A Palestinian man wakes up in the ruins of his family's West Bank house, destroyed by the Israeli army, in the village of Mufakara in the hills south of Hebron, June 7, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VU
When we startedBroken Hopes, Oslo’s Legacy in May 2013, many people — especially those living in the West Bank — were extremely pessimistic about attempts to revive negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The consensus seemed to be that, for all the fanfare they had generated, the 1993 Oslo Accords were not merely a failure, but a catastrophe. Twenty years after Arafat and Rabin met at the White House, we wanted to discover what (if anything) remained of the hopes that their historic handshake had generated.
But we didn’t want this project to be just another political analysis. Instead, we wanted to give voice to those who feel they have been forgotten in the midst of the peace process. This is why our travels took us from south to north of the West Bank, stopping along the way to meet people living in Area C — under full Israeli control. It is there, after all, that one can really begin to understand the issues at stake in the negotiations, and grasp the everyday consequences of the interrupted peace process.
Photography has an evocative strength, of course, but as a method of communication it also has its limits, which is why we chose to add other media and modes of expression to the project. Video, for example, provides for a deeper engagement, bringing the viewer inside the reality. The use of sound, meanwhile, adds yet another layer of perception. Mapping, which illustrates the division and fragmentation of the territory, also acts in this regard as a narrative element.
With an interactive online platform, people can “look through a window” or “drive” from one situation to another, gaining (we hope) both perception and understanding of the reality facing those living in these areas today.
Cédric Gerbehaye is a Belgian documentary photographer and a member of Agence VU.
A Palestinian man wakes up in the ruins of his family's West Bank house, destroyed by the Israeli army, in the village of Mufakara in the hills south of Hebron, June 7, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUA young Bedouin in his car overlooking the hills of his village which is threatened to be evicted by the Israeli army in Wadi Abu Hindi, West Bank, June 24, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUH2 is under Israeli surveillance and it is the economic, historical and religious center of Hebron, West Bank.
The H2 zone embraces the old city, where 800 settlers divided into 4 colonies live in bunker-type quarters under the protection of the Israeli army, April 28, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUThe separation wall in Abu Dis, West Bank, June 14, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUSoldiers from the elite unit "Givati" rest at a bus stop in the settled part of Hebron, West Bank, June 12, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUA portrait of Mahmoud Hawamdeh working in his field in Mufakara, West Bank, April 27, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUThe separation wall in Dah Yet Albarid, West Bank, June 19, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUPortraits on glass plates of Jews killed in the massacre in 1929 in Hebron, West Bank during the riots that broke out in Mandatory Palestine, April 29, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUYoung settlers are fixing a car in the former Muslim market in Hebron, West Bank, April 29, 2013. On the door is written in Hebrew: "Hebron is ours."Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUThe separation wall in the West Bank, June 9, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUPatriarch's gravestone in Hebron, West Bank, April 29, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUA young victim of a Molotov cocktail attack by settlers in the West Bank, June 2, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUSoldiers patrolling in the West Bank, June 10, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUAhmed Shaheen, 23 years old, a member of National Security, killed in the explosion of his car by an F-16, Gaza Strip, 2006.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUA siesta during an Israeli raid on the refugee camp of Rafah in the south of Gaza Strip, 2006.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUA victim of a Molotov cocktail attack by settlers in the West Bank, June 2, 2013.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUIn Beit Hanoun, children cry for their mother, killed in at attack while she was preparing dinner, Gaza Strip, 2006.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUArrest in the Old City of Hebron, West Bank, 2005. Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUA road sign at the entrance of the village in Sayr, West Bank, June 22, 2013. Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUInside a tunnel between the Gaza Strip and Egypt near Rafah, Gaza Strip, 2006. These tunnels are used to smuggle weapons and ammunition but also as a lifeline between Gaza and the outside world.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUPalestinians waiting in front of an electric door which controlled by Israeli soldiers at the entrance of the Mosque of the Cave of the Patriarchs, Hebron, West Bank, 2005.Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VUA young boy waits for his friend to play in a closed street of the H2 zone in Hebron, West Bank, April 28, 2013. Cédric Gerbehaye—Agence VU
