Interference in Palestine pt.7

July 2, 2013

Handala02
One of the most universally popular symbols I’ve seen here (possible second only to the Palestinian flag) is the cartoon image of Handala. He is a young Palestinian refugee, tattered and back-turned, refusing to grow-up until he can return to his homeland. He is seen as a symbol of popular defiance here, and is seen in graffiti, on t-shirts, key chains, car decals, and in shop windows. Handala was created Naji al-Ali, a Palestinian cartoonist who was exiled in 1948 (at the age of 10), and eventually murdered by Israel in the 1980s, when they went on an assassination spree of the Palestinian Left.
Handala03
Handala01