Democratic Palestine : 23 (ص 33)
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- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 23 (ص 33)
- المحتوى
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Fathi Gaben
Palestinian Artist in Jabalia
The Palestinian artist whose paintings constitute a threat to ‘state
security’ in the occupied homeland.
In one of the houses of Jabalia camp,
Gaza Strip, residence of thousands of
Palestinian refugees, lives an artist who
wanted to express his inner feelings
through his paintings. It is natural that
an artist’s drawings are an interpreta-
tion of his feelings. For any Palestinian
artist, this means expressing his suffer-
ings and aspirations as part of his peo-
ple’s collective experience. Yet from
this, the problem started for Fathi
Gaben. He was imprisoned because the
occupation authorities considered that
his works constitute a threat to ‘state
security’.
In 1983, the Israeli authorities con-
fiscated six of Gabin’s paintings which
were exhibited at Gaza’s university.
Later, Zionist soldiers raided his home,
arresting him and_ confiscating
magazines which are legal in Jerusalem,
but forbidden in the Gaza Strip since it
is officially under military rule. In May
1984, Gaben was sentenced to 6 months
imprisonment and a fine of 30,000
shekels for ‘subversive’ paintings. The
main evidence presented by the Zionist
authorities to convict Gabin was a
painting which, among other hues, used
red, green, black and white - the colors
of the Palestinian flag. The Zionist
court refused his request to delay his
imprisonment so he could find a way to
pay the fine. On the contrary, he was
sent to prison immediately with the
threat of an added month in jail if the
fine was not paid within a month.
This outrageous injustice prompted
Palestinian artists to undertake a
novel form of solidarity. In Jerusalem,
eight artists arranged an exhibit of
Gabin’s paintings in Al Nuzha Theater,
while they staged a paint-in. They
began painting and drawing on the
spot, selling their works, so that the
proceeds could go to Gabin’s family.
The solidarity campaign spread. There
were many international protests
against the Israeli violation of freedom
of artistic expression. For the first time,
Israeli artists expressed solidarity witha
Palestinian artist. In August 1984, 30
Israeli artists visited Gabin’s family,
bringing toys and clothes for his
children. They marched through
Jabalia with placards opposing the
growing fascist tendency in the Israeli
state. The people of Jabalia gathered to
protest the occupation, while the Israeli
artists painted pictures using the for-
bidden colors. The artists later con-
tacted Israeli politicians to have them
intervene to get Gabin released.
Gabin was released two months early
as a result of the pressure that built up.
This did not indicate a real reversal of
the Israeli iron fist against Palestinian
art though. On August 30, 1984, Mufid
Ghanem, an artist in Jenin in the oc-
cupied West Bank, was arrested and
thirty of his works confiscated because
he had used the colors of the Palesti-
nian flag. However, Gaben’s case had
created such a stir that even the Israeli
daily Haaretz sent journalists to Jabalia
to interview him. This following is
from their reportage.
FILE ON AN ARTIST
«In the military attorney general’s
office, located in the military
governor’s headquarters in one of
Gaza’s main streets... there is a blue
file about a person living in Jabalia
camp... He is considered famous, and
even a national hero, and the reason for
that is the military rule. He is the artist
and art teacher Fathi Gaben, 37 years
old, who was arrested by the security
forces on charges of painting inciting
pictures... On our way to his home, a
military jeep patrolling the streets of
the camp obstructed our way. The
soldiers looked in our faces, in disbelief,
and one of them shouted: ‘Have you
gone mad? Do you know where you are
now?’ But Fathi Gaben’s hospitality
made us feel secure, even in Jabalia
camp.
«Three months ago, Fathi Gaben was
released... He returned to his wife and
eight children in his simple two-room
house. Yet despite his early release,
Fathi did not smile... You don’t find
happy people in Jabalia.
«On the outside, the case file number
83/2967 looks like thousands of other
files piled up in the offices of the
military government in Gaza. But this
file contains only a few pages in which a
strange story is recorded in terse
military wording. The charges against
Fathi Gaben were registered... The
sentence against the artist, like the legal
deliberations, was short and decisive.
From that file, we found out how the
trial went: The attorney general
reviewed the case and the authorities’
charges, while the defendent’s lawyer
spoke very few words. The judge, as if
to cut the process short, gave his verdict
without thought or hesitation, ex-
ecuting the demand of the attorney
general. The artist, who was convicted
of the charges and even confessed to
them, was sentenced to six months in
prison and a fine of 30,000 shekels.
Feeling sorry, an officer at the attorney
general’s office said that the lawyer was
the cause of the sentence. Had Fathi
had a good lawyer, he would have been
spared going to jail.
«The story of Fathi Gaben’s arrest
could not stay secret. The strange
charge sheet, and the sentencing of the
artist io prison, soon became public,
especially after the demonstration of
some Israeli artists near Gaben’s house..
The charge sheet against Fathi con-
tained three charges: first, receiving
leaflets; second, keeping them; and
third - the real surprise - that on August
19, 1983, the defendent had tried to in-
fluence public opinion in the area by
painting and exhibiting at the Islamic
University’s art exhibition, pictures of
an eagle, the PLO’s flag and a boy in-
jured during a demonstration...
«During the discussion of the
punishment to be imposed, the lawyer
asked the judge to take into considera-
tion the defendent’s confession and his
monthly wage of no more than 30,000
shekels. He said that Gaben paints
nature pictures; he did not mean any
harm to security, and did not know that
what he painted was _ forbidden.
Otherwise, he would not have signed
his full name on his paintings.
However, the judge adhered to his
opinion, saying that the crimes com-
mitted by the artist were very dangerous >
33 - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 23
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- أبريل ١٩٨٧
- المنشئ
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