BETHLEHEM, Gaza / PNN /

More than 120 artists from the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Palestinian communities inside Israel have taken part in Fingers of Palestine, “ Anamel Falasteen” a cultural exhibition organized by the Palestine Collective to showcase Palestinian creativity, strengthen cultural and national identity, and give artists a platform to tell their stories in their own voices.

The exhibition was held simultaneously at the Peace Center in Bethlehem and the Ghanem al-Den Gallery in Gaza City, with Palestine News Network (PNN) broadcasting a live feed connecting the two locations.

The artworks explored Palestinian memory, heritage, identity and human experiences, bringing together artists separated by geographic barriers and movement restrictions.

The Bethlehem event was attended by Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Hanania, Beit Sahour Mayor Laith Qumsieh, Aida refugee camp Popular Services Committee Chairman Saeed al-Azza, Palestine Collective founding member Mohammad Abu Srour, visual and contemporary artist Osama Nazzal, who directs the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art and helped organize the exhibition, as well as artists and members of the judging panel.

In Gaza, the exhibition featured Ghanem al-Den, a partner in the initiative, alongside a number of young participating artists.

By staging the exhibition simultaneously in Bethlehem and Gaza, organizers sought to demonstrate the role of art in preserving collective memory, bringing Palestinian voices to international audiences and strengthening cultural and national ties despite geographic divisions.

Organizers said “ Anamel Falasteen” marks the beginning of a broader program of cultural and artistic activities aimed at supporting Palestinian artists, connecting communities and expanding opportunities for creative expression.

Creating space for Palestinian voices

Mohammad Abu Srour, a Founding member, Palestine Collective, said the group was established about four years ago to provide a platform for artists, designers, filmmakers and others interested in art and culture.

He said the initiative emerged amid a shortage of spaces where Palestinian creativity could flourish and artists could express their identity, culture and national narrative.

Abu Srour said Palestinian artists and young people face numerous challenges, including restrictions on movement, attacks on infrastructure, arrests and constraints on cultural institutions and initiatives.

He added that these challenges also include attempts to erase Palestinian memory and alter its national symbols, as well as restrictions on Palestinian digital content and efforts to silence voices seeking to convey the Palestinian narrative to the world.

Geographic fragmentation and restrictions on Palestinians have further separated communities, he said, adding that the Palestine Collective seeks to overcome these barriers and showcase the work and messages of young Palestinians in their own voices rather than through narratives told on their behalf by others.

“Palestine is not one story,” Abu Srour said, describing a broad range of human experiences reflected in the different voices and identities of people from Nablus, Bethlehem, Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, Jerusalem and other Palestinian cities.

He said the “Anamel Falasteen” competition aims to bring artists from across Palestinian communities together and provide an open space to exhibit their work.

The initiative, he added, goes beyond competition for awards, seeking instead to build a sustainable cultural platform that supports emerging talent and gives artists greater visibility.

For his part Ghanem al-Den, one of the exhibition's organizers, said holding an exhibition in Gaza as part of a competition connecting Palestinians from different places was particularly important for participating generations given the current circumstances.

He described the initiative as a challenge to the prevailing conditions and the oppression experienced by Palestinians across their communities.

Taqi Sbatin, another organizer, said the competition was not simply about selecting three winners. Rather, it offered artists a space to showcase their talents, express their feelings and present their artistic language and use of color to Palestinian audiences in Bethlehem and viewers around the world.

Art as a form of resistance

Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Hanania said art and culture constitute forms of Palestinian resistance because they communicate the history, resilience and attachment to the land of the Palestinian people.

Speaking on behalf of the Bethlehem Municipal Council and the city's residents, Hanania said Bethlehem, known as the birthplace of Jesus Christ and a city associated with the message of peace, has long served as a home for culture and the arts.

He said cultural events such as the exhibition demonstrate Palestinians' ability to persevere despite suffering and hardship.

Resistance, Hanania said, is not limited to armed struggle but also includes showcasing civilization, preserving cultural identity and protecting national heritage. Art provides a means of expressing Palestinian suffering, including the experience of displacement and what he described as attempts to erase Palestinian identity in Gaza.

The participation of artists from both the West Bank and Gaza embodies hope despite pain, he said, conveying a message that Palestinians remain attached to their land and identity and will continue to endure despite attempts to uproot them.

Art connecting geography and memory

Osama Nazzal, a visual and contemporary artist, director of the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art and one of the exhibition's organizers, said “ Anamel Falasteen“ was not simply a competition to select winners, but a platform where artists could express their artistic vision and communicate their messages to Palestinian society and the wider world.

The participating works, he said, go beyond colors and frames to convey Palestinian voices and experiences, forming part of the country's broader cultural landscape.

Nazzal described the exhibition as a national gathering of artists from Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, Palestinian communities inside Israel and the diaspora. Their work addresses heritage, memory and homeland, while the simultaneous displays in Bethlehem and Gaza underscore Palestinian unity despite the barriers separating communities.

Art has succeeded in bringing geography and history together, Nazzal said, adding that artists in Gaza continue to create despite widespread destruction and the harsh conditions imposed by the war.

He said the competition would serve as a starting point for further cultural and artistic activities.

During the event, another participant said that despite decades of confrontation with the Israeli occupation, an imbalance of power and international support, Palestinians remain committed to their national identity and continue to express their cause through different forms of creativity, particularly contemporary visual art.

Nazzal said Palestinian art has helped establish national culture and preserve the country's visual identity. Paintings, drawings and engravings, he added, have long served as ways for civilizations to pass their experiences and collective memory to future generations.

He recalled a statement attributed to the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat: “The Palestinian revolution is not only a rifle. The Palestinian revolution is a farmer's hoe, a doctor's scalpel, a poet's pen and an artist's brush.”

Every Palestinian, Nazzal said, can contribute to communicating Palestine's message to the world through their own work and abilities.

He paid tribute to Palestinian artists in Gaza who continue to express their identity despite difficult circumstances, as well as artists from Jerusalem, the West Bank, historic Palestine and refugee camps across the diaspora. Art, he said, brings Palestinians together beyond geographic divisions.

Nazzal also recounted that, while traveling from Ramallah to Bethlehem, participants were informed at the Qalandiya checkpoint that Israeli military vehicles were raiding Ramallah and the Palestine Medical Complex. He said Palestinians' continued commitment to cultural and artistic activities despite such circumstances reflects their determination to preserve their identity and continue expressing their cause.

Artists reflect on war, displacement and shared experiences

Palestinian artist Rehab Nazzal, a professor of art at Dar al-Kalima University and a member of the judging panel, said the exhibition's significance lay partly in its timing, amid the war in Gaza and what she described as ethnic cleansing and land seizures in the West Bank.

She described the exhibition as an expression of defiance and resilience in the face of attempts to extinguish hope. Palestinian artists, she said, use their work to express their connection to the land and their determination to remain there.

The works submitted by artists from Gaza and the West Bank reflect shared concerns despite differences in circumstances and personal experiences, she said.

Some paintings address the targeting of journalists and attempts to suppress the truth, while others explore environmental issues and the experiences of women and children, illustrating the interconnected nature of Palestinian concerns and the shared national experience.

Artist Abdullah Hammad, from Aida refugee camp and a graduate of contemporary arts at Dar al-Kalima University, said he participated with a hand-engraving and printmaking work titled “Between Two Times.”

Hammad described the competition as strong, with a high standard of artistic work. He thanked the Palestine Collective for creating a space to support Palestinian artists and paid tribute to young artists in Gaza.

Artist Nour Hoshi, who presented a photography project titled “Echo,” said the competition provided a platform for artists from different backgrounds, regions and levels of experience to express themselves.

Hoshi said she was pleased to participate and hoped to develop her artistic practice in ways that could contribute to meaningful positive change.

A visual artist identified as Nizar, from Nablus and one of the competition's winners, said he was happy to have participated and received an award. He praised the organizers for giving artists from across Palestine, including Gaza, the opportunity to exhibit their work.

He congratulated participants who did not win awards, saying that taking part and presenting their work was itself an achievement given the high artistic standard of the submissions.

At the end of the event, organizers and judging panel members in Bethlehem and Gaza, joined by the mayors, presented awards to winning young artists and certificates of appreciation to participants.

A child's football and memories of home

One participating artist from Gaza said his painting depicted a child carrying a football, representing his passion for the game, amid the destruction, oppression and pain surrounding him. Despite the harsh circumstances, the child continues walking, holding on to his dream.

Artist Arwa Ishaq portrayed the entrance to her family home in Rafah, recalling the place where she used to sit with her family in the late afternoon, surrounded by the warmth and comfort of family life.

Through works reflecting personal memories, national identity and the realities of war and displacement, “ Anamel Falasteen ” brought together artists separated by geography but connected by shared experiences, cultural heritage and a determination to preserve and communicate Palestinian stories through art.