Activestill's video: Nabi Saleh - a village remains steadfast

Dear friends,

please find below a short video produced by the amazing Israeli and international activists from the Activestills collective, who regularly document Israel's ongoing occupation against the Palestinian people.  I have been a big fan of the group for many years, their dedication and conviction are a true inspiration. 

As their website notes, Activestills "was established in 2005 by a group of Israeli and international documentary photo-graphers, out of a strong conviction that photography is a vehicle for social change". 

The collective goes onto note:

We believe in the power of images to shape public attitudes and to raise awareness on issues that are generally absent from public discourse. We view ourselves as part of the struggle against all forms of oppression, racism, and violations of the basic right to freedom. We do work on various topics, including the grassroots movement and the popular struggle against the Israeli occupation, women’s rights, immigration, asylum-seekers, social justice, the siege on Gaza, and housing rights inside Israel.

The work as a collective is based upon the belief that mutual work serves each photographer‘s personal statement, and that joint projects will create shared statements that are more powerful than individual ones.  The collective, now consisting of ten photographers, operates in Israel/Palestine and focuses on social and political documentation, project production, publication, and exhibition.

Israeli public opinion is shaped first and foremost by the mainstream media, which is shifting to become more racist and violent. The impact of this shift is evident in increased public support for violent military operations, racist legislation, and discriminatory policies. We wish to challenge these changes with our work. Each time our photos are published, either in the mainstream media or in alternative channels, they convey messages that challenge oppression and bring the voices of the unheard into public discourse.

 Activestills often uses public space for exhibitions in order to more directly influence public opinion and bring about social change.

You can check out Activestill and their incredible work here.

In solidarity,
Kim

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NABI SALEH - a village remains steadfast 

Photos by Activestills collective and live sound recording:

 

Two years of popular struggle against the Israeli occupation and settlements, in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh.

The illegal settlement of Halamish which can be seen from many houses in the village, is built on more than half of the village's land. In December 2009, after settlers confiscated a spring located on private Palestinian land, residents of the village together with their neighbor villages started weekly demonstrations. Palestinians who demanded the right to be on their land were attacked by settlers, some of them armed, while Israeli soldiers stood by and/or protected the settlers. At the time of writing, the Israeli army prohibits the access of Palestinians in groups and on Fridays to the spring, while settlers have unlimited access.

Since then, and despite harsh daily repression, the residents of Nabi Saleh continue to go every Friday, together with other Palestinians, and international and Israeli activists, to demonstrate and resist the Israeli occupation