An exhibition about Jerusalem and Palestine which opened in Riyadh earlier this month at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) is attracting large numbers of visitors every day. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the winner of the 2010 King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, inaugurated the exhibition that portrays the plight of the Palestinian people and their decades old struggle for freedom from Israeli occupation. The exhibition is an effort to tell the story of Palestinians through a large collection of rare manuscripts, documents, books written by Arab authors describing the cause of Palestine, copies of newspaper articles highlighting the climax of the freedom movement and photos depicting Israeli aggression and occupation of Palestine since 1948. Memorial stamps, coins and currency notes, maps, handicrafts and books that record the history of Palestine are showcased in the exhibition. People from all walks of life including groups of schoolchildren are visiting the exhibition. The visitors are given brochures, video CDs, and two books, the 230-page “Human and Economic Conditions of Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza – 1998-2002” and a 70-page pictorial account titled “Jerusalem and Palestine – past and present”, published by Middle East Studies Center and KFCRIS, respectively. Visitors are also give a keffiyeh or scarf, the trademark symbol of Yasser Arafat. The distinctive black-and-white checked scarf has become a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. One of the video CDs contains a five-minute account of King Faisal's visit to Jerusalem. Another CD contains old newspaper accounts and articles highlighting the struggle of the Palestinians for freedom. The exhibition will run for the next three months. Ibrahim Bajis, supervisor of the exhibition, said organizing such an event was an attempt to highlight Jerusalem's cultural, historical and heritage sites. KFCRIS organized the fair to underline the depth of belonging that Jerusalem and Palestine have with Arab and Islamic heritage, the official said. Bajis said the KFCRIS pictorial account illustrates a collection of pictures some dating back to the 18th century and others featuring Palestinian cities and reflecting the daily life of indigenous Palestinians. “The lively pictures narrate the story and cause of Jerusalem and Palestine,” he said. In one of the pictures King Faisal is shown in a congregation prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Other pictures include a 20th century artisan at work in a market in Hebron. In another, two Palestinians with traditional leather water bags on their back pose against the backdrop of Al-Aqsa Mosque. However, it was disturbing to see a picture showing an Israeli soldier pointing his gun at a two-year-old Palestinian boy. While another picture shows a Palestinian boy seemingly arguing with an Israeli soldier and telling him “that this is our land”. In a different picture, some Jews are shown giving training to Israeli children on how to use arms. Some of the photographs in the booklet depict Israel's policy of welcoming Jews from Yemen and other African countries to the state illegally created in 1948 in formerly British-ruled Palestine. The pictorial booklet also illustrates the mass exodus of displaced Palestinians including women, children, and aged people moving out of Palestinian cities with their belongings. Bajis hoped that the exhibition would be a reminder to people, mainly non-Arabs, and an attempt to explain to them how the Israelis uprooted indigenous Palestinians from their homeland and demolished their houses. “All of these atrocities took place under the watchful eyes of the civilized world, which merely issued condemnations and protests, but never stopped offering aid and support to the aggressor,” he said.
