An illustrated book born from visits to the courtroom where Palestinian children are tried every day — recording, in drawing, what a camera is not allowed to capture.
At the Ofer military court, photography is prohibited. Hearings concerning detained Palestinian children are held there every day, and what happens inside the courtroom cannot be recorded on camera.
The book grew from a belief that even where the camera is silenced, we must not look away. A group of illustrators joined the visits we held at the court. Some drew on the spot; others returned to the images and feelings they carried with them. Each sought to give form to what they saw.
These are not photographs, nor documentation that claims to be objective. They are personal responses to a place most of us will never enter, and to a reality many would rather not see.
Perhaps it is precisely where the camera is silenced that art can reveal another truth — not only what meets the eye, but what stays with us long after we leave the courthouse gates. From the book's preface
Each year, hundreds of Palestinian children pass through the military detention and court system. The youngest are just twelve. Many are arrested in night raids on their homes, held without charge or a known release date, and kept from their families for long stretches of time.
Nine artists each gave a different form to what they saw:
Because Photography Is Prohibited is a project of Parents Against Child Detention, an Israeli organization working to expose the reality of the detention of Palestinian children, to raise public awareness of it, and to reduce the harm done to their rights. The book grew out of visits to the Ofer military court, and it is trilingual — Hebrew, Arabic, and English.
Because Photography Is Prohibited is available worldwide as a digital edition, in return for a tax-deductible donation to the project. Every contribution funds our continued work. Choose a level and give on our secure donation page, then send us your confirmation — and we'll email you the book. (Donations are processed by the New Israel Fund, which is tax-deductible and grants the funds to us.)
The complete illustrated, trilingual book as a digital edition (PDF), sent to your inbox.
Donate $36Your gift also delivers the book to someone whose choices touch these children — a member of Knesset, a judge, a journalist, a diplomat. Tell us who, or let us choose.
Donate $72Covers the real cost of one monitoring visit to the Ofer military court, where volunteers observe hearings and document what takes place. Includes the digital edition.
Donate $180Sustaining support for further tours and printings. Includes the digital edition. Larger gifts of $500 or $1,000 are welcome and available on the donation page.
Donate $360+On the New Israel Fund page you can choose $36, $72, $180, $360, $500 or $1,000 — or enter any amount. All gifts are tax-deductible.
Choose your level and give on the secure, tax-deductible New Israel Fund page.
The New Israel Fund passes gifts on to us, so donations aren't received instantly. Email us your confirmation and we'll match it to your order.
We'll reply with your digital edition. If you asked us to send it to a decision-maker, we'll take care of that too.
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