Hawara exhibit
Photo: AFP
Art exhibit at Nablus checkpoint
Group called 'Palestinians for peace, dialogue and equality' campaigns against checkpoints using photograph exhibit hung along Hawara checkpoint fence
A photograph exhibition is on display at the Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus. Some hundred left-wing Israeli activists visited the exhibit, by Palestinian artist Khalad Jarar, Saturday night.
Some 40 photographs depicting the Palestinian daily crossings were hung on fence lining the Hawara checkpost, as an illustration of the hardships such checkpoints create for the Palestinians in the West Bank.
This is the second event in a campaign called "30 days against checkpoints", organized by a group called "Palestinians for peace, dialogue, and equality".
The exhibit (Photo: AFP)
Exhibition coordination Muhammad Dwiqat said "we are doing this because Nablus is the most closed in city in the West Bank. Since 2002, it could only be entered on foot, through one of six checkpoints."
"It's even harder to leave. Men from the ages of 16 to 45 can only get out if they hold a special permit which can be acquired only outside of Nablus. Nablus residents often fall victim to Israeli military violence and their lives have not been normal for years," he said.
The first event of the campaign took place on Jan 14, when, during the visit of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, group members dressed up as Native Americans.
The protest lasted an hour, with the protestors emphasizing the detrimental effect that the checkpoints have on Palestinian daily life.
