Wales reporter

EXCLUSIVE

PALESTINIAN campaigners shared the “GAZA — NO WORDS” exhibition on Tuesday with Wales First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth at the national Eisteddfod in Llantwd.

The exhibition at the Eisteddfod presents 24 images, documenting the genocide as it unfolded and was hand-stitched in traditional Palestinian “tatreez” embroidery.

Palestinian women in refugee camps across the West Bank, Lebanon, and Jordan produced the tapestries from images of events in Gaza.

Palestinian Solidarity Campaign Cymru (PSC Cymru) and Palestine Museum US presented what is the first exhibition of its kind to be shown in Wales.

PSC Cymru’s Bethan Sayed said: “There are moments when words simply are not enough.

“This exhibition speaks through the work of women who have stitched memory into every panel so that the people of Gaza are not erased or forgotten.”

Palestine Museum US founder Faisal Saleh said: “This exhibition was created because the world must not become numb to what is happening in Gaza.

“The women who stitched these panels have transformed grief into art and remembrance.”

The First Minister visited the exhibition with Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams and was shown around the artwork by Mr Saleh.

“Wales was one of the first parliaments to call for a ceasefire and call out the genocide for what it is,” Mr ap Iorwerth said.

“There are lots of people in Wales who share our revulsion with what is happening in Gaza and as politicians we give voice to those feelings.”

The Deputy FM said: “It was frustrating in opposition and now in government to be told that we do not have a voice in foreign affairs.

“But we do have a voice to call out the genocide.

“There are people on the streets of Wales every week calling out and demonstrating their revulsion of the action in Gaza, and we reflect those voices as the government.”

The exhibition was produced by the Palestine Museum US, and has been seen by audiences around the world.

Mr Saleh told the Star that each panel contains approximately 55,000 hand stitches, which is more than 1.3 million stitches across the entire exhibition.

“Memory is one of the strongest forms of resistance, and these works ensure that Gaza will not be forgotten,” Mr Saleh said.

The director of the Palestine Museum US also told the FM that he would love to bring the full exhibition to Wales.