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The Jenin Horse

Coordinates: 32°27′39″N 35°17′32″E / 32.46083°N 35.29222°E / 32.46083; 35.29222
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The Jenin Horse
Al-Hissan
The statue in September 2023
Map
32°27′39″N 35°17′32″E / 32.46083°N 35.29222°E / 32.46083; 35.29222
LocationJenin, West Bank, Palestine
DesignerThomas Kilpper
Height16 ft (5 m)
Completion date2003
Dismantled dateOctober 29, 2023 by the IDF

The Jenin Horse (Arabic: حصان جنين), also known by its Arabic name Al-Hissan (The Horse), was a sculpture built in 2003 in Jenin, Palestine, out of scrap metal from houses and vehicles destroyed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the Second Intifada. One piece of the horse came from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance which was attacked by the IDF, killing Khalil Suleiman in 2002. Considered a landmark of Jenin, the sculpture was dismantled by the IDF on October 29, 2023.

Construction

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The 16 foot (5 meters) sculpture was sponsored by the Goethe-Institut.[1][2][3] Designed by German artist Thomas Kilpper, it was assembled with the help of about twelve Palestinian teenagers in June 2003.[1][4][5] Over the course of several weeks, they built the horse with scrap metal salvaged from houses and cars destroyed by the IDF during the Second Intifada.[2][1][6][5] One piece of the horse came from a large panel of a PRCS ambulance that had been destroyed on March 4, 2002, in Jenin.[7][8][9] In the attack, the Israeli military killed the head of the local PRCS emergency services, Khalil Suleiman, and injured his colleagues as they attempted to rescue a wounded girl.[2][1][10][5]

While building the horse, Kilpper observed the difficulties of life in Jenin, including intermittent curfews, IDF raids, and the trauma of his assistants. Additionally, some members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades shot at the horse but later apologized.[2][5] Kilpper and four of the teenagers accompanied the completed sculpture as it was towed by tractor through multiple Israeli checkpoints to Ramallah.[2][11][5] After the tour, the horse was set up in a roundabout close to the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp.[4][12][8]

The Horse of Jenin was considered one of the landmarks of Jenin[4][12][13] and a monument to sumud, the Palestinian cultural value of steadfastness.[14][11][15] One Guardian journalist called it a symbol of "renewal of life from death and destruction".[6] In an interview, Kilpper stated that the Jenin Horse "reclaimed public space and reopened it for social and cultural development" during a time when the IDF frequently required local residents to remain indoors.[16]

Dismantling and aftermath

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On October 29, 2023, the sculpture was removed and carried away in a backhoe by the IDF.[1][12][17] It is assumed by several sources that the IDF destroyed the horse.[18][19][11] In the same raid, the IDF killed several Palestinians, one of whom they said founded the local branch of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.[17][18]

Kilpper called the act "outrageous" and said that he felt "terribly powerless in the face of the scale of destruction.”[1] A Jadaliyya article said that "the settler state tried to destroy a 'symbol of destruction' because he is also a 'symbol of survival,' and then hauled him away into an unknown future."[4]

Depiction in media

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Images of the sculpture have been used in protests of the Gaza War, including a large model of the horse that has been brought to demonstrations in England.[20][21] Activists created a quilt inspired by the AIDS Memorial quilt that features pro-Palestinian slogans and images, including a reference to the Jenin Horse. The quilt was displayed at a protest on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[22][23]

Palestinian artist Alaa Shehada wrote a solo show called The Horse of Jenin that he has performed since 2024 in multiple locations, including Amsterdam, London's Theatre Royal Stratford East, and New York's Under the Radar Festival.[24][25][26] The show, a comedy, recounts stories from Shehada's life centered around the Jenin Horse. Shehada ponders the fate of the horse after its "arrest" and concludes that the IDF "can’t destroy its meaning."[26][27]

The Jenin Horse is mentioned in the poem "The Book of Sumud" published in the Summer 2016 Prairie Schooner.[28]

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See Also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Velie, Elaine (2023-11-01). "Israeli Forces Remove West Bank Sculpture Commemorating 2002 Massacre". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hass, Amira (2003-07-17). "Riding High to Ramallah". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2025-02-06.
  3. ^ Majari, Fareed C. (2009). "When Everything Else Fails - Possible Roles of the Arts in Conflict Resolution in the Middle East" (PDF). The Japan Foundation.
  4. ^ a b c d Barakat, Rana (2024-02-06). "Jenin and Her Horse: The Power of Symbols". Jadaliyya - جدلية. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  5. ^ a b c d e Kilpper, Thomas (2003). "al hissan – the jenin horse". Thomas Kilpper. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  6. ^ a b Gani, Aisha (2014-03-03). "Jenin's Freedom theatre: from death and destruction, a message of hope". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  7. ^ "Israeli army removes symbolic horse statue from Jenin". Middle East Eye. 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  8. ^ a b Winslow, Philip C. (2007). Victory for us is to see you suffer : in the West Bank with the Palestinians and the Israelis. Boston : Beacon Press. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-8070-6906-6 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ Afzal-Khan, Fawzia (2017-06-30). "Eyewitness in the Holy Land - IV". The Friday Times. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  10. ^ "Israel intensifies crackdown on armed resistance in Jenin following October 7". Mondoweiss. 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  11. ^ a b c Al Jazeera English (2023-12-13). Removing symbols of resilience: Israel demolishes Palestinian monuments in Jenin. Retrieved 2025-02-06 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ a b c Zakir-Hussain, Maryam (2023-12-09). "Palestinian women battling to preserve their culture amid deadly attacks in West Bank". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  13. ^ Irving, Sarah (2011). Palestine. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-84162-367-2.
  14. ^ Bleibleh, Sahera; Perez, Michael Vicente; Bleibleh, Thaira (2019-11-01). "Palestinian refugee women and the Jenin refugee camp: Reflections on urbicide and the dilemmas of home in exile". Urban Studies. 56 (14): 2897–2916. doi:10.1177/0042098018811789. ISSN 0042-0980.
  15. ^ "حصان جنين.. حكاية عملٍ فنّي اختطفه الاحتلال". منصة فلسطين الثقافية. 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  16. ^ Kierulf, Annette (2009). "Do not let the past rest in peace". Kunstjournalen B-post. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
  17. ^ a b "Israeli raid in Jenin camp kills four, leaves mass destruction". Maktoob media. 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  18. ^ a b "Four Palestinian terrorists killed in overnight IDF raid in Jenin". The Jerusalem Post. 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  19. ^ "Israel destroys statue made of ambulances remains". Al Bawaba. October 30, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  20. ^ Dispatch, Enfield (2024-07-24). "Local pro-Palestine groups march through Edmonton calling for Gaza ceasefire". Enfield Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  21. ^ "Model of the 'Jenin Horse' being wheeled along by protesters". Getty Images. 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  22. ^ Pontone, Maya; Nayyar, Rhea (2024-03-24). "Activists Unfurl Massive Quilt for Gaza on Met Museum Steps". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  23. ^ "Pro-Palestine Activists Occupy Met Steps with Massive Quilt". Artforum. 2024-03-26. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  24. ^ Wild, Stephi (2024-11-26). "THE HORSE OF JENIN Comes to La MaMa in January". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  25. ^ Pizarro, Citlali (2025-01-28). "Oppression, Resistance, and Survival in 'Blind Runner,' 'The Horse of Jenin,' and 'A Knock on the Roof'". 3Views. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  26. ^ a b Mckenna, Keith (2025-01-17). "Theatre review: The Horse of Jenin from Troupe Courage Netherlands, in association with the Palestine Comedy Club at Theatre Royal Stratford East". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  27. ^ Rubins, Dan (2025-01-22). "Under the Radar 2025". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  28. ^ Champion, Anne (2016). "The Book of Sumud". Prairie Schooner. 90 (2): 147–148. ISSN 1542-426X.
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