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Palestinians Erect Statue Made from Jenin Wreckage |
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| PALESTINE: July 21, 2003 | ||
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JENIN, West Bank - Palestinians in the West Bank city of Jenin have erected a statue of a horse made by a German sculptor from the scrap metal of cars and homes destroyed during an Israeli army siege.
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The multi-colored, five-meter high statue was placed at the southern entrance of Jenin as a symbol of hope and renewal after a farmer dragged it around the West Bank on a cart attached to a tractor in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. It took 11 hours to travel 90 km (56 miles) within the West Bank because of the tractor's slow progress and delays at six Israeli army roadblocks on the way. Amused Israeli soldiers let it pass, dismissing any fears it might be a Trojan horse. "I want this piece of art to be a contribution toward the freedom of the Palestinian people," the sculptor, Thomas Kilpper, said. About 60 Palestinians were killed in Jenin during a two-week assault in April 2002 by troops hunting militants who had carried out suicide bombings against Israel as part of an uprising for independence. Kilpper collected scrap metal left over from the siege and built the horse with the help of 12 Palestinian teenagers. "Even if they (Israel) destroy so much, we can build our life productively out of the rubble," he said. On one side of the horse, a piece of white metal reads "Red Crescent Society." It was extracted from an ambulance in which a Palestinian doctor died after it was hit by Israeli forces.
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Story by Wafa Amr
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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