Faris Odeh | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Activist |
Faris Odeh (November 1985 - November 2000) was shot in the neck by Israeli military forces near the Karni checkpoint in the Gaza Strip while throwing stones in the second month of the Al-Aqsa Intifada. Odeh had been photographed throwing stones at an Israeli tank nine days earlier. Odeh and the now famous image have since become symbols of the Palestinian resistance to the occupation.[1]
Biography
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Odeh was born in the Zeitoun quarter of Gaza City. His mother, Enaam Odeh told Associated Press reporters on 24 November 2000 that she repeatedly told her son to stay away from the Karni crossing point between Gaza and Israel which had become a site of daily confrontations.[1] After his 17-year-old cousin Shadi Odeh was killed at the crossing, Faris grew even more resolute, continuing to disobey his his mother's pleas to stay out of harm's way.[1]
Associated Press photographer, Laurent Rebours, captured the photo of Odeh hurling a rock at an Israeli tank on 29 October 2000.[1]
On 8 November 2000, Odeh left his house early, telling friends that he planned to go throw stones at tanks before school started.[2] This time, soldier chased him, and he was shot in the neck while trying to run away and died shortly thereafter.[2]
Reaction to his death
According to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, a 5 December 2000 article on the IDF's killing of Odeh in Ha'aretz, noted that "stone-throwing has become a permanent, everyday metaphor" in the Palestinian territories and throughout the Arab world.[1] The article continued:
Israel is only too aware of the power of the image of a Palestinian child throwing stones at massive Israeli tanks and other modern weaponry. The Detroit Jewish News reported that, in response to the initial negative press generated during the first weeks of the al-Aqsa intifada, "The Israeli government is sending out diplomats and other officials throughout Europe and the United States to offer a different perspective."[1]
In February 2002, addressing students at the Ramallah compound to which he had been confined by the Israelis, Yasser Arafat recalled Odeh's example, calling on them to show the same courage during the Israeli blockade of Palestinian towns.[3] Arafat said: "These tanks can't scare the brave people, we must remember that these tanks were fought by the hero Faris Oudeh."[3]
Awards (posthumous)
The Faris Odeh activism award is granted annually by Al-Awda: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRCC). The recipient in 2003 was Dr. Salman Abu-Sitta.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Delinda Curtiss Hanley (January-February 2001). "Israel's Spin-Doctors Wage War of Images and Words Against Palestinian Rock Children". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Retrieved 07.16.2007.
((cite web)): Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "100 Shaheed". Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre. Retrieved 07.16.2007.
((cite web)): Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b Mohammed Daraghmeh (19 February 2002). "Palestinian Youths Support Dead Bomber". Washington Post.
External Links
- Remember These Children 2000 Memorial
- Intifada - Site with poem in honor of Faris Odeh
- How Children Turned into Commandos
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