Shareef Sarhan On Location
“To take that which has been destroyed and turn it into a literal ‘beacon’ of hope is very powerful.”
Hebron International Resource Network (HIRN) offers responsive and targeted support to some of the most threatened and marginalised Palestinian communities and individuals. HIRN brings compassion, practical help, and encouragement needed to remain and grow in the face of aggression, intimidation, and dispossession.
Hebron International Resource Network (HIRN) offers support to Palestinian communities and individuals on the basis of need and tries to remove obstacles that prevent them from enjoying their basic human rights.
HIRN is small and agile by design and is able to respond quickly when help is needed. They manage several grassroots humanitarian and development projects at any one time, mostly in support of Palestinians living in areas where the Israeli Occupation and settlement projects are most visible and aggressive.
There are too many interventions to list here but recent projects have included:
In Area ‘C’ of the West Bank, HIRN provides:
In Hebron City:
In all of these projects, HIRN seeks to respect the dignity of the people and communities it partners with and to empower and encourage the amazing resilience that is already present.
Amos Trust’s partnership with HIRN has grown alongside our friendship and the administrative support we have provided to UK Friends of HIRN (UKFOH). Their incredible fundraising and advocacy have enabled the above projects to be delivered.
Amos has also had the opportunity to get to know HIRN on the ground in Palestine, to see the work, to meet the people and to partner in some small initiatives of our own.
Take a look through our range of resources, blog posts, downloads and products to find out more about our Palestine Justice work.
These graceful, moving and poetic drawings show tenderness and fragility in the midst of war. Ghostly figures locked in a tender embrace, defiantly looking at the sky in resilience and dignity. Majed Shala beautifully documents the human and emotional cost of war in Gaza and its tragic consequences on relationships and everyday life.
Mariam bravely and fiercely creates artworks exploring the practice of Palestinian political prisoners smuggling sperm out of Israeli jails so that their wives can become pregnant. A doctor at a fertility clinic in Nablus stated that 22 women had undergone insemination using smuggled sperm. The success rate was low because of the difficulties of keeping sperm fresh during transportation from prisons in Israel to the West Bank.
“My current work is an echo of my exiled self. The employment of digital windows and messages is emblematic of my artistic method. My screen connects me to the world but detaches me from it. Although I no longer live in Gaza, I am still affected by feelings of isolation and captivity. My artwork is a dialogue with a new reality and a pursuit of an evasive happiness.”
Picasso stated: “Every act of creation begins with an act of destruction.” This is horribly true of Maha Daya’s paintings which document the consequences of Israeli warplanes’ strikes on Gaza. There is no beauty or life in these haunting artworks. The buildings have not collapsed. They are defiant and resilient and refuse to fall. They are monuments to injustice and devastation.
“Mohammed’s characters feel anonymous. The figures appear of varying origins — endless and with infinite colour. They are shadow characters with no rights in soil, sea, or sky. The displaced and alienated move through hazy colour spaces as if from a dream. They are escaping a brutal and painful reality in a desperate search for peace.”
At precisely 1 am on 16th May 2021, Israeli jets bombarded a densely populated residential area in the centre of Gaza City. Zainab was trapped under the rubble of her apartment block for 12 hours. She lost 22 members of her family in the attack. At the launch of her exhibition, she said, “I hope that you will not praise my paintings or document my achievement with joy. Instead, I hope you will help me spread my cause and raise my voice to hold this occupier to account.”
Mahmoud uses medicinal blister packs to construct intelligent, sophisticated and meticulous architectural cityscapes. The symbolism of the impact of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and its affect on mental health is profound. A recent report by Save the Children stated that over 80% of children in Gaza suffer from mental health problems.
“While our expertise is in arts and culture, the harsh realities on the ground have made relief work an unavoidable responsibility.” In this month’s Stories of Hope, we hear from Ribal Alkurdi, Executive Director at Alrowwad Cultural Centre, who explains why they feel compelled to undertake food programmes in Aida Refugee Camp.
Amos Trust
7 Bell Yard, London
WC2A 2JR
UK
Telephone:
+44 (0) 203 725 3493
Email:
[email protected]
Registered Charity No.
1164234
This item has been added to your shopping basket. Please click on the Checkout button below where you can choose your quantity.
Continue shopping Checkout Close