Naji al-Ali

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Nadschi Salim al-Ali ( Arabic ناجي سليم حسين العلي Nadschi Salim Husain al-Ali , DMG Nāǧī Salīm Ḥusain al-ʿAlī ; * 1938 in al-Schadschara, Palestine ; † August 29, 1987 in London ) was a Palestinian cartoonist who primarilycriticized Israel's occupation policy, but also the attitude of the Arab brother states and the position of certain sections of Palestinian society. He and his family weredisplaced to Lebanon during the first Israeli-Arab war. There he grew up in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon . He drew more than 40,000 cartoons for various Arabic periodicals. His most famous figure is the Palestinian boy "Handala".

assassination

It is still not clear who opened fire outside the London office of the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas on Naji al-Ali on July 22, 1987. Naji al-Ali remained in a coma until his death on August 29, 1987. His last will was to be buried next to his father in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp. For organizational reasons, this was not possible, so that he found his final resting place in the Brookwood Islamic Cemetery outside London. Scotland Yard arrested Ismail Sowan , a 28-year-old Jerusalem-born Palestinian scientist at the University of Hull , and found an arms cache in his home. According to Scotland Yard, the arsenal was set up to carry out terrorist attacks in Europe. However, he was only charged with gun possession. First, Scotland Yard found that he is a member of the PLO , which denied participation.

Sowan later confessed that he had worked for the PLO as well as for the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad . He said the Mossad knew about the assassination plans early on but did not pass this information on to British intelligence. In retrospect, this account of the events led to considerable tension between the British and Israeli governments, which in turn led to the expulsion of at least one Israeli diplomat from Great Britain. The then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher then closed the Mossad's office in Palace Green, Kensington.

Handala

Handala on a wall in Bil'in

The figure of Handala (حنظلة, DMG Hanẓala ) first appeared in 1969. The Palestinian boy with the large, round head then usually appeared as a silent observer who can only be seen from behind. He wears tattered clothes and is barefoot. It depicts a young, poor Palestinian demonstrating against the Israeli occupation. As a rule, he stands there in silence and motionless with a view of what is happening. Only when children are involved or even harmed does Handala show strong emotions. Subsequently, Handala became the signature of Naji al-Ali and appeared either directly or as a small logo in every cartoon. Today the figure of Handala is present in the Palestinian Territories and in the Palestinian Diaspora.

literature

  • Kreitmeyr, Nadine (2012): The Middle East conflict through the eyes of Hanzala. Stereotypical ideas in the work of the cartoonist Naji al-'Ali . Berlin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87997-402-3

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Harlow, Barbara (1994). Writers and Assassinations. In Sidney J. Lemelle and Robin DG Kelley (Eds.). Imagining Home: Class, Culture and Nationalism in the African Diaspora (Pages: 167-184). ISBN 0-86091-585-9
  2. ^ David Pallister, 'Arab on arms find charge,' The Guardian , Aug. 18, 1987.
  3. ^ Palestinian journalist Dies of Wounds in London , The New York Times . August 30, 1987. 
  4. ↑ FRANCIS X. Clines: Britain Orders Israeli Diplomat to Leave - NYT, June 18, 1988
  5. ↑ Duncan Gardham: Dubai Hamas assassination: the sticky relationship - Telegraph, 17 February 2010

Web links

Commons : Naji al-Ali  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Ali, Naji al-
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ali, Naji Salim al- (full name); ناجي سليم حسين العلي (Arabic)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Palestinian cartoonist
DATE OF BIRTH 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH al-Shajara, Galilee
DATE OF DEATH August 29, 1987
Place of death London