The Bitter Landscapes of Palestine

David Shulman author Margaret Olin author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Intellect

Published:14th Jun '24

Should be back in stock very soon

The Bitter Landscapes of Palestine cover

Using both photographs and written narratives, The Bitter Landscapes of Palestine provides a depiction of the lives and struggles faced by Palestinians living in the occupied Palestinian territories on the West Bank, in particular the South Hebron Hills and the Jordan Valley. It sheds light on issues including house demolitions, conflicts between Palestinian shepherds or farmers and Israeli settlers, soldiers, and police, the daily struggles brought about by the occupation's efforts to displace Palestinians from their land, and the resilience and bravery required to endure these conditions. This moving book conveys the beauty of the landscape, the essence of the language, the value of friendships, and the richness of a threatened way of life.

Voices of activists, both Palestinian and Jewish, are brought into focus. The historical context that generated present realities in Palestine is outlined briefly, as well as the history of the authors’ partnership.  Their perspective mirrors extensive years of involvement in peace and human rights activism in Palestine. It also captures the ongoing dialogue between the two authors, who have experienced together the continually renewed astonishment that comes with such experiences and encounters.

 

'The photographs and texts by David Shulman and Margaret Olin of the literally hardscrabble existence of Arab goat herders on lands now claimed and contested by Israeli "settlers" from elsewhere render that dreadful tug-of-war human, all too human. These images bridge the gap between global politics and everyday life in zones of conflict in ways that ordinary reporting cannot hope to achieve. They capture the rhythms, random gestures and hint of the better natures of avowed "enemies" as well as the humble beauty of the animals that graze and thereby truly occupy this ideologically charged territory. In these images a germ of peace survives even as our awareness of continual dispossession and gathering, spasmodic devastation increases.'

-- Robert Storr, painter, critic and curator, Professor Emeritus, Yale Univer

ISBN: 9781789389098

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

290 pages