When, in March 2025, the Palestinian-Israeli documentary “No Other Land” won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film, the Palestinian community of Massafar Yatta and their years of non-violent resistance against Israeli settlers and the Israeli military was catapulted out to an international audience. Tragically, and unbelievably, in spite of the spotlight the film placed on the reality of Palestinian communities, that live under constant threat of home demolitions, destruction of livelihoods and crops, and direct physical (sometimes fatal) violence from Israeli settlers and the Israeli military, very little has changed.
By July of 2025, 635 Palestinians had been displaced from their homes by settler violence[1] and this number has continued to increase, brought about by the now almost daily settler attacks. In one widely reported case, one of the protagonists of the “No Other Land” documentary, Awda Al-Hathaleen a prominent activist in the community, was murdered by Yinon Levy, an Israeli settler under EU financial sanctions, who following the killing was placed under 4 days of house arrest, but since then has been allowed to move freely.
Focus on hope rather than difficulties
Not surprisingly then, most images that are communicated of these communities reflect the violence and fear that they live under. In late 2024, when Pro Peace Palestine and Israel, along with local NGO Al-Shmoh, started a project (called “Voice of the Land”) on photography and videography with young people from Massafar Yatta and Tubas (a community in the Jordan Valley also deeply impacted by settler and Israeli military violence and harassment), it was assumed that it would be to support them to document the trials of living under this violence. Instead, after several months of workshops, what the young men and women shared were mostly photographs and videos that expressed their deep attachment to the land, to the community, and to their culture, which was woven through with a strong sense of hope and resilience that they would remain part of these things. Together with Pro Peace Project Officer, Rihan Taha, and Al-Shmoh, the group gathered a selection of 45 photographs and X short videos to reflect how they wanted to represent where they come from. This culminated into a one day exhibition, named “Perspectives”, in Ramallah on September 25th 2025.
The ten young artists guided the visitors through the exhibition.
Pictures of life
As attendees entered the exhibition they first ‘met’ the 10 budding artists, whose portraits were exhibited at the entrance, each with a quote from them. They also had the opportunity to engage directly with them in person as they gave guests short tours of the photographs explaining the inspiration behind them and what they had wanted to express through them. The photographs themselves included landscape images of farmland, children playing in the street, fields scorched by a settler attack, old men reading the newspaper, traditional food being prepared, and a used Israeli military tear gas shell repurposed to hold a bunch of bright yellow flowers. The videos taken by the group were edited together into one continuous 20 minute reel, which was shown separately. The videos included an interview with a farmer in Massafar Yatta who has had his home and land repeatedly attacked by settlers, a day in the life of young students making their way to school past roadblocks placed by settlers, and a young woman in conversation with an older female relative who shares her stories of culture and tradition around dresses in the community.
There is a portrait and a quote for each artist at the beginning of the exhibition.
Overall, the images and videos expressed LIFE (capitals intended) in their communities, and a refusal to stop living but instead to insist in the simplest ways in staying on their land, in their communities, with pride in their traditions and culture. Their hope was for these images to be seen by people who have never been to Massfar Yatta or Tubas and for them to understand that there is life there, and there is hope there, and most of all there is sumud (resilience) to stay, no matter the challenges that beset them daily.
Visitors were thrilled by the exhibition "Perspectives".
For Pro Peace, it was our great pleasure to give this group of young people an opportunity to have their voices heard and wonderful to see them introduce their work to the exhibition’s visitors and see how proud they were of their work and how impressed people were by it.