The Ministry of Culture in Gaza opened on Sunday the Jerusalem Book Exhibition in the presence of official and academic figures after five years of absence due to the siege.
The first deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza Ahmad Bahar called in his opening speech on the Palestinian institutions and factions to visit the book fair and read the Palestinian history pointing to the books’ role in developing thought and knowledge.
Bahar said “The culture of resistance must always be present” stressing the need to expose the Israeli crimes through such cultural exhibitions.
For his part the Islamic Jihad leader Mohammed al-Hindi affirmed that the battle with the Israeli occupation is basically a battle of minds calling on the Palestinian people to pay more attention to the educational institutions which are considered part of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Dr. Mohammed al-Sharif the head of the exhibitions department told the PIC reporter that the goal of these exhibitions is to enhance the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and to break the siege imposed on Gaza which has affected its cultural life.
Sharif added that the Ministry of Culture is working on launching a reading club to promote reading and introduce the Palestinian people to their history and culture.
He pointed out that more than 40 educational and private institutions participated in the Jerusalem Book Exhibition to ensure diversity of its contents.
