"The occupation that invaded Palestine beginning in 1948 must leave" – pro-Palestinian artist calls for end of Israeli State
Headline: “The history of Palestine is found in the paintings of female Russian artists”
“As part of the preparations for the plastic art exhibition that is expected to be launched on the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba (i.e., “the catastrophe,” Palestinian term for the establishment of the State of Israel) under the name ‘Palestine in the Eyes of Russian Painters’… the Russian artists are busy turning the world’s attention to Palestine through paintings that highlight its beauty, culture, history, and tragedy…
The olive tree interests female Russian plastic artist Svetlana Peshkova…
She relates: ‘Without the olive tree, it may be that the Palestinian people would have been eliminated a long time ago. In my painting I painted a grove of olive trees that the occupiers attempted to destroy, but the grove was born and showed the power of life, just like the power of the Palestinian people. Olives symbolize life for this people; for hundreds of years, and when Palestine was occupied by the colonialist states, the olive trees were the ones that saved the Palestinians. They used them as healthy food and to treat diseases.’ She added: ‘Therefore, the conclusion is clear – their olives and their oil are their food and medicine, and the olive tree represents life, symbolizes the Palestinian people’s freedom, and strengthens its resolve and resistance. As long as there are olives, the Palestinians cannot be defeated. The olives and their oil help them survive and earn their freedom anew, and therefore Israel is attempting to completely destroy the olive trees in Palestine until [the Palestinians] despair. But the occupation is continuing to ignore that the Palestinians are not a weak people. If they were, they would have submitted with the start of the occupation’s invasion of their lands.’ …
It should be noted that this exhibition… that will be launched on Nakba Day (see note below -Ed.) – May 15, 2021 – at the House of the Association of Friendship Between Peoples in the Chuvashia Republic in Russia under its complete supervision, will travel around the cities of Russia, Europe, and the world to have its say: ‘We want peace. Enough of the suffering of the Palestinian people, and the occupation that invaded Palestine beginning in 1948 must leave. The Palestinians must be allowed to freely lead natural lives in their homeland. Return the refugees from the diaspora and from the refugee camps, the misery, the poverty, and the deprivation. Liberate the peoples from injustice and tyranny.’”
Nakba Day - Palestinians commemorate Nakba Day on May 15, the day after the establishment of Israel. On May 15, 1948, combined forces from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq joined local Arab forces in an attempt to eradicate the newly established State of Israel. The Nakba (Arabic = catastrophe) refers to the establishment of Israel, and the subsequent defeat in the war, including the killing and displacement of Arab civilians that occurred during the war.