The Jenin Horse

The Jenin Horse
حصان جنين
large horse sculpture made of patchworked metal pieces standing in a plaza with a Palestinian flag
The statue in September 2023
Interactive map of The Jenin Horse
LocationJenin, West Bank, Palestine
Coordinates32°27′39″N 35°17′32″E / 32.46083°N 35.29222°E / 32.46083; 35.29222
DesignerThomas Kilpper
Height16 ft (4.9 m)
Beginning dateJune 2003
Dismantled date29 October 2023

The Jenin Horse (Arabic: حصان جنين), also known by the Arabic name Al-Hissan (The Horse), was a sculpture built in 2003 in Jenin, Palestine, out of metal salvaged from areas destroyed in the Second Intifada. Sponsored by the Goethe-Institut in Ramallah, the sculpture was designed by German artist Thomas Kilpper, who assembled it with the assistance of local youth. Part of the horse came from a Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance which was attacked by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), killing doctor Khalil Suleiman.

The sculpture was installed in a roundabout at the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp, where it stood for 20 years. IDF incursions and clashes with Palestinian armed groups in Jenin increased in 2022 and 2023, particularly after the October 7 attacks. In the first few months of the Gaza war, the horse and other monuments in Jenin were dismantled by the IDF. The sculpture is memorialized in The Horse of Jenin, a one-man show by Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada.

History

Construction

In June 2003, German artist Thomas Kilpper traveled to Jenin to create an art project at the invitation of the Goethe-Institut in Ramallah.[1][2] While Kilpper was there, the Second Intifada was ongoing, and the IDF regularly conducted raids and enforced days-long curfews in Jenin.[3][1] In the previous year, during Operation Defensive Shield, at least 52 Palestinians had been killed and large areas had been bulldozed by the IDF in the Battle of Jenin.[3][2][4]

Kilpper, who creates site-specific public art, wanted to build a piece that "reclaimed public space".[1][3] He planned to build a horse, a symbol of freedom in Arab culture,[5] out of materials salvaged from the damage in Jenin.[6][7] The project was a collaboration between Kilpper and local residents.[8][6][7] Kilpper and a group of teenagers gathered scrap metal from wrecked buildings and vehicles. They worked with a welder to connect the metal panels of various colors and attach them to the skeleton they built from salvaged rods.[3][2][9] At the teens' suggestion, the horse incorporated part of a Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance that was attacked by the IDF in March 2002. The strike killed doctor Khalil Suleiman, head of the local PRCS branch, while he was responding to an emergency call.[3][10][6] The IDF stated that they attacked the ambulance because it did not stop.[3]

The Jenin Horse was 5 meters (16 feet) tall.[11] Israeli journalist Amira Hass described the sculpture as resembling a mule more than a horse.[3] After the sculpture was completed, its final location was disputed for several weeks, with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade advocating for it to be installed in the Jenin refugee camp. In the meantime, Kilpper decided to attempt transporting the sculpture across the West Bank as a protest against Israeli checkpoints.[3][7] On 12 July, Kilpper and four of the teenagers accompanied the Jenin Horse as it was towed by tractor to Ramallah.[3][12] Over the course of their approximately 90 km (56 mi) journey,[13] they passed through multiple checkpoints, facing several delays due to travel permits and other issues. They arrived in Ramallah after 11 hours of travel.[3][7]

Kilpper documented the project, which he called Al Hissan – The Jenin Horse: Art in Public Space Under Conditions of Occupation, in writing and video.[1][7][14]

Use

The statue was installed in a plaza, which became known as the Horse Roundabout,[11] at the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp and across from the Jenin Government Hospital.[15] It was positioned to face Haifa, Israel,[16] from which many of the residents' families were displaced in 1948.[17][18] The roundabout was used to display photos of recently deceased people[15] and as a place for youth to socialize and play football.[19][20]

The Jenin Horse has been described as a monument to sumud, the Palestinian cultural value of steadfastness, and a memorial to the Palestinians who were killed in the Battle of Jenin.[21][4][18] The horse has also been interpreted as a symbol of Palestinian resistance[10][8] and right of return.[16][22] One journalist from The Guardian said the horse represented rebirth after destruction.[19] Palestinian psychiatrist Samah Jabr compared the Jenin Horse to Marco Cavallo, a horse statue made by psychiatric patients in Italy in 1973, stating that these artworks reflect the use of symbolism and collective memory to cope with traumatic experiences.[23] According to Al-Araby al-Jadeed, some Israeli media viewed the Jenin Horse as a symbol of terrorism.[17]

Dismantling

The statue stood for 20 years.[17][8] By April 2023, IDF raids and clashes with armed groups in the Jenin refugee camp had increased, killing around 50 Palestinians over the course of a year.[15] The IDF's July 2023 incursions killed an additional 12 people.[2] After the October 7 attacks, the IDF raised the frequency and intensity of its raids in the West Bank, including Jenin.[24][25]

On 29 October 2023, the Jenin Horse was removed and carried away in a backhoe to an unknown destination by the IDF.[2][16] In the same raid, the IDF destroyed the arched entryway to the refugee camp and killed four Palestinians, including one whom they said founded the Jenin Brigades.[2][4][26] Kilpper called the removal of the horse "outrageous" and said that he felt "terribly powerless in the face of the scale of destruction."[2][18] By December, the IDF had demolished multiple monuments in Jenin.[24][16][27] The International Crisis Group called the destruction "gratuitous".[25] Some Palestinians, including the Ministry of Culture,[28] have accused Israel of destroying the monuments in an attempt to erase Palestinian culture and identity.[16][29][23]

Depiction in media

aerial view of large bulldozed area in the middle of some damaged buildings
View of Jenin refugee camp after the Battle of Jenin in 2002

The Jenin Horse is mentioned in Anne Champion's 2016 poem "The Book of Sumud" published in the Prairie Schooner.[30] Images inspired by the sculpture have been used in protests against the Gaza War, including in a quilt displayed on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[31][32]

Alaa Shehada, a Palestinian actor and comedian, created a solo show called The Horse of Jenin.[11] He began writing it soon after the sculpture was dismantled.[10] The show, a black comedy, is a collection of vignettes from Shehada's life in Israeli-occupied Jenin, including scenes from the Second Intifada, his memories of the Jenin Horse, and the IDF's killing of his childhood best friend.[12][33][20] It ends with the statue's removal by the IDF.[10][12] He has performed the show since 2024 in various locations, including Amsterdam's Paradiso,[12] London's Bush Theatre,[11] New York's Under the Radar Festival,[34] and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[5] It received positive reviews from Financial Times,[11] The Guardian,[33] and The Scotsman.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kierulf, Annette (2009). "Do not let the past rest in peace". Kunstjournalen B-post. Archived from the original on 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Velie, Elaine (2023-11-01). "Israeli Forces Remove West Bank Sculpture Commemorating 2002 Massacre". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hass, Amira (2003-07-17). "Riding High to Ramallah". Haaretz.
  4. 1 2 3 van Hoogstraten, Monique. "Israël vernietigt symbolische poort van Palestijns vluchtelingenkamp in Jenin: 'Het was een wraakactie'" [Israel destroys symbolic gate of Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin: ‘It was a revenge action’]. de Volkskrant. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  5. 1 2 3 "Edinburgh Fringe theatre reviews: The Horse of Jenin | Ordinary Decent Criminal | Consumed". The Scotsman. 2025-08-11. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  6. 1 2 3 Mennicke-Schwarz, Christiane. "Portfolio Interview Nº8 – Thomas Kilpper". Griffelkunst-Vereinigung Hamburg (in German). Archived from the original on 2026-08-17. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "al hissan – the jenin horse". Thomas Kilpper. 2003. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
  8. 1 2 3 Dionisio Gomes de Oliveira, Emerson (2025-12-15). "Eu ainda estou aqui: Práticas testemunhais nas artes visuais" [I Am Still Here: Testimonial Practices in the Visual Arts]. Das Questões. 21 (1). Brasília, Brasil: 175–176. doi:10.26512/2447-7087.2025.e60708.
  9. ↑ Winslow, Philip C. (2007). Victory for us is to see you suffer : in the West Bank with the Palestinians and the Israelis. Boston: Beacon Press. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-8070-6906-6 – via Internet Archive.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Omar, Shahla (2025-12-03). "The Horse of Jenin: Lost sculpture inspires story of resilience". The New Arab. Archived from the original on 2026-03-30. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Hemming, Sarah (2025-11-25). "The Horse of Jenin theatre review — a moving celebration of the spirit of ordinary people". Financial Times. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Lems, Marijn (2024-10-31). "Theatervoorstelling 'The horse of Jenin' is een zwartkomisch portret van een leven onder de Israëlische bezetting" [The theatre production 'The Horse of Jenin' is a dark-comic portrait of life under Israeli occupation.]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  13. ↑ "Chronological Review of Events/July 2003 - DPR review". United Nations Question of Palestine. July 2003. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  14. ↑ Thomas Kilpper: AL HISSAN - The Jenin Horse, 2003. Retrieved 2026-08-20 – via vimeo.com.
  15. 1 2 3 Levy, Gideon; Levac, Alex (2023-04-29). "In Jenin, New Graves Are Ready for the Aftermath of the Next Israeli Army Incursion". Haaretz.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Zakir-Hussain, Maryam (2023-12-09). "Palestinian women battling to preserve their culture amid deadly attacks in West Bank". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  17. 1 2 3 "الاحتلال يقتلع 'حصان جنين'… الشاهد على المجزرة وشهدائها" [The occupation uproots the "Jenin horse"... Witness to the massacre and its martyrs]. Al-Araby al-Jadeed (in Arabic). 2023-10-30. Archived from the original on 2025-10-18. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  18. 1 2 3 Al Jazeera English (2023-12-13). Removing symbols of resilience: Israel demolishes Palestinian monuments in Jenin. Retrieved 2025-02-06 – via YouTube.
  19. 1 2 Gani, Aisha (2014-03-03). "Jenin's Freedom theatre: from death and destruction, a message of hope". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  20. 1 2 Barekat, Houman (2025-08-21). "These Plays Don't Repress the Trauma, They Bring It to Life Onstage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
  21. ↑ Bleibleh, Sahera; Perez, Michael Vicente; Bleibleh, Thaira (2019-11-01). "Palestinian refugee women and the Jenin refugee camp: Reflections on urbicide and the dilemmas of home in exile". Urban Studies. 56 (14): 2897–2916. doi:10.1177/0042098018811789. ISSN 0042-0980.
  22. ↑ Rohrbach, Anne (2017-09-15). "Einführung: Postkoloniale Verortungen – Israel, Palästina, Jenin". Erinnerungskultur und kultureller Widerstand in den palästinensischen Gebieten: Jenin, »Cinema Jenin« und das »Freedom Theatre« [Culture of Memory and Cultural Resistance in the Palestinian Territories: Jenin, "Cinema Jenin," and the "Freedom Theatre"] (in German). transcript Verlag. p. 40. ISBN 978-3-8394-4009-4.
  23. 1 2 Jabr, Samah (2026-02-06). "Esculpindo a libertação: sobre Marco Cavallo e o Cavalo de Jenin". Sumud em tempos de genocídio [Sumud in Times of Genocide] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Editora Tabla. pp. 123–125. ISBN 978-85-92632-46-5.
  24. 1 2 Levy, Gideon; Levac, Alex (2023-12-08). "The Israeli Army's Incursions Are More Frequent and Violent. The Jenin Refugee Camp Is Now Little Gaza". Haaretz.
  25. 1 2 Mustafa, Tahani (2023-11-24). "With All Eyes on Gaza, Israel Tightens Its Grip on the West Bank". International Crisis Group. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  26. ↑ "حصيلة عدوان الاحتلال على مخيم جنين: 4 شهداء و9 إصابات اثنتان بحالة الخطر ودمار كبير في البنية التحتية" [The result of the occupation's aggression on the Jenin camp: 4 martyrs and 9 injuries to the state of danger and great destruction in infrastructure]. WAFA Agency (in Arabic). 2023-10-30.
  27. ↑ Daglas, Atef (2024-02-07). "الاحتلال الإسرائيلي يكرر استهداف نُصب الشهداء" [Target them alive and dead. The occupation destroys the Palestinian martyrs' monument]. Al-Jazeera (in Arabic). Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  28. ↑ "الثقافة': الاحتلال يشن حملة إبادة ممنهجة تستهدف قطاع الثقافة والتراث الفلسطيني'" ["Culture": The occupation launches a systematic extermination campaign targeting the Palestinian culture and heritage sector]. WAFA Agency. 2024-01-01. Archived from the original on 2026-05-21. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  29. ↑ "رموز للمخيم دمرها جيش الاحتلال.. ما قصة حصان جنين وأقواس العودة؟" [Symbols of the camp destroyed by the occupation army. What is the story of the Horse of Jenin and the Arches of Return?]. Al-Araby (in Arabic). 2023-10-30. Archived from the original on 2026-03-17. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  30. ↑ Champion, Anne (2016). "The Book of Sumud". Prairie Schooner. 90 (2): 147–148. ISSN 1542-426X.
  31. ↑ "Pro-Palestine Activists Occupy Met Steps with Massive Quilt". Artforum. 2024-03-26. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  32. ↑ Dispatch, Enfield (2024-07-24). "Local pro-Palestine groups march through Edmonton calling for Gaza ceasefire". Enfield Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  33. 1 2 Akbar, Arifa (2025-08-04). "The Horse of Jenin review – a funny, haunting coming-of-age tale of boyhood in occupied Palestine". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  34. ↑ Rubins, Dan (2025-01-22). "Under the Radar 2025". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
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