The headline of this Reuters piece (thanks to Sr. Soph) is “Pictures change as Gazans wipe memories of Israel,” but the story itself reveals that the Palestinian Arabs are not so much wiping out memories of Israel, but are celebrating the memories of jihadist “martyrs” who they think are responsible for their victory:
NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza Strip, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Paintings of Palestinians killed in a nearly five-year-old uprising are already daubed on the walls of Gaza’s former Jewish settlements.
Arabic slogans now cover the graffiti left by Israeli soldiers.
Even before the rubble of the settlements is cleared to allow new building, Palestinians are trying to erase the memory of the Israelis who completed their pullout from the Gaza Strip on Monday after 38 years of occupation.
“We wanted to make what was unacceptable look nice and acceptable,” said Taha Abu Ghali, heading a group of artists decorating the concrete sniper wall outside the biggest settlement of Neve Dekalim.
“We want to share our people’s joy,” he added.
The 10-metre murals now covering the settlement walls are very much in the traditional school of the “martyr” paintings that are one of the few flashes of colour in Gaza’s drab cinderblock cities and refugee camps.
Earnest-faced young men with wispy moustaches, beards and assault rifles predominate — portraits of militants, many of them killed while attacking Jewish settlements.
Another regular feature is the gold-roofed Dome of the Rock mosque, a symbol of Jerusalem and the uprising since 2000, which militants say brought about the pullout from Gaza.
Abu Ghali’s team painted a picture of an Israeli notebook with the page “Gaza” torn out and two further pages bearing the words “West Bank” and “Jerusalem” left, representing the other territories Palestinians want for their state.