Picasso Comes to Palestine

A Picasso comes to the PalestiniansBy Kareem Khadder, CNN


June 28, 2011 4:43 a.m. EDT


Security guards keep close to the "Buste De Femme" by Pablo Picasso. It's on loan from a museum in the Netherlands.STORY HIGHLIGHTS


"Buste De Femme" was painted by Pablo Picasso in 1943; it's housed in the Netherlands


It's being displayed for one month in the West Bank city of Ramallah


Picasso used his art to express his feelings about the Spanish Civil War


Art specialist says the work has much to say about today's divide in the Middle East


Ramallah, West Bank (CNN) -- In a small showroom in the West Bank city of Ramallah, two Palestinian security guards carefully watch over a masterpiece by one of the most famous artists in modern history.






The "Buste De Femme," painted by Pablo Picasso in 1943, is estimated to be worth $7 million. It was borrowed from the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, by the International Academy of Art Palestine for a monthlong display in the West Bank.






Khaled Horani, art director of the academy, says the project took two years of negotiations, preparations and overcoming some political obstacles.






"This is the first time in history where a masterpiece of Picasso comes to Palestine in the occupied territories and also the first time we are going to show a masterpiece to the Palestinians," Horani told CNN.






While Horani acknowledges that just some 20 kilometers (about 12.4 miles) away, there are many contemporary masterpieces in Jerusalem museums. He is quick to point out the limitations for art lovers who live in the West Bank.






"It's not accessible for Palestinians from the West Bank to go there and see the artwork," making reference to Israeli security restrictions. "This raises the questions around the political situation and art in general and its accessibility," Horani said.






Painted just a few years after the Spanish Civil War, the "Buste De Femme" one of Picasso famous paintings. The Spanish artist wanted to express his feelings about the bloody war that had torn apart his homeland.






The painting took a 24-hour journey from the Netherlands to the West BankProfessor Lynda Morris of Norwich University College of the Arts in England and a specialist on Picasso, compared it with the political situation in the West Bank.






She said Picasso strived to understand both sides of the Spanish Civil War, and that holds lessons for today. "... Probably in the West, we know much more of the Israeli side more than the Palestinian side, and the importance to begin to address that balance," Morris told CNN.






Twenty feet away in an adjacent room of the academy, the special packing crate for the painting has been put on exhibit as well with the shipping label "From Eindhoven to Palestine" displayed prominently.






"This is the smallest museum and this box will be part of the exhibition," Horani told CNN in an advance preview of the painting.






He said the painting's 24-hour journey from the Netherlands to the West Bank was documented as it made its way to Tel Aviv. It was then escorted by an Israeli security firm to Qalandia checkpoint and then on to Ramallah.






The painting exhibition, which officially opened its doors to the public on Friday, was attended by Palestinians and international art lovers.






Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad went to the opening. He said the painting would go back to the Netherlands taking with it a little bit of the region with it.






"Destination Palestine, by itself, is of great significance to us," Fayyad said. "It is really moving to see this great work of Picasso is here and this portrait goes back to Eindhoven and part of Palestine will be with it," Fayyad told CNN after touring the exhibition.






"This is really a big thing.






--Christine Hadid, Palestinian architect RELATED TOPICS


Pablo Picasso


Painting


Palestine


Middle East


Ramallah


Art connoisseur Ola Abu Gharbieh said seeing the work in the West Bank made her proud.






"Palestinians are artistic. They are fond of art, and they had the chance and opportunity to bring such a universal and international work of art here in Palestine, and I wish to have similar experiences in the future."






Christine Hadid, a Palestinian architect and a self-avowed art lover, said the exhibit helped break through common stereotypes people hold about Palestinian society.






"This is really a big thing. We can show the world we can do something like this. Our life is not only focused on war and on all the bad things that happen to us while we are living in closure" Hadid said.






"This breaks all closures to Ramallah and Palestine. Maybe next time we will have a masterpiece by another artist -- Van Gogh or someone else. It's a first step for bigger events hopefully."

Importance of Obama's successful Middle East policies

CNN Poll: 75% of Americans Approve of Obama Personally


President Barack Obama retains strong personal appeal even as his overall job approval rating has weakened.


An overwhelming number of Americans — 75 percent — say they give President Obama a thumbs up regarding approval of him as a person, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released on Wednesday.


CNN notes that “Obama's strength remains his personal appeal” and adds that a “plurality of Republicans” also like him personally, though their positive views of the president are apparently trumped by economic jitters.


"Obama's approval among Republicans spiked after bin Laden's death, and no one expected it to stay that high for another 18 months. But the White House is probably worried more about the much smaller drops among independents and even Democrats. Those shifts are likely due to concerns about the economy, particularly unemployment," adds the CNN pollster.


In the new survey, only 48 percent of respondents say they approve of how Obama is handling his job, down 6 points from late May, while 48 percent say they disapprove, up 3 points from late last month.


Considering economic worries, including unemployment, gasoline prices, and the federal deficit, Obama’s poll numbers appear strong compared to previous presidents during bad times.


Presidents Reagan and Clinton, both viewed highly favorable in polls today, hit approval lows of 35 and 37 percent, respectively, during their presidencies.


President George W. Bush left the White House with an approval rating of just 22 percent, among the lowest for any president since polls have been conducted scientifically.

Lesley Stahl's 60 Minutes Report on Jerusalem" City of David

Jewish History vs Palestinian Land Claims

Lesley Stahl's 60 Minute Report on Jerusalem: City of David

From Mohamed Ameen

Lack of right education and employment:

The Root causes 1. Absolutist monarchies and presidents-for-life combined corruption with repression It was impossible for "imperialist" powers to do what they have done without the active collaboration of corrupt elites within these countries and in a specific cultural soil. 2. In Egypt alone, some 80 million net new jobs are required over the next 15 years just to keep pace with the population explosion. Same story of unemployment in many other Arab States. 3. All the Arab states together, with their combined population of 350 million, produce less in economic terms than Italy's 60 million people. Only three percent of the Libyan population works in the oil sector. What exactly did the rest of the population do? Official youth unemployment is at 26 percent in a rich oil-producing country like Saudi Arabia, while the unofficial rate in the countries of North Africa's Maghreb region lies at 70 percent. One third of the people of Mauritania and See more... Yemen, and one fifth of Egyptians, live on less than $2 a day. 4. The Syrian regime, born out of a coup, has, in the name of resistance to Israel, transformed into a repressive regime resembling a National Socialist society, where advancement is closed to all but the elite few. 5. The Arabs have taken to the streets without burning flags, but with extraordinary passion and generosity, and while employing peaceful means are demanding freedom and the recognition of their dignity. They know well that with freedom, comes bread. Hence they demand the removal of the autocrats, who have usurped their rights. 6. To be absolutely fair: There are certainly external pressures and there could also be marginal plots instigated and supplied from outside, and there is also pressure by the fundamentalists; but the protests in Syria -- as in other Arab countries -- are primarily a genuine movement of the people to claim democratic rights and social justice. I strongly feel that it is a big and serious responsibility of committed and well respected Muslim portals like yours to create the correct public opinion of Muslim Umma of the world towards the Arabian crisis. If your medium is going to care too much about individual Muslim opinions, freedom of speech, giving analysis on Libyan crisis and so on, and then make the Muslim individuals to decide on the best solution, it is not going to work effectively in forming a strong collective Muslim public opinion in unseating Autocrats Since Muslim nations, OIC, the Arab League el al are incapable of bringing the necessary regime change by dumping murderous tyrants into the dust bin history, whether we like it or not, we have to seek the support of other powerful non-Muslim nations which go along our line of thinking. Going back to my Iraq story. The newspapers that I used to read : Radiance, Impact, Crescent, Newsweek and so on brainwashed me to hate Saddam Hussein and support people like Ahmed Chalabi in killing Saddam Hussein for his crimes with the help of Munafiqs. What was the result? Ya Rabbi, it is far beyond any reader’s imagination how much I sobbed, regretted spending sleepless nights and I was devastated to see the Iraqi nation raped and ruptured by foreign forces and millions losing their lives. And then I realised my stupidity in supporting American actions in regime change and the Muslim media’s flaws. How the people of Iraq could have been saved if only Saddam had been in power, in spite of his weaknesses.



By Mohamed Ameen on Joshua Landis on Syrian Uprising, 4/30/2011 Posted... on 5/1/11