Palisra
This site is about an art project for creating shared symbols for the idea of the one-state solution in Israel and Palestine, e.g., a national flag, currency and a shared language between Arabic and Hebrew.
هذا الموقع هو عن مشروع فني مهتم بابداع رموز لفكرة الدولة الواحدة في فلسطين / إسرائيل، مثلا شكل علم الدولة ، عملتها، وايضا لغة مشتركة بين العربية والعبرية.
האתר הינו פרויקט אמנותי מוקדש ליצירת סמלים משותפים לרעיון פתרון המדינה האחת בישראל ופלשטין, כגון הדגל של המדינה , המטבע שלה ושפה משותפת בין עברית לערבית.
The Palisra Project is an artistic exploration of the spirit of the one-state solution to the Middle East conflict. It explores the nature of a world where Palestinian and Israeli nationalisms do not exist. Often, discussions of the one-state solution focus on dry legalities and fears of loss of identity. In Palisra, we explore how to fall in love with the idea of a one state. This is an ongoing project that includes creating all elements of an alternative merged nationalism: flag, money notes, stamps, religious art, and language - an Arabic-Hebrew Esperanto we are calling Palisri. Come in, open your mind, surrender your fears and fall in love with the Holy Land in a completely new way!
The Palisra Flag
The Palisra flag has eight stripes of alternating green and blue. The blue stripes represent in broad strokes the diversity of Jewish Palisris: Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Mezrahim and Sabra. The green stripes represent in broad strokes the diversity of Palestinian Palisris: 1948 Palestinians, West Bank/Gaza Palestinians, Refugees and Diaspora Palestinians. The various communities intermingle on the flag, yet maintain their uniqueness. The parallel lines evoke multiple equal ) signs which highlight the theme of equality. The green/blue pairs further symbolize Earth/Sky. The white background represent Peace through the land's communities and from earth to sky. The nine-point Palisra star combines the star of David with the Palestinian flag triangle. Here the two symbols complement each other by creating a new star.
The Palisra Map
After the Great Quake and the Great Flood at the end of he 21st century, the Miditerranean expanded in size and devoured so much of land bordering it. The Island of Palisra is what remains of Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and Sinai.
Money Note
A 5 Zahaba money note. The name Zahaba comes from the word for gold in Arabic and Hebrew.
A Palisri Prayer
This short Palisri prayer is constructed from three common elements in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim prayers. It starts with the Jewish "baruch ata..." (blessed art thou) followed by the Christian "our father" and then the last part of the Muslim "in the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful". The last two lines assert common aspects of monotheistic religions.
The Kippiya
This piece combines the two very symbolically loaded icons: the Palestinian Kuffiya and the Jewish Yarmulke (Hebrew Kippa).
The Quranic Mezuza
A distinctive feature of Jewish homes is the presence of a "mezuzah," a tiny scroll in a decorative case inscribed with the Jewish "Shema" prayer. The Shema שמע (Hebrew for `Listen!') prayer begins with the phrase: "Listen O'Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." Shema is perhaps the most important prayer in Judaism. Mezuzah cases are typically marked with the Hebrew letter ש (Shin), for Shaddai, a name of God meaning Almighty.
A Muslim correlate of the Shema is Surat Al-Ikhlas سورة الإخلاص (Sura of The Fidelity), one of the most commonly recited Quranic suras. The four short verses of this sura contain the declaration of monotheism: "Say: He is God, the One and Only! God, the Eternal, Absolute. He begetteth not nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him."
This piece combines two cultural icons of Judaism and Islam: a mezuzah with a scroll showing the first verse in Surat Al-Ikhlas.
God is Light
A menorah with flames shaping the word Allah.
In the Beginning there was Alef
Alef Bet Gem Dal - A B G D - أ ب ج د - א ב ג ד
This project has been funded completely independently by the artist.