‘Our works are next to each other’: Art bridges Gaza and West Bank

Young Palestinian artists in Gaza and the occupied West Bank bring their work together in simultaneous exhibitions, despite Israeli restrictions that keep them apart.

Visitors look at a painting at the Bethlehem Peace Center during Anamel Falasteen, an initiative bringing together the work of young Palestinian artists from Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Bethlehem, October 2026 [Leila Warah/Al Jazeera]

Bethlehem, occupied West Bank – Artists arrived with family and friends at the Bethlehem Peace Center, where a live feed connected them to a small gathering at an artist’s studio in Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.

The two exhibitions marked the opening of Anamel Falasteen, the first competition organised by Falasteen Collective, a cultural initiative launched in 2025 by Palestinian artists, filmmakers, designers and others working in arts and culture. The three-day twin exhibitions, held earlier this week, brought together young Palestinian artists whose work and opportunities to meet are separated by Israeli movement restrictions.

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“In the competition, we have Palestinian artists from Jerusalem, historic Palestine, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” said Osama Nazzal, one of the judges, speaking in Bethlehem. “I don’t like these divisions. I want to say all of Palestine.”

From his studio at Gallery Paleta in Gaza’s Bureij refugee camp, amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave, painter and juror Ghanem Al Den sent greetings on the live feed.

“Greetings and peace from soul to soul, from Gaza to our sister Palestinian cities across this beloved homeland,” he said.

“In this competition, many things that were lost came together. The most important thing is hope.”

Painter and juror Ghanem Al Den, speaking from his studio in Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, addresses visitors at the Bethlehem Peace Center by live feed at the opening of the Anamel Falasteen exhibition on October 13, 2026 [Leila Warah/Al Jazeera]

After the speeches, visitors had the opportunity to take a closer look at the paintings, photographs and drawings that covered the walls. Visitors moved between them, stopping to look closer, point and talk about what they saw.

“Artists decided to come from Hebron, from Ramallah, from Jerusalem, from Jaffa, from Nablus, despite the risk,” said Mohamed Abusrour, one of the founding members of Falasteen Collective.

“They have a voice, they want to contribute, and they want to show the world that we still exist.”

Not all the works on display in Bethlehem were originals. Because of the blockade and movement restrictions, the organisers said there was no way to transport original artworks out of Gaza. Instead, they printed reproductions of the Gaza submissions and hung them alongside original pieces.

For one Bethlehem visitor, the curation was what stood out. She assumed some works exploring similar themes were by the same artist. They turned out to be by different artists, some in Gaza and others in the West Bank.

“I sat a bit longer with some paintings, and that brought tears to my eyes,” she said. “The livestream with the presence of everyone’s paintings was a portal to bringing everyone’s essence together.”

Visitors look at works by young Palestinian artists from Gaza and the occupied West Bank at the opening of the Anamel Falasteen exhibition at the Bethlehem Peace Center on October 13, 2026 [Leila Warah/Al Jazeera]

Young artists document loss and everyday life

The works on display reflected different ways of documenting Palestinian life, from the loss of family and home in Gaza to the traditions and everyday experiences artists want to preserve.

Abusrour said the idea for the competition came from listening to artist friends describe how they could not participate or express themselves freely. He said the aim was to give young Palestinians a platform to show their work at home and abroad “without any restriction”.

The competition was open to artists aged 15 to 30. About 170 applied, nearly 60 percent from Gaza, according to the organisers. A jury split between the West Bank and Gaza selected 120 works across three tracks: memory and place, land and return, and everyday heritage.

The jury met daily by video, working through power and internet cuts in Gaza.

“Despite the lack of resources, they decided to take part, and when they decided to take part, they decided to take part with strength,” Abusrour said of the artists in Gaza.

Among the works shown in Gaza was The Vine Bears Witness, by Arwa Mukhaimer, a 20-year-old university student. It shows the entrance to her family’s home, shaded by a grapevine. It was there, on March 30, 2024, that she received news of her father’s death. He had been unable to get medical treatment during Israel’s war on Gaza, she said. Five months later, she said, the house was destroyed.

“This painting is a memorial to what we lost, a double loss, of the father and of the place,” she told Al Jazeera.

Two days before he died, he told her: “My darling, may God be pleased with you.” She wrote those words into the painting.

When she was displaced as a result of the war, she said, “The first thing I thought about was my tools.” Art supplies are hard to find in Gaza, she said, and some materials never enter the Strip.

The challenges facing artists extend beyond access to materials. Gaza’s main art spaces, including the Eltiqa and Shababeek galleries, have been destroyed as a result of Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Mukhaimer said her painting “has hope and joy in it, but its meaning is painful and moving”.

In Bethlehem, Hanan Barghouthi, 24, a visual artist from Ramallah, also chose to paint joy, but from a different place. Her painting of a Palestinian wedding is filled with bright colours, traditional symbols, and movement.

“All the art has become about people expressing sadness, so I want to reflect happiness, because I like to be happy,” she said.

Hanan Barghouthi, 24, a visual artist from Ramallah, looks at her painting of a Palestinian wedding on display at the Anamel Falasteen exhibition at the Bethlehem Peace Center on October 13, 2026 [Leila Warah/Al Jazeera]

Movement restrictions divide Gaza and the West Bank

Bringing the two exhibitions together required organisers to work around the restrictions that keep Palestinians in the two territories apart. Artists in Gaza and the West Bank live under different conditions of Israeli occupation, but both face barriers to meeting, collaborating and exhibiting together.

Israel has imposed a land, sea and air blockade on the Gaza Strip since June 2007 . In the occupied West Bank, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) documented 925 obstacles restricting the movement of 3.4 million Palestinians, including in East Jerusalem, as of December 2025.

That separation is not accidental, said Rehab Nazzal, an artist and educator on the competition’s advisory committee.

“It’s a creation of the settler colonial project,” she said. “By suffocating the Palestinians with all the restrictions of movement, it intends to push the Palestinians out.”

Abusrour said spaces like the exhibition give young Palestinians a reason to stay and continue creating.

“You cannot live in a place, and be called steadfast, without having a reason to live as well,” he said.

Watching the Gaza artists on screen, Barghouthi said she felt “very sad” and asked herself, “Where are we and where are they?”

“I felt we were close to them, but at the same time far away,” she said. “But emotionally, I felt they were next to us, because our works are next to each other.”

尽管以色列的限制使他们分隔两地，加沙和被占领的西岸的年轻巴勒斯坦艺术家们仍然同时举办展览，将他们的作品汇集在一起​​。

2026 年 10 月，在伯利恒和平中心，参观者正在欣赏一幅画作。这是“Anamel Falasteen”活动的一部分，该活动汇集了来自加沙和被占领的西岸的巴勒斯坦青年艺术家的作品。[Leila Warah/半岛电视台]

被占领的西岸伯利恒——艺术家们与家人和朋友一起抵达伯利恒和平中心，在那里，他们通过直播与加沙地带中部布雷吉难民营的一位艺术家工作室里的小型聚会连线。

这两场展览标志着“Anamel Falasteen”的开幕，这是由Falasteen Collective组织的首个竞赛。Falasteen Collective是一个文化倡议组织，由巴勒斯坦艺术家、电影制作人、设计师以及其他从事艺术和文化工作的人士于2025年发起。这两场为期三天的双展于本周早些时候举行，汇聚了因以色列的行动限制而分隔两地的年轻巴勒斯坦艺术家，他们的创作和交流机会也因此受到阻碍。

萨莉·鲁尼的三本书籍因支持巴勒斯坦行动组织而被英国下架，以下是其中第一本。

以色列计划重开定居者“463号公路”，此举威胁拉马拉的稳定，该计划共列出3项，此举为第2项。

列表 3/3：杰瑞·宋飞在亲巴勒斯坦抗议者打断演出时跳舞

“参赛的巴勒斯坦艺术家来自耶路撒冷、历史上的巴勒斯坦地区、加沙地带和约旦河西岸，”评委之一奥萨马·纳扎尔在伯利恒说道，“我不喜欢这种划分。我想说的是整个巴勒斯坦。”

在以色列对巴勒斯坦飞地持续进行种族灭绝战争之际，画家兼评委加内姆·阿尔·登从他在加沙布雷吉难民营的帕莱塔画廊的工作室里，通过直播向巴勒斯坦人致以问候。

他说：“从加沙到我们挚爱的家园，向巴勒斯坦的姐妹城市致以灵魂的问候与和平。”

“在这场比赛中，许多失去的东西重新汇聚到了一起。最重要的是希望。”

2026年10月13日，画家兼评委加内姆·阿尔·登（Ghanem Al Den）在加沙中部布雷吉难民营的工作室里，通过直播向伯利恒和平中心的参观者发表讲话，当时正值阿纳梅尔·法拉斯汀（Anamel Falasteen）展览开幕式。[Leila Warah/半岛电视台]

演讲结束后，参观者有机会近距离欣赏墙上的绘画、照片和素描作品。他们穿梭于作品之间，驻足观看，指指点点，谈论着自己的所见所闻。

“尽管有风险，艺术家们还是决定从希伯伦、拉马拉、耶路撒冷、雅法、纳布卢斯等地前来，”Falasteen Collective 的创始成员之一 Mohamed Abusrour 说。

“他们有发言权，他们想要贡献力量，他们想要向世界证明我们依然存在。”

并非所有在伯利恒展出的作品都是原作。由于封锁和出行限制，组织者表示无法将原作运出加沙。因此，他们印刷了加沙提交作品的复制品，并将其与原作一同展出。

一位伯利恒的参观者认为，展览的策展方式最引人注目。她原以为一些主题相似的作品出自同一位艺术家之手，结果却发现它们出自不同的艺术家之手，有些来自加沙，有些来自约旦河西岸。

“我多看了会儿几幅画，不禁热泪盈眶，”她说。“大家的画作汇聚一堂，通过直播，我们仿佛打开了一扇门，将每个人的精神内核凝聚在一起。”

2026年10月13日，在伯利恒和平中心举行的阿纳梅尔·法拉斯汀展览开幕式上，参观者们正在欣赏来自加沙和被占领的西岸的年轻巴勒斯坦艺术家的作品。[Leila Warah/半岛电视台]

年轻艺术家们记录失去和日常生活

展出的作品反映了记录巴勒斯坦人生活的不同方式，从在加沙失去家人和家园，到艺术家们想要保存的传统和日常体验。

阿布斯鲁尔表示，举办这项比赛的想法源于他听一些艺术家朋友讲述他们无法自由参与或表达自己的经历。他说，比赛的目的是为巴勒斯坦青年提供一个平台，让他们“不受任何限制”地在国内和国际上展示自己的作品。

本次比赛面向15至30岁的艺术家开放。据主办方称，约有170名艺术家报名，其中近60%来自加沙。由约旦河西岸和加沙各一名评委组成的评审团从三个主题（记忆与场所、土地与回归、日常传承）中评选出120件作品。

陪审团每天通过视频会议进行工作，克服了加沙断电断网的困难。

“尽管资源匮乏，他们还是决定参与，而且一旦决定参与，他们就决定全力以赴，”阿布斯鲁尔在谈到加沙的艺术家时说道。

在加沙展出的作品中，有一幅是20岁的大学生阿尔瓦·穆海默（Arwa Mukhaimer）的作品《葡萄藤的见证》。画作描绘了她家门口被葡萄藤遮蔽的景象。2024年3月30日，她正是在这里得知了父亲去世的消息。她说，在以色列对加沙的战争期间，她的父亲无法得到治疗。五个月后，房子被毁了。

“这幅画是为了纪念我们失去的一切，双重的损失，失去父亲和失去故土，”她告诉半岛电视台。

他去世前两天对她说：“亲爱的，愿上帝喜悦你。”她把这句话写进了画里。

她说，战争让她流离失所时，“我首先想到的就是我的工具。” 她说，在加沙很难找到美术用品，有些材料甚至根本无法进入加沙地带。

艺术家们面临的挑战不仅限于获取材料。加沙的主要艺术空间，包括埃尔蒂卡画廊和沙巴贝克画廊，都因以色列对加沙的袭击而被摧毁。

穆海默说她的画作“充满了希望和喜悦，但它的含义却是痛苦而感人的”。

在伯利恒，来自拉马拉的24岁视觉艺术家哈南·巴尔古提也选择了描绘喜悦，但她的灵感来源却截然不同。她笔下的巴勒斯坦婚礼充满了明亮的色彩、传统的象征符号和动感的画面。

“现在所有的艺术作品都变成了人们表达悲伤的方式，所以我想要反映快乐，因为我喜欢快乐，”她说。

2026年10月13日，来自拉马拉的24岁视觉艺术家哈南·巴尔古提在伯利恒和平中心举办的阿纳梅尔·法拉斯汀展览上欣赏她创作的巴勒斯坦婚礼画作。[莱拉·瓦拉/半岛电视台]

行动限制将加沙和约旦河西岸分隔开来

将这两个展览汇聚一堂，需要组织者克服重重限制，使巴勒斯坦人分隔两地。加沙和西岸的艺术家生活在以色列占领的不同环境下，但他们在会面、合作和共同举办展览方面都面临着重重障碍。

自 2007 年 6 月以来，以色列对加沙地带实施了陆海空封锁。截至 2025 年 12 月，联合国人道主义事务协调厅 (OCHA) 记录了在被占领的西岸地区，有 925 处障碍限制了 340 万巴勒斯坦人的行动，其中包括东耶路撒冷的巴勒斯坦人。

比赛顾问委员会成员、艺术家兼教育家雷哈布·纳扎尔表示，这种分离并非偶然。

“这是殖民定居者计划的产物，”她说。“通过限制巴勒斯坦人的行动自由，企图将他们驱逐出去。”

阿布苏尔表示，像展览这样的空间让巴勒斯坦年轻人有理由留下来继续创作。

他说：“如果你没有活着的理由，就不能在一个地方生活，也不能被称为坚定不移。”

巴尔古提看着屏幕上的加沙艺术家们，说她感到“非常难过”，并问自己：“我们在哪里？他们在哪里？”

“我觉得我们既离他们很近，又很远，”她说。“但在情感上，我觉得他们就在我们身边，因为我们的作品是相邻的。”