Over the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in works about Palestine, spanning both printed material and other forms of media.
Most of these works fall into one of two categories: the first includes literature, cinema, and other artistic productions that humanise Palestinians by presenting their subjective experiences; the second consists of scholarly works that revisit the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Zahi W. Khouri’s book, Jaffa and the Present Absence: A Collection of Loss, falls into the first category, though it also engages with the latter.
Published in October 2024, Zahi’s book is much more than a stylish coffee-table volume. While it showcases his private collection of Palestinian art — often focused on local themes — it is also a cultural document offering insights into heritage and challenging historical erasure.
As Zahi puts it, “As a collector of Palestinian art, my pursuit extends beyond aesthetics” and into the act of asserting a historical narrative in the face of repeated Western/Zionist denial.
He goes on to say, “My collection stands as a tangible testament to a vibrant culture” that challenges the idea of a barren Palestine — a view held by figures like Golda Meir, former Israeli prime minister, and Ursula von der Leyen, current president of the European Commission.
Far from being a cultural desert, Zahi attests that Palestine “was and remains a fertile oasis of creativity and expression,” adding that the art in his collection plays a far more significant role than merely decorating walls.
A life between Palestine and the diaspora
For context, Zahi is a Palestinian American businessman and entrepreneur, born in 1938 in Jaffa (also my birthplace, though I am not originally from there), which was then part of Mandatory Palestine and is now hyphenated by Israel as ‘Tel Aviv – Yaffo.’
Best known for his involvement in numerous ventures, including in the Palestinian territories, Zahi’s biography is typical of bourgeois Christian Palestinians in the diaspora (a group I belong to as an exile, not a refugee).
Along with most of its other non-Jewish inhabitants, Zahi’s family fled during the 1948 war (hence the reference to Jaffa and loss in the book’s title), becoming refugees in neighbouring Lebanon, where he lived until the 1960s.
Much like many other Palestinian middle-class refugees, Zahi pursued higher education. He moved to Germany to earn a master’s degree in engineering, before going on to obtain an MBA from the prestigious European Institute of Business Administration (better known by its French acronym, INSEAD), near Paris.
Having completed his studies, in 1967, he settled in the United States (the Mecca of bourgeois Christian Arabs), building, over more than two decades, a successful career in both American and international business.
This included serving as an Executive Board Member of Saudi Arabia’s giant Olayan Group (which he led as Chief Executive Officer of Olayan Saudi Holdings) and its affiliate in the United States (where he held the same position at Olayan Development Company).
Following the 1993 Oslo Accords, which granted limited self-rule to the Palestinians in parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Zahi returned to Palestine to co-establish businesses, including the prominent Palestinian Development and Investment Company (PADICO). He was also notably the CEO of a leading telecom company in Palestine.
Impressively, Khouri holds several non-profit positions, including chairing the NGO Development Center in Jerusalem, the Palestine Business Committee for Peace and Reform (in Washington, DC), and the Palestinian Territories chapter of Partners for a New Beginning, an organisation affiliated with America’s Aspen Institute.
Preserving the memory of Palestine
Like so many other recent publications on Palestine, this work should be viewed in the context of the events of 7 October 2023 and Israel’s onslaught on Gaza.
Although the situation may have quieted down following recent pressure on Israel by Donald Trump, his ‘Deal of the Century’ might quickly be back on the table and could undermine the Palestinian struggle.
Within this political process, it is important to note that Palestine’s cause also includes the preservation of cultural symbols and artistic manifestations. Politics alone will not free Palestine, according to many, and a rethink of the current deterrence-based armed resistance model, eyed by Hamas and its allies, is underway.
Meanwhile, the non-violent approach of many Palestinians continues, including this contribution by Zahi. As an interdisciplinary account of the Palestinian cause, primarily analysed through arts-based lenses, he offers a fresh perspective on the subject.
That being said, the book — which includes a thoughtful introductory essay by Zahi, as well as valuable additional prefatory material from others — puts the Nakba (the 1948 Palestinian Catastrophe) in a human historical context.
In a unique way, this helps to simplify the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by emphasising the fundamental role of culture.
Ultimately, this book takes an interdisciplinary approach, with art at its centre, injecting fresh life into the effort to preserve the memory of Palestine, while offering a new visual perspective on the subject.
In saying this, for those interested in Palestinian art, as well as for the specialised audience seeking something beyond crude politics, this book is for you.
Jaffa and the Present Absence: A Collection of Loss is available at select bookstores in Amman for JOD 60 and online for USD 70. The book can also be purchased on Amazon.
All proceeds from the sale will support art students in Gaza.
Riad al Khouri is an independent Jordanian economist
Follow him on LinkedIn: Riad Al Khouri
