Abu Jihad Museum: 'It's ours and it's watered by our blood'

The Abu Jihad Museum for the Prisoners Movement Affairs offers a unique perspective on life behind bars in Israel.

A display at the Abu Jihad Museum representing prison, fertile land and the blood of Palestinians. Courtesy Dalia Hatuqa

Abu El-Haj, who was illiterate when he was first incarcerated but learnt to read and write behind bars, is dedicated to highlighting the suffering of prisoners, a theme widely reflected in his curatorial selections. The 450-square-metre site is partially dedicated to those Palestinians who perished inside Israeli prisons. Other areas showcase personal diaries as well as letters and documents written in minuscule hands and smuggled out with visitors in tiny capsules.

The highlight of the museum is an installation with six cement pillars encased in green grass on a red-tiled platform. “This represents the heinousness of life in prison,” says Abu El-Haj. “But the land is still green, because it’s ours and it’s watered by our blood.”

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