Aed Abu Amro

Aed Abu Amro (Arabic: عائد أبو عمرو; born 1999) is a Palestinian from Zeitoun, Gaza. A photo of him taken by photojournalist Mustafa Hassona during the Great March of Return protest in Gaza on 22 October 2018 went viral and became a symbol of Palestinian resistance. The photo was compared to the 1830 painting Liberty Leading the People. However, while some interpreted the imagery as a representation of a biblical David versus Goliath, some considered the depiction to be a celebration of violence, and others saw a romanticisation of Palestinian oppression.

Photo of Aed Abu Amro during the Great March of Return in Gaza taken by Mustafa Hassona on 22 October 2018

Background

Israeli blockade on Gaza
Further information: Blockade of the Gaza Strip

The blockade of the Gaza Strip is an ongoing land, air, and sea blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt on the Gaza Strip since 2007.[1][2] The blockade has severely limited the movement of people and goods into and out of the territory, leading to a humanitarian crisis that has had a devastating impact on the population of Gaza.[1] The blockade has been the subject of international criticism and has been condemned by numerous human rights organisation for its detrimental effects on the civilian population.[3] The blockade has also been a major source of tension between Israel and the Palestinians and has contributed to the ongoing conflict in the region.[4]

Aed Abu Amro

Aed Abu Amro, a Palestinian from Zeitoun in the Gaza Strip, was born in 1999.[5] He was 15 during the war on Gaza in 2014.[5] He has been a regular participant in the weekly "Great March of Return" protests, which began in 2018 and called for an end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza, and the right for Palestinian refugees to return to their ancestral homes.[6][5]

Photograph
Liberty Leading the People

Amro was photographed by Mustafa Hassona during the Great March of Return protest in Gaza[7][8] on 22 October 2018,[9][10] and the image went viral shortly after its creation.[10] The picture shows Abu Amro bare-chested, holding a Palestinian flag and wielding a sling over his head. He appears to be standing in front of a cloud of smoke, and the intensity of his gaze and the determination in his posture have made the photo a symbol of the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice.[10][11][10][9][12][13] The photo was compared to Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix which depicts the French July Revolution of 1830.[14][15]

However, while some interpreted the imagery as a representation of a biblical David versus Goliath,[9] others considered the depiction to be a celebration of violence, as some reports have referred to Abu Amro as a "Palestinian extremist" and linked him to riots on the border between Gaza and Israel.[16] One commentator said that the oppression of Palestinians is not something that can be romanticised or viewed through a poetic lens, as the reality of life in Gaza is one of constant suffering and loss.[17]

Aftermath

Aed Abu Amro

Abu Amro was reportedly shot in the leg by an Israeli sniper during a demonstration in the Gaza Strip in November 2018 while participating in a demonstration in support of a Just Future For Palestine Flotilla that set sail to challenge Israel's naval blockade.[18][19] He was seen being carried away on a stretcher by medics while holding the Palestinian flag and making the sign of peace.[20][21]

Mustafa Hassona

Mustafa Hassona, the photographer who is from Gaza Strip,[22][23] received numerous awards for the photo, including the Pictures of the Year International award,[24] Sony World Photography Award,[25] Malta International Photo Award,[26] and All About Photo Photographer of the Year.[27] He was also a finalist in the LensCulture Visual Storytelling Awards 2019.[28][29]

References
  1. James Wolfensohn (2010). A Global Life. p. 422-423
  2. Black, Ian; Tran, Mark (15 June 2007). "Hamas takes control of Gaza". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  3. "Conditions for a ceasefire: Why Hamas fires those rockets". The Economist. 19 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.: "After the last big Israeli effort to stop the rockets, in November 2012, it was agreed that, along with a ceasefire, the blockade of Gaza would gradually be lifted and the crossings into Egypt and Israel would be opened. The ceasefire generally held, but the siege continued."
  4. Abbas 'supports' Egypt action on Gaza tunnels Archived 7 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Al Jazeera, 12 December 2014
  5. Yaghi, Amjad Ayman (2019-04-06). "Liberty leads the people: The fight for a decent life in Gaza". SOTT. Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  6. "Iconic Palestinian protester shot by Israel says he was deliberately targeted". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  7. "'A gunshot, a speech, a whisper': The art detectives exposing Middle East crimes". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  8. "Un decennio in rassegna: gli avvenimenti che hanno segnato gli ultimi 10 anni di questione israelo-palestinese". Infopal (in Italian). 2019-12-31. Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  9. "Gaza protest image likened to famous Delacroix painting". BBC News. 2018-10-25. Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  10. AnotherMan. "The Story Behind Mustafa Hassona's Image of the Palestinian Protestor". AnotherMan. Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  11. Doja.Daoud. "هكذا تحوّل شاب فلسطيني إلى أيقونة". Alaraby (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  12. The New Arab (2018-11-07). "Palestinian protester in iconic Gaza photo wounded by Israel". The New Arab. Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  13. "La photo d'un manifestant à Gaza devient une icône". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2018-10-26. Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  14. "صورة"الأناضول"تتحول إلى"أيقونة"المقاومة الفلسطينية". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  15. "Viral Photo of Palestinian Protester Compared to Delacroix's 'Liberty Leading the People'". Frieze. 2018-10-25. Archived from the original on 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  16. Daisley, Stephen (2018-10-28). "The progressive West must stop fetishising Palestinian extremists". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  17. "'Stop romanticising that viral image of a Palestinian protester – it's not a poetic moment'". The Independent. 2018-10-26. Archived from the original on 2023-04-23. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  18. "إصابة بطل "أيقونة المقاومة" برصاص إسرائيلي شمالي غزة". mubasher.aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  19. قرني, رشيد سعيد (2018-11-07). "الجيش الإسرائيلي يصيب "أيقونة المقاومة الفلسطينية" بالرصاص الحي". euronews (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  20. "Palestine Unbound". Journal of Palestine Studies. 48 (2 (190)): 110–113. 2019. doi:10.1525/jps.2019.48.2.110. ISSN 0377-919X. JSTOR 26873206. Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  21. O'Connor, Tom (2018-11-06). "Iconic Palestinian Protester Shot by Israel: Report". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  22. "Mustafa Hassona, Palestinian Territory". World Photography Organisation. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  23. Day, Shrouq Aila,Anna Therese (2021-05-15). "Journalist Hit by Missile Recounts Gaza Horror: 'Suddenly Everything Was White'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-10-09.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. "POYi 73 Winner's List". poy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  25. LensCulture, Mustafa Hassona |. "Mustafa Hassona". LensCulture. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  26. Photographie, L'Œil de la (2019-02-19). "Malta International Photo Award : The Winners". The Eye of Photography Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  27. "All About Photo Awards 2019, Photo Contest, Photography Competition". www.all-about-photo.com. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  28. LensCulture, Mustafa Hassona |. "Palestinian Rights of Return Protests - Photographs and text by Mustafa Hassona". LensCulture. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  29. LensCulture. "WINNERS—Visual Storytelling Awards 2019". LensCulture. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
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