Opening: Palestinian Museum but no exhibits

One thing the museum will not have is exhibits.

When the $24 million Palestinian Museum celebrates its opening on Wednesday, it will have almost everything: a stunning, contemporary new building; soaring ambitions as a space to celebrate and redefine Palestinian art, history and culture; an outdoor amphitheatre; a terraced garden.

The long-planned — and much-promoted — inaugural exhibit, ‘Never Part’, highlighting artefacts of Palestinian refugees, has been suspended after a disagreement between the museum’s board and its director, which led to the director’s removal. President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and other dignitaries are expected to attend the opening ceremony, but a spokeswoman acknowledged on Sunday that “there will not be any artwork exhibited in the museum at all”.

Full story: http://www.eturbonews.com/71275/opening-palestinian-museum-no-exhibits

-- eTN 2016-05-18

One off-topic troll post has been removed from this thread.

Deliberate derailing a topic will not be tolerated.

Built by 'Taawon' an allegedly apolitical organisation.

This empty building will, of course, be taken over by Hamas and used for purposes other than originally intended.

Now they're fighting over how to run a museum! These people just can't survive without agro.

A good idea for a first exhibit would be photographs of the artwork - some of it quite impressive - done by Banksy and others on Israel's Apartheid Wall.

All they really need is a few bombs and knives for displays...

A good idea for a first exhibit would be photographs of the artwork - some of it quite impressive - done by Banksy and others on Israel's Apartheid Wall.

Banksy 9.jpg

It's a museum, not an art gallery.

I think the plan is to include art as well.

It's a good idea, in concept.

Best of luck to them to create a substantive cultural and tourism center and yes, hope the joint doesn't become dominated by political propaganda, which face it, is a real possibility.

Edited May 18, 201610 yr by Jingthing

"One thing the museum will not have is exhibits"

Subtext: "If you build it [they] will come."

Its the same exact approach to other aspects of the Palestinian reach for legitimacy. Go through the motions, establish a de facto appearance of legitimacy, and hope by extension that all the things that conspire to make a State will fill in the empty spaces.

Maybe its a valid approach. Maybe there are no other ways to navigate this juncture that the local Arabs are at in their quest for parity, a State. But it most certainly is one more example of mimicking an appearance of a legitimate State actor without the necessary tools that comprise State Agency.

(What [it] really is is establishing a context (museum) to appropriate and revise a regional history (artifacts) that either are not [their] own, or are but are not uniquely associated with a "Palestinian" history. Considering there are few examples of history not being contorted in this region, I am pleased the museum is empty. I hope it remains so. Otherwise, it simply provides an address for others to destroy things in a single location).

Realistically, it won't stay empty forever.

I think it's obviously true that Palestinian identity is a modern artificial political construct but even so, there are millions of people that do identify that way.

I'm hopeful some positive stuff can come from this. I'm sure there is a lot of Palestinian artistic talent that could benefit from aspiring to such a grand venue.

A Palestinian museum of art, history, and Middle Eastern culture is an excellent idea and should be encouraged.

People worldwide who are boycotting Israel because of the illegal settlements and land grabs would also have a chance to support a positive development in Palestine.

For Palestinians and others it would be a symbolic stand against ISIS and the destruction of archaeological sites that they have been reponsible for in recent years, as well as the devastation of the cultural heritage of the greater Middle East caused by the US led wars in the region.

More than anything else, the creation of an art and history museum would counter the Zionist narrative that Palestine as a country, and the Palestinians as a people, never existed.

That this obvious falsehood has gained credence in western countries and duped so many people speaks volumns about the power and influence of those who have been spreading what is surely one of the most successful big lies of modern times.

Realistically, it won't stay empty forever.

I think it's obviously true that Palestinian identity is a modern artificial political construct but even so, there are millions of people that do identify that way.

I'm hopeful some positive stuff can come from this. I'm sure there is a lot of Palestinian artistic talent that could benefit from aspiring to such a grand venue.

And when did this artifical political construct occur ?..1948 onwards ?

Realistically, it won't stay empty forever.

I think it's obviously true that Palestinian identity is a modern artificial political construct but even so, there are millions of people that do identify that way.

I'm hopeful some positive stuff can come from this. I'm sure there is a lot of Palestinian artistic talent that could benefit from aspiring to such a grand venue.

And when did this artifical political construct occur ?..1948 onwards ?

No, it preceded the creation of the Jewish State of Israel by a few decades.

https://books.google.co.th/books?id=f3axNF2GdCkC&pg=PA171&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

The Mufti of Jerusalem, the one who exiled in Berlin in WW2 and helped the Nazis with genocide of European Jews and secured a promise by Hitler to later commit genocide against Middle East Jews, is usually credited as the most important figure in the creation of the Palestinian national identity movement.

http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-mufti-of-jerusalem/9780231064637

To add, there were historical "sins" on all sides during the British Mandate (British, Arabs, and Jews) era but at this point in history the sensible path is support for a real two state solution, with Palestine and Israel living side by side, and a need to be well separated for at least a generation or two.

I do think projects like this museum can POTENTIALLY be a positive step towards that path. Opening empty of course isn't too encouraging an omen.

Edited May 19, 201610 yr by Jingthing

The Palestinian museum was inaugurated a few years ago. Between 2013 and 2014.

The museum started with multiple exhibitions of historical photographs footages. Many workshops were organised for the Palestinian children.

http://www.palmuseum.org/picture-gallery/photos#ad-image-thumb-1624

Special dedicated exhibitions will start from October 2016 onwards. And the rooms are separated from the main museum.

http://www.palmuseum.org/ehxibitions/inaugural-exhibitions

There's no political agenda linked to the museum contrary to what other members try to insinuate. Moreover, it's located in the West Bank, fully under control of Israeli legislation which makes it very difficult to organise cultural exhibitions and promote historical heritage.

Edited May 19, 201610 yr by Thorgal