Despite a defamatory attack on Palestine Writes Literature Festival by some Zionist American Jewish organizations, the sold-out event proceeded more or less as planned, minus a few glitches. An estimated 1,300 attendees converged at the University of Pennsylvania to celebrate Palestinian literature and Palestinian writers at the weekend long event held from September 22-24.

In their new photo exhibit, “La La Lil Jidar: 20 Years Behind the Apartheid Wall in Palestine,” Philadelphia-based photographer Aisha Mershani (they/them) documents the devastating impact that Israel’s apartheid wall has had on Palestinian life since Israel began construction in 2002.