’OM (mother) by Barbara Debeuckelaere

In 'Om (Mother), Palestinian women from Tel Rumeida take control by using the camera to record their daily experiences, their families, and their immediate environments. Through photography, they highlight their resilience and the complex nature of their domestic lives. By documenting their struggle to maintain normalcy amidst oppression, these women engage in a profound form of resistance, sharing their stories with the world.

'Om (Mother) is a joint photographic endeavor by Barbara Debeuckelaere (BE) and the women from eight families in Tel Rumeida, Hebron, Palestine. Hebron, second only to Jerusalem, is unique in the West Bank for its integration of radical Israeli settlers directly within a Palestinian city, and hosts numerous religious sites revered by both Jews and Arabs.

The presence of small, intensely guarded settlements fragments historic districts into isolated sections, controlled by checkpoints that greatly limit the movement of Palestinian inhabitants. With Israeli settlers making up only two percent of the Old City's population, yet guarded by a military presence more than double in size, conflict frequently intensifies in this divided community.

Beyond the enduring strife and unlawful occupation, Palestinians experience relentless monitoring and face the constant danger of violent harassment from their settler neighbors, who often act without repercussions. Although the conflict impacts both genders, Palestinian women, who predominantly remain indoors out of concern for their safety and that of their children, are seldom seen or heard in media coverage of the conflict, which typically features Palestinian men actively resisting or enduring violence.

Mother, I will not name you a woman,
I will name you everything.
– Mahmoud Darwish