What's a Literary Festival Without a Little Tear Gas?

from the "Palestine Festival of Literature" website
PalFest 2011 Closes in Silwan
The 2011 Palestine Festival of Literature closed in Silwan, Jerusalem, last night. It was scheduled to start at 7.30pm, but from around 5.30pm the Israeli Army were in the area, roads had been blocked off and street battles had flared up. Nevertheless, some artists and audience members managed to get to the night's venue - the Silwan Solidarity Tent.

At 7.30pm the Israeli Army fired tear gas at the tent, and everyone inside fled.

But by 8.30pm all the different groups found each other - some had been in the tent, some had been stuck in road blocks - and they all walked back up to the tent and held the event with tear gas hanging in the air and soldiers watching from the hill. The night closed with DAM performing to a packed tent.