Let it Weave Us

I know what a free Palestine tastes like

Olive oil pressed fresh by ancient millstones

Simple syrup flavored with orange blossom

Green dates black olives zaatar

Salt of the sea on our tongues

I know what a free Palestine smells like

Taita, grandmother, baby powder rose and jasmine—

the foreign floral mix of perfumes

Sedo brings back from abroad 

Lemon soap, sage tea, almond blossoms

Manaeesh in the morning

I know what a free Palestine feels like

Aumto’s fingernails running through my hair

The warmth of the thobe on my skin 

Worth the pinch of the embroidery pins

Sticky figs

I know what a free Palestine sounds like 

Little cousins’ laughter while babysitting late

The tickle of backgammon dice being rolled,

the protests of the unlucky one

The drums on my wedding day 

I know what a free Palestine looks like

Sunshine through the leaves of olive trees

Waves lapping on the shore roaring off the coast

The threads of life bright and brilliant

red and gold woven thoroughly throughout

our lives 

by Muna Dawn Hijazi

Artists’ Statement

Let it Weave Us affirms the Tucson community’s commitment to a free Palestine, a world without walls, and the liberation of all peoples through resistance, care, and solidarity.

The ongoing slaughter in Gaza is unconscionable. We paint in mourning, in hope, and in solidarity. We reject war, apartheid, occupation, and colonial domination in all its forms. We stand with people all around the world fighting for the earth, and for the sacred and sovereign life of all peoples.

Let it Weave Us was brought to life by an informal group of Tucson artists who came together in Fall 2023 with a shared goal: provide a meaningful way for people to engage with solidarity movements for a free Palestine, and bring our message to the streets with public art. That effort began with the design and painting of a 70 ft mural on Broadway & Columbus reading Free Palestine, End the Occupation, completed in one day by sixteen artists in January 2024.

In Summer 2024, we began organizing Let it Weave Us, a second mural now adorning the south wall of BorderLinks. It was created over the one-year anniversary of Israel’s escalated military assault on Gaza.

We titled the mural Let it Weave Us to reflect the interconnected threads of corporate greed, state violence, militarization, resistance, and hope that stretch across movements and across lands. We draw connections between the U.S./Mexico borderlands and the borders imposed on Palestine—both shaped by occupation and militarization. In weaving together people, stories, and struggles, we build collective power; understanding these shared struggles strengthens our collective resistance to them. 

We include imagery that reflects the intertwined systems of corporate greed—most notably Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer. Elbit developed drones, surveillance systems, and border technologies used in Palestine. These same tools were later contracted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to build a “virtual wall” across the Arizona borderlands on O’odham land. These Integrated Fixed Towers (IFTs) and physical border walls—depicted in the mural–are tools first tested on Palestinians and now deployed on Indigenous communities in the U.S., harming lands, wildlife, and lives.

We center Indigenous resilience in the face of colonial assault—both historical and ongoing, by drawing from photos of Indigenous resistance in the U.S/Mexico borderlands and Israel/Palestine, voices of scholars and resistors, Palestinian poetry, symbols of solidarity, and our own experiences as artists. Every person depicted in this mural is a real person fighting for, and caring for, their homeland.

The state-led, corporate-backed, and ongoing violence enacted by both Israel and the United States has been met by generations of resistance, refusal, and survival.

After months of collective learning and designing, we invited our broader community of friends and artists to paint with us. This act of creation is a space for care, reflection, and resistance.

We hope Let it Weave Us now serves as a tool for learning, dialogue, and connection—for all who live in or visit this community.

We honor all the martyrs, children, elders, earth, medical workers, educators, artists, students, journalists, and all those who continue to fight for justice. 

From Arizona to Palestine –all the walls must fall. 

These murals have been made possible with the support of Borderlinks,nearly 100 members of the local Arizona community who donated, and the dozens of community members who helped paint. THANK YOU!

Imagery Key and Mural Guide

Watermelon Sun

An open watermelon represents the colors of the Palestinian flag, and has been used as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity since the flying of the flag was banned by the Israeli government during the Six Day War in 1967, which remained until the early 1990s. (source: wikipedia)

“The liberation of Palestine, like the rising of the sun, is inevitable.”  (source: @leftaesthetic on instagram)

Birds transforming from pattern of the Keffiyeh

“Originally worn by the rural farming community, the Palestinian kufiya became a symbol of resistance during the 1930s revolt against British Colonialism. Today, it stands as the ultimate emblem of the Palestinian revolution and the unwavering spirit of the Palestinian people.” (source: Hirbawi)

“The iconic patterns on the keffiyeh have long been disputed. Typically, it consists of three main patterns:

the fishnets,

the bold lines and

the olive leaves. 

The fishnet pattern is argued to represent the Palestinians’ connection to the sea. Some believe the fishnet to be a symbol of collectivism – knotting individuals into a wider, stronger entity.  Others, like Palestinian performer Fargo Tbakhi, perceive the pattern to resemble barbed wire – a nod to the nation’s occupation.

A less prominent, yet equally meaningful, pattern is the olive leaves that line the bottom of the keffiyeh. Olive trees are of great cultural significance to Palestinians, playing a vital role in the Palestinian economy. Even today, approximately 100,000 families in Palestinian territories rely on Palestinian olive oil and products as a main source of income.More than this, the olive tree, which lives an average of 300-600 years, is a representation of Palestinian resilience and attachment to their land.” (source: Hirbawi)

Kite

“In 2011, more than 12,000 children in Gaza flew kites on the beach, setting a new world record for most kites flown simultaneously. Devastatingly, more children were killed in the first five months of Israel’s genocide in Gaza than flew kites in 2011. The kite has become a powerful symbol of Palestinian freedom and resistance.” (source: afsc.org)

“If I Must Die”  - Poem by Refaat Alareer, 2011

“If I must die, 

you must live 

to tell my story 

to sell my things 

to buy a piece of cloth 

and some strings, 

(make it white with a long tail) 

so that a child, somewhere in Gaza 

while looking heaven in the eye 

awaiting his dad who left in a blaze— 

and bid no one farewell 

not even to his flesh 

not even to himself— 

sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above 

and thinks for a moment an angel is there 

bringing back love 

If I must die 

let it bring hope 

let it be a tale.”

Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda holding a kite with the Palestinian flag

“I am a Palestinian, and I carry within me a lot of sadness, grief, anger, and revenge, but I carry stubbornness mixed with the soil of the village to which I originate, in northern Gaza, and my stubbornness tells me: Gaza is the most beautiful place on earth, and the most deserving of life. 

We will rebuild it, even if it took 100 years, that is why we were created. Inshallah every year will my land be mine, my sea be mine, and my sky be mine.”  - Bisan Owda

Based on a photo posted by @wizardbisan1 on instagram 

Waves

“The sea waves lap against the shore. It glitters and dances with the fishers’ boats. And we, we are looking for Palestine.”  - excerpt from “We Are Looking for Palestine” poem by Mosab Abu Toha, 2021

Prickly Pear Cactus

The word “sabr” in Arabic translates to both “cactus” and “patience.” It holds significant meaning, especially in the aftermath of the Nakba in 1948 which resulted in the forced displacement and exile of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes. For Palestinians, the cactus is not merely a plant; it symbolizes dispossession, resilience, and patience.

Cactus is a powerful part of Palestinian memory and geography. Traditionally, cactus was used to demarcate land and homes throughout Palestine.  Much of the cactus hedges remain until this day as they are extremely difficult to uproot and destroy.  The surviving cactus creates a sort of living map of the numerous villages demolished and ethnically cleansed in 1948, with some Palestinians able to use the cactus as a tool to identify where their homes once stood. 

(source: @nolcollective on instagram)

“Native groups in the desert southwest have used the prickly pear cactus as a source of food; the Tohono O’odham people have used the young cactus pads (nopales) of the prickly pear, and harvested the fruits (tuna) for centuries. 

The prickly pear cactus can be found in desert regions of the Americas, \. Even though it is native to the Americas, it has been known to be grown around the world,” including Palestine. (source: Hope Wilson, Melissa Wyatt, Patricia Zilliox “Prickly Pear Cactus: Food of the Desert” (Sept 2019))

Olive Tree

“Palestine is home to some of the world’s oldest olive trees, some nearly 5,000 years old. Olives are core to the Palestinian culture and livelihoods -- with nearly 90,000 families relying on them as sources of income. Olives are also a symbol of resistance -- often targeted by Israeli settlers who routinely destroy Palestinian olive trees as a form of occupation.” (source: @earthrise.studio on instagram)

Child planting an olive tree

“Planting for me is a form of resistance. I bring life to earth. I hope that my plants have strong roots to the ground, just like Palestinians do.” - Medo Halimy (source: @medo_halimy on instagram)

Based on a photo taken by one of the mural artists during a tree planting gathering in Birzeit, Palestine in 2010.

A young child and his community touch the face of his baby sister, killed by the israeli regime

Based on a photo of Khaled Jaoud saying goodbye to his baby sister in the morgue of a hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza City, in October 2024. Photo by Samar Abu Elouf (source: The New York Times)

Poppies

“Poppies spring up in large numbers in Palestinian fields when spring comes around, which is partly why they’ve become an important symbol in Palestinian culture. They represent the relationship between Palestinians and their land, as well as resistance against Israeli occupation.” - (source: @earthrise.studio on instagram)

Saguaro Blooms

“So within our stories that we have in our culture, we do have a story about how the saguaro came to be, and actually the saguaro was a child that turned into a saguaro, and so we look at them as our ancestors, we look at them as living beings. Living beings in terms of [that] they have a spirit,” Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, a mentor for the Tohono O’odham Student Association at the University of Arizona and adjunct instructor at Tohono O’odham Community College (source: The Daily Wildcat)

Person painting a heart on a child’s face

“I know what a free Palestine feels like, endless kisses on blushing cheeks.” - excerpt from “I Know a Free Palestine” poem by Muna Halimy

Based on a photo taken by one of the mural artists during a tree planting gathering in Birzeit, Palestine in 2010.

Mountains

Based on the mountains that can be seen all around us here on O’odham land and those that span across the imposed U.S./Mexico border, many of which have been blasted for the construction of the border wall

Person yelling into bullhorn whose words break the wall

Based on a photo taken of Nellie Jo David, a Hia C-ed O’odham activist and water protector, by Kitra Cahana during protests at the border wall through O'odham land in 2019 

River

Honoring all water protectors and all waters, our most vital resource. A reference to both the Jordan River in Palestine, and Quitobaquito Springs, a spring sacred to the O’odham, which was imperiled due to excessive groundwater pumping in 2019 for the construction of the U.S/Mexico border wall. (source: As border wall divides traditional home, two tribal groups from both sides meet at sacred Quitobaquito Springs by Rafael Carranza)

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

“At the most basic level, this calls for a free Palestine from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean)...

When Palestinians call for freedom from the river to the sea, they are calling for decolonization and the dismantling of this racist colonial entity which dominates their lives, and seek to replace it with a state that would not exist at the expense of the subjugation of others.” (source: decolonizepalestine.com)

“‘From the river to the sea’ is a rejoinder to the fragmentation of Palestinian land and people by Israeli occupation and discrimination. Palestinians have been divided in a myriad of ways by Israeli policy. There are Palestinian refugees denied repatriation because of discriminatory Israeli laws. There are Palestinians denied equal rights living within Israel’s internationally recognized territory as second-class citizens. There are Palestinians living with no citizenship rights under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank. There are Palestinians in legal limbo in occupied Jerusalem and facing expulsion. There are Palestinians in Gaza living under an Israeli siege. All of them suffer from a range of policies in a singular system of discrimination and apartheid—a system that can only be challenged by their unified opposition. All of them have a right to live freely in the land from the river to the sea.” (source: jewishcurrents.org)

Person placing hands on the wall that cracks it

Based on a photo taken during protests at the border wall imposed on O'odham land 

Person throwing a stone that turns into water that breaks the wall

“The act of throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers has become a symbolic act of defiance and resistance for the Palestinians. The juxtaposition between boys and men armed with stones against the Israeli military has drawn comparisons to biblical foes David and Goliath.Like the keffiyeh, the checkered Arab scarf that Palestinians sometimes use as a shield -- against tear gas, and to hide their identities -- the stone has become a symbol of their struggle.”

(source: Julia Macfarlane “Why Palestinians throw stones: A reporter's notebook,” ABC News (May 2018))

Based on a photo taken during the March of Return protests in Palestine in 2018. (source unknown)

Stacked stones

“Visitors to the West Bank and Gaza get a very immediate, sensory grasp of the significance of stones. In the West Bank, the main cities and towns and many larger villages lie along the ridge of hills and plateaus running north to south and forming a sort of geological spine between the Mediterranean coastal plains and the Jordan rift valley. It is a land made of equal measure of stone and soil. The inhabitants and their ancestors have used the stone to hold the soil to the hillsides in order to provide rooting ground for their olive and fruit trees. The hill country of the West Bank is a subtly sculptured landscape of terraces that testify to uncounted generations of unobtrusive settlement, rows of rough stones piled patiently and mended every several seasons.” (source: Joe Stork "The Significance of Stones," Middle East Report 154 (September/October 1988))

Integrated Fixed Towers (IFTs)

Elbit Systems (Israel's largest weapons manufacturer) created technologies first developed and deployed on Palestinians and later on the Indigenous communities of our southern border, directly impacting Indigenous lands, animals and communities. (source: The U.S. Border Patrol and an Israeli Military Contractor Are Putting a Native American Reservation Under “Persistent Surveillance” by Will Parrish)

“Although the IFT was the enshrined example of the Israeli-U.S. synergy for border control, it was but one example of Israeli technology used for enforcement over several decades. The first drones on the border were Elbit’s Hermes in 2004 and former IDF soldiers in a company called the Golan Group trained ICE agents in 2008 in the close-combat martial art krav maga. They taught the agents the importance of seeing “the whites of the enemies’ eyes.” In 2014, the University of Arizona privileged a relationship with Israel for its tech park, which was developing border technology. The latest example was the Texas state police’s acquisition of phone-tracking software as part of Operation Lone Star for the “border emergency,” as The Intercept revealed in July. None of this should be a surprise, since the Department of Homeland Security has been consistently formalizing agreements “to increase security cooperation with Israel,” which University of Ben Gurion scholar Neve Gordon calls “the homeland security/surveillance capital” of the world” (source: At the Palestine-Mexico Border: Confronting the Climate Fortress in Southern Arizona by Todd Miller)

Wall

A composite representation of the West Bank wall imposed on Palestinian land and the border wall between the so-called countries of the United States and Mexico