Naji al-Ali

Naji al-Ali
ناجي العلي
Bornc. 1938
Al-Shajara, Mandatory Palestine
Died29 August 1987(1987-08-29) (aged 48–49)
London, United Kingdom
OccupationPolitical cartoonist
NationalityPalestinian
Years active1960–1987

Naji Salim Hussain Al-Ali (Arabic: ناجي سليم العلي Nājī Salīm al-‘Alī; born c. 1938 – 29 August 1987) was a Palestinian political cartoonist, noted for the political criticism of the Arab regimes and Israel in his works.[1] Al-Ali is best known as the creator of the character Handala,[2] a personification of the Palestinian people that has become prominent symbol of Palestinian nationalism and resistance.[3][4]

One of the best-known cartoonists in the Arab world, and celebrated as the greatest Palestinian cartoon artist,[5][6] Al-Ali drew over 40,000 cartoons, often reflecting Palestinian and Arab public opinion and offering sharply critical commentaries on Palestinian and Arab politics and political leaders.[2] On 22 July 1987, while outside the London offices of al-Qabas, a Kuwaiti newspaper for which he drew political caricatures,[2][7] Al-Ali was shot in the neck and mortally wounded.[8] He died five weeks later in Charing Cross Hospital.

  1. ^ "About Naji al-Ali". handala.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Farsoun 2004, p. 111
  3. ^ Faber, Michel (10 July 2009). "Pens and swords". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  4. ^ Alazzeh, Ala (2012). "Abu Ahmad and His Handalas". In LeVine, Mark; Shafir, Gershon (eds.). Struggle and Survival in Palestine/Israel. University of California Press. pp. 427–444. ISBN 978-0-520-26252-2. JSTOR 10.1525/j.ctt1ppwdk.34. …one of the most popular symbols of Palestinian nationalism.
  5. ^ "To escape repression, critics are leaving the Gulf". The Economist. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Can a murder that happened three decades ago now be solved?". The Economist. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  7. ^ Harlow 1994, p. 167
  8. ^ Black, Ian (10 March 2008). "Drawing Defiance". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2024.