This iconic photo of Faris Odeh was taken on October 29,2000. Faris was a nearly 15-year-old Palestinian boy protesting the illegal presence of Israeli troops in Gaza during the Second or Al-Aqsa Intifada which began in September 2000. Eleven days later, on November 8th, Faris, again throwing stones, was shot in the neck & killed by Israeli troops. He became & remains a symbol of resistance to the Israeli occupation & thousands attended his funeral. No one has ever been charged for his murder.
There has been plenty of bile & baloney written about young Faris in the media & by many others who cannot hope to understand the spirit of rebellion & resistance to oppression, especially in the young. The Washington Post described him as an “adolescent daredevil”; the French philosopher, Pierre-André Taguieff, who is unable to distinguish anti-Semitism from anti-Zionism, claims this is a martyrdom due to the Islamization & “culture of death” of the Palestinian cause. Even a mental health practitioner in Gaza wrote that stone-throwing during the Intifada was a distraction for children who did not understand the danger.
Anyone who’s paid even a cursory & distracted attention to political & social rebellion around the world knows that unarmed civilians of every age use rocks against military might, including tanks & bulldozers. Examples abound: during the English military occupation of Northern Ireland; during the Arab uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, & currently in Bahrain; today in Greece, Spain, Portugal; by thousands of residents in slums around the world being forcibly evicted; & the list goes on. When the unidentified Tank Man of Tiananmen Square stood alone & defenseless against a tank, did he not understand the danger!? Did Rachel Corrie, mowed down by an Israeli bulldozer, not understand the threat!? Is it really conceivable young Faris stood in front of a 60-ton tank without grasping the danger!? Or is it more likely the commentators don’t have a clue about fearless commitment to justice, about the willingness to brave all against tyranny & oppression & occupation!?
Faris Odeh, captured in this iconic moment, remains a symbol of courage & resistance not just to Palestinians but to all who struggle for justice. And no amount of bile & baloney will ever undo that.
(Photo of Faris Odeh by Laurent Rebours/AP)
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