Dr. Masri, with Dean
Dr. Abu Louha and OneVoice Palestine executive director Samer Makhlouf view gallery submissions.
On June 12, 2013, OneVoice Palestine’s (OVP) Hebron youth activists co-hosted an art gallery marking the historic event of Al Naksa, also known as the 1967 or Six-Day War, in coordination with the Dean of Al-Aroub College, Dr. Muheib Abu Louha, and the Al-Aroub Students’ Council.
The gallery, entitled "Historical Account of the Bitterness of the Israeli Occupation," was the first of its kind at the college. The students contributed a number of Palestinian heritage pieces reflecting on historical struggle of the Palestinian people, beginning with photos from Al Nakba and ending with reflections of the future state, emphasizing the harsh reality of the Israeli occupation. About 90 participants from the college, Hebron, and neighboring towns took part in the gallery.
The students explained that the gallery embodied the daily suffering and tragedies of the Palestinian people caused by the occupation and settlement expansion in the West Bank.
OVP Board Member, Dr. Mohammed Al-Masri, along with Dean Abu Louha and Executive Director of OVP, Samer Makhlouf, inaugurated the event after receiving a big standing ovation from the students of Al-Aroub.
Makhlouf expressed his eagerness to work with the volunteers and college students, stressing the role of Palestinian youth in this physical and intellectual struggle with the Israeli occupation.
“The occupation continues to steal our beliefs and dreams of an independent Palestinian state,” said Makhlouf. “OVP and our volunteers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will continue the road of state building and peacefully ending the Israeli occupation throughout all our activities.”
The students stressed the need for the youth to recall Palestinian historical events that have had the greatest impact in shaping the overall picture of the conflict in the region. They argue that these historical events are of great value in shaping the future of the independent state. It creates a vision of what is important and what is not through looking back at key moments in Palestinian history. The volunteers also expressed their thanks to OneVoice for the trust given to them to organize the exhibition, in hope that it gave visitors a bold picture of Palestinian history through the occupation.
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