Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh today inaugurated the 13th Palestine International Book Fair on the grounds of the National Library in Ramallah under the title 'From the Nakba to the State.' Speaking at the inauguration, the Prime Minister said that the Nakba was the loss of some of the lands of Palestine, and caused the displacement of 950,000 Palestinians who became refugees in many countries, and what is even as bad is that the Palestinian books that were stolen sit today on the shelves of Israeli libraries. 'Palestine was the gateway to the Arab renaissance and culture, in Jaffa, Haifa, Jerusalem and Safed. Cinemas, theaters, libraries and radio stations radiated culture and knowledge over Palestine, and I am happy to see today this distinguished Arab presence on the land of Palestine,' he said. Shtayyeh said Palestine is present in Arab books and Arab writers are always present in Palestine. 'There are tainted books, but not here. They are on the other side, which seeks to forge the narrative about Palestine. Yet, what we see in this exhibition is a reinforcement of the Palestinian and Arab narratives about Palestine,' he said. The Palestine International Book Fair was opened with the participation of 390 local and Arab publishing houses and agencies from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia, in addition to contributions and agencies from countries such as Turkey, Italy, Britain, and Canada. The exhibition will include more than 61,000 titles displayed on a total area of more than 6,500 square meters, considered the largest in the history of the Palestine Book Fair exhibitions. In addition to the publishing houses, the exhibition hosts four official pavilions from four Arab countries: Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Oman. It will also include pavilions for a number of government institutions, centers, civil society groups, and various cultural settings.
Source: En - Palestine news & Information Agency - WAFA