PALESTINIAN ARTISTS HOLD LINKED EXHIBITIONS IN GAZA AND WEST BANK

Palestinian artists in Bethlehem and in Gaza's Bureij refugee camp took part in linked exhibitions this week, joined by a live video feed. The event, held at the Bethlehem Peace Centre in the occupied West Bank and at an artist's studio in Bureij, marked the launch of a competition called Anamel Falasteen. Organisers said it was the first competition run by the Falasteen Collective, a Palestinian cultural initiative founded in 2025. Visitors at both venues viewed paintings, photographs and drawings submitted by young Palestinian artists during the three-day event.

Organisers said the twin exhibitions connected artists from Jerusalem, historic Palestine, Gaza and the West Bank, whose ability to meet is restricted by Israeli limits on movement between the territories. Osama Nazzal, one of the judges, said at the Bethlehem venue that he objected to divisions between Palestinians and preferred to refer to "all of Palestine". Painter Ghanem Al Den, a juror based in Bureij, sent greetings over the live feed from Gaza, where Israel's military campaign has continued, describing his message as coming "from soul to soul, from Gaza to our sister Palestinian cities across this beloved homeland". He said the competition had brought together things that had been lost, and that hope was its most important part.

The exhibitions were held as the UN Security Council separately discussed a rise in deaths, demolitions and violence in Gaza and the West Bank, according to the UN. Falasteen Collective organisers said the competition aimed to connect young Palestinian artists kept apart by restrictions on movement between the territories. The submitted works remained on display at both venues for the three-day run of the event. Organisers have not announced any further joint events.