Faris Odeh

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Faris Odeh

The iconic picture of Odeh throwing a stone at an Israeli tank in occupied Gaza, 29 October 2000
Born December 1985
Gaza Strip
Died 9 November 2000
Nationality Palestinian
Known for Symbol of Palestinian resistance as captured in the famous image of him published worldwide

Faris Odeh (December 1985 - 9 November 2000) was a Palestinian boy shot dead by Israeli military forces near the Karni crossing in the Gaza Strip while throwing stones in the second month of the Al-Aqsa Intifada.

A picture of Odeh standing alone in front a tank, with a stone in his hand and arm bent back to throw was taken by a photojournalist from the Associated Press on October 29, 2000. Ten days later, on November 9, Odeh was again throwing stones at Karni when he was shot in the neck by Israeli troops. Odeh and the now famous image of him have since become symbols of the Palestinian resistance to the occupation.[1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Odeh was born in the Zeitoun quarter of Gaza City, where he lived his entire life with his parents Fayek and Anam and his eight brothers and sisters. According to The Washington Post, Odeh was an "adolescent daredevil". He was fond of risky stunts, and once jumped an eight-foot gap between the roofs of two four-story buildings.[2]

When the Al-Aqsa Intifada began in September, 2000, Odeh started skipping school to participate in the action, either at the Karni crossing or the Israeli settlement of Netzarim.[3][2] The headmaster of Odeh's school complained about the boy's absences to his parents who tried, unsuccessfully, to keep him away from the conflict. According to Faris' mother, the boy's father "beat him black and blue for throwing stones." Fayek also tried to physically restrain his son. Once he locked the boy in his room, but Faris escaped out the window. According to the Post, "The next time Fayek heard that Faris had been at a clash point, he got tougher; he tied the boy's hands and feet together and left him on the roof after dinner. By midnight, his mother, worried sick about the boy, sneaked up to the roof and freed him."[2]

Still, Faris was undeterred.[2] His mother Anam would repeatedly go to the sites of the worst fighting in search of her son, often finding him at the front of the crowd, nearest the Israeli troops. "I must have gone out looking for him 50 times," she was quoted as saying in The Washington Post. "One day, I went out three times. Sometimes I'd sit down to lunch, and before I could put the first bite in my mouth some kids would come by and tell me Faris was at Karni again, throwing stones. And I'd drop my fork and rush out to find him."[2]

"It wasn't the fame he loved," she continued. "In fact, he was afraid that if he was filmed on TV his father would see him, so he'd run away from the cameras. One day, after I'd gone and dragged him away from the clashes every day for a week, I told him: 'Okay, you want to throw stones? Fine. But at least hide behind something! Why do you have to be at the very front, even farther up than the older kids?' And he said, 'I'm not afraid.'"[2]

On October 29, Associated Press photographer Laurent Rebours captured the iconic photo of Odeh, who, according to a subsequent AP story, "reveled in his role as the most famous rock-hurler" at Karni.[4]

On November 1, Odeh's cousin Shadi, a Palestinian policeman, was killed during fighting in Gaza. "When that happened, Faris said, 'I swear I'll avenge his death,'" Anam Odeh told the Post. "He went to Shadi's funeral wreath and placed a snapshot of himself in it. He said the wreath would be for him, too."[2][4]

[edit] Death

Although different sources offer different dates of Odeh's final confrontation with the Israelis, all agree that it was between November 8 and November 10. Odeh was reportedly at the front of a group of young Palestinians throwing rocks at Israeli troops at the Karni crossing. He was reportedly crouching to pick up a stone when he was fatally shot in the neck by Israeli soldiers. According to Odeh's friends, the boy was so close to an Israeli tank that they had to wait an hour before they felt it was safe to retrieve his body and load it into an ambulance. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.[2][3][4]

[edit] Reaction to his death

According to UPI, tens of thousands of people attended Odeh's funeral. The boy's body, covered in a Palestinian flag, was carried on the shoulders of members of the crowd.[3] His father told UPI: "He is a martyr, and this is what he always wanted to be, a martyr for the sake of Al Aqsa."[3] Like all Palestinian families who had a loved one killed by Israeli troops after the outbreak of the Second Intifada, the Odehs received a $10,000 check from Iraq's President at the time Saddam Hussein. His mother remarked that, "Faris was a boy who loved me so much [...] His blood is worth so much more."[2]

Since his death, Odeh and the famous image of him have become symbols of Palestinian resistance. Dubbed the "Palestinian everyman"[5] and the "poster boy of Palestinian defiance," he has become a Palestinian legend, hero, lesson and model, whose valor is celebrated in graffiti, wall art, calendars and posters.[2]

In 2001, Odeh's slingshot appeared in an exhibit called "100 Martyrs - 100 Lives" at the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center in Ramallah. The exhibit featured photos and personal belongings of 100 Palestinians killed during the Intifada.[6]

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.[7] Arafat said: "These tanks can't scare the brave people, we must remember that these tanks were fought by the hero Faris Odeh."[7]

[edit] 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.[8]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ 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 on 2007-07-16.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hockstader, Lee. "Gaza Gains a Martyr, Parents Lose a Son; Slain Youth Hailed As Palestinian Hero While Couple Mourns", The Washington Post, 2000-12-11. Retrieved on 2007-07-23. 
  3. ^ a b c d Abu Ramadan, Saud. "The death of a 14-year-old "martyr"", United Press International, 2000-12-20. Retrieved on 2007-07-23. 
  4. ^ a b c Myre, Greg. "Mideast moms face deadly dilemma", Associated Press, 2000-11-25. Retrieved on 2007-07-23. 
  5. ^ Claire Valier (Summer 2004). "The sense of atrocity and the passion for justice". Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy Volume 7, Issue 2: pp. 145–159. doi:10.1080/1369823042000266567. 
  6. ^ Sontag, Deborah. "Ramallah Journal; Bitter, Stark Souvenirs: Sneakers and Slingshots", The New York Times, 2001-02-21. Retrieved on 2007-07-23. 
  7. ^ a b Mohammed Daraghmeh. "Palestinian Youths Support Dead Bomber", The Washington Post, 19 February 2002. 
  8. ^ Dr. Salman Abu Sitta to receive the Faris Odeh activism award June 21, 2003 from the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, The Palestine Monitor, 14 May, 2003.

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Odeh, Faris
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Odeh, Fares; Oudeh, Faris; Udah, Fares
SHORT DESCRIPTION Palestinian activist
DATE OF BIRTH 1985
PLACE OF BIRTH Ottoman Palestine
DATE OF DEATH 2000
PLACE OF DEATH Gaza Strip