The Institut Culturel Franco-Palestinien has announced the 5 winners of Palest’In & Out 2016
The winners will be invited to participate in the Palest’In & Out Festival 2016 in Paris (7-13 July 2016) and Palestine (24-30 October 2016).
Curator’s Comments: Vantablack and Artistic Freedom
By Dagmar Painter
In the sometimes rarified world of art and artists, there has recently emerged a controversy that I think serves to illustrate a greater truth, that of artistic freedom and the power of the artist to illuminate injustice and spur social change. World-famous artist Sir Anish Kapoor has acquired the exclusive rights to a type of carbon-based pigment called Vantablack, “the blackest shade of black ever made,” according to numerous articles published in Smithsonian Magazine, the Daily Mail, Artnet News, The Huffington Post, etc.
Palestinian refugee camp teacher wins $1m global prize
A Palestinian teacher has won a $1m (£707,000) global teaching prize – with the award announced in a video message by Pope Francis. Hanan Al Hroub grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp and now is a teacher of refugees herself. She specialises in supporting children who have been traumatised by violence. The winner was announced at an awards ceremony in Dubai, with a video message of congratulation sent by Prince William.
McGraw-Hill destroys textbook to placate pro-Israel bloggers
The publisher McGraw-Hill Education is destroying all copies of a political science textbook after receiving complaints from hardline supporters of Israel that it features a series of ‘anti-Israel’ maps. The college textbook, titled Global Politics: Engaging a Complex World, was published in 2012. But it wasn’t until early this month that the maps generated criticism from a pro-Israel blogger known as Elder of Ziyon.
Bernie Sanders Promises “Level Playing Field” on Israel-Palestine
On Tuesday, Bernie Sanders called for the U.S. to seek a ‘level playing field’ in its approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Speaking after his surprising victory in the Michigan Democratic primary, Sanders asserted that there are people of good will in both ‘Israel and the Arab communities’ whom he would seek to bring together as president.
Palestine Profiles: Poet Fadwa Tuqan
By Zeina Azzam
Palestinian poet Fadwa Tuqan (1917-2003) was born to a prominent family in the West Bank city of Nablus during the year of the Balfour Declaration, which presaged the eventual dispossession of the Palestinian people of their homeland. Her poetry reflected the pain, loss, and anger of the Nakba, the experience of fleeing war and living as a refugee, and the courageous aspirations of the Palestinians to nationhood and return to their homeland.
Poetry + Politics: San Francisco transit ads raise awareness about Palestinian culture and struggle
A new ad campaign on California public transportation is getting Americans talking about Palestine, and thinking about the unique role the U.S. plays in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Palestinian killed as Israel uses Hannibal Directive in refugee camp
A Palestinian was killed when Israeli forces deployed the so-called Hannibal Directive to extract two of its soldiers who had mistakenly entered Qalandiya refugee camp near the West Bank city of Ramallah overnight Monday. The Hannibal Directive is an Israeli military protocol authorizing massive firepower to prevent a captured soldier from being taken alive.
Emerging From a ‘Reign of Terror’: Palestinians in Israel Hold First BDS Conference
Israel’s large Palestinian minority held its first-ever conference on BDS – boycott, divestment and sanctions – this past weekend in spite of anti-boycott legislation introduced five years ago that exposes activists in Israel to harsh financial penalties. One participant called it a sign that the Palestinian minority was slowly emerging from the law’s “reign of terror”.
