The Palestine Hotel, Nablus
Sitting in the University Library at Cambridge, reading the sculptor Eric Gill’s diaries of his trip to Palestine in 1934 (he had been commissioned by the architect Austen St. Barbe … Continue reading
New review: Susan Muaddi Darraj’s ‘A Curious Land’
The Electronic Intifada, 13th June 2016 A Curious Land begins in 1916 with a group of Bedouin refugees fleeing the violence and famine which wreaked havoc across the Levant during … Continue reading
New review: Love, Theft and Other Entanglements…
Electronic Intifada, 20th July 2015 Mousa, played by Sami Metwasi, is a thief whose latest job is a vehicle which contains a gagged and bound Israeli soldier, something he finds … Continue reading
New Review: Darwish, ‘Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone?’
Electronic Intifada, 24 April 2015 In the closing poem of the book, Darwish shapes a scenario which could be that of the West Bank in which he lived his final … Continue reading
New article: Khaled Jarrar and new artists from Palestine
Electronic Intifada, 15th July 2013 Entering the gallery, you are confronted by an eight-foot-high replica of the wall. It stretches away to your left, forming a narrow corridor, funneling the … Continue reading
New review: Khaled Jarrar’s ‘Infiltrators’
Electronic Intifada, 6th July 2013 “Once I fell and broke my legs,” says one of the hundreds of workers who cross Israel’s wall in the West Bank each week. “Their … Continue reading
RIP Rabea
A few hours ago the Freedom Theatre in Jenin put out this short statement: The Freedom Theatre mourns the death of one of our graduated Acting School students, the brave … Continue reading
Nablus: an architectural history
It’s been very exciting to get my first look at the real, in-the-flesh version of my good friend Naseer Arafat’s architectural history of Nablus. It’s a huge and beautiful book, … Continue reading
‘Despite’ at Richmix, Bethnal Green
Merry Christmas, one and all. For anyone who, like me, is stuck in London over the festive period (and the weather outside is about the least festive thing I’ve ever … Continue reading
Adania Shibli's 'Touch' reviewed: guest blog for Arablit
ArabLit, 20th August 2012 This is a startlingly real portrait of the world from a young child’s perspective, laden with colours, textures, sensations and occasional bemusement, and it is a … Continue reading
Liptons on the ceiling
A recent conversation with a friend reminded me of this photo, which I took three years ago: It shows the ceiling of the ground floor of the bus station in … Continue reading
New article: exhibition review – Darat al-Funun
Electronic Intifada, 9th July 2012 In the picturesque surroundings of the Darat al Funun gallery in downtown Amman, Jordan, artist Jumana Abboud stands squeezing lemon after lemon by hand, using … Continue reading
New article: A guide to Nablus
From Red Pepper magazine, February 2012 Leaving behind Ramallah and Bethlehem, with their expat communities and religious tour groups, what of the West Bank’s other cities? Sleepy desert Jericho? Hebron, … Continue reading
Nabi Saleh's first martyr
“The [Israeli soldiers] laughed at us as we screamed at them to let us through to where he was, unconscious in a taxi near the watchtower. They threatened us if … Continue reading
Getting around the West Bank
“Tube shmube and urban planning patooie”, says Sara, a volunteer teacher in Nablus. “There is nowhere easier to get around than the West Bank. I know – hugely unexpected and … Continue reading
Sarah Irving 