As a Palestinian under Israeli occupation, it was never easy to express oneself freely about Israel’s policies even before the October 7 attacks by Hamas. Today this is even more difficult, as twenty-one-year-old student Rami Abdin (name changed for security reasons) from Jerusalem told Jacobin. Rami is studying at the renowned Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, which is an Israeli educational institution located just a twenty-minute walk away from Jerusalem’s Old City. Jacobin spoke with students of Bezalel Academy, who recounted several cases of Palestinian students being kicked out of the university without being summoned to a hearing committee since the postponed start of the last semester.

Tensions between Israeli and Palestinian students have increased significantly since the war began. “The war is, of course, always present here. Initially, I shared some artwork on Instagram by artists who drew attention to the suffering in Gaza,” says Rami. “I later found out that my Instagram profile was regularly shared in an Israeli Telegram group with the title ‘Calling out the Terrorists in Our Classrooms.’ I also received private messages from fellow students who accused me of supporting terror.” Since then, Rami has avoided discussing political issues at the academy and on social media. “It’s paradoxical,” he adds. “There are armed soldiers and settlers everywhere, but if we dared to address our situation under occupation or the suffering in Gaza in our art, we could get in a lot of trouble.”

The limits that Rami imposes on himself at Bezalel to protect himself and his family do not apply outside of the academy. However, his artistic work is sometimes ridiculed in the Palestinian community. “Some Palestinians consider art-related things, from an Islamic perspective, to be a sin. Others believe that art is only for girls, unless you create something about political issues. Political topics are always great among Palestinian communities.” While political issues seem to be banned at the art academy, they are being glorified in the Palestinian surroundings of the young artist. Hence, Rami’s artistic existence finds itself between two opposites.