Ramallah - Ma'an - Al-Bireh Municipality, in partnership with the Ministries of Culture and Education and Higher Education, the National Library, the Prisoners and Freed Prisoners Affairs Authority, and the Family Revival Association, opened the fifth annual book fair under the title "Steadfastness... Despite the Restrictions" over the course of four days in the city of Al-Bireh. This was held under the patronage and attendance of the Minister of Culture, Imad Hamdan, the Acting Mayor of Al-Bireh, Robin Al-Khatib, the Director of the Education Directorate, Issam Ezzat, the directors and representatives of the city's institutions and schools, and a number of school students and readers. Minister Hamdan said in his speech that this exhibition is a platform to promote culture and reading, as peoples do not rise except through reading. We are steadfast and resist through culture, stressing that through reading we can preserve our identity and culture. Hamdan recalled the writers, authors and poets of the Gaza Strip, and the pages of the books that were soaked in the blood of their readers and owners. Gaza will rise again and will give birth to writers and readers who, through their readings, will draw hope for its construction and the restoration of the cultural scene in the Strip. In turn, Al-Khatib stressed that the Al-Bireh Municipality and its partners are launching this exhibition as a clear message that 'we will remain here as long as thyme and olives remain, and as long as the songs of our ancestors echo high above our skies.' With the distinguished presence of publishing houses from all over the country, and thousands of books decorating the exhibition, we affirm with great determination to persevere and succeed that with knowledge and determination we will complete our path towards freedom. For his part, Ezzat touched on the efforts of the Ministry of Education to revive the educational process in the Gaza Strip by creating virtual schools, based on the importance of education as a fundamental axis in t he lives of our Palestinian people. It is worth noting that this exhibition includes thousands of titles in various fields of human knowledge, and special sections for children's books and intelligence games. A series of cultural events will also be organized on the sidelines of the exhibition, aiming to encourage reading among citizens. Source: Maan News Agency