hebron, Palestine. He graduated with a degree in computer information systems from Al-Quds Open University in Hebron and is currently working in the field of electric cars and heavy equipment. He won the Best Picture Award at Al-Quds Open University and ranked sixth in the Jerusalem in Your Eyes competition in 2015.

Alaa BadarnehAlaa Badarneh was born in Yabed, west of Jenin. He fell in love with photography during childhood, helping his father in the family studio. After working for various prestigious media, he became the staff photographer of the European Pressphoto Agency in Palestine. Alaa has won numerous international and Arab awards in press photography. In addition to arbitrating in photography competitions, he was chosen to be a representative of the Committee of Arab Photographers in the Union of Arab Photographers for Palestine. Alaa has taught journalism at Birzeit University and co-produced many special publications in Palestine.

Amani AlSharqawi Amani AlSharqawi is a computer science graduate whose passion for photography grew as an extension of her work with graphic design and out of her love for color and the visual arts. Amani started her artistic journey with photographic tours of Gaza, visiting archaeological sites, refugee camps, and popular markets with the aim of showcasing Gaza’s beautiful side to the world, rather than the stereotypical image as the country of war and destruction. For Amani, photography is a medium for self-expression, similar to writing and drawing.

Ashraf DowaniBorn and raised in Jerusalem, Ashraf Dowani’s interest in photography/cinematography began in 2009 when he gained a bachelor’s degree in Jordan. He worked as a director of photography at Shashat Productions in Jordan in 2013, and on various TV productions, music videos, and TV commercials. In 2014, he returned to Palestine to work as a freelance filmmaker, and in late 2015, he established a production house called Manshour Productions in Ramallah. For more information, please visit www.manshour.ps.

Elias HalabiElias Halabi has forged a skillful lens for socio-cultural interpretation by obtaining a BA in sociology/psychology, and a professional diploma from Italy in the management and preservation of artistic cultural heritag. He developed his signature artistic voice with the realization that the language of images is more effective than speech. Elias has worked with various organizations, and his award-winning work has been exhibited in numerous solo and joint exhibitions in Palestine and internationally.

Emile AshrawiEmile Ashrawi was born in Jerusalem in 1951. Retired from work for the United Nations, he is now free to pursue his passion for photography and enjoy being a grandfather. Emile is a freelance photographer and photography educator; he has been engaged in community and cultural work throughout his life, particularly through music and theater. Among the main inspirations for his work are the beauty of the Palestinian landscape, flora, and fauna, and Palestine’s traditional and historic architecture.

ere are the stars of this issue, the photographers whose contributions give the issue its sparkle. Their biographies are not found on the pages dedicated to their work since TWiP wanted to use all available space to showcase their creativity.

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Jack RabahJack Rabah holds a BA in computer science from Earlham College (USA) and an MBA from Birzeit University, Palestine. He is the communications director at the Palestinian NGO Taawon. Jack enjoys photography, reading, cooking, and byzantine chanting. He can be reached at jack.rabah@gmail.com.

Maysa AlshaerMaysa Alshaer is a blogger, Instagramer, and founder of Kazdora w Sora (pleasant walks and images), a blog of photographic walking tours that visited cities throughout Palestine. After ten years of photographing and documenting cities in Palestine, Maysa, together with a group of photography enthusiasts, presented her own photo exhibition, Ana aind alshobak (me at the window), which displayed images of cities and offered her reflections on these cities. Maysa is known for Instagram stories of ancient places and buildings that she publishes under the name mesography. In 2017, Maysa and her team created the first photo festival in Palestine.

Mohamed BadarneMohamed Badarne is a Palestinian freelance photographer who resides in Haifa and Berlin, and works mostly for the United Nations and in private projects. His work presents visual stories about people’s concerns and the details of their lives. Mohamed offers training workshops in Palestine and abroad, using photography as a tool for societal change and for highlighting human rights issues. His works have been displayed at the United Nations in Geneva and New York, among other places, and purchased by institutions such as Darat El Funoun in Amman, the ILO, and other art centers.

Motaz AlaarajMotaz Alaaraj is from Gaza and embarked on the pursuit of photography in 2010. Largely self-taught (he considers photography an addiction), he has worked with numerous local and international organizations. He has used the time-lapse technique and was among the first to use hyperlapse in Gaza. His work was exhibited in France, though he was not present, given that he was unable to leave Gaza. Since late 2013, Alaaraj has focused on filmmaking and teaching himself all aspects of video production through online tutorials and hands-on experience.

Muayad ReehanMuayad Reehan lives in Tell, a village near Nablus, and works in commerce and trade. He has pursued photography as a hobby for the past five years and posts his work on social media such as Facebook and Instagram. His aim is to showcase Palestine to the world: “I want people to see my homeland the way we see it, to recognize how beautiful it is.”

Nabil DarwishBorn in Jerusalem, Nabil Darwish is a visual storyteller and a commercial arts photographer with a prime focus on portraits. Nabil also works as a marketing-communications and branding specialist, and is a certified Adobe partner and designer. With over 15 years of professional experience in photography, he specializes in the fields of marketing communications, strategic brand management, creative design, and project/program management. He holds an MS in hospitality management and a BA in business administration, specializing in strategic marketing communications and development (both degrees obtained in the United Kingdom).

Nayef HammouriNayef Hammouri is from Hebron. He holds a diploma in Web design and works in digital marketing, social media, photography, and graphic design. Nayef has participated in numerous local exhibitions and contests, winning a number of awards, including second place in the Palestine Photo-Marathon 2014−2015. He explains: “My passion for photography started in 2012, and I am still learning and improving my skills in this field. I always seek to meet experienced photographers in order to benefit from their experience.”

Raed AbughazalehRaed Abughazaleh is a photographer from Ramallah, Palestine, whose photographs are inspired by the natural and urban elements of his environment. He currently resides in Ramallah and teaches at a local university. You can view Raed’s work on his website, www.RaedAbughazaleh.com.

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Rasha AsfourRasha Asfour took up photography as a hobby when she was eight years old. Her first two documentary films were titled Al-Nakba and Women’s Rights, and were produced when she was fourteen years old. Having obtained a bachelor of fine arts degree in photography in 2017 from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Rasha currently works as a freelance photographer and artist based in Jerusalem. She enthusiastically aims to create masterpieces that hold meaning, relay a message, and contain the power to make a change for the better.

Rula HalawaniBorn in Jerusalem in 1964, Rula Halawani holds a BA in advanced photography from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada; and an MA in photographic studies from the University of Westminster, London. Her early works register the difficulties associated with living under occupation. Rula has recently turned her lens towards the traces of lives and history that can still be found in frequently overlooked details. The founding director and an associate professor of the photography program at Birzeit University, she has had her works on display in the major international art museums.

Shareef SarhanBorn in Gaza in 1976, Shareef Sarhan works as an artist, professional photographer, and freelance designer. He is a founding member of the Windows from Gaza for Contemporary Art group and an active member of the Association of Palestinian Artists. Shareef holds a diploma in arts from the International Correspondence School of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He has introduced his works via numerous individual and group exhibitions in Gaza’s Arts and Crafts Village and Port Gallery, and exhibited his award-winning works in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Amman, Britain, the United States, Spain, Sweden, Sharjah, and Cairo.

Steve SabellaSteve Sabella, born in Jerusalem, is a Berlin-based artist. His first monograph, which covers 20 years of his art, was published by Hatje Cantz in collaboration with the Akademie der Künste, Berlin. He holds two MA degrees, one in photographic studies from the University of Westminster in London. Sabella exhibits internationally, and his work is held in collections in various locations, including the British Museum, London, and Mathaf, Doha. Between 1998 and 2007, Steve was the most commissioned photographer in Palestine, shooting for editorials, advertising, and artistic collaborations.

Tamara Habash Tamara Habash Samandar is a creative photographer who specializes in portrait, newborn, and wedding photography. Intrigued by the artistic details of photos, Tamara creatively engages her eyes and her mind in capturing images that last a lifetime. Involved in photography since 2007, she started her professional portrait photography business in late 2012. Having taken photography courses at Birzeit University and regularly attending online workshops, she considers the best recipe for advancement to be practice. Tamara asserts: “I’m a dreamer, and I firmly believe that dreams do come true!”

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Rula Halawani“The Jerusalem of my childhood was filled with life. Today, when I walk the streets of Jerusalem, childhood memories of its lively nature haunt me. At night, its emptiness exposes the vulnerability of the Old City and heightens its drama. By conceptually inviting “back” to Jerusalem the “broadcast artists,” symbols of our culture who created the original programming for the Palestine Broadcasting Service, in a symbolic visual and audio “broadcast,” I attempt to repopulate the streets with familiar faces and our Palestinian cultural legacy.

From the series Jerusalem Calling (originally presented with soundtrack; funded by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture).

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Maysa AlshaerThe picture above shows part of an old window that is in the cultural center called the Duke’s Diwan, considered to be among the oldest Omani houses in Amman. Formerly the residence of Duke Mukhyber, its doors are open to artists and visitors today. I visited the place in 2012 during a beautiful cultural evening.

Ahed IzhimanThis visual material on the Dead Sea is part of a project that involves research and concept-art. Since 2012, I have gathered material to create a visual art exhibition that combines photography, acrylic painting, and video art. The launching of an exhibition is planned for 2019. My inspiration comes from memories of feeling calm and safe during childhood camping trips in the Jordan Valley and along the Dead Sea. The exhibition explores the connection between the human body and our land, and how religious heritage is utilized by Israel to block Palestinians from their last remaining access to water and the sea.

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Ahmed GhaithThe Ottoman tunnel is carved into a mountain near Bila’a, to the east of Tulkarem, penetrating it from beginning to end. Given the beauty of the tunnel and the surrounding landscape, and the skill of construction, this archeological site is popular with young people, families, and school students alike. The tunnel was dug during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid al-Thani, between 1876 and 1909, as part of an ambitious railway project that aimed to facilitate the travel of pilgrims from the Levant to the Hijaz (Saudi Arabia).

“Palestine is free” reads the graffiti beside the door of a shop in the old town of Hebron that reflects the impact of the prolonged Israeli occupation on the area.

Nayef HammouriAfter an arduous trip to reach Jerusalem - the first time we were allowed to enter in ten years - to document the city during the month of holy Ramadan, this photo was taken just after sunrise in the courtyard of the Dome of the Rock. Flocks of birds fly from dome to dome and wall to wall, representing the freedom that Al-Quds desperately needs.

We set up our equipment at sunset and waited. At around 5 a.m., when the lunar eclipse was complete, and the blood moon was exactly above the mountain, we gave the guys who were two kilometers away the signal to move. Timing was essential, as the moon was passing quickly.

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Alaa BadarnehNablus at the moment of sunrise, seen from the highest point on Mount Gerizim. The sun’s reflections illuminate the areas east of the city.

This 90-year-old Palestinian, smoking an argila (hookah) in Palestine’s oldest coffee shop, has been coming here every day for over 70 years. Sheikh Qasim Coffee Shop is an historical landmark in the old city of Nablus; it has retained its traditional décor throughout three consecutive generations of owners. Prior to 1948, in addition to the regular local hakawatis (storytellers), many famous Egyptian singers and actors, such as Asmahan, Farid Al-Atrash, Tahia Karioka, Lubluba, Mohammad Fawzi, Mahiha Yusri, and Raja’ Abdo, enjoyed drinking coffee here when visiting Palestine.

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Tamara Habash FILASTINIYA is a fine art photography series inspired by Mahmoud Darwish’s poem, A Lover from Palestine. The calligraphies are verses of this poem, hand-drawn directly on each woman’s face. The entire series contains 15 portraits of influential and unique Palestinian women, and aims to portray Palestinian women as strong, resilient, powerful, and beautiful. The word فلسطينية, Palestinian in Arabic, is drawn on their foreheads to indicate how proudly each one carries her identity as a Palestinian. Each portrait tells a unique story, but all share the pride of being Palestinian women.

Shareef SarhanTo engage in photography is to paint with light, stealing a moment from time before it becomes a moment of the past. Working with all your senses, you use that black, inanimate box to express life through colored rays, ensuring that memories of the past remain parts of your daily life. Every image you take tells a story and preserves history for whoever comes after us, letting them know that this land had people, a life, a dream, and the hope for freedom. Despite the siege, my images today transcend borders and checkpoints and reach the world at large. A picture every day means one day closer to freedom.

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Rasha AsfourSome of my favorite pictures were taken during my visits to the Arab Al-Jahalin Bedouin Tribe. In an era full of technology, these little children - who live as refugees in the suburbs of Jerusalem in the West Bank - manage to find happiness in simple things. They choose to enjoy their childhood together, despite difficult living conditions. Spending their days in nature, they create entertainment from whatever is available to them. In this village of Bedouin refugees, childhood joy does not come from having many possessions but rather from the simple things that they can accomplish through their unique lifestyle.

Elias HalabiLike father, like son: A Palestinian shepherd and his son are leading their sheep home after a long day in the desert near Al-Rashaydeh in the Jerusalem hills. This photo was taken during a sunset hike with Masar Ibrahim Al-Khalil.

Visit Palestine: A Palestinian elder from Jerusalem is holding a Visit Palestine poster in front of his shop in Jerusalem’s Old City. Other posters and photos in the shop vary from originals to copies of old photographs and posters of Jerusalem, documenting and illustrating the rich history of the city.

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Mohamed BadarneHaving moved from Yarmouk Refugee Camp to the outskirts of Berlin, Tariq holds on to his dream: Carrying the Palestinian flag, he yearns to return to Palestine.

What drives me to take pictures that do not show martyrs, blood, barriers, checkpoints, or guns? Am I trying to escape to a fantasy world without occupation? Or do I refuse to produce pictures that comply with the world’s expectations? I am searching for what the occupation cannot accomplish: Killing the Palestinian spirit of hope. My photos cannot convert reality. But during the moments when we do not feel the occupation, rather than feeling guilty, we should cherish and celebrate the sense of freedom.

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Motaz AlaarajPracticing photography or art in Gaza is not easy due to the multiple difficulties we face from society, the government, and the occupation. Equipment is difficult to obtain both logistically and financially. We need a professional network, such as a photography club, to be able to share experiences and improve our work. There are many talented people in Gaza who can make a change by showing the beautiful side of Gaza, beyond the suffering and destruction. I believe that a picture is strong enough to leave an impact, change people’s perceptions, and make a difference.

Amani AlSharqawi A wild plant rising high against the sunlight, taken in color and then modified to black and white. Most of the colors have been removed, leaving only the original colors of the white and yellow blossoms.

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Nabil DarwishThe true strength of a true life. This entrepreneur, a mother and provider, supports her family and community through a small business: She obtains leftovers from diaper factories to sew and sell diapers at a low cost, as so many refugees in the camp live below the poverty line, they cannot afford anything that others consider within the “norm.” From the series Living Lives, West Bank.

Sometimes even the harshest environment cannot seep into the cracks of a living soul. We walk on this earth with pride. This pride distinguishes and differentiates us; it defines who we are. Sometimes, pride is all we have. From the series Pride, Qalqiliya, West Bank.

Jack RabahKnown to Muslims and Christians as Sitna Maryam (Our Lady Mary), this church is carved into bedrock at the bottom of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Every year during the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, pilgrims bring bundles of candles to illuminate the stairs that lead all the way down to the tomb of the virgin. Eastern Christians believe that her body was lifted to heaven shortly after she died. Despite movement restrictions, the separation wall, and checkpoints, I try to take my family on this annual pilgrimage, and afterwards, we bring home some tasty Jerusalem ka’ik ib simsim (sesame-covered bread).

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Emile AshrawiPalestinians have traditionally enjoyed a deep connection to their land that comprises terraced, cultivated hills and arid desert dotted with vegetation wherever there is a source of water. Hiking is a cherished leisure activity among Palestinians, providing relief from the ongoing struggle and tensions, while also connecting us not only to our roots and heritage but also to the land that has provided us with subsistence for generations.

P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Ashraf DowaniThe first photo is part of a collection I created in 2010 through my studies in Jordan, when I produced a photo album of a gypsy family who lives in Amman on Airport Street. I was attracted by the beauty of these children and the simplicity in which they were living. With a 500mm telephoto lens I was able to capture some natural moments. This was an exciting experiment, as I was able to capture the subject without being a distraction.

The second photo is a snapshot of my friends in Jordan, taken a few years ago during a snowstorm, when I experimented with shooting in back light.

Muayad ReehanFrom the village Tell, near Nablus, the coastline is visible on clear days. I can see the sea from the windows of our house; but for me, the seashore, or Palestinian cities such as Yaffa, Haifa, and Akko, are close to impossible to reach.

A street vendor in Nablus, the commercial center of the northern West Bank. Many of the youth in Nablus and the surrounding villages must be creative in securing an income for themselves and their families. By modifying the colors, I was able to bring out the green vegetables and herbs that represent our connection to our land and traditional food.

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Steve SabellaSinopia is a series of works commissioned by the Bahrain National Museum, exploring the visual and sonic pulse of the country. Sabella approached the image of Bahrain from many different angles. For one artwork, he combined images of Manama, photographed from various perspectives and distances; another work is collaged from photographs of political graffiti, as well as its ensuing overpainting by the police; in yet another, the colored facades of Muharraq are layered into a painterly abstraction. Finally, we see the 400-year-old Tree of Life mirrored between heaven and earth, wavering between reality and fantasy.

Sinopia (2014) 70 x 54 cm. Lightjet print mounted on matt diasec, 3.5-cm aluminum box edge.

38 Days of Re-Collection (2014) 5.6 x 7.3 cm. B&W white film negative (generated from a digital image) printed with B&W photo emulsion spread on color paint fragments collected from Jerusalem’s Old City house walls.

Beyond Euphoria (2011) 205 x 117 cm. Lambda print mounted on diasec 3.5-cm aluminum box edge.

Independence (2013) 81 x 45 cm. Lambda print mounted on diasec, 3.5-cm aluminum box edge.

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P h o t o g r a p h y i n P a l e s t i n e

Raed AbughazalehBacklit wildflower growing amongst thorny bushes.

Olive groves have been dotting this landscape for hundreds of years.

The open fields surrounding the village of Ein Qiniya near Ramallah are some of the last remaining natural refuges in the area, supporting a wide variety of native flora and fauna. They also create a natural escape for Ramallah’s residents from the city’s growing burdens. Unfortunately, this rich resource is disappearing fast due to rapid urbanization, and in a hundred years Ein Qiniya will be filled with roads and buildings. I want to document these fields now, while they still exist in all their beauty and grace.

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erusalem’s landscape, as we know it today, is merely a surface layer, a slice in a long tumultuous history that has seen people and civilizations successively taking over from preceding ones. Over time, layers are obscured and sometimes obliterated to the point where one can find only a few traces or ruins, if any! Since the turn of the nineteenth century and the invention of photography, our relationship to how we see, comprehend, and communicate our understanding of history and time has dramatically changed.

Superimposing an additional layer, a photograph taken today of the same location, over that taken by the American Colony photographers some hundred years ago, shot from the same spot and the same angle, would move us between two distinctive times. It allows us to study the changes that occurred, compare the various times, align the physical transformations with the events that took place in the city and around the region during the last century, and deduce from these observations all the agendas at play, then, now, and still to come.

This body of work, exhibited at Gallery Anadiel at New Gate, is an attempt to encourage people, especially Jerusalemites, to reassess their relation to this city, reexamine it carefully, indulge in its details, and love it – not for what it was and what it symbolizes, but for what it can be. And as Mies van der Rohe put it so eloquently: “God is in the details.”

One Hundred Years

By Jack Persekian

J

Al-Wad - Khan El-Zeit Junction Al-Wad Street

Herod’s Gate Jack Persekian, 2017 Historical photograph title: Sheep market outside Herod’s Gate, Jerusalem Creators: American Colony Photographers Date: Photographs taken between 1900 and 1919

Outside Damascus GateJack Persekian, 2017 Historical photograph title: Pack train outside Damascus Gate, Jerusalem From: Hand-colored photographs of Jerusalem and Palestine, 1919, photograph albumCreators: American Colony Photographers and Painters

Medium: Gelatin silver print Historical photograph credit: John D. Whiting Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Date: Photographs taken between 1900 and 1919 Medium: Hand-painted monochrome photographic print Historical photograph credit: John D. Whiting Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Photo by Martin Lebioda

E x h i b i t i o n o f t h e M o n t h

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Via DolorosaJack Persekian, 2017 Historical photograph title: Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem From: Hand-colored photograph album of Jerusalem and Palestine, 1919 Creators: American Colony Photographers and Painters Date: Photographs taken between 1900 and 1919 Medium: Hand-painted monochrome photographic print Historical photograph credit: John D. Whiting Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Sultan Suleiman Street Jack Persekian, 2017 Historical photograph title: German officers heading a line of 600 prisoners captured near Jericho, July 15, 1918

New Gate Jack Persekian, 2017 Historical photograph title: Arab demonstrations on October 13 and 27, 1933. In Jerusalem and Jaffa. Arab demonstration at New Gate. Police cordon stopping the procession. Jerusalem, October 13 Creator(s): American Colony Photographers or G. Eric Matson

Creators: American Colony Photographers Date created/published: July 15, 1918Historical photograph credit: Matson Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Date created/published: October 13, 1933; Medium: Dry plate glass negative Historical photograph credit: Matson Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

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Jaffa Gate 1917Jack Persekian, 2017 Historical photograph title: The surrender of Jerusalem to the British, December 9, 1917. The first British guard at Jaffa Gate Creators: Hol Lars (Lewis) Larsson, American Colony Photographers Date created/published: December 9, 1917Medium: Dry plate glass negative Historical photograph credit: Matson Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Jerusalem from North, Nablus RoadJack Persekian, 2017 Historical photograph title: Jerusalem (Al-Quds). First view of Jerusalem from the northCreator(s): American Colony PhotographersDate created/published: ca. 1898Historical photograph credit: Matson Photograph Collection,Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

St. George’s PlaygroundJack Persekian, 2017 Historical photograph title: Jerusalem from the northCreator: American Colony PhotographersDate created/published: ca. 1898Historical Photograph Credit: Matson Photograph Collection,Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

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A woman in traditional dress bites her head cover and smiles widely at the camera while cradling a child; taxis line up in front of Damascus Gate in Jerusalem; a laborer in a citrus orchard loads oranges into baskets on the backs of two children; a view of Tiberias with Upper Mosque in the foreground; Prince Fuad and Ahmad Jamal Pasha visit Al-Haram al-Sharif: all are images that represent the breadth of subjects of Palestine’s first Arab photographer, Khalil Raad.

Khalil Raad

e r s o n a l i t y o f t h e M o n t h

Raad was born in Bhamdoun, Lebanon, in 1854. When his father, a Maronite convert to Protestantism, was killed in 1860, his mother took Khalil and his sister to Jerusalem to live with relatives.

Around that time the nascent art of photography was finding local expression in Palestine through the efforts of the Armenian Patriarch in Jerusalem who offered training to youngsters. One student, Garabed Krikorian, arguably the first Palestinian to make photography his profession by opening a studio outside Jaffa Gate, took on Raad as an apprentice. In 1890, Raad engaged in direct competition with Krikorian when he started his own studio opposite his master’s, a move which sparked years of rivalry and animosity.

By Marina Parisinou

Before the outbreak of the First World War, Raad went to Switzerland to continue his studies under the photographer Keller. There he became engaged to Keller’s assistant, Annie Muller, whom he married after the war. In Jerusalem, the couple settled in Talbiyeh and had two children, Ruth and George.

The relationship with the Krikorian family was restored, and the two studios began to collaborate when Krikorian’s son, Johannes, who took over the studio from his father in 1913, married Raad’s niece. From that point on, Krikorian focused exclusively on portraiture whereas Raad also shot political events, archaeological excavations, landscapes, and daily life. During the war, Raad was granted special access to photograph Ottoman installations, operations, and officials.

Raad’s body of work comprises 1,230 glass plates, along with postcards, negative prints, and some film.

In the words of Samia A. Halaby,* Raad’s photographic eye is revealed by “the clarity and organizational neatness” that distinguishes his work. “Seldom is the background left thoughtlessly to chance. One has a feeling that his eye took a tour of the entire pictorial space before focusing on the essential subject. His organization of parts is like that of a painting. There is rarely an incidental fragment of something entering or leaving the field of view.”

After the 1948 fall of Jerusalem, Raad’s studio became inaccessible, located as it was in the dead zone that divided the city. Raad fled and eventually returned to the city of his birth where he remained until his

Ruth Raad, daughter of photographer Khalil Raad, 1932 Ruth Raad, 1934

Wedding photo of John Schtakleff and Eugenie Agathopoulou, great-grandparents of the author, from the archive of same. Jerusalem, 1902

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death in 1957. His work was spared the destruction that befell so much of Palestine’s heritage thanks partially to the derring-do of an Italian friend who saved it and delivered it to Raad’s daughter, Ruth, who subsequently donated it to the Institute of Palestine Studies.*“The Pictorial Arts of Jerusalem, 1900−1948,” published in Jerusalem Interrupted, Modernity and Colonial Transformation 1917- Present, edited by Lena Jayyusi.

Khalil Raad’s shop, Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem

Jaffa Road construction with Raad’s shop in the background

Show box (sanduq al-ferja) 1933

Ruth Raad in the traditional costume of Ramallah, ca. 1943

Mother and child, 1918-1938

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Balcony over Jerusalem is a Middle East memoir from one of Australia’s leading journalists. It spans the six years of John Lyons’ tenure as Middle East correspondent for The Australian, during which he was based in Jerusalem with his wife Sylvie and their son Jack.

The book takes the reader on a captivating 20-chapter journey across tense Middle Eastern borders, from Jordan and Egypt to Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq; from Iran to Libya and South Africa. The stories chronicle the journalist’s meetings with

Balcony Over JerusalemA Middle East Memoir

By John Lyons, with Sylvie Le ClezioHarper Collins Publishers, Australia, 2017

384 pages, US$30

o o k o f t h e M o n t h influential figures from all across the political spectrum, including former Israeli prime ministers Shimon Peres and Ehud Olmert, and spokesmen from Hamas and Hezbollah.

Perhaps the most illuminating chapters, however, are those that address the pressure exerted on journalists working on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pressure can come in the form of manipulative “charm” at the beginning of an assignment, and later in the form of “attacks” once journalists refuse to cave in to the pre-written script.

Lyons writes with authority as he documents how intimidation is frequently orchestrated by groups affiliated with the various national pro-Israeli lobbies in respective countries; in his case, it was by AIJAC (Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council) in Australia. He explains with examples how these organizations can be more royal than the king, objecting to and complaining about issues that were accepted in Israeli circles and reported by the Israeli media. He writes with disbelief about AIJAC’s hypocrisy: “When I covered human rights abuses in Iran or Lebanon or Syria, I was a leading Australian journalist; when I reported what I had seen done by the Israeli Army, I was an unreliable reporter.”

Lyons doesn’t mince his words when criticizing what he calls “the greater Israel project” – the settlement expansion project championed by the current Israeli prime minister, which is essentially eradicating any possibility for peace. His pessimism toward the developments of the last six years is clear. However, he sees hope in the changing tides of international public opinion, as people around the world are exposed to objective news written without any bias or pre-judgment.

Lyons’ book is an essential read; it is an excruciatingly honest account from a journalist who tries to see past the obvious headlines; it is an example of what journalistic ethics means, with fastidious documentation and verification, when working in a highly monitored area.

Lyons tells his story from where it is unraveling, rather than filing it from a fancy, foreign hotel room. And in these bleak times, when nothing charming can be written about Jerusalem, John, Sylvie, and Jack share with us a vivid account from their Balcony Over Jerusalem. They let us in on their observations of the daily contradictions that consume us and the oppression that is getting uglier by the day.

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The Photogenic Landscapes of PalestineDespite its relatively small acreage, Palestine is a country with a rich diversity of natural scenery. Thanks to its unique geographical location at the crossroads of three continents, this small area encompasses various ecosystems that offer a wide range of beautiful landscapes.

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Marj Ibn Amer

Marj Ibn Amer is an extensive farming plain that can be best viewed from a high elevation, for example, on the mountains surrounding the northern villages of Jenin. A smooth light passes through the soft clouds to highlight some of the green, yellow, and brownish fields that create a mosaic of irregular shapes. The fertile plain neighbors colorful villages with green rolling hills in the background.

h e r e t o G o View of Al-Qarn Hill

The small agricultural villages located east of Nablus offer a stunning view on the eastern horizon of the mountains that border the Jordan Valley. One of these mountains has an outstanding shape and is higher than the rest of the hills that surround it. Because its form resembles a horn, the hill today is called Al-Qarn, meaning “The Horn” in Arabic. The archaeological remains located on the peak date to the first century BC and feature a military garrison and a jail. The fort was later restored by King Herod the Great and became the burial site of his two sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, whom he had executed.

Wadi Qelt

Wadi Qelt is considered one of the most stunning places in the region. Its natural richness and cultural heritage attract many hikers, nature lovers, and history enthusiasts. The highlight of the valley is St. George of Koziba Monastery that clings to the valley’s northern wall. It was originally founded as a lavra, which was a cluster of caves where hermits settled around 420 AD, and during the fifth century, it was turned into a monastery. The site was transformed many times until 1901, when it took its present form.

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While walking through the deep valley, hikers notice the intriguing rock and soil formations, multiple caves and recesses, and its extraordinary flora diversity, which is especially rich in springtime when the place is dotted with colorful wild flowers. A common site is the Palestine Sunbird as it flits among the trees, as well as rocky hyraxes that sit on the rocks to enjoy the warm sun.

Wadi Auja

The sloping landscape east of Wadi Auja (Auja Valley) is dotted with multiple Bedouin tents. It is common to see Bedouin shepherds grazing their flocks of goats and sheep on the surrounding hills. The area can be best enjoyed in the late afternoon when the warm sun slowly approaches the horizon, transforming the sky into hues of orange and purple. The areas around Al-Auja and the nearby Jordan Valley are rich in water which attracts various local and migratory birds that choose the place for their resting spot during their biannual journey between continents. This makes it a great place for birdwatchers and bird-photography enthusiasts.

Masafer Bani Naim

Masafer Bani Naim is the rural grazing area located east of Bani Naim. Every spring shepherds from around the region lead their flocks there to enjoy the abundance of fresh grass. Visitors can also enjoy what seems to be an endless space of agricultural fields with young green crops and contrasting dark brown soil.

To know more about various sites in Palestine, visit our website at www.visitpalestine.ps, or contact the Visit Palestine Information Center in Bethlehem via info@visitpalestine.ps or (02) 277-1992, or visit us at our location in Bethlehem.

Jerusalem Wilderness

The contrast of the yellowish-brown soil and cloudless intense blue sky of the Jerusalem Wilderness form an unforgettable view. The area is home to small lizards and desert beetles that hide among the rocks of the uneven terrain. There are not many trees that grow in the area, but some can be met along beds of periodical rivers that are active for short periods during the rainy season. In the east, the sharp cliffs of the wilderness meet the shores of the Dead Sea. There the view from the cliff down to the blue azure water is breathtaking.

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Graybeh (shortbread)Slightly adapted from a recipe published in a book (in Arabic) by Mary Salah Khabbaz, in 1970, in Ramallah.

Ingredients3–3¼ cups flour, sifted (see note below)1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature1 cup powdered sugar, siftedPine nuts, almonds, or pistachios for decorating

Note

Depending on the weather and humidity, you may need to use more or less flour (e.g., more humidity in the air, less flour in the dough). The consistency of the dough should be as thick as bread dough.

Preparation and cooking1. Beat the butter or margarine by hand or using a mixer, until it becomes white, light, and fluffy.2. Add half the sifted sugar and beat well. Add the rest of the sifted sugar and beat well for 15 minutes. 3. Using your hands now, slowly add half the sifted flour and knead well. Then add the rest of the flour, and continue kneading, until the dough is soft and silky (that might take 30 minutes of kneading).4. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for an hour to allow the gluten to develop. 5. Cut the dough into small balls (the size of a walnut). Knead each ball lightly with the fingers, and then shape it into an S shape (or thick disks, or any other shape of your choice). Place the shaped dough pieces, apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Top each of the pieces with a pine nut (or your choice of nut), pressing the nut lightly into the dough. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.6. While the dough rests on the baking sheet, heat the oven to 125° Celsius.7. Bake for no more than 15 minutes. The graybeh is ready when it puffs a bit and gets slightly darker. Overbaking will make the center of the finished cookie crunchy, while under-baking makes it chewy. An excellent graybeh is one that melts in the mouth as butter would – no crunch or chewiness in the center.8. Cool completely on a rack. Store in an airtight container.

Ki t c h e nT

WiP

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VENTS

BETHlEHEM

CHILDREN’S EVENTSFriday 1212:00 – 14:00 Little Khawarizmi is an education program for children from 6 – 15 years old, to provide them with mental skills and techniques to solve mathematics problems through developing a digital expanded memory and intelligence. Beit Ashams for Self-Development.

RELIGIOUS EVENTSFriday 511:30 Arrival of the Custos of the Holy Land in a procession that culminates at Manger Square, to celebrate Roman Catholic Epiphany Eve. St. Catherine’s Church. Saturday 68:30 Welcoming of the Syrian Orthodox Bishop’s procession for the celebration of Greek Orthodox Christmas Eve. Along Star Street to Manger Square to the Syrian Church of the Virgin Mary.9:30 Welcoming of the Coptic Bishop’s procession for the celebration of Greek Or thodox Christmas Eve. Along Star Street to Manger Square to the Church of the Nativity.10:00 Pontifical High Mass celebrated by the Custos of the Holy Land, attended by the Mayor of Bethlehem and the consuls of Jerusalem. St. Catherine’s Church. 10:30 Welcoming of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch’s procession for the celebration of Greek Orthodox Christmas Eve. Along Star Street to Manger Square to the Church of the Nativity. 14:45 Welcoming of the Ethiopian Bishop’s procession for the celebration of Greek Orthodox Christmas Eve. Manger Square, in front of Bethlehem Municipality Building toward Milk Grotto Street to the Ethiopian Church – Ethiopian Monastery of Peace – Church of Eyesus.18:00 “Christmas Eve” is a concer t that features various choirs singing Christmas carols, organized by Bethlehem Municipality. Manger Square. 23:30 Greek Or thodox Christmas Mass. Church of the Nativity. Thursday 1811:00 Welcoming of the Armenian Patriarch. Manger Square to the Church of the Nativity.

JERICHo

SPECIAL EVENTS Friday 5 – Saturday 6 8:00 – 16:00 Larp is an improvised game about the tribes of Jericho organized by Bait Byout: The Palestinian Larp Organization. For more information, please contact: contactus@baitbyout.org.

NABlUS

SYMPOSIATuesday 2 - Sunday 714:00 A course in practical applications in digital management that aims to provide participants with marketing and social media skills, and the techniques used to market through social media. An-Najah National University.

RAMAllAH

CONCERTS Sunday 719:00 - 20:00 Classical concert with Peter Sulski performing a J.S. Bach repertoire for viola, organized by Al-Kamandjâti. The Danish House in Palestine (next to Falafel Abu Khalil).SYMPOSIAWednesday 17 9:00 – 18:00 Palestine Digital Activism Forum 2018 organized by the Arab Center for Social Media Advancement. The Palestinian Red Crescent Theatre.

e

Newly Renovated - Swimming Pools - Weddings - Family Vacation - Conferences & Retreats - Special Events

Merry Christmas

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Freres Street, New Gate, JerusalemTel 628 2537, Fax: 627 5390kp@actcom.co.il (50 rooms; mr; res)

Ambassador Hotel Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem, 91196, Tel: 541 2222, Fax: 582 8202reservation@jerusalemambassador.com, www.jerusalemambassador.com

(122 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)

Latin Patriarch St. 33, JerusalemTel 628 2431, Fax: 628 2401gloriahl@netvision.net.il

Gloria Hotel

Knight's Palace Hotel

(104 rooms; mr; res)

Jerusalem Hotel15 Antara Ben Shadad St., JerusalemTel: 628 3282, Fax: 6283282, raed@jrshotel.com, www.jrshotel.com

Jerusalem Hotel

/amb.jerusalem

Accommodations

Ali Ben Abi Taleb Street, JerusalemTel: 02-6282588, Fax: 02-6264417christmashotel@bezeqint.net

Christmas Boutique Hotel Carmel Hotel Al-Masyoun, Ramallah, Palestine Tel: 2972222 Fax: 2966966, www.carmelhotel.ps

74 rooms & suites, 20 hotel apartment, Spa, Gym, 2 Bars, 6 conference rooms, 2 restaurants, and indoor parking.

Al Masyoun, RamallahTel: 022979400 Fax: 022979401info@caesar-hotel.ps, www.caesar-hotel.ps

Caesar Hotel Ramallah

Al-Nuzha Street 24 , Ramallah Tel 297 7073reservation@lavenderboutiquehotel.com, www.lavenderboutiquehotel.com

Taybeh Golden HotelMain Street 100 ,Taybeh (Ramallah District) Tel 289-9440info@taybehgoldenhotel.com, www.taybehgoldenhotel.com

Lavender Boutique Hotel

Jericho ResortsBisan Street, Near Hisham Palace, 162 Jericho, Tel: 232 1255, Fax: 232 2189reservation@jerichoresorts.com, www.jerichoresorts.com

Jericho Resort Village

3 Paratroopers Road, P.O. Box 20531, Jerusalem, 91204Tel: 627 9111, Fax: 627 1995, www.notredamecenter.org,

Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, 91190Tel: 626 7777, Fax: 627 1319Pontificialsvnarch@beseqint.net, www.7arches.com

Seven Arches Hotel

Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center

Pontificial Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center

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Middle Eastern, French, and Italian Cuisine

RestaurantsAl Diwan Restaurant Ambassador Hotel Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem, 91196, Tel: 541 2222, Fax: 582 8202reservation@jerusalemambassador.com, www.jerusalemambassador.com

/amb.jerusalem

Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem 97200Tel 532 8342 contact@shahwan.org

Borderline Restaurant Café

Italian Cuisine

Jerusalem Hotel Restaurant (Kan Zaman)15 Antara Ben Shadad St., JerusalemTel: 628 3282, Fax: 6283282, raed@jrshotel.com, www.jrshotel.com

Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem 97200Tel 582 5162, 532 8342, contact@shahwan.org

Pasha's

Oriental Food

Tel: 627 9177, rooftop@notredamecenter.org, www.notredamecenter.org

Cheese & Wine Rooftop Restaurant(Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center)

Notre Dame Rooftop/Cheese & Wine Restaurant

Jerusalem Hotel Mediterranean Cuisine

Deik Quarter - Manger square, BethlehemTel: 2769222

Bab idDeir Cafe & Bar

/BabidDeirCB/

AlMasyoun, RamallahTel: 2979400

Martini Bar Martinibar_ramallah

Martini Bar

Ramallah- Ain Musbah, Lod St.022976665 | 0599648648

Mates Choclate n’Coffee House

Mates Chocolate n' Coffee House

ULTURAL CENTERS

EAST JERUSAlEM (02)

ARTLABMob. 0544 343 798, artlabjerusalem@gmail.com

Al-Jawal Theatre GroupTelefax: 628 0655

Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary ArtTel: 628 3457, Fax: 627 2312info@almamalfoundation.orgwww.almamalfoundation.org

Alruwah TheatreTel: 626 2626, alruwahtheatre2000@yahoo.com

Al-Urmawi Centre for Mashreq Music Tel: 234 2005, Fax: 234 2004info@urmawi.org, www.urmawi.org

America Househttp://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov/americahouse2.html

Ashtar for Theatre Productions & TrainingTelefax: 582 7218info@ashtar-theatre.org, www.ashtar-theatre.org

British CouncilTel: 626 7111, Fax: 628 3021information@ps.britishcouncil.orgwww.britishcouncil.org/ps

Centre for Jerusalem Studies/Al-Quds UniversityTel: 628 7517, cjs@planet.edu www.jerusalem-studies.alquds.edu

Community Action Centre (CAC)Tel: 627 3352, Fax: 627 4547, www.cac.alquds.edu

Educational BookshopTel: 627 5858, Fax: 628 0814info@educationalbookshop.com www.educationalbookshop.com

El-Hakawati Theatre CompanyTel: 583 8836, Mobile: 0545 835 268f.abousalem@gmail.com, www.el-hakawati.org

French Cultural CentreTel: 628 2451 / 626 2236, Fax: 628 4324 ccfjeru@consulfrance-jerusalem.org

Issaf Nashashibi Center for Culture & LiteratureTelefax: 581 8232, isaaf@alqudsnet.com

Jerusalem Centre for Arabic MusicTel: 627 4774, Fax: 656 2469, mkurd@yahoo.com

Melia Art CenterTeleFax: 628 1377, Melia@bezeqint.netwww.meliaartandtrainingcenter.com

Palestinian Art Court - Al HoashTelefax: 627 3501info@alhoashgallery.org, www.alhoashgallary.org

Palestinian National TheatreTel: 628 0957, Fax: 627 6293, info@pnt-pal.org

Sabreen Association for Artistic DevelopmentTel: 532 1393, sabreen@sabreen.org www.jerusalem.usconsulate.govwww.facebook.com/USConGenJerusalem

Sanabel Culture & Arts TheatreTel: 671 4338, Fax: 673 0993sanabeltheatre@yahoo.com

The Bookshop at the American Colony HotelTel: 627 9731, Fax: 627 9779 bookshop.americancolony@gmail.com www. americancolony.com

The Edward Said National Conservatory ofMusicTel: 627 1711, Fax: 627 1710 info@ncm.birzeit.edu, ncm.birzeit.edu

The Magnificat IntstituteTel: 626 6609, Fax: 626 6701

magnificat@custodia.orgwww.magnificatinstitute.org

Theatre Day ProductionsTel: 585 4513, Fax: 583 4233tdp@theatreday.org, www.theatreday.org

Turkish Cultural CentreTel: 591 0530/1, Fax: 532 3310kudustur@netvision.net.il, www.kudusbk.com

Wujoud MuseumTel: 626 0916, www.wujoud.org, info@wujoud.org

Yabous Cultural CenterTel: 626 1045; Fax: 626 1372yabous@yabous.org, www.yabous.org

BETHlEHEM (02)

Al-Harah TheatreTelefax: 276 7758, alharahtheater@yahoo.cominfo@alharah.org, www.alharah.org

Alliance Française de BethléemTelefax: 275 0777, afbeth@p-ol.com

Anat Palestinian Folk & Craft CenterTelefax: 277 2024, marie_musslam@yahoo.com

Arab Educational Institute (AEI)-Open WindowsTel: 274 4030, www.aeicenter.org

Artas Folklore CenterMob: 0597 524 524, 0599 679 492, 0503 313 136artasfc@hotmail.com

Badil CentreTel: 277 7086

Beit Jala Community-Based Learning and ActionCenterTel: 277 7863

Bethlehem Academy of Music/ Bethlehem MusicSocietyTel: 277 7141, Fax: 277 7142

Bethlehem Peace CenterTel: 276 6677, Fax: 276 4670 info@peacenter.org, www.peacenter.org

Catholic Action Cultural CenterTel: 274 3277, Fax 274 2939info@ca-b.org, www.ca-b.org

Centre for Cultural Heritage PreservationTel: 276 6244, Fax: 276 6241info@cchp.ps, www.cchp.ps

Environmental Education CenterTel: 276 5574, eec@p-ol.com, www.eecp.org

Inad Centre for Theatre and ArtsTelefax: 276 6263, www.inadtheater.com

International Centre of Bethlehem-Dar AnnadwaTel: 277 0047, Fax: 277 0048 info@diyar.ps, www.diyar.ps

ITIP Center “Italian Tourist Information Point”Telefax: 276 0411, itipcenter@yahoo.com

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Nativity Stationery LibraryMob: 0598 950 447

Palestinian Group for the Revival of PopularHeritageTelefax: 274 7945

Palestinian Heritage CenterTelefax: 274 2381, 274 2642mahasaca@palestinianheritagecenter.com www.phc.ps

Relief International - Schools Online Bethlehem Community-Based Learning andAction CenterTel: 277 7863

Sabreen Association for Artistic DevelopmentTel: 275 0091, Fax: 275 0092

sabreen@sabreen.org, www.sabreen.org

Tent of NationsTel: 274 3071, Fax: 276 7446tnations@p-ol.com, www.tentofnations.org

The Edward Said National Conservatory ofMusicTelefax: 274 8726info@ncm.birzeit.edu, www.birzeit.edu/music

The Higher Institute of MusicTelefax: 275 2492, highiom@hotmail.comwww.thehigherinstituteofmusic.ps

Turathuna - Centre for Palestinian Heritage(B.Uni.)Tel: 274 1241, Fax: 274 4440 pdaoud@bethlehem.edu, www.bethlehem.edu

HEBRoN (02)

Al Sanabl Centre for Studies and HeritageTel: 256 0280, sanabelssc@yahoo.comwww.sanabl.org, www.sanabl.ps

Beit Et Tifl CompoundTelefax: 222 4545, tdphebron@alqudsnet.com

British Council- Palestine Polytechnic University Telefax: 229 3717, information@ps.britishcouncil.org www.britsishcouncil.org.ps

Children Happiness CenterTelefax: 229 9545, children_hc@yahoo.comDura Cultural Martyrs CenterTel: 228 3663, nader@duramun.org www.duramun.org

AMIDEASTTel: 221 3301/2/3/4, Fax: 221 3305 Mob: 0599 097 531

France-Hebron Association for CulturalExchangesTel: 222 4811info@hebron-france.org, wwww.hebron-france.org

Hebron Rehabilitation CommitteeTelfax: 225 5640, 222 6993/4

Palestinian Child Arts Center (PCAC)Tel: 222 4813, Fax: 222 0855 pcac@hotmail.com, www.pcac.net

The International Palestinian Youth League (IPYL)Tel:222 9131, Fax: 229 0652 itv@ipyl.org, www.ipyl.org

Yes Theater,Telefax: 229 1559 www.yestheatre.org, info@yestheatre.org

JERICHo (02)

Jericho Community CentreTelefax: 232 5007

Jericho Culture & Art CenterTelefax: 232 1047

Municipality TheatreTel: 232 2417, Fax: 232 2604

JENIN (04)

Cinema JeninTel: 250 2642, 250 2455info@cinemajenin.org, www.cinemajenin.org

Hakoura CenterTelfax: 250 4773 center@hakoura-jenin.ps, www.hakoura-jenin.ps

The Freedom Theatre/Jenin Refugee CampTel: 250 3345, info@thefreedomtheatre.org

NABlUS (09)

British Council- Al Najah UniversityTelefax: 237 5950

information@ps.britishcouncil.org www.britishcoumcil.org/ps

Cultural Centre for Child DevelopmentTel: 238 6290, Fax: 239 7518nutaleb@hotmail.com, www.nutaleb.cjb.net

Cultural Heritage Enrichment CenterTel. 237 2863, Fax. 237 8275 arafatn24@yahoo.com

French Cultural Centre Tel: 238 5914, Fax: 238 7593 ccfnaplouse@consulfrance-jerusalem.org

Nablus The Culture Tel: 233 2084, Fax: 234 5325 info@nablusculture.ps, www.nablusculture.ps

RAMAllAH AND Al-BIREH (02)

A. M. Qattan FoundationTel: 296 0544, Fax: 298 4886 info@qattanfoundation.org www.qattanfoundation.org

Al Kasaba Theatre and CinemathequeTel: 296 5292/3, Fax: 296 5294 info@alkasaba.org, www.alkasaba.org

Al-Kamandjâti AssociationTel: 297 3101info@alkamandjati.com, www.alkamandjati.com

Al-Mada Music Therapy CenterTel: 241 3196, Fax: 241 3197info@al-mada.ps, www.al-mada.ps

Al-Rahhalah TheatreTelefax: 298 8091, alrahhalah@hotmail.com

Al-Rua’a Publishing HouseTel: 296 1613, Fax: 197 1265, Mob: 0599 259 874akel.nichola@gmail.com

AmideastTel: 240 8023, Fax: 240 8017 westbank-gaza@amideast.org, www.amideast.org

ArtSchool PalestineTel: 295 9837, info@artschoolpalestine.com www.artschoolpalestine.com

Ashtar for Theatre ProductionTel: 298 0037, Fax: 296 0326 info@ashtar-theatre.org, www.ashtar-theatre.org

Baladna Cultural CenterTelfax: 295 8435

Birzeit Ethnographic and Art MuseumTel. 298 2976, www.virtualgallery.birzeit.edu

British CouncilTel: 296 3293-6, Fax: 296 3297

information@ps.britishcouncil.org www.britishcouncil.org/ps

Carmel Cultural FoundationTel: 298 7375, Fax: 298 7374

Dar Zahran Heritage BuildingTelfax: 296 3470, Mob: 0599 511 800info@darzahran.org, www.darzahran.org

El-Funoun Dance TroupeTel: 240 2853, Fax: 240 2851info@el-funoun.org, www.el-funoun.org

Franco-German Cultural Centre RamallahTel: 298 1922 / 7727, Fax: 298 1923info@ccf-goethe.org, www.ccf-goethe-ramallah.org

Gallery OneTel: 298 9181, info@galleryone.ps

Greek Cultural Centre - “Macedonia”Telefax: 298 1736/ 298 0546 makdonia@palnet.com

In’ash Al-Usra Society- Center for Heritage &Folklore StudiesTel: 240 1123 / 240 2876, Telefax: 240 1544usra@palnet.com, www.inash.org

International Academy of ArtsTel: 296 7601, info@artacademy.ps

Khalil Sakakini Cultural CenterTel: 298 7374, Fax: 296 6820 sakakini@sakakini.org, www.sakakini.org

Mahmoud Darwish Foundation and MuseumTel: 295 2808, Fax: 295 2809Info@darwishfoundation.org www.darwishfoundation.org

Manar Cultural CenterTel: 295 7937, Fax: 298 7598

Mazra’a Qibliyeh Heritage and Tourism CentreTelefax: 281 5825, mazraaheritage@yahoo.com/www.geocities.com/mazraaheritage

Nawa InstituteTel: 297 0190, info@nawainstitute.org

Palestine Writing WorkshopMob: 0597 651 408, www.palestineworkshop.com

Palestinian Association for Contemporary ArtPACATel: 296 7601, fax: 295 1849paca@pal-paca.org, www.pal-paca.org

Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange(PACE)Tel: 240 7611, Telfax: 240 7610pace@p-ol.com, www.pace.ps

Popular Art CenterTel: 240 3891, Fax: 240 2851info@popularartcentre.org www.popularartcentre.org

Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies(RCHRS)Tel: 241 3002Ramallah Cultural PalaceTel: 294 5555, Fax: 295 2107rcpevents@ramallah-city.ps

RIWAQ: Centre for Architectural ConservationTel: 240 6887, Fax: 240 6986 riwaq@palnet.com, www.riwaq.org

Sandouq Elajab TheatreTel: 296 5638, 295 3206 sandouqelajab@yahoo.com

Sareyyet Ramallah - First Ramallah Group (FRG)Tel: 295 2690 - 295 2706, Fax: 298 0583sareyyet@sareyyet.ps, www.sareyyet.ps

Sharek Youth ForumTel: 296 7741, Fax: 296 7742 info@sharek.ps, www.sharek.ps

ShashatTel: 297 3336, Fax: 297 3338info@shashat.org, www.shashat.org

Tamer Institute for Community EducationTel: 298 6121/ 2, Fax: 298 8160tamer@palnet.com, www.tamerinst.org

The Danish House in Palestine (DHIP)TeleFax: 298 8457, info@dhip.ps, www.dhip.ps

The Edward Said National Conservatory ofMusicTel: 295 9070, Fax: 295 9071info@ncm.birzeit.edu, www.birzeit.edu/music

The Palestinian Circus SchoolTel: 281 2000, 0568 880 024

www.palcircus.ps, info@ palcircus.ps

The Palestinian Network of Art CentresTel: 298 0036, 296 4348/9, Fax: 296 0326iman_aoun@yahoo.com

The Spanish Cultural CenterTel. 295 0893, chp@panoramacenter.org

Young Artist ForumTelefax: 296 7654, yaf@palnet.com

Zawyeh Art GalleryMob. 0597 994 997anani.ziad@gmail.com, www.zawyeh.net

GAZA STRIP (08)

Al-Qattan Centre for the ChildTel: 283 9929, Fax: 283 9949 reem@qcc.qattanfoundation.org www.qattanfoundation.org/qcc

Arts & Crafts VillageTelefax: 284 6405 artvlg@palnet.com, www.gazavillage.org

Ashtar for Culture & ArtsTelefax: 283 3565, atlas9@palnet.com

Culture & Light CentreTelefax: 286 5896, ifarah@palnet.com

Dialogpunkt Deutsch Gaza (Goethe-Insitut)Tel: 282 0203, Fax: 282 1602

Fawanees Theatre GroupTelefax: 288 4403

French Cultural CentreTel: 286 7883, Fax: 282 8811 ccfgaza@consulfrance-jerusalem.org

Gaza TheatreTel: 282 4860, Fax: 282 4870

Global Production and DistributionTelefax: 288 4399, art.global@yahoo.com

Holst Cultural CentreTel: 281 0476, Fax: 280 8896, mcrcg@palnet.com

Theatre Day ProductionsTelefax: 283 6766, tdpgaza@palnet.com

Windows from Gaza For Contemporary Art Mob. 0599 781 227 - 0599 415 045 info@artwfg.ps

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HE LAST WORDConfederation

It’s all relative, but 2017 was a good year, at least for the tourism sector in Palestine. In fact, statistics indicate that a record number of tourists visited Palestine this past year, and complaints were mainly about not having enough hotel rooms and buses to accommodate and transport the tourists. By Palestinian standards, 2017 was a “normal” year. But Donald John Trump simply had to be a party pooper and spoil all that! He couldn’t but declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and order the American Embassy in Tel Aviv to be moved to Jerusalem.

Since December 6, when the infamous declaration was made, Bethlehem and other cities extinguished the lights of their Christmas trees (for a couple of days), and the festive spirit of Christmas has waned. There have been daily confrontations with the Israeli army by those protesting the American declaration, or the second Balfour declaration, as Palestinians call it. Sadly, several young Palestinians have already lost their lives, hundreds have been injured, and by the looks of it, this will continue. This is surely not a temporary outbreak as the Israelis would like to think. The decision to declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel is, in Palestinian eyes – indeed in Arab and Muslim eyes – more than a clear breach of international law and signed agreements; it is an insult to the Arab and Muslim world that touches and wounds deep-rooted religious and national beliefs. Possibly the most frequent comment voiced by Palestinians has been: “It’s a promise made by someone to give what he does not have to someone who does not deserve it.”

Realistically, though, and despite the wishes of many − if not most − Palestinians and indeed Israelis, neither side of this conflict will vanish into thin air. Cliché or not, unless justice is restored to the Palestinians, this conflict will never end, particularly if it becomes purely focused on religion. Should this happen, it will no longer be a conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, but rather one between the Judeo-evangelical “Christian” camp on one hand, and the Muslim and national secular camp on the other hand. The word “Christian” is in quotes since a good percentage of Palestinians, as Hanan Ashrawi reminded listeners in an interview with the BBC, belong to the oldest Christian tradition in the world. Monsieur Trump has stupidly pushed for this conflict to become a religious one.

I won’t even pretend to know where to go from here or what can be done now, but common sense stipulates that there should be some sort of confederation between the state of Palestine and the state of Israel, each with its own identity and internal rule of law, and both to be under a national Palestinian-Israeli body that orchestrates national and international matters. Due to space restrictions, I will skip the few million details that would go with this plan!

During the past five decades, Jerusalem has not gotten the attention it deserves. So, in a convoluted way, Donald Trump’s declaration has put the sensitive issue of Jerusalem on center stage. I only pray that the reality of this decision and its ramifications will help solve the problem, not make it worse. As Palestinians, we genuinely seek only justice and peace.

For all those who will celebrate Christmas in January, this is a heartfelt Merry Christmas to you and a happy, healthy, prosperous, and peaceful 2018 to all.

Sani MeoPublisher

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