MILAN.- A country prefix is an international dialing code that is used to identify that nation in global communications. It is the country’s “voice” around the world, the first number that is dialed to connect to it. It’s at the beginning, like a stamp that says, “This is where I come from” or “This is where I’m going.” Palestine’s is 00970: five apparently easy numbers, to reach any one of more than five million people. To this day, those numbers constitute a threshold, beyond which lies a society tilted off its axis; a direct line to a population forced to fight for its very survival, often without access to medical care, drinking water, or a safe refuge. The massacre of tens of thousands of lives documents—above and beyond any hand-wringing statements that may have been made—the hesitation and lack of commitment on the part of a great many countries to address this crisis, as if they were numbed to the ever-increasing death count. This tragedy affects us, too, because when the basic principles of international law are violated, or when war crimes and illegal occupations are normalized, violence stops being an exception and becomes common practice. The gradual process of dehumanization shatters fundamental principles of justice and compassion. If we do not bridge the gap that has opened up between individual empathy and collective indifference, we undermine the prerequisites for fair rules—those conceived to protect everyone, especially the most vulnerable—which ensure fairness and universal rights. Selective, arbitrary justice is not fair justice.

00970 is an exhibition project that brings together the voices of artists and filmmakers who have been marked by the Palestinian condition and diaspora. The exhibition, which takes the form of video works, films, and moving images, addresses the crucial themes of identity, loss, and memory, analyzing the historical and personal consequences of the war, the displacement and the occupation. The exhibition route is configured as a form of collective geography, geared towards moving beyond geopolitical borders and towards reconstructing broken pathways. The selecting of the works and the involvement of the artists are the results of a shared process, put together through ongoing dialogue, exchange and debate. 00970 is contact with the other, an endeavor to reduce distances, be they physical, cultural, or emotional. It means making a connection and listening to the voices of many people, with a view to rebuilding respectful relationships, achieving reconciliation, and living together in harmony.