PALESTINE | CULTURE

Icons of Palestinian Identity, Pt. 2

Series: Icons 8–13: Donkeys | Stone walls | Mahmoud Darwish | Tatreez | Leila Khaled | Edward Said

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Second installment of a series on Palestinian symbolism and culture. This series is my reminder to the world of the strength and continuity of Palestinian culture. What does a free Palestine look like?

You can find the first installment here. Follow my releases on LinkedIn for more frequent updates. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes are from my book Fugitive Dreams.

8. Donkeys

“Perhaps the real impetus for Israeli-imposed hardships, like movement restrictions and the Wall, is precisely to distract us from ‘Free Palestine’.

“We forget that a truly free Palestine has no checkpoints, and no Walls. Qalandia is back to being the village from which the old milkman has hailed, on his donkey. Jerusalem is open to all. So are the roads. There are no settlers, only citizens, equal under the law.”

Donkey near Deir Ibzi3, West Bank, Palestine (Photo by the author, 2013)

A donkey such as one Jesus has ridden on Palm Sunday features in my book Fugitive Dreams.

“Until the mid-1990s, Ramallah was a quiet…