They won’t have been able to erase the sky; tomorrow it will be filled with kites
On 10 July 2026 in Burin, a village in the West Bank under siege by settlers – backed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), the Zionist government and complicit states – the residents are organising a Kite Festival and calling on people to join them.
This village has been under constant occupation for a long time. But particularly since October 2023, Burin has been subjected to harassment by violent, armed settlers who have never been held to account for their actions. On 10 October 2025, a so-called ceasefire was declared in Gaza. Since then, however, the attacks have not ceased, with more than 1,000 murders (119 in the month of May alone) carried out by the IOF and the Zionist entity.
And in the West Bank, attacks have increased exponentially, in terms of cruelty towards the population, destruction and land confiscation, as evidenced by the latest decision by the Zionist entity on 16 June 2026. Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich has just announced the end of the Hebron Protocol and the transfer to Israel of the powers previously exercised by the Palestinian municipality in matters of urban planning, zoning and construction in the part of the occupied West Bank city where a Jewish settlement and the Tomb of the Patriarchs are located. Smotrich described the decision as a ‘historical correction’, whilst Defence Minister Israel Katz, seated behind him, applauded.
In Burin, as elsewhere, settlers are burning olive groves, destroying indigenous seeds, ransacking the Cooperative’s greenhouses, blocking access to them to prevent crops from being irrigated, and beating and injuring residents.
In Huwara (the municipality to which Burin belongs), a CCTV video broadcast by Al Jazeera shows a particularly violent attack carried out on 6 June 2026 by an Israeli soldier and settlers against two young Palestinians. The footage shows the two victims being thrown to the ground and then struck repeatedly, notably with a wooden plank, until they lay motionless on the ground.
And yet, every day of this barbaric colonisation is an act of resistance by the local population against the invader. Rebuilding homes, protecting them better, replanting olive and fruit trees, repairing water tanks pierced by the settlers’ bullets, organising activities for young people with the Burin Sports Club… the list is long and never-ending. But imagination is fertile, so that one day the settlers and the Zionist entity will be forced to withdraw and the IOF will disappear.
Meanwhile, since 2008, the residents have devised a wonderful act of resistance in the form of a kite festival. Once a year, the skies above Burin come alive with a spectacle of flamboyant colours. It has not taken place every year: it was cancelled during the COVID pandemic and has had to be suspended on several occasions due to threats of violence from settlers. This year’s festival will take place from 4 to 12 July. In Burin, the kites will take to the sky on the 10th. The Kite Festival, organised by residents and activists, brings the community together in a radiant celebration of resistance and unshakeable joy. Against the backdrop of the occupation, this festival has become a powerful symbol of the daily struggles and the indomitable spirit of Burin’s residents. During the festival, Burin rises up and soars above the settlers and their brutality, above pain and suffering. Arms are stretched out in a gesture of defiance as the kites whirl between the hilltop and the sky.
To reclaim the skies so that they are no longer riddled with the flight of sinister drones launching murderous missiles (sold at the ‘Death Fair’ at Eurosatory, built using parts supplied by French companies, amongst others). Once again this year, the clouds will not herald the destruction of homes, land, or the maiming or loss of lives. These colourful clouds will once again bring laughter, joy and the exhilaration of living in peace in Burin, the West Bank, Lebanon, Gaza and all over the world.
They are calling on people all over the world to let their kites fly, so that, in a sky freed from all criminal activity, the steel dome may be replaced by a new dome of kites that will protect life and allow us to grow once more without fear.
For many of us, summer is still a time for rest. So let’s make the most of this respite to make these messenger kites and fill the sky from one shore of the Mediterranean to the other. Kites in the colours of Palestine, of life. A swarm above this sea, which must no longer be synonymous with a graveyard for anyone.
The children of Burin have already started; those in Hermel, Lebanon, are getting ready. Let’s not wait to join them, so that across the skies of the whole world a tremendous, colourful and joyful cry rings out:
STOP ALL WARS.
STOP GENOCIDE.
LONG LIVE LIFE!
