ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the value Palestinians ascribe to forms of photographic witnessing in relation to ongoing resistance to the Israeli occupation. It does this by focussing on representations of photographers produced by Palestinian activists and by Palestinian photographers themselves. In particular, the discussion considers props used in a demonstration held in the West Bank village of Bil’in in 2006 that was themed around the political role and martyrdom of journalists and photojournalists. The chapter also examines a number of images used by Palestinian photographers as Facebook Cover Photos. These images depict the photographers being arrested by the Israeli army or facing other hardships while undertaking their photographic work. As such, the Cover Photos frame Palestinian photographers as people who make sacrifices to document the occupation and through this potentially contribute to the wider national struggle. Using these examples, an argument is made for an approach to photography in the context of Palestinian resistance to the occupation that focuses on the cultural meaning and value of these witnessing practices.
