This is Khaled Jarrar, 38, a popular Palestinian artist in Ramallah whose work on Palestinian life in the West Bank has been shown across the world, including Haifa, Israel. He had two exhibits planned for New York this July — and just missed the first.
Jarrar left Ramallah on Sunday for the border crossing between Israel and Jordan, from where he planned to catch a plane to New York. To his surprise, Israeli security denied his routine exit and forced him to turn back and miss his flight.
Jarrar had planned to attend the July 15 opening of "Here and Elsewhere," an exhibit at the New Museum featuring contemporary art from and about the Arab world, where his award-winning film, "Infiltrators" is being played.
"Infiltrators" documents Palestinians who illegally sneak into Jerusalem across the wall that separates Israel from the West Bank. Jarrar follows Palestinians seeking to visit their families in Jerusalem, to look for work, and other aspects of daily life. Since Israel built the wall after the bloody second Palestinian Intifada, some Palestinians have also illegally entered Jerusalem to attack Israeli civilians.
Jarrar has crossed from the West Bank into Jordan many times before with the right permit and no trouble. But his work has centered on continued Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement both inside and outside the Palestinian Territories.
Below are stills from Jarrar's documentary.
