Against The Wall, The Art of Resistance in Palestine‏

Emdad Rahman

Carlos Latuff has said that the Palestinians are the bravest and most courageous he has met.

This stunning book of photos captures the graffiti and art that has transformed Israel’s wall into a living canvas of resistance and solidarity.

Featuring the work of artists including Banksy, Ron English, Blu and others, as well as Palestinian artists and activists, these photos express outrage, compassion, and touching humour. They illustrate the wall’s toll on lives and livelihoods, showing the hardship it has brought to tens of thousands of people, preventing their access to work, education and vital medical care.

The wall itself cuts through Palestinian communities in the West Bank with devastating effect. The artwork and graffiti range from vast murals expressing international solidarity to powerful symbolic expressions of the Israeli authorities’ brutality and Palestinian civil society determination to continue resisting Israeli expansionism and expulsion.

The graffiti, written by people from all over the world, expresses anger, outrage, humour, sympathy and solidarity. Between the artwork and graffiti are vignettes of the Palestinian lives and communities devastated by Israel’s wall, which convey Palestinians’ steadfastness and determination to fight for justice and dignity. One message appears all along the wall and in the hearts of the communities penned in by it: to exist is to resist.

Emdad Rahman interviews Author William Parry

Have you met Banksy?
There's a chance I may have.

Resistance through art - is it effective?
Yes

What is the overwhelming message in this wall grafitti?
I can only speak for the graffiti that is in English, and some that's in Arabic that has been translated for me, and the artwork that speaks pictorially. There are several interlinked messages: 'to exist is to resist' and solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle for justice.

Can art bring these two sets of people closer, promote tolerance and better understanding?
To a degree. But so long as Israeli and Western media continue to cover the issues as they do, and as long as Western leaders maintain their unwavering moral and financial support of Israel, which enables it act with impunity, dialogue between artists will be largely ineffective. Artists advocating the BDS movement would be far more fruitful given the present reality. I think is has a role to play. If nothing else, it's a cathartic means of expressing support, outrage, etc., when our governments fail to uphold international law of our behalf.

Have you highlighted or come across any art related to Muhammad Al Durrah? If so please tell us more?
I haven't.

Are artists who contribute in danger or under threat?
By and large, no, but it's not without risk.

Are there Israeli artists that have contributed resistance art on the wall. Who are they? Why do they do it?
Not whom I've met but I'm told there are some -- I believe one guy is behind the Know Hope work in Bethlehem, and may go by that name (see Tel Aviv Grafitti & Street Art). Like a number of Israelis who join the weekly demonstrations against the wall in Palestinian villages like Nil'in and Bil'in, they do it because they believe the wall is illegal, they disagree with their government's policies, and it's another way of articulating their protest and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for justice.

How interested have the mainstream media been?
Mainstream media were very interested in Santa's Ghetto's project in Dec 2007. It needs a big name like Banksy doing something new before they are inclined to give it column space, sadly.

How big is the effect of the work of artists in highlighting this international issue?
Hard to measure but it's another creative means of the non-violent resistance in Palestine. Do you remember what transpired at Annapolis in Dec 2007, with Bush, Olmert and Abbas, where they addressed the Roap Map? I bet more people around the world got a greater insight into the conflict thanks to Banksy and co.'s antics, which happened at the very same time. Each day people visiting Bethlehem see the graffiti and the conditions. I'm sure it makes a lot of them think more.

Please tell us about some of the contibuting artists?
I've met a number of them. Ron English is based in NYC and his organisation is called Popaganda. Kennardphillipps are a terrific duo based in London who highlight the injustices we cause through financial and military might. Blu is a terrific Italian street artist who contributed a brilliant piece to Tate Modern's facade two summers ago; as did Faille, and artistic collective from NYC. Swoon is also American. Sam3 is from Spain and is a great guy. Erica il Cane is from Italy. Paul Insect is also UK-based. Antony Micallef was also part of the group that went Bethlehem and is based in London.

Why do they do this?
Best to ask them but they went as part of a fund raising project, to raise money for Palestinian charities and to raise the issue in the media in an unconventional way.

Are there any examples of counter or dark art that may be considered racist or detrimental to the people involved in these conflicts?
The wall provokes a lot of anger. It is destroying livelihoods and communities, and is being built by Israel in violation of international law. Naturally there are plenty of angry sentiments sprayed on it.

Can these wall artists be subjected to the same treatment as vandals or the walls a free for all?
In parts it's a closed military zone according to Israel, which can be risky for people approaching it. But by and large it has been a free for all.

Do you plan any future artistic sojourns to the West Bank?
Definitely.

What is the way forward for Israelis and Palestinians?
The only way forward is justice for Palestinians.

Is there hope for the people of the West Bank?
For any group denied justice, there is hope. Their steadfastness is incredibly inspiring, for sure. They show extraordinary reserves of strength, as well as hospitality.

Why is non violent resistance so important?
It morally disarms any occupier, however mighty they may be, and exposes the injustice; at the same time it morally empowers and gives greater legitimacy to those engaged in the struggle.

William Parry is a London-based freelance journalist and photographer. He has lived and worked in the Middle East for many years and has written on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for the Washington Review of Middle East Affairs, The Middle East, Times Higher Education Supplement, and several electronic news organisations (including Electronic Intifada and New Matilda). He has also published in the Guardian and Independent and a number of other magazines and journals. In February 2008, William Parry went to Bethlehem to write an article about the after effects of the stunning, visual political assault that Pictures on Walls had achieved there through the spectacular artwork by Banksy and 20 other street artists. He interviewed several of the artists and organisers of this project. As he toured Bethlehem for this article, just six months after his previous visit, he was stunned by how quickly it was evolving as a unique, ephemeral canvas of local resistance and international solidarity that ought to be documented – given that all walls eventually fall.

“The wall stands as a dreadful symbol of oppression. The spirit of resistance may be strong but Palestinians need international support. I hope this book makes that more likely.”
Ken Loach, filmmaker

Publisher: Pluto Press

Publicity Contact: Jon Wheatley jonw@plutobooks.com 0208 3746424.