Rula Halawani (b. Palestine, 1964) grew up on the West Bank of the Jordan River. She remembers it as a region where ancient villages melt into a beautiful hilly landscape. Today what one sees are primarily the ugly structures of Israeli colonists. With her photographs of the West Bank (IRRATIONAL) she hopes to inspire her people with the strength to continue to dream of a peaceful Palestine. The presence of the Israelis has also left the Palestinian city of Ramallah unrecognisable. On the day of the Israeli 'incursion', March 28, 2002, Halawani saw streets there which were only populated by Israeli soldiers and tanks. The only Palestinian she encountered was an old man who had been shot to death, whose face she can not get out of her memory. She translated her feelings into NEGATIVE INCURSIONS, a series of photographs of the assault on Ramallah printed in negative.

Rula Halawani worked for Reuters until 1999, and since then worked as a freelance photojournalist. She has received many awards and is founder of the photography programme at Birzeit University in Palestine.