A Look Into…

Osama Silwadi writes:

Embroidery is present in many cultures around the world and in our region. It is not exclusive to Palestine.

However, Palestinian embroidery is distinguished by its richness in artistic and formative aspects, and its connection to the local landscape. Palestinian women imitated the diverse and rich nature surrounding them.

The economic and cultural situation, along with the cultural and civilizational depth in Palestine, also contributed to this artistic richness in Palestinian embroidery. The photo shows women from Birzeit in everyday dress. From my book in Arabic (Queens of Silk, 2010)

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Emmy Awards: Artists Call For ‘Free Palestine’

Several artists used their appearances to call for “Free Palestine,” wearing a keffiyeh and handbag, saying “CEASE FIRE!” during Sunday night’s 77th annual Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California.

“Hacks” star Hannah Einbinder won her first Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy series and closed off her acceptance speech by saying: “Go Birds, F— ICE and Free Palestine.”

She later went on to explain her statement while getting her name chiseled on the trophy backstage.

“It is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel. Our religion and our culture … is really separate to this sort of ethnonationalist state,” she said as reported in Anadolu.

Javier Bardem, wearing a keffiyeh and voicing his support for Film Workers for Palestine, announced on the red carpet entrance: “Here I am today denouncing the genocide in Gaza… Free Palestine!”

In the week leading up to the Emmys, 3,900 industry names signed an open pledge declaring that they will not work with Israeli institutions and film companies that are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

The pledge statement, published on Monday by the organization Film Workers for Palestine, said that examples of complicity include “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them.”

The pledge states that examples of complicity include “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them,” according to Variety.

“What we are witnessing is a genocide. And as I said in your show, in 4k alive on a daily basis, this has to stop,” Bardem said during an interview.

He continued by stating that he won’t and cannot work with those who “justify or support the genocide.”

“I can’t. That’s as simple as that. And we shouldn’t be able to do that in this industry and in any other industry. Today in Madrid, in Spain, the cycle, the bicycle tour, it was stopped by thousands and thousands and thousands of people on the streets marching saying we can’t allow the team of Israel being in this tour,” Bardem said.

Megan Stalter of “Hacks” also posed on the red carpet holding a handbag that wrote “CEASE FIRE!” on a white background and bold characters.

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Palestinian Dresses Immortalize History

Eileen Shomali Al-Yateem writes:

Palestinian dresses immortalize history, heritage, and tradition of the now displaced Palestinian villages.

The “Heaven and Hell” dress was named so because it was made of red and green silk fabric and was worn for weddings and special occasions in the displaced village of Lifta and some other villages in Jerusalem.


The white dress of the bride is from the displaced village of Yazur in the Jaffa District: It was made of white fabric, mostly red, with several cheerful colors… with beautiful floral designs on the dome and sides.

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Palestine 36: An Uprising

1936. As villages across Mandatory Palestine rise against British colonial rule, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest. But history is relentless. With rising numbers of Jewish immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe, and the Palestinian population uniting in the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30-year dominion, all sides spiral towards inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region.

Director: Annemarie Jacir. See full caste here.

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