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Swiss museum suspends Elysée Prize to protest Lacoste's exclusion of Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour

Ali Abunimah 21 December 2011

The Musée de L’Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland has suspended the 2011 Lacoste Elysée Prize, a presitigious international photography contest, over the sponsor’s decision to expel Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour. The following press release was issued by the museum. 

Susan Youssef's Habibi, a Gaza feature film a decade in the making, wins major award

Ali Abunimah 21 December 2011

Susan Youssef’s new feature film Habibi has won the award for Best Arab Feature Film at the 8th Dubai International Film Festival. This achievement comes after a decade-long struggle by Youssef to make the film. Last year she wrote for The Electronic Intifada about the trials of making a feature film set in Gaza and what inspired it: 

Evidence of Lacoste's censorship of Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour captured by Google cache

Ali Abunimah 21 December 2011

Earlier today, I wrote about the scandalous expulsion of Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour from the prestigious Lacoste Elysée Prize shortlist at the request of Lacoste, the high-end French fashion company that sponsors the contest. Sansour, who was born in Jerusalem, said in a press release that Lacoste wanted her out because she was too “too pro-Palestinian.” The press release also stated: 

Land swap deals concluded under occupation are illegal, rights group warns Palestinian leaders

Adri Nieuwhof 20 December 2011

The human rights organization Al Haq published a new report on the illegality of ‘land swap’ agreements that warns Palestinian leaders that as long as Israel occupies the Palestinian territory, any ‘land swap’ agreement is contrary to international law. 

French clothing firm Lacoste censors, expels Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour from prestigious contest

Ali Abunimah 20 December 2011

The high-end French clothing chain Lacoste has demanded the removal of work by Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour from the shortlist for the €25,000 Lacoste Elysee Prize that is awarded by the Swiss Musee de l’Elysee with sponsorship from the firm. 

Are we not humans?

Mohammed Suliman 20 December 2011

I am a Palestinian. Hath not a Palestinian eyes? hath not a Palestinian hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as an Israeli Jew is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.